Showing posts with label markers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label markers. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2024

Singing River Sculpture in Florence

Singing River Sculpture 

Singing River Sculpture in Florence 

Dedicated to the world-renowned musicians, recording executives, writers, producers, and performers who made Florence and the Muscle Shoals area the “Hit Recording Capital of the World” in the 1960s and 1970s and to those who continue that legacy.

2020 

Legend of the Singing River 
The Yuchi and other early Native Americans who lived along the banks of the mighty Tennessee River long held the legend of a Spirit Woman who lived in the river, sang her song, and protected them. She sang to them loudly if the drive was angry, softly and sweetly when the river was peaceful, and sometimes in the calming hum of a lullaby. In her honor, they named it the Singing River.
Some say that all they heard was the high waters’ mighty rush and roar over the mussel shoals or the calm, low waters babbling through the river rocks. 
Others say she is real and over the waters, just as she did many years ago. So goes the legend of the Singing River. 

The World-Changing Music Shoals Music 
From the last half of the 20th century to the present, Muscle Shoals area artists, musicians, songwriters, and music industry professionals have helped shape the world’s expansive musical heritage. 

Few styles of music were untouched by Muscle Shoals music, and local contributions have been made in all the areas of the complex industry; producers, recording engineers, songwriting, music publishing, and music business interest.

Many of the world’s greatest performers began their assent to stardom in Muscle Shoals. Artists such as Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Bob Seger, and many others quickly created a legacy that earned the area the title “Hit Recording Capitol of the World.”

The warning 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 by recording their version of the songs on their first albums. 

The songwriting tradition continues as one of the strongest facets of Muscle Shoals music, with area songwriters penning songs such as When A Man Loves a Woman, I Swear, Blown Away, Before He Cheats, and hundreds of other hits over the decades. 
The area grew a music center by drawing together people of all races and religions. In the 1960s, despite the segregation of race enforced outside the studio, area soul classics were being created in the studios with musicians contributing their innate musical talents. The collaborations created some of the most widely loved music of the 20th Century, including When A Man Loves A Woman, Mustang Sally, Tell Mama, Patch, Respect Yourself, and many others. 

The heart and soul of Muscle Shoals music have always been the players and singers. Four members of the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section were immortalized in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song Sweet Home Alabama. The lyric, “Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers, and they’ve been known to pick a song or two, “ honors Barry-Beckett, Jimmy Johnson, David Hoot, and Roger Hawkins, owner of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and studio musicians who produced and played on hundreds of hit recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios from the late 60s until the mid-70s.


Florence’s Contribution to this Golden Era
Florence has long had a rich and varied music culture and heritage. Building on the foundation of Blues and Spiritual music laid by Florence native W.C. Handy, known as the Father of the Blues, composer of Beale Street Blues, St Louis Blues, and others, that legacy continues to the present day. 
The roots of what became known as the Muscle Shoals sound are found north of the Tennessee River in Florence, AL. They were planted by pioneers such as James Joiner, Tom Stafford, Rich Hall, and the many talented musicians and songwriters who recorded in Florence studios before 1960.
Other notable music personalities from Florence include Sam Phillips, Buddy Killen, Billy Sherrill, and Kelso Herston, all of whom found major success in Memphis and Nashville. 

In 1956, Joiner wrote and produced the area’s first regional hit, Bobby Denton’s A Fallen Star. He, Kelso Herston, and partners established “Tune Records and Publishing Company, the first of its kind in Alabama, and published the classic Country song Six Days on the Road, written by Earl Greene and Carl Montgomery. 


Stafford, Hall, and Billy Sherrill created Florence Alabama Music Enterprises (FAME) above the City Drug Store, owned by Stafford’s family. The studio attracted young talents such as David Briggs, Norbert Putman, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Jerry Carrigan, Earl “Peanutt” Montgomery, Donnie Fritts, Arthur Alexander, Bobby Denton, and others who would go on to be legendary musicians and songwriters. 


