Music History Recording Studios of Muscle Shoals, Florence & Sheffield, Alabama

Welcome to
City of Muscle Shoals
Hit Recording
Capital of the World

The Singing River Sculpture (Sheffield)
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. Others say She is real and can still be seen in the early morning mist, hovering over the waters, just as She did many years ago. In her honor, they called it the Singing River, and in her honor, we named these sculptures the Singing River Sculptures. 

1951 Dexter Johnson's Recording Studio

Bluegrass musician and uncle of Swampers guitarist Jimmy Johnson established the Shoals area’s first professional recording studio in his garage a decade before Rick Hall’s FAME opened its doors.

Recording Studios(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)
Dexter Johnson's Recording Studio c1951
Charles Stanfield's Mobile Recording Studio c.1955
Tune Recording Studios c.1957
Spar Recording Studio c.1958
Fred Bevis Recording Studio c. 1967
Woodrich Recording Studio c.1973
Joe Wilson Recording Studio c.1973
Paradox Recording Studio c.1975
Cactus Recording Studio c.1980
Audio Workshop c1984

1956 Tune Records,123 E Alabama Ave Florence, Al. 

The Shoals’ first record label and publishing company released a single by Bobby Denton called “A Fallen Star,” which laid the foundation for the emergence of the area’s recording industry. (James Joiner, Walter Stovall, Kelso Herston, and Marvin Wilson) (Junior Thompson recorded Who's Knocking/How Come You Do Me 1956)

This Concertone tape recorder was used by James Joiner in this Tune Records Studio, one of the first studios in the Muscle Shoals area to make commercial recordings
(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

1959 SPAR Music, 123 1/2 E Alabama Ave Florence, Al. 

(Stafford Publishing and Recording) 

above the City Drug Store in downtown Florence, was the brainchild of the “local bohemian type” 

(Tom Stafford), the birthplace of the Muscle Shoals music scene and the precursor to FAME Studios.

Original Site of FAME Recording Studio early 1960s

This marks the site of the pioneering music company of Florence Al Music Enterprises FAME, a name that became renowned worldwide as the home of "the Muscle Shoals Sound."

FAME was founded in the early 1960s by three young local entrepreneurs (Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford)  who improvised make-shift studios in a vacant room above the City Drug Store that once stood there. FAME's earliest recording sessions launched the careers of such music business legends as Arthur Alexander, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrell, Norbert Putnam, David Briggs, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, and many others. 

Original Site of FAME Recording Studio early 1960s
Following the limited success, the partnership dissolved. Rick Hall took the publishing company and FAME name in return for the studio equipment. He relocated the studio to an empty tobacco warehouse in Muscle Shoals. His next recording, "You Better Move On" by Arthur Alexander, was acclaimed as the Shoal's first worldwide bestseller.
Over the next several decades, FAME recording studios became one of the most successful producers of rhythm and blues, pop, and country music in the world. Rick Hall became known as the "Father of the Muscle Shoals Sound."

1961 FAME (Rick Hall) 603 Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals, AL, was the first successful professional recording studio in the state of Alabama, producing hits by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Clarence Carter,  the Osmonds, and countless others.

2015 Fame Recording Studios, where it all Started 

Fame Recording Studios, where it all Started in 2011

FAME Recording Studios Home of the Muscle Shoals Sound (2009)
(Muscle Shoals Municipal Building)

Rich Hall on his own in Muscle Shoals
Fame Studio at Old Candy and Tobacco Warehouse
(Singing River Statue Muscle Shoals)

1963 Quin Ivy Recording Studios  

1965 Norala Sound Studio,104 E 2n St Sheffield, Al 

Founded by FAME songwriter and WLAY disc jockey (Quin Ivy), gave the world Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” and brought Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records to the Shoals

Percy Sledge's "When a Man loves a woman"
Hospital orderly Percy Sledge recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' at Quin Ivy's studio in 1966. Mr. Sledge's breakup with a girlfriend inspired the lyrics credited to songwriters Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright.

The release featured Marlin Greene (guitar), Spooner Oldham (Farfisa organ), Albert 'Junior' Lowe (bass), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jack Peck (trumpet), Bill Coifed (tenor sax), and Don Pollard (alto sax). Greene and Ivy produced the cut. At the request of Roger Hawkins, Ivy played the recording for Rick Hall, owner of FAME Studios. Hall felt it had hit potential and contacted Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, who released it. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was Atlantic's first certified gold record. Rolling Stone magazine ranks it number 54 among the best songs of all time.

