Muscle Shoals

"Muscle Shoals", by the band "Norma Rae"
www.NormaRaeBan...
/ normaraeband
(song written, copyrighted, recorded and produced by Jeff Soileau (BMI), 2010.)
For band booking: [e-mail]
Dedicated to Muscle Shoals and the musicians who made it "The Hit Recording Capital of the World."

[@AthensGuitar]

You're very welcome! It was pleasure to do. Glad you like it!

[@mladjala]

I am in Sochi, Russia right now, i had a privilege to live in Muscle Shoals briefly.This song gives me chills.Thank you.

[@AthensGuitar]

Glad you like it , ColdWaterMama ! I was born and raised there, too.. (now living in another "music town", Athens, GA.) .. this song was a true honor to write. Please feel free to share it ! Cheers, -Jeff

[@NeoAtari]

Came across this song today, and I'll be moving down to Birmingham in a week. This song already makes me homesick, and I haven't even left yet.

[@heathershaffer129]

Wow, this is my hometown. Crazy how things change and how things stay the same. This is great!!

[@chrismayo8646]

Beautiful song. I'm from North AL and it triggers rich memories of family trips to Muscle Shoals as a kid. Lookin forward to seeing your band in Athens tonight.

[@alabamao68]

Great, great song that captures all our nostalgia for the area beautifully.

[@dishes18]

I'm so proud of my hometown. And I'm lucky to happen and be a musician from this amazing town. Great song! :) I love it. :)

[@hitefamily]

Very cool song and slideshow. My great grandfather died building that dam. It's neat to see it in those old photos.

[@tuningin4fun]

Like others here, this is my hometown, too! We have a rich history--thanks for illustrating this with the song and the video!

[@AthensGuitar]

Glad you like it. Lera Lynn really captured the haunting nature of the lyrics, happy to know that you felt the same way!

[@AthensGuitar]

@BrounWright Thanks! I agree Evan did a great job putting together the slideshow with the music, and Lera's voice is just perfect for this tune. She completely captured the feel of the lyrics.

[@MarkCookmusic]

This video is Awesome! Great song writing Jeff - superb vocals as well. A+++

[@AthensGuitar]

@bmx69bmx1 Glad you liked it! Yeah, the Shoals was a great place to grow up. I loved watching boats go through the lock as a kid -- fascinating! The Swampers (and ALL the musicians there) were a HUGE influence on me and the reason that I am a musician today. There is a lot of great music still being made there today, too, so that is good! The Shoals music will live on!

[@AthensGuitar]

@OffMyRockrInsane very cool ! when I was a kid growing up in the Shoals my dad told me the "Henry Ford" story EVERY time we drove through that area of Muscle Shoals (which was pretty often!) Now, just to continue the "tradition", I tell my kids that exact same story every time we drive pass those same old roads when we go back to The Shoals to visit my parents. :) Thanks again for your comments and interest in this song!! -Jeff

[@AthensGuitar]

glad you like it ! (I was really missing the Shoals when I wrote it... I see that sentiment translated into the song, too.)

[@AthensGuitar]

@mladjala So glad you liked it ! The song does have a haunting quality to it . And I think Lera really captured that with her vocals. It was a pleasure to write.

[@AthensGuitar]

@Hank68ers Glad you liked the song! The Shoals is a great place -- many special memories and the reason I am a musician today. More good music coming from the "Norma Rae" band in the spring!

[@AthensGuitar]

@1122hamilton2211 Glad you like it! Lera did a fantastic job of capturing the feeling of the lyrics! She is a talent!

[@AthensGuitar]

...while we're on the subject.. There is also, literally, a steam locomotive train still sitting on it's track in the belly of Wilson Lake just on the deep-water side of Wilson Dam.. If I recall, it was too difficult to remove her when they flooded the lake after the dam was completed those many years ago.. As a kid I thought about that old iron steam engine sitting in the quiet dark waters of Wilson Lake -- a lake which seemed like must be "ten thousand feet deep" --hence the final lyrics.

[@inhomeguitarlessonsatlanta6151]

Really nice work Jeffery!!!!

[@AthensGuitar]

@OffMyRockrInsane . Glad you noticed that in the lyrics! Yes, that is a direct reference to the sidewalks and roads that were laid out by the city as Muscle Shoals was anticipating becoming an over-night industrialized "Detroit" sensation.. Fueled by, at the time, what appeared to be the imminent purchase of Wilson Dam by Henry Ford. ... Of course, the rest is history and that never happened. And today the remains of those roads and sidewalks are a reminder of what might have been..

[@AthensGuitar]

@markcookguitar Thanks, Mark! I had a lot of talented folks help with this little project. Lera Lynn provided the fantastic vocals, Marlon Patton provided drums , Tom Lewis mixed it to give it a "vintage" vibe. And last, but not least, my 14-year-old son, Evan, made this incredible video!

[@AthensGuitar]

@RBSchob We've had a lot of interest in this song.. working on making it available soon! Thanks for your interest. -Jeff ("Norma Rae" band, Athens, GA)

[@AthensGuitar]

Glad you like it. Our band, "Norma Rae", just finished writing another "Shoals" tribute about the Tennessee River (the "singing" river)... (We'll play it live for the first time next week..) cheers, -Jeff

[@AthensGuitar]

@hitefamily Brian, most of those photos came from a collection that several TVA retirees compiled a few years ago. There are many many more interesting photos of Wilson Dam being built.

[@AthensGuitar]

@WATKINSBOB -- Very cool! Glad you liked it!

[@hads.404]

Can you please put this song on iTunes. Thank you i've always loved this song.

[@hads404]

still here in 2021 :)

[@ShoalsBEATMagazine]

To Jeff Soileau, if you would please find The Shoals Beat Magazine on facebook, we would love to talk to you!

[@AthensGuitar]

Thanks, Brittany !!

[@OffMyRockrInsane]

@AthensGuitar I was confirming to other people that the lyrics were correct. I live in Tuscumbia so I know all about it. One of those roads and sidewalk sets shoots off from the road where my grandparents live. It goes through a wooded swamp. It is very strange.

[@adamscott5559]

I cant stop hearing this song,yaw haunt me.

[@AthensGuitar]

Thanks, Chris ! We're looking forward to the show, too ! Please come introduce yourself and, also, please find and "Like" us on Facebook ("Norma Rae") for updates on shows and band info. We'll be playing this song toward the end of our set tonight. Cheers! -Jeff

[@AthensGuitar]

@mcguillicutty1234 Squire Bryant, glad you dig it! It was a labor of love!

[@normaraeband]

Thanks for the continued interest in this song and our band! Ya'll are the best! Our latest CD (titled "Norma Rae") is now available on iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, CD Baby, (or directly from us)... Please find us also on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/NormaRaeBand ) Peace and love, ~Norma Rae

[@RBSchob]

Wish I could buy this song.

[@AthensGuitar]

@greeneyes1313100 Thanks!! Glad you like it!

[@AthensGuitar]

@alabamao68 Thanks! Glad you like it!

[@OffMyRockrInsane]

There really are sidewalks and roads that go no where. Sidewalks and streets that have trees growing on top of them.