My Home’s in Alabama- Alabama.

Alabama is a Grammy Award-winning country music and southern rock band that originated in Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. In the late ’60s, Randy Owen (lead vocals), and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass guitar, background vocals) found they both enjoyed a common interest in music. Jeff Cook (guitar, fiddle, keyboards) soon joined the duo, and eventually Mark Herndon added his skills on drums. They started playing on a regular basis, and while still working their day jobs they started playing local establishments in the evenings. The group used their spare time to compose, practice, and play their style of harmony and music. In 1973, after Owen’s graduation from Jacksonville State University, members of the group decided to give up their day jobs and weekend gigs. The group, formerly known as “Wildcountry”, left Fort Payne and their Lookout Mountain to explore the possibilities of the club scene in surrounding coastal South Carolina.

They were the most commercially successful country act in the 1980s and remain one of the bestselling American musical acts of all time. The band is often credited with bringing country music groups (as opposed to solo vocalists) into the mainstream, paving the way for the success of today’s top country groups. Since its foundation in 1972, Alabama has included Owen, Cook and Gentry.Herndon was hired in 1979, and the band has had the same four members ever since.

The band’s blend of traditional country music and southern rock combined with elements of gospel music, and pop music gave it a crossover appeal that helped lead to their unprecedented success. They also toured extensively and incorporated production elements such as lighting and “sets” inspired by rock concerts into their shows. The band has over 30 number one country records on the Billboard Magazine charts to their credit and have sold over 73 million records to date.

My Home’s in Alabama

The lead-off single to their first album for RCA “I Wanna Come Over” reached #33 on the US Country Charts in 1979. Finally in 1980, the album’s title track, which still remains one of their most popular songs to date reached #17. Then finally, “Tennessee River” was released, thus becoming their first number-one hit. “Why Lady Why” also went to #1.

In 1980, after appearing on the New Faces Show at the Country Radio Seminar, (which also featured newcomer Reba McEntire), RCA’s Joe Galante came back to his office raving about a young band he’d seen.With the marketing and distribution power of their new label behind them, Alabama soon shot to the top of the country record charts.

lyrics:

Drinkin’ was forbidden in my Christian country home
I learned to play the flattop on them good ol’ Gospel songs
Then I heard about the barrooms just across the Georgia line
Where a boy could make a livin’ playin’ guitar late at night

Had to learn about the ladies, too young to understand
Why the young girls fall in love with the boys in the band
When the boys turn to music, the girls just turn away
To some other guitar picker in some other late night place

Yeah, held on to my music, I let the ladies walk away
Took my songs and dreams to Nashville then I moved on to L.A.
Up to New York City all across the USA
I lost so much of me but there’s enough of me to say that my

Home’s in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head
My home’s in Alabama, Southern born and Southern bred

What keeps me goin’ I don’t really know
Can’t be the money Lord knows I’m always broke
Could it be the satisfaction of bein’ understood
When the people really love ya and let you know when it’s good

Oh I’ll speak my Southern English just as natural as I please
I’m in the heart of Dixie, Dixie’s in the heart of me
And someday when I make it, when love finds a way
Somewhere high on Lookout Mountain I’ll just smile with pride and say that my

Home’s in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head
My home’s in Alabama, Southern born and Southern bred
Southern born and Southern bred
Southern born and Southern bred

And my home’s in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head
My home’s in Alabama, Southern born and Southern bred
Southern born and Southern bred
Southern born and Southern bred

Duration : 0:4:1

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