Recording studio A in FAME studios (Bess Christopher / The Bama Buzz)

Tucked away in the small town of Muscle Shoals, stands a small unassuming building that has left an incredible mark on both the Shoals and the music industry.

FAME studios is a music powerhouse that made a big name for itself and the city of Muscle Shoals through the incredible talent that has recorded here.

Keep reading for the history behind what made this tiny southern town the center of rock, soul, and country music.

Humble beginnings

The outside of FAME studios in Muscle Shoals (Bess Christopher / The Bama Buzz)

The iconic studio came to be in a small building above a drug store in downtown Florence. Founded by Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford in 1959, the original name of the studio was Florence Alabama Music Enterprises.

Just a year later, in 1960, Rick Hall took over the soul ownership of the studio and moved it to Muscle Shoals under the acronym of FAME. After selling his first hit, by Arthur Alexander, Hall took the money from that and opened up the current recording studio.

The Swampers

FAME studios: The iconic sound of Muscle Shoals 1

The musical talents of The Swampers is what really set FAME studios apart from other recording studios. The group’s ability to adapt to each artist’s music style is what drew in some of the biggest names in music.

Aretha Franklin’s career was one of the careers that was transformed by the musical talents of the Swampers. However, not much longer after her time at FAME, The Swampers broke away from FAME studios.

Legendary artists at Fame

The drum set featured in studio B of FAME studios (Bess Christopher / The Bama Buzz)

One of the things that set FAME studios apart from the rest was the location. Many artists were drawn to the studio not only because of their success and musicals talents, but because of its location in a small southern town.

Artists such as Wilson Pickett and Duane Allman were drawn to the studio because it was away from all the big city constraints. Artists saw the studio as a place they could experiment and take risks.

Some of the most notable artists to record at FAME studios include:

Aretha Franklin
Little Richard
Wilson Pickett
Etta James
Lou Rawls
Otis Redding
Clarence Carter
The Osmonds
Alicia Keys
Demi Lovato
Jason Isbell

FAME studios

The street view of the studio (Bess Christopher / The Bama Buzz)

If you want to hear the stories and see the iconic studios for yourself, there are tours of FAME studios available for the public. The Backstage Pass tour takes you behind the scenes and costs $40. Standard Tour tickets are $20.