In 1964, at the request of John Lennon, four members of the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Norbert Putman, David Briggs, Jerry Carrigan, and Terry Thompson, backed opening acts for the Righteous Brothers and Tommy Roe for the Beatles at their first US concert in Washington D.C. 

In 1976, Wishbone Studio owner and producer Terry Woodford cofounded the University of North Alabama Commercial Music Program, which prepared many for success in the music industry, including Randy Poe, President of Leiber & Stoller Music Publishing/music biographer; Walt Aldridge songwriter/producer, Nancy Lee, V.P. Music Industry Business, Manager Higham Management Ince.; Mark Narmore, Songwriter/singer/keyboardist; John Briggs, V.P. ASCAP (Retired), V.P. Entertainment and Pro Sports, Tower Community Band, and Kevin Lamb, V.P. Peer Music (Retired).

Photos: William Christopher (W.C)Handy
Photo courtesy of W.C. Handy Foundation Inc. 

Photo: James Joiner registered and Kelson Herston (L) 
Photo editing courtesy of Glenn Bevis 


Joiner’s Bus Station 
Site of Joiner’s first recording studio 
Photo courtesy of Joiner Family 

Photo: Tom Stanford 
Enigmatic mentor to many young Muscle Shoals musicians 
Photo courtesy of David Briggs

Photo: The Original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section 
Terry Thompson, Norbert Putman, Jerry Carrigan, and David Briggs 
Photo completion courtesy of Will C. Roberson and Trevor J. Joiner 

Photo: Terry Woodford 
With guest speaker Glenn Frey of the Eagles in UNA Commercial Music class 
Photo courtesy of Terry Woodford. 

The City of Florence, Alabama 
Mayor Steve Holt - Eric Nubbe, Sculpture 
A special thanks to former Mayor Mickey Haddock and former Mayor Bobby E. Irons for their early and unwavering support and encouragement.
Historical commentary by Dick Cooper, David Anderson, Bill Matthews, and Sandra Vetters.


Singing River Sculpture 

Sunday, April 28, 2024

2024 April 20, Courtland Walking Hayride Tour

While waiting for the rain to stop, everyone met at the Courtland Heritage Museum, established in 2009.

Courtland Heritage Museum 

Inside, we learned about the History of One of the South's first railroads. This railroad ran southward through Courland and linked the Tennessee Valley to Tuscaloosa and lower Alabama. 

There were court records of the early marriages in Lawrence County on display.

We learned about how the Red Rovers were organized at Courtland in 1835 to aid Texas in its struggle for independence. 

We learned that several cotton gins once operated in and around Courtland. 

Once the rain stopped, we loaded onto a hay bail wagon that was pulled by a truck. 

Our guide stood at the back of the wagon, informing us about Courtland's historic homes and sites. 

We stopped in front of several historic homes. 

Tweedy-Northon-Morris-Thompson House

One of our stops was the Tweedy-Northon-Morris-Thompson House.

Richard Thompson, owner of the home, stood on his porch and gave us the history of his fully restored home.

Richard joined our group throughout the tour. 

One of our stops was the Courtland Presbyterian Church, built in 1821. Both our guide and Mr Thompson worship there. 

The first church burned in the 1850s. 

Construction of the new church began in 1859 but was not completed unit the end of the Civil War in 1868.

The church represents the mingling of classical and Italian influences.

The town square contains many empty buildings of the Federal Style architecture. A park with several historic markers,  a fountain,  and a gazebo. 

Another home we stopped at was the Harris Simpson House, a good example of the early American "I" house, for its tall, narrow side profile.  This house occupants trace back to the famous James Jackson of the Forks of Cypress Florence, Al. 

Harris-Simpson House 

So much history for such a small town. They had a tiny theater that is now a residence. I said it sure was small. Everyone laughed, and our tour guide said it was big enough for their small town. I grew up in the Shoals area with several theaters in Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Florence. I remember going to most of them, including the drive-in.

On our way home, we stopped at Lash's Seafood for lunch, where hubby and I split a shrimp boil meal that consisted of Shrimp, corn, potatoes, and sausages.

It was delicious.

Lash's Seafood shrimp  boil 


Sunday, September 24, 2023

2023 Sep 15, Trip to The Movie town of Canton, MS

We rode through Russellville, AL, stopping at Jack's Restaurant for breakfast gravy and biscuits and Diet Coke. 

We stopped at McDonald's in Louisville, MS, for a restroom break and a couple of cookies and cream pies. 

After a four-and-a-half-hour drive through several small towns, we arrived in Canton, MS. 

We were greeted by our guide, Billy Joe Wells, at the Visitors Center in Canton, also known as the Trolio Hotel. 

A Time to Kill stars Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey, and many others were in this film.

Most of the filming took place around the Madison County Courthouse, the old jail, and a Sound stage was built in the city's park. Much of the stage props were in Canton's Museum.

My Dog Skip was principally photography in Canton props, also located in Canton's Museums.

O'Brother, Where Art Thou? It was shot in the Spring in Canton, MS props, and New Paper Articles in the Museums. 

The Hotel Trolio had Memorabilia from the movies. O' Brother and A Time to Kill.

Cast from A Time to Kill 
Lawyers Office from A Time To Kill 

By George Mississippians Think he's got it.
Fans flock to see Clooney filming a movie, the latest effort in his move from TV to Big Screen. 
O'Brother, Where Art Thou? George Clooney 

Restaurant/Cafe where the scene of A Time to Kill was filmed. 

A scene from "A Time to Kill" was shot at the table in this restaurant. 

Also located up a flight of stairs in the Trolio Hotel was more Memorabilia from both movies. 

Willie Morris & My Dog Skip Movie Museum

Willie Morris & My Dog Skip Movie Museum.

Every community needs a Willie. 

This museum is lovingly dedicated to the ineffable spirit of Willie Morris. 

Because he turned south toward home, My Dog Skip became a reality. 

Our many thanks to Alcon Entrainment and Warner Bros 

February 12, 2000 

A Glimpse of Willie Morris 

The Canton Convention & Visitor Bureau and Film Office 

5 & 10 cent Store Est. 1935

The General Store was where scenes from My Dog Skip were shot. 

Bone tired and Weary in a country Cemetery.
John Wayne Blough Sr. steers a team of horses through the streets of Canton during the filming of the "Ponder Heart" based on an Eudora Welty novella for PBS.  

Billy took us to several locked museums loaded with memorabilia and did a very good job of explaining about the props and the movies. 

We had not seen the movies for some time, so nothing was familiar. 

We thanked Billy for the tour and walked around the historic Courthouse Square, taking pictures of several of the historic stores, courthouses, and markers. 

We stopped at the thrift shop, where I purchased several Halloween figurines.

Canton Madison County Courthouse is also used in several movies. 