Percy Sledge was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Spooner Oldham followed in 2009. Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux, who sang backup on the hit, was inducted in 1994 with her husband Keith Godchaux and other members of the Grateful Dead

Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios
 Record store owner and WLAY dis jockey Quin Ivy established North Alabama Recording. 

Studio (NORALA) at 104 E. Second Street in Sheffield in 1965. He purchased used equipment, including Ampex 351 and Berlant mono tape recorders and a radio station console. Ivy-mounted egg cartons on the studio walls to deaden stray frequencies.

The first song recorded at NORALA was Florence native Donna Jean Thatcher's "I'm Out of Touch." Several months later, Percy Sledge cut the classic "When A Man Loves A Woman." With proceeds from the Sledge session, Ivy completed a better-equipped studio across town in 1968 and named it Quinvy.

Ivy also produced Tony Borders, Buddy Causey, Jeanie Green, and Z.Z. Hill, Ben E. King, Mickey Buckings and The New Breed, Don Varner, the U.S. Male, and the Wee Jun.

1969 Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was the home of the Swampers(Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins) and the consummate 1970s hit factory, recording the Stones, the Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, and more. 

1969 Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
Muscle Municipal Building)

Muscle Shoals Sound 3613 Jackson Highway (2019)

1969 Widget Sound Studio in Sheffield, 3804 Jackson Hwy., Sheffield, AL 

A very near neighbor to Muscle Shoals Sound gave Woodford and Ivey’s Wishbone a workspace pre-1976 and gave the world Sailcat’s “Motorcycle Mama.”(by Ron Ballew) 

Widget Studio is the first step in the music field for Ronnie Ballew (left) owner; the first major production for "Peanut" Montgomery(center) and the studio's first waxing puts the voice of Al McLendon (right on record for the first time.
TIMES DAILY 

1972 Broadway Sound Studio, 1307 Broadway St., Sheffield, AL 

The successor to Norala carried the R&B tradition of its predecessor into the 1970s and gave birth to the “Southern rock” genre by recording Lynyrd Skynyrd's first demo. (Quin Ivy)

Broadway Sound Studio Est. 1972 (2008)
(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

Broadway Sound studio with owner and producer David Johnson, second right
(Sheffield Singing River Statue)

1973 Wishbone Recording Studio 
1920 Webster Avenue, Muscle Shoals, AL 

was a proving ground for songwriters like Mac McAnally and Robert Byrne and recorded albums by such legends as Roy Orbison and Hank Williams, Jr. (by Terry Woodford)

Wishbone Recording Studio Est 1973

Wishbone Studios (Photo furnished by Terry Woodford)
 (Singing River Statue Muscle Shoals) 

1974 Music Mill Recording Studio, 1108 E. Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals, AL 

Founded (by Al Cartee), it was the first of the big local studios to specialize in country music, working with everyone from Narvel Felts and Roy Clark to Bobby Bare and Arthur Alexander.

1974 Music Mill Recording Studio (2008)
(Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

1978-85 Cypress Moon Studios

was the second home of the Swampers (Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins), where they reconnected with their R&B roots and got reacquainted with old friends like Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, and B.B. King.

Cypress Moon Studio (2019)

The world-changing Muscle Shoals Music
Legendary producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Recording Studios' riverfront location
(Singing River Statue Sheffield)

1977 East Avalon Recording  2815 1/2 East Avalon Avenue Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35661 

Wishbone engineer Steve Moore purchased the studio from its builder and designer Joe Wilson, and East Avalon Recorders was born in the "Hit Recording Capital of the World," Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 
The successful studio operated until around 1988.

1987 Avalon Recorders

1977 East Avalon Recording

East Avalon Studio
 (Singing River Statue Muscle Shoals)

1985-2005 Malaco Recording (at Cypress Moon)

used the Sheffield studios for its own artists, including Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, and Little Milton, while continuing to operate its own facility in Jackson. The Rhythm Section, minus Beckett, worked with other studio musicians at Malaco Records and at other studios.

