Alabama (band)

History

Alabama was formed by guitarists Randy Owen and Jeff Cook, and bassist Teddy Gentry, three cousins from near Fort Payne, Alabama. Owen and Gentry grew up on cotton farms on Lookout Mountain, learning guitar and singing in church before age six. They played in various groups during the 1960s, and Cook joined in 1969 to form Young Country, which first jammed around Christmas. Drummer Jackie Owen, another cousin, completed the first lineup.

The band won first prize at a high school talent contest playing a Merle Haggard song, but all were busy with other commitments. The group became professional in 1972, adding drummer Bennett Vartanian and renaming themselves Wildcountry. They played at Canyon Land theme park near Fort Payne, backing established stars and performing dance sets. Discouraged by slow opportunities, Cook took a government job in Anniston, Alabama, while Owen studied at Jacksonville State University.

The trio shared a $56-a-month apartment in Anniston and kept the band alive with night and weekend gigs. In 1973 they became full-time musicians, playing bars across the Southeast. In March they relocated to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, performing six nights a week at The Bowery for tips, covering Lynyrd Skynyrd and Merle Haggard. Unable to secure a record contract, they borrowed $4,000 from a Fort Payne bank to self-finance albums sold at shows.

Musical style and influences

Alabama's music mixes country, rock, and pop, and the band was among the first country groups to achieve significant airplay. Their strongest inspiration came from country music, particularly the Bakersfield sound of Merle Haggard and Nashville pop. The band stated they were country first and crossover second, preferring a number-one country song over being lost between both charts. By the mid-1980s they moved toward a pop-rock sound with splashier productions and amplified arrangements. Their lyrics often centered on their homeland, as in "Tennessee River" and "Dixieland Delight."

Chart records, sales, and awards

Alabama has sold 75 million records worldwide. Their best-selling studio album is Mountain Music (1982), while Greatest Hits (1986) and For the Record (1998) each sold five million copies. Albums certified quadruple platinum include Feels So Right, The Closer You Get..., and Roll On; double platinum albums include My Home's in Alabama, 40-Hour Week, Alabama Christmas, and Greatest Hits Volume III. The band has over 200 awards.

In 1981 they won CMA Vocal Group of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year, plus ACM Vocal Group of the Year. They won CMA Entertainer of the Year for three consecutive years (1982–84) and ACM Entertainer of the Year five times (1982–86). In 1989 the ACM named them Artist of the Decade. Other honors include the NARM Gift of Music award, the Alabama Hall of Fame Distinguished Service award, the Country Radio Broadcasters Humanitarian Award, the Prince Matchabelli National Hero Award, the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Legacy

Alabama has been credited with substantially broadening country's audience while becoming one of the most popular acts in American musical history. The band was notable for its three-person lead, collective hair length and facial hair, prominent electric bass and drums, and a slightly edgier sound. They played their own instruments, wrote their own songs, and appealed to both younger and older audiences. Their clean-cut image and sentimental soft spots attracted conservative listeners, while their rebellious edge drew younger fans.

Alabama gave prominence to Fort Payne and raised awareness for environmental issues. Their incorporation of rock and roll inspired groups such as Restless Heart, Shenandoah, Exile, Diamond Rio, Lonestar, Ricochet, and the Mavericks. According to some observers, the band's diminishing sales in the late 1980s reflected competition from country bands that would not have received recognition without Alabama paving the way. Prior to Alabama's success, most country hit singles belonged to solo artists or duets.

Despite their achievements, many music critics of the day loathed the band, citing vacuous songs and watered-down arrangements that blurred lines between country and pop. The Baltimore Sun argued the band rendered country music indistinguishable from pop and trivialized hallowed traditions. Some reviewers considered their calculated sound an overriding problem, leading contemporary critics to label the band mediocre.