Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising
Open now, the Museum’s latest exhibition, Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising, explores how an Alabama community developed a distinctive sound, became a global recording epicenter in the 1960s and 1970s, and continues to inspire music today. The exhibit tells the story of Black and white musicians who found a way to work together at a time when segregation prevailed. Producer Rick Hall and his FAME Recording Studio and the session aces at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio built a home-made approach to cutting music that mattered. As a result, hitmakers from R&B, rock, pop, and country music flocked to this quiet backwater to record, and a new rhythm arose. Exhibit supported by OneLouder.
Exhibit Highlights
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Aretha Franklin pianoAretha Franklin played this Apollo baby grand piano when she recorded her breakout pop and R&B hit, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” at FAME Studios in 1967. The instrument was in use at the studio from 1961 to 1970.
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Duane Allman electric guitarBuilt in 1964, this was one of two sunburst-finish Fender Stratocasters used by Duane Allman when he was a session musician at FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, from 1968 to 1969. He traded this guitar to another Muscle Shoals musician, Mickey Buckins, who used it at sessions and performances.
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Pete Carr guitarThis 1957 Fender Telecaster belonged to Muscle Shoals session guitarist, producer, and recording engineer Pete Carr. The instrument was also used by Duane Allman when he and Carr were members of Hour Glass, the Los Angeles–based R&B band that included Gregg Allman, prior to the formation of the Allman Brothers Band.
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Mac McAnally acoustic guitarMusician, songwriter, and recording artist Mac McAnally used this 1967 Martin D-28 when he was a session musician in Muscle Shoals.
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Mac Davis song manuscriptAn early draft of handwritten lyrics by Mac Davis to “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me.” Recorded at FAME Studios and produced by Rick Hall, the song was a #1 pop hit for Davis in 1972. He wrote it in response to Hall telling Davis that none of his new songs had a hook
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Pops Staples electric guitarThis 1970 Fender Rosewood Telecaster was owned by Pops Staples of the Staple Singers. Most famously, he played it when the group performed “The Weight” with the Band in The Last Waltz, the 1978 concert film directed by Martin Scorsese
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Dan Penn jacketDan Penn wore this floral brocade jacket in the early 1960s, when he was the lead singer with the Mark V, an R&B band from Florence, Alabama. Other members of the group included pioneering Muscle Shoals session musicians David Briggs, Jerry Carrigan, and Norbert Putnam.
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Wilson Picket stage wearWilson Pickett wore this jumpsuit on the cover of his 1971 LP, The Best of Wilson Pickett, Vol. II. The album included Pickett’s 1969 hit version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” recorded at FAME Studios with backing by guitarist Duane Allman and the Swampers.
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Candi Staton outfitCandi Staton wore this custom-made buckskin jacket and pants, embellished with feathers and leather fringe, in the 1970s.
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Roger Hawkins drumMuscle Shoals session musician Roger Hawkins, the drummer in the Swampers, used this Slingerland snare drum with his first band, Spooner & the Spoons. The group, which included Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn, and Junior Lowe, recorded at FAME Studios, c. 1965.
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Rick Hall fiddleThis fiddle belonged to FAME Studios owner, producer, and songwriter, Rick Hall, who played at country square dances when he was a teenager.
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Patterson Hood acoustic guitarPatterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers used this Seagull S6 acoustic guitar to write songs for the band from 1995 to 2003.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
The exhibition Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising runs November 14, 2025, through March, 2028, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.
Exhibit Supported by OneLouder