Cypress Moon/Malaco Recording 

2006 The Nuthouse (Jimmy Nutt)

In March of 2006, Jimmy launched The NuttHouse Recording Studio in downtown Sheffield, Alabama. What was once a 1950s bank is now the home of The NuttHouse Recording Studio.  
108 W 4th St, Sheffield, AL 35660

The Singing River Sculpture (Muscle Shoals)
The city served as the birthplace for early breakthroughs in the local music industry and later provided a home base for some of the area’s top studios. The first commercial recording to emerge from Muscle Shoals — the Bobby Denton single, A Fallen Star — was produced by James Joiner in the Second Street studios of WLAY Radio in 1957. Four years later, in an old candy-and-tobacco warehouse on Wilson Dam Road, aspiring producer Rick Hall joined forces with bellhop-turned-singer Arthur Alexander to cut Muscle Shoals’ first national hit, the Southern Soul anthem, You Better Move On. In the wake of that success, Hall built FAME Recording Studios on Avalon Avenue in 1962. Artists ranging from Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Etta James to Duane Allman, the Osmonds, and Bobby Gentry later recorded there. From 1970 to 1985, Muscle Shoals became known as “The Hit Recording Capital of the World” as FAME and Al Cartee’s Music Mill, Steve Moore’s East Avalon, and Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey’s Wishbone Studios generated hits by Clarence Carter, Hank Williams Jr., the group Hot, George Jones, the Forester Sisters, Mac McAnally, Shenandoah, and many others. In 2011, Hall received the American Music Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2014, he was awarded the Grammy Trustees Award for his significant contribution to the recording industry.

In 1964, Mrs. Jewell Britton Wear began a career in the local music industry she founded Florence, Al. 

JJ Records with Junior Thompson, Monty Olive, and the Hacker Brothers for that label.

She also established the Music Scene Column in Florence Times Tri-Cities Daily. It was the first column detailing the music in the industry. 

Label owned by Junior Thompson and Jewel Wear.

In 1964, Mrs. Wear began a career in the local music industry. She founded JJ Records with Junior Thompson. She also established the Music Scene column in the Florence Times-Tri-Cities Daily. It was the first column detailing the local music industry.

Thomas Reeder “Monty” Olive 

Taken From: 

April 2010 Newsletter Birmingham Record Collectors

From Killen, Alabama, comes a piano player by the name of Monty Olive. Monty's style of playing and singing was compared to that of Fats Domino. Although he never got national airplay, his recordings were very popular locally. 

He was another of those who made a musical instrument his "friend." Monty tells it this way. "I've never had a piano lesson. When I first started playing, I would get the melody of a tune set in my mind and try to find the proper keys for it. It was fun, and I practiced it every day." Sounds easy, doesn't it? SURE!! 

Monty entertained in many cities across the country, including D.C., Detroit, Dallas, and Panama City's Old Dutch Inn. From an interview in the Time Tri-Cities Daily, August 13th, 1957, Monty put it this way. "Everywhere I go, I respond to the crowds. I feel the touch of my music. It's something you can't explain. I enjoy performing."

Rain Inside My Heart/Foggy River

Bell of Bar Room/Molly Darling

Mary Lee/Follow Me 

US Rockabilly singer, born Clen Houston Thompson Jr., Florence, Alabama

Junior Thompson began in 1956 at Meteor Records from Memphis (Tennessee). He also made a demonstration in Sun Records in 1956 without success. In 1957, it passed to Tune (56), JJ' S, and Badd Records before disappearing from Show Business. He was a regular singer in Dixie Hayride (Florence, Alabama) in 1956. 

1967-1968 JJ’S RECORDS Jewell Wear 

Sit by my side/Jungle Girl 1967

House of Lost Lovers/Ooby Dooby 1967

Cry on My Shoulder/Jimmy Boy 1969

Fairyland Girl/Child Days 1969

I’ll Never Let You Go Little Darling/Sally Ann From Paris, France 1969

The Hackers 

1967 Ange Love/Keep on Running Girl 

I am not sure of the location of JJ's Studio, which may have been located in her home.

