Way Down South: The Muscle Shoals Story

Available for 29 days

Craig Charles presents the story of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, birthplace of Southern Soul. Founded by Rick Hall in the late 1950s the Fame (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) studios began life above a local drug store before transferring operations to a former tobacco warehouse in the early 1960s. Characterised by its seamless blend of R&B, soul and country the Fame studio sound developed by Rick Hall was dependent on a roster of studio musicians whose tasteful downhome stylings backed everyone from Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Solomon Burke through to Bobbie Gentry, Lulu and the Osmonds. The documentary explores the studio operation set up by David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, Roger Hawkins and Barry Beckett on their departure from the Fame set up in 1969. This studio, named Muscle Shoals Sound, became one of the venues of choice for some of the biggest artists in seventies rock and soul including the Rolling Stones, Traffic, the Staple Singers and Rod Stewart. Featuring newly sourced interviews from Fame founder Rick Hall alongside studio veterans Jesse Boyce, Mickey Buckins, David Hood and Jimmy Johnson, Way Down South also includes the recollections of artists Percy Sledge and Candi Staton.