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Muscle Shoals

  • 20132013
  • PGPG
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Muscle Shoals (2013)
Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music.
Play trailer2:25
1 Video
88 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Biography
  • History
A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", an... Read allA documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", and "When a Man Loves a Woman".A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", and "When a Man Loves a Woman".
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Greg 'Freddy' Camalier
  • Stars
    • Rick Hall
    • Aretha Franklin
    • Keith Richards
Top credits
  • Director
    • Greg 'Freddy' Camalier
  • Stars
    • Rick Hall
    • Aretha Franklin
    • Keith Richards
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 35User reviews
    • 53Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 11 nominations

    Videos1

    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Theatrical Trailer

    Photos88

    Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Jimmy Cliff in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Roger Hawkins in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Clarence Carter in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Gregg Allman and Steve Cropper in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Aretha Franklin in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Clarence Carter and Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Barry Beckett, Diane Butler, Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, and Roger Hawkins in Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Rick Hall at an event for Muscle Shoals (2013)
    Muscle Shoals (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rick Hall
    Rick Hall
    • Self - founder, Fame Studiosas Self - founder, Fame Studios
    Aretha Franklin
    Aretha Franklin
    • Selfas Self
    Keith Richards
    Keith Richards
    • Selfas Self
    Candi Staton
    Candi Staton
    • Selfas Self
    Stephen Badger
    • Selfas Self…
    Jerry Carrigan
    • Selfas Self
    Alicia Keys
    Alicia Keys
    • Selfas Self
    Jerry Phillips
    • Selfas Self
    Barry Beckett
    Barry Beckett
    • Selfas Self
    Jerry Wexler
    Jerry Wexler
    • Selfas Self
    Bono
    Bono
    • Selfas Self
    Jesse Boyce
    • Selfas Self
    Bryan Owings
    • Selfas Self
    Jimmy Cliff
    Jimmy Cliff
    • Selfas Self
    John Gifford III
    • Selfas Self
    Clarence Carter
    Clarence Carter
    • Selfas Self
    John Paul White
    • Selfas Self
    Clayton Ivey
    Clayton Ivey
    • Selfas Self
    • Director
      • Greg 'Freddy' Camalier
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Winner of the Grand Prize, Boulder International Film Festival, 2013.
    • Quotes

      David Hood: When Duane came here, he was on the Wilson Pickett session that we did.

      Jimmy Johnson: There was always a slight problem when we would go out, all of us white boys with a black artist, that we'd get looks, okay? But there was nothing as bad as going out with a long-haired hippie with us white boys. They couldn't stand that, right? And so both of them stayed back.

      Gregg Allman: So, they went on lunch break and my brother went up to Wilson and he said, uh, "Man, why don't you cut 'Hey Jude', you know, that Beatles song?"

      Wilson Pickett: And at that point, I was mostly trying to create an original career Wilson Pickett, right? My songs.

      Rick Hall: Pickett and I, in unison, both said "Look, are you crazy? We're gonna cover the Beatles?" And, of course, Duane said "Exactly."

      Jimmy Johnson: While we were gone, Duane changed our whole session. When you get to the vamp, it goes into just an unbelievable groove. Duane Allman was playing such great guitar fills that something happened in that vamp. And all of a sudden, there was southern rock. That was the beginnings of the Allman Brother Band.

    • Crazy credits
      Although Steve Winwood is feature prominently, including with on-screen name identification, hie name is NOT listed in the end credits.
    • Connections
      Features Gimme Shelter (1970)
    • Soundtracks
      Land of 1,000 Dances
      Written by Chris Kenner

      Performed by Wilson Pickett

      Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp/Rhino Entertainment Company

      By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

    User reviews35

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Excellent Lesson in American Music History with an Emotional Punch
    My only regret upon watching "Muscle Shoals" is that I somehow missed it when it was first released, some seven and a half years ago.

    I grew up in the 70s, and occasionally heard about Muscle Shoals and the Swampers (they even got a mention in Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"). But even after turning to music as an avocation, I never learned the story of what made Muscle Shoals special. This documentary lays out the human side of the Muscle Shoals story in beautiful, often emotional detail.

    At the heart of the story is Rick Hall, who grew up a dirt poor hillbilly in northern Alabama and had more than his share of tragedy and betrayal. Through sheer determination and a perfectionist's sensibility in the studio, he clawed his way to becoming one of the most consequential producers and studio owners of the 20th century.

    Hall's original studio band, the Swampers, features as another "character" in the film. The Swampers became one of the most sought after back up bands in the 60s and 70s, and played on some of the most memorable hits of the era. What the viewer will find surprising is that these white country boys from northern Alabama backed some of the most soulful black music hits of the era.

    The film also touches on the many musicians who recorded in Muscle Shoals, and features interviews with a number of them, including the Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin. The film gives a little too much time to the Stones, and the film never really explains why Bono keeps popping up, but overall, considering who was still alive at the time, it strikes a good balance.

    Then, of course, there is the music, itself. All I can say here is that you should watch this with a good sound system.

    My only disappointment, and the reason I don't give it ten stars, is that we learn nothing about Rick Hall's engineering secrets. What did he do technically to bring about that special, warm, Muscle Shoals sound? I would have enjoyed learning more about that.

    But that omission didn't detract from the film's emotional punch. Ultimately, this is a story about tragedy and triumph, friendship and betrayal, and the combination of music and emotion occasionally brought a tear to my eye. Highly recommended.

    P.S. I saw one reviewer comment disparagingly about a clip of Lynyrd Skynyrd concert footage that showed a Confederate battle flag in the background. I don't know what the reviewer expected the filmmakers to do about that. The Confederate flag was used by more than one Southern rock band in the 70s and 80s, and it wouldn't have made sense to just erase that from the historical record, nor would it have been practical, from a filmmaking standpoint. One can debate over what it meant to people at the time, but it was what it was.
    helpful•1
    0
    • branthadaway
    • Feb 25, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 25, 2013 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Studio Muscle Shoals
    • Filming locations
      • Huntsville, Alabama, USA
    • Production company
      • Ear Goggles
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $696,241
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,901
      • Sep 29, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $709,415
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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