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Sign up todayMuscle Shoals Sound Studio
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Learn moreAn estimated four hundred gold records have been recorded in the Muscle Shoals area. Many of those are thanks to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, dubbed "the Swampers."
Some of the greatest names in rock, R&B and blues laid tracks in the original, iconic concrete-block building—the likes of Cher, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Rolling Stones, and the Black Keys. The National Register of Historic Places now recognizes that building, where Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded the original version of "Free Bird" and the Rolling Stones wrote "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses." By combing through decades of articles and music reviews related to Muscle Shoals Sound, music writer Carla Jean Whitley reconstructs the fascinating history of how the Alabama studio created a sound that reverberates across generations.
Carla Jean Whitley is a writer, editor, and teacher based in Birmingham, Alabama, where she is managing editor of Birmingham magazine. Carla Jean founded the music blog Birmingham Box Set, and has also written for BookPage, Paste, The Birmingham News, Sky, and a variety of other magazines and newspapers. Carla Jean volunteers with literacy organizations and teaches journalism at the University of Alabama and Samford University. Her favorite yoga pose is bakasana and her favorite cats are orange.
Amanda Ronconi is an actress and narrator who divides her time between New York City and upstate New York. She has a BFA from NYU, where she studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory. She has performed in theaters around New York City and regionally at the Alley, Capital Rep, and many productions at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Her Off-Broadway solo comedy, Shirley at the Tropicana, received critical acclaim and was subsequently featured in the New York Times. Film and TV credits include Daydream Believer (Slamdance 2001's Best Dramatic Feature winner), The Understudy, Deadly Sins (ID Discovery), and IFC's Get Hit and Chasing Paradise. National network and regional commercials include Chase Bank, Sony, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Her voice-over work encompasses nearly 100 audiobooks available on audible.com. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity.