Muscle Shoals

Images of America: Alabama

by Laura Flynn Tapia, Yoshie Lewis

Long known as "the Shoals," Muscle Shoals saw its formal birth as an incorporated city in 1923. It really sprang to life in 1933, when the Tennessee Valley Authority took shape on the Tennessee River and became the nation's largest public power company. The construction crew for the Wilson Dam and power plant was one of the region's first racially integrated workforces. Some truly influential figures of the 20th century came to Muscle Shoals to witness firsthand what was unfoldingin this tiny corner of the world. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford found themselves drawn to Wilson Dam and the nitrate plants in the early 1920s, as did the French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. At one time,Muscle Shoals was regarded as the hit recording capital of the world. FAME studio musicians referred to as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section gained notoriety as a result of the studio's success and are part of the legacy of the Muscle Shoals sound.

Genres: History

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2007

Reviews

[Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable photo walk-through of Muscle Shoals history. Obviously the musical history is fascinating.

[Jeremy Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Nice. Some images I had not seen before.