The Feel It Advent-ure 2024: Door 8

When I decided to do this year's Advent-ure I realised I only had 19 records to share with you from our Deep South road trip, and there are, of course, 24 doors to open. It's OK, I have a plan. 

After we left Memphis behind our next stop was Alabama, and that meant Muscle Shoals. It had to be!

Ever since I heard my first Candi Staton record (for me that was back in 1972) I have been completely sold on the Muscle Shoals sound. It was a very distinct sound and it still stands up today. Rick Hall's FAME Studio was where the sound began but there were other studios in the area that picked up the ball and ran with it and I will mention one in particular in the next post. Of course the musicians and writers - Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn, The Swampers et al - were key to the sound and played at all the studios at one time or another. 

I have never been one to draw up an extravagent bucket list, but I suppose I have one of sorts. The Deep South road trip was on it and FAME Recording Studios, 603 East Avalon Avenue, Muscle Shoals, Alabama has always been on it, and that was where you could have found me back on the 23rd April this year. 

Whilst waiting for the tour to start I had a short chat with Linda, Rick's widow who now runs the studio on the business side. I mentioned that I have been a great fan of Candi Staton for a very long time and she said they are good friends and keep in regular touch, which was nice to know. So I did the tour and bought the T Shirt. It was quite something to just stand in Rick Hall's office and imagine how many icons of the real Soul music of the Sixties had sat in the leather chair on the other side of the desk to his and discussed and signed contracts. And then to just stand in the studio where so many records that are very close to my heart were recorded... well, words fail me really.     

One thing I didn't find whilst in the Muscle Shoals area was a scratchy record or two to buy. The closest I got was a copy of Billie Holidays's Strange Fruit in a thrift, but it was just too beat up to buy. So these next few doors will reveal some records that were recorded in the hallowed area of Muscle Shoals / Sheffield. Starting with....

Jimmy Hughes - I'm A Man Of Action  1967