The Muscle Shoals Music Association (M.S.M.A.), founded in 1975, is an outgrowth of the success of the north Alabama recording industry. The music industry in Muscle Shoals is a multi-million dollar a year business employing hundreds of artists, songwriters, engineers and producers. Gold records produced here have earned the area the nickname "Hit Recording Capitol of the World" with the chance for cutting a hit 50% greater than anywhere else in the country.

The recording industry at Muscle Shoals had its beginnings in the late 1950s with music minded individuals putting together small studios. Using the initials of Florence Alabama Music Enterprises, Rick Hall named his studio FAME and led Muscle Shoals to its first gold record of "You Better Move On" recorded in 1960 and produced by Rick Hall.

Throughout the 1960's, FAME studio turned out classic hits such as Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You," Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally," Clarence Carter's "Patches" and many others. It also provided inspiration for a local record shop owner Quin Ivy to branch out into the recording field. Ivy's NorAla Recording Studio struck gold with its first release, the classic "When A Man Loves A Woman," by Shoals native Percy Sledge.

In 1969, the studio musicians who had played on the hits streaming from the established studios decided they could recreate the magic in their own facility. Jimmy Johnson, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Barry Beckett chose the name Muscle Shoals Sound and quickly added to the list of hit records coming from the area. Songs like "Take A Letter Maria," "High Time We Went," "Respect Yourself," "Tightrope," "Kodachrome," "Loves Me Like A Rock," "Old Time Rock And Roll," and "Sailing," as artists like Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones, Leon Russell, Traffic, The Staple Singers, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson passed through the doors.

Recording studios proliferated throughout the 70's. As recording technology advanced, many small studios, designed to make demonstration recordings for the many songwriters and publishers in the Shoals began to take root. As a result, many of the hit songs heard on the radio today were written by a variety of songwriters residing in the Shoals area today.

The recording industry at Muscle Shoals has created works of art that deserve special commendation. Whether they achieve great fame and fortune or public acclaim, the many talented individuals associated with the Muscle Shoals music industry can be sure of one thing, they have created something of value.

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