Muscle Shoals
Randy Blevins studied engineering in college and soon after landed a three-year position at Audio Consulting Inc, which was an MCI dealer. Randy began installing the MCI consoles including the 500 series in recording studios such as Malaco Records in Jackson, Mississippi. When MCI decided to have...
Tommy Couch was born in Tuscumbia, not too far from Muscle Shoals, Alabama and grew up with many of the studio musicians and engineers at the Fame Recording Studio. He later moved to Jackson, Mississippi to form his own studio, Malaco Records, with the help and advice of his old friends. The label...
Gary Baker watched the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show along with his brother. The two became so engrossed by music that his brother bought Gary a Silver Tone Guitar from Sears. They formed a band together and Gary soon discovered he enjoyed writing songs. As a songwriter, Gary has written...
Donna Jean Godchaux was the only female singer with the Grateful Dead (on stage and on recordings) from 1971 until 1979. In fact, she was the first female singer with the group and was once married to the band's keyboard player. When she was just nine years old, she met Rick Hall before he opened...
Alan Schulman was a freelance recording engineer who worked in many of the top studios in Muscle Shoals and Nashville. Bassist Norbert Putnam called Alan, "Mr. Golden Ears" for his skillful recording techniques. Alan engineered albums for the group Alabama, Ronnie Milsap, and seven albums for Ricky...
Kevin Lamb distinctly remembers sitting in a music class when the subject of music publishing came up and thinking, "I never want to do that." After some forty years in the music publishing industry, he laughs at that first impression. Ironically, Kevin often teaches a college class at Belmont...
Spooner Oldham was a studio musician down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama before becoming a noted songwriter. Spooner's keyboard skills can be heard on such classic records as "You'd Better Move On" and several songs with Aretha Franklin including the Wurlitzer introduction on "Never Loved a Man the Way...
Jerry Masters grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas where he heard his mother playing piano in church as far back as he can remember. After serving in the US Army, Jerry formed his own rock band and recorded the hit "Let It All Hang Out" while in Houston. He later moved to Memphis where he befriend Bill...
Charlie Feldman was inspired to play the guitar thanks to this father. While a teenager, Charlie formed several bands and over the years played with such great named bands as The Bassmen (named after the amp) and The Candy Store Profits. In the late 1960s, he went up to the recording studios in...
Steve Nathan is among the top studio musicians in Nashville. Although his recording career began in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Nashville studios have been requesting his musicianship non-stop for years. Each year, Music Row Magazine charts all of the hit records and which performer is on each hit. ...