Saturday, October 2, 2021

2021 Aug 10, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens Nashville, Tennessee

Hubby and I traveled the backroads to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, TN, via Natchez Trace, getting off at the Leipers Fork exit. Hubby parked the car near the entrance and showed the girl at the ticket counter our online tickets.
Pink LEGO Dog 
The first thing we saw as we entered the gardens was a big pink dog made out of Lego blocks. We walked down a long winding sidewalk down several sets of steps to the Train Exhibit, inspired by the Little Engine Who Could.
In front of us was a couple with a very independent little girl with a head full of curls who was about the age of 2 or three years of age. What a magical place as you enter the land of trains and Fairy mushroom villages. The train exhibit was built of rough timbers and five train tracks totaling over 800 feet of track. As we walked through, we saw trains going over bridges and through tunnels, we were in a magical land of trains.
We saw beautiful yellow lilies floating in the lily ponds. We saw pink, orange, white, and red roses busted with life in the Rose Study Garden.
Roses
We saw art pieces made of musical notes made of wire. We saw many Yellow and Black swallowtails on the butterfly bushes.
Yellow Swallowtail 
We saw a red lion, a zebra, a blue bear, colorful birds, a red turtle, a green lawnmower, and a man working in the garden, all made out of Legos. Also, LEGO rabbits were spotted throughout the Bradford Robertson Color Garden. We walked around the mansion, but not inside. Workers were repairing the pool in front of the Mansion in the Martain Boxwood Gardens.
Cheekwood Mansion 
There were waterfalls, ponds, and creeks running through the gardens. We did visit the Art Bark exhibit, which was crayon sculptures by Nashville artist Herb Williams. Inside the visitor center were restrooms, drink machines, and a beautiful rose LEGO sculpture. We took a break to cool off, drink a soda, and use the restrooms before beginning our journey home, We did not walk the entire gardens but had a wonderful time. We traveled home along the backroads, this time taking a different route. We came out in Columbia, TN. We got a late lunch of fish at Long John Silvers and took it home.

Monday, January 6, 2020

2020 Jan 6, Outing to Decatur, Alabama Birds of Prey, Waterfowl

Owl 
Today, Hubby and I rode to Decatur we ate breakfast at IHOP and went to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, where we saw Whooping and Sandhill Cranes. 

We saw a small group of schoolchildren and several adults with cameras. We watched a 12-minute movie about the Refuge and walked among the Cypress Trees.

Sandhill Cranes
On the Atkeson Cypress Boardwalk, we saw these gorgeous Cypresses submerged deep in the swam. 

 We stopped at Ingalls Harbor, & Rhodes Ferry Park.

Tern Perched on a pole at Ingalls Harbor. 
We ate lunch at Jack's, hamburgers and fried pies
 We stopped at Wheeler Dam, where we saw hundreds of Terns diving for fish. We also saw hundreds of Terns perched along the entrance to the locks and hundreds of Cormorants perched below the dam. It was a beautiful day for an outing.


At Rhodes Ferry Park, we saw the train lift bridge that once bridged Lauderdale to Colbert County, Alabama. 
At Wheeler Dam, we saw Terns diving into the Swift Tennessee River. 
The Tuscumbia, Courtland, and Decatur Railroad was the only railway line in the country used to transport the Cherokee people during forced removal. 
Linking Decatur to the Cherokee Indian Removal during the Trail of Tears. 
On this river in front of you, 2,300 Cherokee people arrived in waves, forced from their Tennessee Valley homeland from 1837 to 1838. The steamer Knoxville towed flatboats loaded with Cherokee families. Heavy rains soaked their clothes. The cold wind whipped off the water. They survived on cornmeal and flour fried in bacon grease. Once docked here at Decatur Landing, the Cherokee boarded cramped train cars. Their journey west continued along the rails.

Monday, November 4, 2019

2019 Oct 28, In Search of Historic Markers, David Crockett Park, Museum, Halloween displays

Our first search of markers was The Killen & Canal System @ Lock 6.
We saw several homes along the river, and to get to the homes, we had to travel up steep hills, which could be very hazardous in the winter.
The Killen & Canal System at Lock 6 was located at the boating dock at the end of Turtle Landing Road.
Soldiers Rest at Butler Cemetery at Butler Cemetery in front of the Polo Club.
 Old Gabe Cemetery, located at CR 42
Gabriel Butler, “Ole Gabe,” was born in the Carolinas in 1779, about the time of the Revolutionary War. His name is on records in Kentucky in the 1800s. He married his first wife, Sarah Whitesides, in Warren County, KY, on December 26, 1803. Gabe was among the earliest white settlers of Lauderdale County. He arrived here during the early 1800s and leased land from Cherokee Indian Chief Doublehead on the Chief’s Reserve. After Doublehead was killed in 1807, the government directed the settlers on his Reserve to leave. 

