In a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming, yet incredibly talented, locals came together and spawned some of the greatest music of all time: “Mustang Sally,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Wild Horses,” and many more. During the most incendiary periods of racial hostility, white folks and black folks came together to create music that would last for generations and gave birth to the incomparable “Muscle Shoals sound.”
Rick Hall got together a bunch of white, country boys to be a band. He found a local black orderly singing in the hospital. The man singing was Percy Sledge, the band became known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, also known as The Swampers. The funk and groove that these boys laid down became the stuff of legend. This is their story.
Wilson Picket called his label and said - "Get me those black boys to play on my record." His label told him - prepared to be disappointed. It's a bunch of country white boys in Alabama. He came down anyway and so did everyone else. Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, Bobby Gentry, Mac Davis, Jerry Reed, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Simon - the list goes on and is utterly amazing.
The film tells us the unvarnished story of the rise and fall of both Rick Hall and the studio. You will be amazed at all the artists and songs that call Muscle Shoals home.
The cinematography of this film is ridiculously good. The camera angles, soft touches, zooms, and locations are top-shelf filming. Pay attention to all the chairs they use to tell the story. It's subtle but great story telling.
Great film and even better music.