City of Florence unveils new Singing River sculpture

If you’ve ever driven around the Shoals, there’s a good chance you’ve seen one of the giant, metallic Singing River sculptures in the area.

Over the weekend, the City of Florence unveiled the latest sculpture, joining Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. The nearly 2,000-pound work of art was dedicated to the world-renowned musicians and people from the recording industry who helped put the Shoals area on the map.

Keep reading to find out more about the latest statue + check out where you can find all three sculptures in the Shoals.

Florence sculpture

While the sculpture has already been up for a few days, the city officially held a dedication and unveiling on July 14. Current mayor Andy Betterton was joined by former mayors Bobby Irons, Mickey Haddock and Steve Holt.

Plans for the project began more than a decade ago. Then, in 2018, sculptor Eric Nubbe created a concept of the sculpture to get feedback from the public before beginning work on the full-size statue.

Florence’s sculpture, located just off South Court Street near the Tennessee River, shows a musician in a vest playing a trumpet. Artists included in the dedication plaque are:

• W.C. Handy
• Aretha Franklin
• Bob Seger
• James Joiner
• Tom Stafford

Singing River Sculptures

Florence joins Sheffield and Muscle Shoals as cities with a sculpture already in place. The series of monumental scale sculptures is meant to honor the area’s music heritage.

The project also honors the aluminum industry, a mainstay of the region’s economy for several generations.

In Sheffield, the first sculpture built sits at the intersection of Alabama and Montgomery streets. The 18-foot tall sculpture of a 1950s-era singer was unveiled in September 2012.

The Muscle Shoals sculpture is located in front of the public library and was put in place in 2014. It’s modeled after bassist David Hood by sculptor Audwin McGee.

The fourth sculpture will be in Tuscumbia.

Have you ever visited any of the sculptures in the Shoals? Send us a picture by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.