The Singing River Sculpture, In Sheffield, Alabama

The Singing River Sculpture

The Singing River Sculpture

This sculpture is dedicated to the many individuals whose efforts made Sheffield and the Muscle Shoals area the “Hit Recording Capitol of the World,” and to those who continue that legacy in 2012

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. Others say She is real and can still be seen in the early morning mist, hovering over the waters, just as She did 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 artists, 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 in all other areas of the complex industry: producers, recording engineers, songwriters, music publishers, and other positions in the music business.

Picture of 

Broadway Sound Studios with owner and producer David Johnson second from right

Picture of 

Legendary producer Jerry Waxler at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios’riverfront location

Many of the world’s greatest performers began their ascent to stardom in Muscle Shoals. Artists, such as Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, the Staples Singers, and Bob Seger, along with many others, quickly created a legacy that 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 race enforced outside the studios, a great soul classic was being created in the studios with each musician's contributions to 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.

NorAla Studio where Quin Ivy and Marlin Greene recorded Percy Sledge's When a Man Loves a Woman.

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, I Swear, Blown Away, Before He Cheats, and hundreds of other hits over the decades.

Picture of the original Swampers, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Jimmy Johnson at their 3614 Jackson Highway studio.

The heart and soul of Muscle Shoals' music have always been the players and singers. Four members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section were immortalized in the Lynyrd Skynyrd songs 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.

Dexter Johnson at his garage studio, the first in the Muscle Shoals area

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 hitmakers of that ear. 

The area’s first Number One record and first Gold Record, Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman, was recorded by Quin Ivy and Marlin Greene at NorAla studio on 2nd Street. Proceeds from that hit allowed Ivy to construct Quincy 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 

WISE

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 sheets and processors 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 proposed 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. 

Initially, the facility produced aluminum to support the World War II effort. 

March 4, 2013

The people of Sheffield and the Shoals 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.

History of the Shoals Area's Theatre's and Drive-ins

Muscle Shoals, AL Theatre’s and Drive-ins

Marbro Drive-In Theater (1961-1979)

1409 Woodward Avenue Muscle Shoals, AL 35660

Opening Date:

05/26/1961 First Movie: The Alamo

1961 Grand opening 

1979 Final night of operation 

Now occupied by Shoals Plaza Shopping Center, Torn down

closed, 1 screen, 550 cars

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9984

The Marbro Drive-In opened May 26, 1961, featuring “The Alamo” with John Wayne & Richard Widmark. It was built for Martin Theatre and designed by architect Rufus E. Bland. It had a 110 feet x 72 feet screen for showing CinemaScope pictures. It was advertised as the largest screen in northern Alabama. It had a 550-car capacity and had 200 car heaters for a year-long operation. The sound and projection equipment was Ballantine Sound-master and Simplex.

The Marbro Drive-In closed on December 2, 1979.

The Alamo starring John Wayne 5/26/61

Tri-cities Drive-In (Sept 10,1947-Sept 28, 1949)

Second Street and Baker Airway Muscle Shoals City

Operators AD Thompson and JO Hannah
It closed before 1950.

Tri-Cities Drive-In Theatre 

Cinema Twin Movie Theatre’s (1973-1998)

1302 Woodward Avenue, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

closed, 2 screens

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5622

The Cinema I and II Theatre opened in Muscle Shoals on Thursday, May 24, 1973. It was the first twin theatre in the Shoals. One auditorium was decorated in red and the other was decorated in blue. This theatre was the first in the Shoals to feature rocking chairs

The theatre became a second-run theatre in its final years. Management transitioned from Martin to Carmike in 1985 along with the Capri 4 Theatres and the Martin Theatre. The name of this theatre became Cinema Twin Theatre. The theatre’s last night of operation was Thursday, August 6, 1998.

Cinema I & II showing Slither and Judge Roy Bean 

Tuscumbia, Alabama Theatre’s

Strand Theatre (1924-1955)

112 North Main Street Tuscumbia, Al 35674

closed, demolished, 1 screen, 750 seats

The Strand Theatre opened in 1924 seating 750. By 1941 it was operated by Muscle Shoals Theatre, a subsidiary of the Nashville, TN-based Crescent Amusement Co. 
The Strand Theatre closed its doors in January of 1955.

Strand Theater last date of movies that I found was Jan 29, 1955

Tuscumbian Theater (1950-1977)

117 South Main Street Tuscumbia, Al 35674 

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5624

The Tuscumbian Theatre opened on Thursday, October 12, 1950. The theatre was located on Main Street in Tuscumbia.

