Music Features
INFLUENCED: Jason Aldean and Alabama
One of the hottest touring acts in country music today is Jason Aldean, who also has been burning up the charts recently logging three consecutive number one hits – “She’s Country,” “Big Green Tractor” and “The Truth” - from his latest album Wide Open. Those two traits are reminiscent of one of Jason’s biggest influences: Alabama. Jason tells AOL’s The Boot, “I grew up a huge fan of Alabama, and I still remember as a kid going to their concert.”
For his current project, Jason received an opportunity of a lifetime by working with Alabama’s lead singer Randy Owen. He shares with Shave Magazine, “It was really cool. Alabama was like The Beatles for me so working with him was definitely one of the highlights.” The result of that collaboration is a remake of the band’s classic anthem “My Home’s in Alabama” which was included as a bonus track for Wide Open. Last year, Jason also got to spend some time with Randy as part of GAC’s One to One series.
The award-winning, hit-making group got its start in Fort Payne, Alabama in the late 1960s when cousins Randy, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook found they all had one common interest – music. In the early 1970s, the band, which was known then as Wildcountry, quit their “real” jobs and began touring throughout the South with their blend of country and Southern rock. While in South Carolina where the guys often played the popular The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, they decided to change their name to Alabama and, in 1979, added drummer Mark Herndon to the mix on a permanent basis. The band soon was making waves in Nashville due to the group being a self-contained unit in which they were able to sing and play the music well. This was slightly unusual in country music at the time as previous hit making groups tended to be vocally driven like The Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers.
Alabama had garnered some success on a small record label with songs like “I Wanna Be With You Tonight,” “I Wanna Come Over” and the break-out “My Home’s in Alabama.” On the strength of those three songs, the group earned a spot on the lineup for the prestigious 1980 New Faces show at the annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, which also included a relatively new superstar-in-the-making Reba McEntire. Alabama impressed the industry-only crowd particularly RCA’s Joe Galante who quickly added the group to the label’s roster.
Soon, they were off and running as a hit-making, album-selling machine. “Tennessee River,” Alabama’s debut release for RCA, kicked off a streak of 21 consecutive number one singles which included the likes of such trademark songs as “Feels So Right,” “Love in the First Degree,” the Grammy-winning “Mountain Music” and “The Closer You Get.” From 1980 to 1993, Alabama charted at least one number song every year with their final chart-topper being “Reckless,” the debut single from their Cheap Seats album. Not only were they a force on the singles chart, 17 of the group’s 28 albums achieved platinum selling status or better with their career album sales totaling over 73 million making them one of the best-selling bands or all-time.
Among the legacy of the super group is Alabama’s electrifying live show. They were the “must-see” act of the 1980s as their energetic production appealed to the guys while Randy’s soulful vocals drove the women wild. Alabama made history by becoming the first group to win CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1982 and went on to collect that honor two more consecutive times. They also earned five straight Entertainer of the Year trophies from the ACM as well, along with the organization’s Artist of the Decade title in 1989. Meanwhile, they launched their annual June Jam event in 1982 drawing huge numbers of fans to their home base of Fort Payne for a total of 15 years. Through June Jam, Alabama contributed millions of dollars to various charities. However, the group’s humanitarian efforts are best known through lead vocalist Randy Owen’s efforts on behalf of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, establishing Country Cares for St. Jude Kids along the way.
In 2002, Randy, Teddy, Jeff and Mark announced the band’s retirement from touring and the following year embarked on their final trek on the road. The American Farewell Tour served as a goodbye to fans across the country. While Alabama not longer tours, they have released two inspirational albums – 2006’s Songs of Inspiration and 2007’s Songs of Inspiration II - since their departure from the road. In 2005, the group became members in the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame.
Randy, Teddy and Jeff have continued their own music careers in some form or fashion since their days as Alabama. Randy released a solo album One on One as well as a book titled Born Country: My Life in Alabama in 2008 and successfully battled prostate cancer earlier this year. Meanwhile, Jeff created music as one-half of the duo Cook & Glenn and is currently fronting his own group Jeff Cook and the Allstar Goodtime Band. Teddy however has stayed behind the scenes in the studio and produced Emerson Drive’s 2006’s album Countrified which features the number one hit “Moments.”
To discover more about Alabama, check out their official website.
Image courtesy of Sony Music Nashville
Adapted from "Alabama." Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Country Music Foundation, Inc., n.d. Wed. 14 Jul 2010. <http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/alabama>.
Nikita Palmer for Citadel Digital © 2010
