Our Lives

Harry Belafonte

cabin built by his father and grandfather soon after Emancipation. The museum showcases Handy’s awards, sheet music, personal items and a horn that belonged to him. Several films are on view to provide an overview of his life and art.

Rick Hall established Florence Alabama Music Enterprise, FAME, in 1959. With an investment of $500.00 he began with his business over a drugstore. His first hit was Arthur Alexander’s ”You Better Move On” in 1961. When he became successful he purchased four lots and built FAME Studio. The lots were in a wooded, swampy, area and the second group of studio musicians became known as the Swampers.

Many of the greatest artists of the era recorded there. They came because the area was rural, the local population did not make a fuss over them and the production values were outstanding. Among those who made their way there were Percy Sledge, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Alicia Keys, Alabama, Otis Redding, Kenny Chesney, Bil-

By Renée S. Gordon History & Travel Writer

ly Ray Cyrus and Aretha Franklin. FAME is recognized as the place where Aretha found her sound. It was there that she recorded “I Never Loved A Man” and “Do Right Woman”.

People have toured the studio to see where the magic happened. There are two available experiences, the standard tour and the Backstage Tour. Reservations are recommended. www. famestudios.com

Take You There.”

Mavis Staples

In 1969 FAME’s Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, known as The Swampers, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, David Hood and Jimmy Johnson founded the Muscle

Shoals Sound Studio. Their very famous studio was housed in a 1946 coffin showroom. They were the first session musicians to own a studio and later a publishing company. Between 1969 and 1978 they produced records for artists such as Cher, The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Duane Allman, Joe Cocker and Mavis Staples. The studio, 3614 Jackson Highway, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

In 2013 a documentary film, Muscle Shoals, prompted interest in restoring the studio. With a crucial $1-million grant from Beats Electronics the studio reopened for tours in 2017. The restoration is as close as possible to the original and includes isolation booths, the control room, instruments and replicated orange carpet. A highlight of the tour is a peek into a secret room used by the artists. https://muscleshoalssoundstudio.org structures, was the first in North Alabama to be listed on the National Historic Register. https:// cityoftuscumbia.org

On November 30, 1827, as the Cherokee passed through Tuscumbia on the Trail of Tears, the Tuscumbians gave them food and warm clothing. Chief Chilly McIntosh declared at the time, “As long as our nation remains upon this earth we will recollect Tuscumbia.” A tree statue of the chief stands in Tuscumbia Spring Park. Also in the park stands “Sacred Tears”, an 8-ft., 1-ton, monumental sculpture of a native woman with a baby in one arm and a hand resting on a cross, representing all those who perished on the trail.

The Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall, more familiarly known as Tom’s Wall, is comprised of 10-million unmortared stones. Tom Hendrix carried each stone individually over a period of more than 30-years until his death in 2017 at 83.

Rattlesnake Saloon is one of the most unique restaurants in the country. The thrill begins when you arrive as guests and are driven from the parking lot and down a circuitous path to a sheltered area beneath a rock outcrop. The cave was once the home of Native Americans and subsequently used to house hogs by subsequent owners. The saloon accommodates both indoor and outdoor dining.

Tuscumbia was founded seven years before statehood on the site of a former Chickasaw village. A group of settlers escaping an Indian attack were given assistance by Indian Chief Taskaambi for whom they named the town. Tuscumbia’s historic district, 22

Sacred Way Sanctuary, the country’s largest horse rescue facility, emphasizes research and education. Native Americans have occupied this land for at least 10,000 years and, after contact with Europeans, in 1806 this area became the first Federal Indian Reservation. Visits include a museum that interprets the history of Native American horses and their cultural importance. Tours are limited and calling ahead is advised. www.sacredwaysanctuary.org

“ All things shall pass. Only the stones will remain.”

His great-great-grandmother, at approximately 13-years old, was forced to march from Alabama to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Once in Oklahoma she realized that there was no music there. The rivers did not sing. At the end of a year Te-lah-nay set out to reclaim the mystical music. She walked alone for five years. Tom honored her journey with the longest memorial to a woman or a Native American. If laid out in a line the wall would be 2.50 miles long with a 4 level prayer circle. The wall is circuitous because, though the walk to Indian Territory was straight, the walk home was fraught with danger and was not linear. There is no admission and people from all over the world have visited the site. ifthelegendsfade.net

Muscle Shoals still has a mystical quality that expresses itself strongly through music and cultural diversity. There is no better place to seek the sound. #sweethomeAlabama

ROAD READS:

If the Legends Fade is Tom Hendrix’s narrative about building the wall. Books are available online and at the site.