| Summary: | During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (years generally known as the “recording years”), the success of FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, brought national attention to the region. Musicians such as the Swampers, Joe Tex, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, The Osmonds, Duane Allman have cut hits at the legendary studio ran by Rick Hall. However, the studio did not originate in Muscle Shoals. Instead, the recording studio was founded in downtown Florence, Alabama, at the intersection of Tennessee St. and Seminary Street.
Influenced by the success of the hit song “A Fallen Star” recorded by the Florence recording studio known as Tune Records in 1957, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford decided to collaborated together and establish the Florence Alabama Music Enterprises, or FAME. The location of the original FAME recording studio was in the second floor suit above the Florence City Drugstore. To make the rooms have the vibe as a recording studio, egg cartons were placed on the walls for soundproofing. During the early years, the recording studio brought in talented local musicians such as Dan Penn. However, Hall believed that he, Sherrill, and Stafford needed to put more hours into recording and producing songs. His intense approach to the music industry did not settle well with his partners. As a result, in 1960 the partnership between the three ended. Hall was given the rights to the FAME name and FAME publishing company and would go on to establish the nationally acknowledged FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals. Stafford continued to operate the studio above the City Drug Store, which became Spar Music Studio. At Spar Music, local musicians such as Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, and Roger Hawkins joined together on daily basis to play music. However, Spar Music Studio did not produce a hit record and closed its doors during the early 1960s. A historical marker is the only symbol left for the birthplace of FAME because the building ceases to exist.
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