Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Sheffield in Colbert County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
 

The Singing River Sculpture

In Sheffield, Alabama

 
 
The Singing River Sculpture Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, June 9, 2016
1. The Singing River Sculpture Marker
Inscription.
This sculpture is dedicated to the many individuals whose efforts made Sheffield and the Muscle Shoals area the “Hit Recording Capital of the World,” and to those who 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
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
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 races 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,
The Singing River Sculpture Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, June 9, 2016
2. The Singing River Sculpture Marker
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
The Singing River Sculpture image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, June 9, 2016
3. The Singing River Sculpture
The people of Sheffield and the Shoasl express their heartfelt gratitude to those generous individuals, families, businesses, and organizations whose love for our legendary Muscle Shoals music has made this Singing River Sculpture possible.
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
 
Erected 2012.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, MusicEntertainmentIndustry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the The Beatles series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 2012.
 
Location. 34° 45.764′ N, 87° 41.926′ W. Marker is in Sheffield, Alabama, in Colbert County. Marker is at the intersection of North Montgomery Avenue and Alabama Avenue, on the left when traveling north on North Montgomery Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sheffield AL 35660, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. History of Sheffield (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Percy Sledge/Producer Quin Ivy
The Singing River Sculpture Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, June 9, 2016
4. The Singing River Sculpture Marker
Wise Alloys, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wise Metals Group, began operations in April 1999 when the parent company purchased the local assets and facilities of Reynolds Alloys Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds Metal Company. Today, Wise Alloys is a worldwide leading supplier of aluminum can sheet and processor of recycled aluminum. The company continues to expand its operations and maintains its presence as one of the leading employers in the Shoals. Wise is extremely proud to be a part of the Shoals community and pleased to have contributed all the recycled aluminum as the artistic medium for the Singing River Sculpture and the Singing River Sculpture Garden.

The Shoals began its long heritage as an aluminum manufacturing community with the construction of the Reynolds facility in April 1941. It was purposed for the Defense Plant Corporation, a federal agency. Incredibly, just three months later, the first ingot was rolled on the Hotline. At that time, our country was just beginning to recover from the Great Depression. The construction and opening of the plant created much-needed jobs in our community. The selection of the site in the Shoals area was primarily due to the abundant electrical power created by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the dam system along the Tennessee River.
(approx. 0.2 miles away); President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (approx. 0.3 miles away); In Memory of Our Comrades of Sheffield (approx. 0.4 miles away); Furnace Hill (approx. 0.6 miles away); Sheffield Colored School / Sterling High School (approx. 0.7 miles away); Nitrate Plant No. 1 (approx. 0.8 miles away); a different marker also named Nitrate Plant No. 1 (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sheffield.
 
Also see . . .  Singing River Sculptures. Tennessee River Valley Tourism (Submitted on June 10, 2016, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 21, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2016, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 774 times since then and 23 times this year. Last updated on February 21, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 10, 2016, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=167280

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 19, 2024