The theatre was a marble-faced structure and was designed by Marr and Holman of Nashville, and was built by the Daniel Construction of Birmingham. 
The same firm was used for the Colbert Theatre in Sheffield and the Shoals Theatre in Florence. The theatre was operated by the Muscle Shoals Theatre. The theatre has a balcony and pushes back chairs. James Allen Hall was the original manager.

This theatre’s last night of operation was on January 12, 1977.
This building is still standing and being used as an office. The stadium seats were repaired and are being used at the Ritz Theater in Sheffield. Very little remains of the inside of the theater. 
https://www.facebook.com/2468269453205398/photos/a.2468293483202995/2469403296425347/?type=3&theater
Tuscumbia Paint The Town
by artist Clay Allison

The last showing at the Tuscumbian Theatre was Drum 1/12/77

Sheffield, Alabama Theatre’s (1942-1971

Colbert Theatre(1942-1971)

319 North Montgomery Avenue Sheffield 35660

closed, demolished, 1 screen, 900 seats

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9085

The Colbert Theatre was opened in January of 1942. The theatre is located at 900. 
The architects for the Colbert Theatre were Marr and Holman of Nashville. 
The theatre was operated by Muscle Shoals Theatre. The Colbert Theatre closed on Christmas Day in 1971.
https://www.facebook.com/1671435176458517/photos/a.1671436373125064/2298603650408330/?type=3&theater
Sheffield Paint the Town
by artist Clay Allison

Colbert Theatre showing 12/24/1971 The Wild Angels & last showing 12/25/1971 Black Beauty

Liberty Movie Theatre, (Opened in February 1915)

Sheffield, AL 35660 

closed, 1 screen 400 seats
Morris Lightman Sr formed The Sterling Amusement Company and opened his first theatre in a storefront he had rented in Sheffield, Alabama. 

The first theatre was built and operated by Morris Aaron Lightman, founder of MALCO Theatres.

3-Star Drive-in (1952-

South Montgomery Ave Sheffield, AL 

Opened June 8, 1952

3-Star Drive Inn June 8, 1952(not sure if this theatre made a go of it.

Ritz Theatre (1928-1951)(1980-present)

103 West Third Street Sheffield, Al 35660

open, 1 screen 350 seats 

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1025

Built as a playhouse, the Ritz Theatre was opened on July 9, 1928, with a production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. Louis Rosenbaum was the district manager of Muscle Shoals Theatre, the company that owned the theatre, and C. J. Ross was the first manager of the Ritz Theatre. The Ritz Theatre had a seating capacity of 408 downstairs, 173 in the ‘white’ balcony, and 101 in the ‘colored’ balcony, a total of 682 seats. The theatre had a Wurlitzer organ. It was refitted in 1933 to accommodate talkies and to undergo a sleek Art Deco-style makeover. On Saturday, January 23, 1933, the theatre had another ‘Grand Opening’ when President Roosevelt visited Florence that day. 1941 Muscle Shoals Theatre is a subsidiary of the Nashville Tennessee  Crescent Amusement Co.

The Ritz Theatre remained one of Sheffield’s most popular movie houses until it went out of business on June 9, 1951.

In 1985, the Ritz Theatre was purchased by the Tennessee Valley Arts Association and restored to its 1930s appearance, complete with its unusual auditorium side wall decoration, resembling giant fans.

The Ritz Theatre is now home to the Center Stage Community Theater, which performs both classical and contemporary plays in the setting of a classic small-town movie house.

Ritz Theatre Sheffield, Al

Ritz opened July 9, 1928

Park-Vue Drive-In (1950-1961)

Highland Park Sheffield, Al 

Opening date: 1950/05/11

The first movie is shown: Calamity Jane And Sam Bass

The Park-Vue Drive-In opened on Thursday, May 11, 1950, at 6:30. 

It was located in Highland Park in Sheffield, AL. Admission was originally 45 cents for adults and children under 12 were admitted free. The theatre had individual Ballantyne speakers for each car.

On opening night, the movie "Calamity Jane and Sam Bass" was shown. 

The theatre opened at 6:00 and the first show was started at sundown. Free ice cream and popcorn were given to children on opening night.

