Who am I to enter this iconic room and act like I belong here? Linda Ronstadt, Cher, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon and Rod Stewart have recorded in this room - not to mention The Swampers! I’ve heard tale of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio over the years, but never even really felt a draw to it, that is, until I sat on the edge of The Singing River and talked to God. I had some time to kill at the end of a string of live shows that landed me in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. I decided to kill time by buying a ticket and going on a tour of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, at the famous 3614 Jackson Highway location. Afterward, I sat by the river wrestling with relationship “demons” and praying about it all. I heard the Lord clearly ask, “Will you come to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and bare your soul?”
Here’s the thing. No matter whatever happens in my life, and no matter how great the struggle, or seemingly impossible the trial, God always gets me through to the other side. This day beside the river was just the beginning of an incredible journey through a very difficult situation, and to the other side. The beauty of this journey has once again blown my mind! God's goodness never ceases to amaze me - never. I live my life in constant awe of how He can turn any storm into an overwhelmingly triumphant ride! That’s the story behind my new record. Even through the greatest losses in life, He is there covering it in one miraculous way after another. This time it started with a kindred conversation with a couple of guys there at the studio, and little ol' "nobody" me being permitted to book a 10-day block of recording time in this room.
So, a few months later, I found myself sitting with my guitar in hand in the big middle of this iconic room. Boy, I could go on forever about this, but I’ll summarize. I am one who never wants to make something of nothing, but I also do not want to make nothing of something, and I have come to believe that this room is truly “something.” I’m not into hype. I’m into authenticity. I had dreams during the 10 days of recording where Jimmy Johnson of The Swampers was sitting at a table with me playing Solitaire and talking to me about this room. Those dreams were fantastic fun! He chuckled at me alot. I had times where I would sit in this room recording and realizing the miracle that Chase Brandon, (house engineer turned co-producer) and I had full run of this iconic room, and were both passionate about being just as experimental as Jimmy Johnson ever was.
While Chase was rounding up ideas and gadgets we could try from studio closets and the back of his truck, I was secretly asking myself whether or not there was really anything "supernatural" about this room. The first thing that struck me was the styrofoam circles hanging on the walls. They had explained in the tour that these were the packing materials for gas or water meters back in the day. The Swampers ingeniously used them as little sound baffles. They reminded me of something I would have used in my early 20s to throw a makeshift studio together. Something about the practicality of it made me feel completely at home - welcomed, embraced even. That in itself is "something." I then noticed that I had more comfortably settled down into the chair, ready to record. Unpretentious is a word, and a lingering spirit that hangs in the air of this room, and it is lovely to me. This room is where you go to unpretentiously make music. I believe that when the overseeing members decided to restore this studio back to its orginal state, they knowingly partnered with heaven, and pulled that guileless Swampers spirit right back into this room. It's a beautiful thing. It was a studio fantasy come true from the first strum. And then, something so cool happened.
To be continued. Stay Tuned.
Catch the documentary "Muscle Shoals" on Prime Video or Youtube.