Muscle Shoals to the Gulf: The soundtrack of our lives
- wwsmith6410
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
(First appeared in The Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, March 27, 2026)
By Wayne Smith
Gulf Shores Media Contributor
“We started to hear this sound coming out. There was an amazing feel, kind of magnetic I suppose in a way, sound wise. Then after a while, this word, ‘Muscle Shoals’ comes into the picture. And you put two and two together and that’s when I said, ‘If we get the chance we got to go down there.’”
— Keith Richards, Rolling Stones guitarist, in the documentary “Muscle Shoals.”
An open letter to spring breakers, Gulf Coast residents and the next generation of music lovers:
The music you’re hearing on the beach this week — in restaurants, bars or on your drive to the coast — didn’t all start here.
But many of the tunes you sing along with — the soundtrack of your beach days and your lives — most definitely have Alabama roots.
That’s because much of it was born hundreds of miles north, along the Tennessee River.
The very songs you know every word to:
Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” — “Ride, Sally, Ride.”
Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.”
And Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.”
Those artists discovered the magic of the Muscle Shoals sound in the 1960s at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios.
And so many more would follow, either at FAME or Muscle Shoals Sound.
Lynyrd Skynyrd? They were discovered in part by legendary Swamper Jimmy Johnson — who, as I’ve written before, was once part of my extended family.
So when you’re singing along to “Sweet Home Alabama” and get to the line:
“Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers…”
That’s a nod to Johnson and the group of studio musicians who helped define a sound heard around the world.
“They had no money,” Jimmy Johnson recalls in the documentary. “And I remember they would come up here and they would check in at a truck stop where they’d get in fights with the truckers because of their long hair. And basically, all they had to eat was peanut butter sandwiches the whole time. But I loved this band. I didn’t know if it’d be a hit, but I tell you one thing, if you listen to those songs, some of the best rock and roll songs I’ve ever heard — especially one (‘Free Bird’).”
THE SWAMPERS
I asked a simple question this week on my Facebook page:
What does Muscle Shoals music mean to you?
The responses were quick — and telling.
One friend pointed straight to “Sweet Home Alabama” and the Swampers.
Another, who grew up during that era, remembered something deeper — that many of those legendary soul recordings featured Black artists backed by white studio musicians. Different backgrounds, working together, creating timeless music.
A quick side note.
Dorinda and I were in New York City in 2018 — for a concert, of course — having lunch at the famous Katz’s Deli.
Our waiter, a young man probably in his 30s, picked up on our Southern accents and asked where we were from.
“Muscle Shoals,” I told him.
Without missing a beat, he said:
“Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers.”
That’s when it hits you.
Just how far that sound has traveled.
This column could easily be twice as long and still not begin to cover all the music that came out of that small North Alabama community.
But instead of trying to tell it all…
Go listen.
If you haven’t seen the 2013 documentary “Muscle Shoals,” take the time. You can stream it free on Tubi TV (tubitv.com/movies/507408/muscle-shoals).
Even if you’re from the area like I am, it’s still amazing to watch.
Keith Richards…
Mick Jagger…
Bono…
Steve Winwood…
All talking about a sound that came from a place most people had never heard of.
Then listen to the soundtrack.
You’ll hear Arthur Alexander’s “You Better Move On.”
Clarence Carter’s “Patches.”
Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome.”
Songs that, in one way or another, trace back to that same stretch of river.
It’s a soundtrack that’s followed many of us through life.
And it’s still playing today.
I wrote recently about the passing of another Shoals music figure, Travis Wammack, and what that legacy continues to mean.
So this week, wherever you are along the Gulf Coast — listen a little closer.
You may be hearing more Alabama than you realize.
And I’ll close with this, an encore of sorts.
Eight years ago this week, Dorinda and I visited FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio as part of a group tour.
It was a memorable day.
Looking back through those photos, I see a lot:
David Hood answering a question I asked.
An invoice for the Rolling Stones recording “Wild Horses.”
And several of Dorinda.
There’s one in particular — her standing on the back porch of the studio, smiling.
Priceless.
Without a doubt, her favorite Muscle Shoals song was “Mustang Sally.”
I can close my eyes and still hear her singing it, smiling:
“Ride, Sally, Ride…”
With all due respect to Wilson Pickett…
and to Aretha Franklin…
and Percy Sledge…
and so many others whose voices filled those studios…
none was sweeter than the voice of my Bear.
“Ride, Sally, ride.”
Wayne Smith has worked as a writer and editor at newspapers across Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. His weekly column focuses on navigating Gulf Shores alone after losing his wife to cancer, and the places he discovers and the people he meets. Read his previous columns at www.GulfCoastMedia.com. Contact him at wwsmith6410@gmail.com.
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