This drive-in's last night of business seems to have been March 5, 1961.

Park-Vue Drive-in Showing Calamity Jane & Sam Bass Opening May 11, 1950

Florence, Alabama Theatre’s and Drive-ins

Shoals Theater (1948-1980)Reopened in 2011 and used as live theatre

123 North Seminary Street Florence, Al 35630

open, renovated, 1 screen, 1,344 seats

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5625

The Shoals Theatre opened on Thursday, October 21, 1948. The theatre was located at 123 North Seminary in Florence, at the corner of Seminary Street and Mobile Street, diagonally across from the post office. 
The theatre was in a new building also containing four stores. One store, Brother and Sister Shop, was already open and in operation, but the other three stores opened at the same time as the theatre.

The theatre had 1,344 seats in orchestra and balcony levels. At the time of its opening, it was the fourth-largest theatre in the state and the largest in any town with an under 100,000 population. 
The theatre featured the voice of the theatre sound equipment and had a completely duplicating set that could be activated by a snap of a switch in case of failure.

The theatre was the first in the South to feature Slide-back seats, which could be retracted six inches with the shove of the body, to make it easier for people to walk in front of the other customers. 
At the time there were only four other theaters in the world in possession of these seats.

This theatre’s last night of operation was Thursday, March 13, 1980. 

It was reopened for concerts, and special events and used in a film festival in 2011. By 2012, it was in use as a live theatre.

Shoals Theatre

Shoals Theatre opened on 10/22/1948 with that Lady in Ermine

Regency Square 12, Theatre(2004-March 2016) Bought out by AMC Theatres and is now called AMC Florence 12 (March 2016-present)

301 Cox Creek Parkway Florence, Al 35630 Opened 12 screens, 2,210 seats

Carmike opened the Regency Square 12 on November 11, 2004. 
Seating is listed at 2,210. Amenities include digital projection and sound, 3D capabilities, online ticketing, stadium seating, and first-run attractions.

Regency Square Cinemas 12

Regency Square 12 opened on November 11, 2004 

Joy-Lan Drive-In Theatre (1950-1983)

3155 Cloverdale Road Florence, Al 35632

closed, demolished, 1 screen, 600 cars

Owned and operated by the Martin family

built 1949-1950 (1950-1983)

opening 4/20/1950

first movie: Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby

1950 Grand Opening

1983 Final night of operation

details Now occupied by Christ Church 

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/16288

Joy-Lan Drive-in Theatre opened on April 24, 1950, with Romance on the High Seas

Wilson Drive-In Theatre (1950-1968)

4447 County Road 32 Florence, AL 35632

closed, demolished, 1screen, 536 cars

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/20681

The Wilson Drive-In opened on July 12, 1950. 

It was owned by A. W.  Hammonds, W. W. Hammonds Jr, B. Coss, and E. D. Wells, all from Albertville, AL. 
They also owned the Marshall Drive-In in Albertville. A. W. Hammonds was the manager of the theatre. 
Later in 1959, James A. Duncan was hired to be the manager and A. W.  Hammonds retired. 
It had a 536-car capacity and had a playground for the kids. It also had outdoor seating for people without cars.

The Wilson Drive-In was closed on October 19, 1968. It was still listed in the newspaper ‘Welcome to Florence’ advertisements for 1969 and 1970 as a Martin Theatre. 
There is an electricity substation on the property now.

Wilson Drive-in Theatre opened on July 12, 1950 

The New Theatre/Norwood Theatre (1948-1968)

1130 N. Wood Avenue, Florence, AL 35630 closed, demolished, 1 screen 600 seats

The New Theatre opened on March 24, 1948, located on North Wood Avenue at Gilbert Court, with seating for 600. Just a month after opening in April the theatre received the new name of Norwood Theatre. 
The Norwood Theatre lasted until the late-1960s.

The building was destroyed by a fire on August 18, 1968, and the remains were demolished.

Sunday, August 18, 1968, at 8:25 AM this theater burnt down.

