The Singing River Sculpture

The Singing River Sculpture (HM1SL0)

Location: Sheffield, AL 35660 Colbert County
Buy Alabama State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 34° 45.764', W 87° 41.926'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 454 views
Inscription

In Sheffield, Alabama

This sculpture is dedicated to the many individuals whose efforts made Sheffield and the Muscle Shoals area the "Hit Recording Capitol of the World," and to those continue that legacy.

Legend of the Singing River
The Yuchi and other early inhabitants who lived along the banks of the mighty Tennessee River held the legend of the Spirit Woman who lived in the river, protected them, and sang to them. If the river was angry, She sang to them loudly; if the river was peaceful, She sang softly and sweetly, sometimes humming a comforting lullaby.
Some say that all they heard was the high waters mighty rush and roar over the mussel shoals, or at other times, the calm low waters babbling through the river rocks. Other say She is real and can still be seen in the early morning mist, hovering over the waters, just as She did those many years ago. In her honor, they called it the Singing River , and in her honor, we named these sculptures the Singing River Sculptures.

The World-changing Muscle Shoals Music
From throughout the 20th Century to the present, Muscle Shoals area artist, musicians, songwriters and music industry professionals have helped shape the world's expansive music heritage. Few styles of music were untouched by Muscle Shoals, and local contributions have been made in all other areas of the complex industry: producers, recording engineers, songwriters, music publishers, and other positions in the music business.

Many of the world's greatest performers began their ascent to stardom in Muscle Shoals. Artist, such as Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, the Staples Singers, Bob Seger, along with many others, quickly created a legacy which earned the area the title, "Hit Recording Capitol of the World."

The area grew as a music center by drawing together people of all races and religions. In the 1960s, despite the segregation of the race enforced outside the studios, great soul classic were being created in the studios with each musician contributions his innate musical talent. The collaborations created some of the most widely loved music of the 20th century, including Steal Away, Mustang Sally, Tell Mama, Patches, Respect Yourself, and many others.

The warning issued in Arthur Alexander's You Better Move On got the attention of the Rolling Stones. The Beatles heard Alexander's song, Anna and each band acknowledged their respect for Alexander and his writing by recording their version of his songs on their first albums.

The songwriting tradition continues as one of the strongest facets of Muscle Shoals music, with area songwriters penning songs such as, I Loved Her First, I Swear, Blown Away, Before He Cheats, and hundreds of other hits over the decades.v

The heart and soul of Muscle Shoals music has always been the players and singers. Four members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section were immortalized in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song, Sweet Home Alabama. The lyric, "Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers" and "they've been known to pick a song or two," honors Jimmy Johnson, Barry Beckett, David Hood,and Roger Hawkins, studio musicians who produced and played on hundreds of hits recorded at area studios from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s.

Sheffield and Its Contributions to this Golden Era
Sheffield made major contributions to the area's music heritage and to the creation of the Muscle Shoals sound. The first audio recording studio in the Muscle Shoals area was constructed in a Sheffield garage in 1950 by Dexter Johnson. His nephew, Jimmy Johnson, would go on to become one of the Swampers, immortalized in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song, Sweet Home Alabama, Johnson, along with Swampers, David Hood, Roger Hawkins, and Barry Beckett, established Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Sheffield in 1969 and operated until 1985, recording hundreds of songs on hit makers of that era.

The area's first Number One record and first Gold Record, Percy Sledge's When A Man Loves A Woman, was recorded by Quin Ivy and Marlin Greene at NorAla studio on 2nd Street. Proceeds from that hit allowed Ivy to construct Quinvy and South Camp labels. In 1973 Ivy sold the facility to his studio manager and recording engineer David Johnson, who renamed it Broadway Sound Studios and recorded artists into the 1980s.

Recording has continued to be a prolific industry in Sheffield over the last six decades.

The City of Sheffield, Alabama
Ian Sanford, Mayor
Audwin Pierre McGee Sculptor
Historical commentary by Dick Cooper, David Anderson and Bill Matthews
Fiscal Agent: Tennessee Valley Art Association
Details
HM NumberHM1SL0
Year Placed2012
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, June 13th, 2016 at 1:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 436052 N 3846953
Decimal Degrees34.76273333, -87.69876667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 34° 45.764', W 87° 41.926'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds34° 45' 45.8400" N, 87° 41' 55.5600" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)256
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 100-498 Alabama Ave, Sheffield AL 35660, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. This markers needs some tags to help categorize the marker
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?