Gabe and other settlers signed a petition in 1809 asking to remain; however, the settlers were elected around 1811. Gabe and his family moved to the north into Tennessee. Indian Treaties signed in 1817 allowed the creation of Lauderdale County in February 1818. The Federal Land Office was established, allowing land to be sold here beginning in March of 1818. Gabe traveled to Huntsville on November 14, 1818, and purchased land here along Bluewater Creek. Eventually, he owned several acres in this area.
Gaberial "Old Gabe" Butler 1779-1856 
Gabe’s land was fertile, with an abundance of good water, timber, and game. He built his home on the hill across Bluewater. He expected the road between Huntsville and Florence to be built nearby, giving him easy access to his farmland on the other side of the creek. However, the road was built 1 1/2 miles south in the general vicinity of the modern-day US Highway  72. After 1824, Gabe built his second home southwest of here on this side of the creek. Old Gabe donated two acres of land to start the Primitive Baptist Church at Bluewater on May 16, 1840. 
The churches at Mitchell Town and Elgin Crossroads developed from that church. The cemetery at this location, one of the earliest in Lauderdale Country, was established by Gabe and named for him. Gabe died in November 1856 at the age of 77. He and some of his family members are buried within the rock walls. Old Gabe had three wives and 11 children, nine of whom married and raised families in this area. Many of the descendants of “Old Gabe” are buried in this cemetery.



Gaberial "Old Gabe" Butler 1779-1856 Cemetery
Butler Cemetery 
Deeded to Gabriel Butler Nov 14, 1818

CR 568Spider, Ghost, Skeletons, Witches, Pumpkins "Halloween"
Bettie Anne Highway HIstoric
French Glover Farm on CR 48
Revolutionary War Veteran Benjamin French (1764-1847), a native of Virginia, is buried at this site. Arriving in Limestone County, Alabama, in about 1808, the French acquired this farm in 1837.

The nearby spring is the site of prehistoric Indian Villages and Civil War encampments. The two-story log house, originally located three miles southwest of this place, is believed to have been constructed as early as 1829. It was moved here by the Glover family before 1813, This road was part of the early Pulaski Pike, a major stagecoach and supply route that connected the river at Florence with Pulaski, Tennessee
We were headed to Tennessee for Lottery tickets and were not sure how to get to Loretto from our present location we just asked Sirus for directions.
Bought Lottery tickets and rode to Lawrenceburg, stopping at The Brass Lantern for lunch.
Brass Lantern
Hoyt Tidwell & wife were there promoting their receipt book, which included his wife's famous chicken dumplings receipt.
Enjoyed eating the famous Chicken and dumplings, fried green tomatoes, Jack Daniel's Apples, red onion, cornbread, and turnip greens.
The famous chicken & dumplings are on Monday's special menu, which comes with two sides.
YUM!

Hubby ordered the chicken & dumplings, white beans, fried green tomatoes, cornbread, and one trip to the salad bar.
We had enough leftovers for a to-go box.
Barred Owl bird of prey resting on its perch
David Crockett Museum with carved pumpkins inviting us inside
We rode to David Crockett Park, where we visited the Crockett Museum
 In the museum, we saw Crockett Tennessee Westward Movement, Crockett's distillery, Crockett the Politician, the Great Frontier, Crocket power mill, Crockett the Industrialists, Crockett the Hunter, Crockett's office, his timeline 1786-1822, some of his tools, Markee of the Almo where David Crockett was killed and Crockett the homesteader.
Autumn leaves mirroring the lake, what a beautiful sight. 
Monday, after the weekend of Celebrating Halloween, still lingered at the Town Square of Lawrenceburg. 
Witches sitting, and spiders climbing on the white brick wall
showing the joys of a bright October Halloween Day.
Hubby and I had a great Autumn Day, with our adventures taking us into unknown territory.
Seeing gobblings of all kinds in places we would not have seen if we had chosen to stay home.
We met new people, tried new food, and spent the day together on one of our many traveling adventures.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