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/15578

Norwood Theatre North Florence (this mural is hanging in Florence Mall)

Norwood Theater Burned down Aug 18, 1968, 8:25AM 

Name Changed to Norwood 4/20/48
Fireman battle the Norwood Theater fire Sunday 
Times Daily Aug 19, 1968
Cause of Blaze probed 
The cause of the blaze which destroyed the 20-year-old Norwood Theater early Sunday morning has not been determined, Florence fireman said this morning.
four trucks answered the call Sunday at 8:25AM but the fireman said the fire was out of control by the time they arrived. The fireman is still attempting to determine what caused the blaze, believed to have started in the area of the stag. The department fought the blaze for approximately three hours. Buildings on both sides of the theater reported some water damage. The theater, presently owned by the Martin chain, was opened in March 1948, and the first owners Dan Davis and HL Bobo first announced it would be a supermarket. About 30 days before opening they announced it would be a movie theater.
Martin officials said today no decision had been made on whether or not to rebuild the structure. Local officials were expected to hear today from the home office in Columbus, Ga,.
The original construction cost of the 564-seat theater was $80,00 and was reportedly sold to the Martin firm in 1961 for $175,000.
The theater was closed for about 3 years after the new owners took over.
Martin officials said they have no estimates of the loss suffered by the blaze. 
The fire collapsed the roof of the structure, although the brick walls were left standing. The Muscle Shoals area is now left with only three in-door theaters. 

The New Theater opened March 24, 1948, with Buck Privates Come Home

Martin Theatre (1970-1988)

Grant Plaza Shopping Center, Florence, AL 35630

closed, 1 screen 450 seats

The Martin Theatre opened at the Grant Plaza Shopping Center 1700 Darby Drive Florence, AL on Friday, December 4, 1970. 
The theatre was the first automated theatre in the Shoals. 
This allowed the projectionist to press a button to start the movies and the automation equipment would dim the auditorium lights and start the show.

The theatre featured X-Eton lamp houses. The screen size for cinemascope was 15 feet by 35 feet and the size for normal features (flat widescreen) was 15 feet by 28 feet. 
Helen Slay was the first manager of the location and Warren Carswell was the city manager for Martin Theatres.

This theatre became a Carmike theatre on October 25, 1985, along with the Capri 4 and Cinema Twin Theatres. 
Martin’s last night of business was on June 9, 1988.

Location of Martin Theater in 1970
Grant Plaza 1700 Darby Drive Florence, Al 
  now The Brass Monkey1816 Darby Drive
          Florence, Alabama

Dirty Dingus Magee staring Sinatra Grand Opening at Martin Theater 12/4/1970

Majestic Theatre (1919-1951)

204 N. Court Street, Florence, AL 35630

closed, demolished, 1 screen, 400 seats

The Majestic Theatre opened on Saturday, August 30, 1919. 
It was located at 204 North Court Street next to the new First National Bank building. 
From the advertisements, it was not clear what was shown on opening day, but the primary advertisements announced a “Paramount Artcraft Special,,"" a motion picture style show with living models and moving pictures called “That Well Dressed Look” for September 1 and 2. 
The theatre seated 400 people. Opened by Morris Lightman Sr under the Sterling Amusement Company.

The last night of operation for the Majestic Theatre was June 9, 1951.

Majestic Theater showing Outside the Law 

Majestic Theatre opens with "Bar 20 Rides Again" and "Fugitive Valley."

Hickory Hills Cinema 6 (1978-2008)

1949 Florence Boulevard, Florence 35630

closed 6 screens 1,350 seats

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9083

Litchfield Theatre opened the Hickory Hill in March of 1978 as a three-screen venue. A year later a fourth screen was added.

The theatre went through another renovation in 1985 and two more screens were added. Stereo sound was added to the auditoriums at this time. United Artists took over operations at this time. Carmike Theatre operated the Hickory Hills from 1989 until it closed in January 2008.

Hickory Hills Cinema opened in March 1978

Hickory Hills Cinema (Now Grace House)

Hickory Hills Cinema sign 

Hickory Hills Sign & Building 

Cinema Theatre (Princess) (1919-1966)

215 East Tennessee Street Florence, 35630

closed, 1 screen, 700 seats

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5627

The Princess Theatre in Florence opened on Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 1919, with a cost of $75,000 and a seating capacity of 1200. The ads referred to the theatre as the “$75,000 Opera House”. 
The theatre was fashioned in a Spanish motif and had a chandelier and a cork linoleum floor.

