Sweet Home Alabama, Where the Swampers Picked a Tune or Two

June 27, 2026

On June 16, my friend Jeanne, from the blog “A Jeanne in the Kitchen,” her husband Larry, my husband Bruce, and I discussed what we wanted to do when we arrived in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Jeanne was especially interested in visiting the FAME Recording Studios. Although FAME is listed on the National Register of Landmarks and Heritage, it has been in continuous operation as a music recording studio since the doors opened. Jeanne wanted to take the Backstage Tour to soak up as much music history as possible. Bruce and I thought it would be fun since we hadn’t visited FAME yet.

The Backstage Tour Experience starts at 3:30 PM on weekdays. We headed straight to FAME Recording Studios from Andrew Jackson’s home in Nashville, planning to arrive before the tour started.

We made it in plenty of time to get tickets for the Backstage Tour Experience. Be warned, the parking lot is very small and tight. You might want to park next door at CVS.

I am going to let Jeanne take over from here. She writes beautifully. Her excitement in visiting FAME Recording Studios comes through. I could tell she was in heaven! (*cough, cough* Lazy much, Julia? You are letting Jeanne do all the heavy lifting.)

Goin’ South – Part 6 – Muscle Shoals, Musical Magic

After leaving The Hermitage Goin’ South – Part 5 – The Hermitage, we continued heading south, with our final destination being Muscle Shoals. We were…

Goin’ South – Part 6 – Muscle Shoals, Musical Magic

We had a great time touring the studios and hearing the stories told by our tour guide.

Rick Hall’s office is a memorial to him, with no changes to it since he worked there. (Part of the Backstage Tour)

After the tour, it was time to get something to eat. We were all hungry.