John Lee Hooker - Vance MISS US 61 Blues Trail South Haven, MS

MISS US 61 John Lee Hooker - Vance
John Lee Hooker (c. 1917-2001), one of the most famous and successful of all blues singers, had his musical roots here in the Delta, where he learned to play guitar in the style of his stepfather, Will Moore.  Hooker spent many of his early years with his family in the cotton fields around Vance and Lambert before he moved to Detroit in the 1940s. He became an international celebrity after recording hits  such as “Boogie Chillen,” “I’m in the Mood,” and “Boom Boom.”
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker was at once one of the most influential yet inimitable artists in blues history.  His distinctive “boogie” style harked back to the early days of blues, but his mixture of down-home sounds and urban sensibilities resounded with many Southerners who, like him, migrated north seeking work and a better life.  Hooker, one of eleven children, often gave vague and contradictory details about his early life, later professing little desire to return to Mississippi. He often cited August 22, 1917, as his birth date, although census records, showing the family near Tutwiler in 1920 and 1930, indicate he was several years older. He said he was born between Clarksdale and Vance; Social Security files list his birthplace as Glendora. His father, William Hooker, at one time a sharecropper on the Fewell plantation near Vance, was a preacher who frowned upon the blues. John Lee preferred living with his stepfather, blues guitarist Will Moore and claimed that his idiosyncratic style was “identical” to Moore’s. Hooker was also influenced by his sister Alice’s boyfriend, Tony Hollins (1910-c.1959), who gave Hooker his first guitar. Hooker’s song “When My First Wife Left Me” was based on a 1941 Hollins recording. Hollins once lived north of Vance in Longstreet (so named for its long street of stores, houses, and dance halls).

Following stays in Memphis and Cincinnati and returns to the Vance/Lambert area, Hooker settled in Detroit, where he made his first recordings in 1948. In 1949 his single “Boogie Chillen” reached No. 1 on the R&B charts; “I’m in the Mood” achieved the same feat in 1951. Hooker, famed for his ability to improvise new songs in the studio, recorded prolifically for many different labels, often under pseudonyms to avoid contractual problems. He later crossed over to rock ‘n’ roll and folk audiences and enjoyed a remarkable resurgence beginning in 1989 with the release of The Healer, one of several Hooker albums that featured collaborations with leading rock artists. Hooker received four Grammy® Awards, a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (as well as the one in Clarksdale). He was inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Blues Hall of Fame. Hooker moved to California in the late 1960s and later owned a club, the Boom Boom Room, in San Francisco. He died at his home in Los Altos on June 21, 2001.

Hooker’s cousin Earl Hooker (1929-1970), who also hailed from the Vance area, was widely regarded by his peers as the best guitarist in the blues.  A versatile and innovative performer, Hooker was especially celebrated for his slide guitar skills. As a teenager, Hooker performed on the King Biscuit Time radio show in Helena and later played and recorded with Ike Turner, Junior Wells, and many others, including his own Chicago-based group, the Roadmasters.


Modern Hollywood Records
“Boogie Chillin'”
 John Lee Hooker & His guitar 
Far left, Shaw Artists photo, the 1950s let Hooker during an interview for Living Blues Magazine, Chicago 1977.
Hooker was a headliner on the "chitlin circuit" when he appeared at the Lyric Theater in Louisville, Ky advertised here in the March 1, 1952 issue of the Louisville Defender.
Cousin John Lee and Earl Hooker followed separate career paths but came together to record the album If You Miss I got im in 1969.
Eddie Barns, who once lived in nearby Dublin teamed up with John Lee Hooker to perform and record in Detroit in the 1950s and 50s. Barns (b.1928) knew the Hooker family here, although John Lee had already moved north at the time. Hooker's first wife, Alma Pope was also from Dublin.
Hooker, "King of the Boogie" at a California performance in 1981 with fellow Mississippi native Charlie Musselwhite on hardware. 



Welcome to one of the many sites on the Mississippi Blues Trail  Visit us online at www.MSBluesTrail.org 

2024 Christmas Journal Activies

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