This recording console at FAME has helped capture the sounds of artists known around the world. Image by Tom Adkinson

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – Even people in their teens know some of the music that came from Muscle Shoals in the 1960s and 1970s. What burst from this little town in the northwest corner of Alabama has become ingrained in music culture – both in America and around the world.

Even a short list is impressive. Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.” The Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses.” Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” and “Love Me Like a Rock.” Wilson Pickett’s “Land of 1000 Dances.” Whether those and hundreds of others show up on playlists, in movies, or in commercials, people today recognize them.

Rick Hall wasn’t boasting when he said, “Through these doors walk the finest musicians, songwriters, artists, and producers in the world.” Image by Tom Adkinson

Of special note is that people today can visit two of the primary places where what became known as the Muscle Shoals Sound emerged. Those places are two history-steeped recording studios that remain in commercial operation and are the biggest reason Muscle Shoals is an international tourism destination.

The importance of the Muscle Shoals Sound is so significant that Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened a major exhibition about it in late 2025. It is called “Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising,” and it will run for three years. The music of Muscle Shoals previously inspired a 2013 documentary film simply called “Muscle Shoals” that is available on YouTube.

The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is about as inconspicuous a building as could be from the outside. Inside was a different story. Image by Tom Adkinson

Two recording studios that drove the Shoals to worldwide prominence are FAME and the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, sometimes known simply by its street address, 3614 Jackson Highway. Neither is an architectural jewel. FAME’s faux mansard-roofed building is in a commercial district with Aldi, AutoZone, Dunkin’, and Chick-fil-A for neighbors, while 3614 Jackson Highway is an unadorned cinderblock rectangle with a gravel parking lot.

Don’t judge them on outward appearances. Their magic happens inside, and plenty of magic happened in these two locations, both of which are open for tours. Visitors stand where the legends stood, listen to stories about iconic recording sessions, and inspect the buttons and knobs on control boards that captured such memorable sounds.

Two visitors at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio inspect photos from recording sessions featuring artists such as Linda Ronstadt and the Rolling Stones. Image by Tom Adkinson

Seeds of the Muscle Shoals sound sprouted first at FAME in the 1960s. Musician, producer, and entrepreneur Rick Hall and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (four white guys) were behind hits by Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, and other Black singers. In fact, Wilson Pickett recorded three mega-hits during his first session at FAME – “Land of 1000 Dances,” “Mustang Sally,” and “Funky Broadway.” A cutout photo of Etta James greets visitors in the tiny reception area/gift shop at FAME.

The lobby water feature at the Renaissance Shoals Resort and Spa is a history lesson about who has recorded in Muscle Shoals. Image by Tom Adkinson

The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, later known as the Swampers, left FAME and opened 3614 Jackson Highway. In an era before racial segregation faded, Black and white singers and musicians excelled in Muscle Shoals. Among them at 3614 Jackson Highway were the Rolling Stones, Percy Sledge, Bob Seger, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Jimmy Cliff, Willie Nelson, and Paul Simon. An amalgam of blues, soul, rock, and other influences that continues to delight listeners came from this nondescript building.

The gooey goodness of a brownie covered in caramel sauce, ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry draws repeat customers to Trowbridge’s. Image by Tom Adkinson

The Shoals region (Muscle Shoals, Florence, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia) has attractions beyond the two recording studios. Among them are Ivy Green (the home of Helen Keller), the birthplace of W.C. Handy (“the Father of the Blues”), architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rosenbaum House, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

Among lodging options are the Renaissance Shoals Resort and Spa (complete with a rotating restaurant overlooking the Tennessee River) and the GunRunner Boutique Hotel, a 10-room treasure housed in a building that was a car dealership and then a pawnshop before becoming a hotel.

The area’s food scene is broad, too. Places to check include Yumm for Thai and sushi, Odette for “elevated American fare,” Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q for smoked wonderfulness, and Trowbridge’s for a nostalgic sandwich shop and ice cream parlor experience.

Trip-planning resources: VisitFlorenceAL.com and NashvillesBigBackYard.org

(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available at Amazon.com.