On Monday, April 13, 1925, the theatre was reopened after remodeling and replacement of the roof. 500 balloons were thrown from the top of the theatre, each containing a pass. Professor George E. Hatch played the Wurlitzer organ for the opening that day. 
By 1941 it was operated by Muscle Shoals Theatre, a subsidiary of Nashville, TN. Based Crescent Amusement Co.

On Wednesday, April 30, 1958, the theatre was again remodeled and reopened as the Cinema Theatre. It had new seats and was reconfigured with a total seating capacity of 700 and new decorations. Restrooms, carpeting, lobby, and cry room. The theatre was operated by Rosenbaum Theatre at this time, which also operated the Shoals, Tuscumbian, and Colbert Theatres at this time.

The Cinema Theatre’s last night of operation was September 24, 1966.

Princess Theatre Opened Sept 1, 1919 

Cinema Theater opened on April 30, 1958, with The Long Hot Summer

Princess Theater opened  September 1, 1919

Capri Theatre opened in July 1978 with Star Wars and The End 
Capri Four (1978-2004)

301 Cox Creek Parkway Florence, Al 35630

closed demolished, 4 screens 865 seats

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9084

The Capri Twin opened in July of 1978 and was operated by Martin Theatres. 

It was located behind Regency Square Mall. The theatre was remodeled in 1983 and two screens were added.

Carmike took over operations in 1985. 

The last day of operation was September 19, 2004. 

The building was demolished to make way for more parking for the new Carmike that was built next to where the Capri sat.

Wilson Theatre at Wilson Dam 9/5/1919
Wilson Theatre at Wilson Dam advertised on September 5, 1919, not sure when it opened 

The Wheeler Drive-inn Theater

Elgin Cross Roads 

A now wooded area was once a drive-in theater, located on Highway 72, just east of Highway 101, the Southeast corner of that intersection. It appears to have been in business by around 1955, according to aerial photography, closing in 1971. One of the entrance trails is barely still visible at the edge of Highway 72. While this is usually referred to as Elgin (Crossroads), it appears to now be considered Rogersville city.

The Mary Drive-In opened on July 12, 1953, featuring “Meet Captain Kidd” starring Abbott & Costello & Charles Laughton. It was a small drive-in with a 200-car capacity. It was closed on October 30, 1961. The last show Ferry to Hong Kong with Orson Welles, Curt Jurgens

It was re-opened on July 2, 1966, as the Fox Drive-In. It closed in 1970.
Hwy 72 Cherokee, Al

The Opera House Florence Feb 3, 1911

The Florence Theater on April 28, 1918
Could not find the Location of this theatre

Theato in Florence, Al  Jan 9, 1914
Not sure of the location or opening date

The Theato Under new management Dec 5, 1913
It appears to have opened previously.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ie8Y0QrpMWAC&dat=19131205&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
Frontpage along with Florence Opera House

Theatres listed in Florence Times Jan 9, 1912
The Ritz Sheffield
Princess Florence
Strand Tuscumbia
Majestic Florence 
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ie8Y0QrpMWAC&dat=19120109&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

Bijou before the awing was added

The Bijou Silent Theater opened at the turn of the 20th century in Tuscumbia
opened Sept 30, 1919, and closed on April 13, 1920
https://www.timesdaily.com/news/group-wants-to-save-restore-tuscumbia-theater/article_ff22b64d-86d4-5cef-a9e4-3d86f5451a8b.html

What remains of the Bijou Silent Theatre
Built at the turn of the 20th Century.
https://www.facebook.com/2468269453205398/photos/a.2468293483202995/2600001066698902/?type=3&theater
Tuscumbia Paint the Town
by Artist Clay Allison

The newspaper clippings came from the Florence Times/Times Daily.

The pictures of theatres, storefronts, and signs were taken by me.
Links to FB Sheffield, & Tuscumbia Paint the Town by Clay Allison
Links & information at Cinema Treasures

Theaters were owned by the Rosenbaum family in 1951 

Muscle Shoals Theaters

    Louis & Stanley Rosenbaum

Princes, Majestic Theaters, Shoals located in Florence, Alabama

Colbert, Ritz Theaters, located in Sheffield

Strand, Tuscumbian Theaters, located in Tuscumbia, Alabama

Ritz, Plaza Theaters located, in Athens, Alabama