Nashville and Muscle Shoals, Alabama have long had a symbiotic relationship, and now the two cities celebrate the Muscle Shoals legacy with a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising. The exhibit tells the story of Muscle Shoals through memorabilia from the area’s studios, performers, and songwriters. And while quite thorough, seeing it will also encourage visitors to head south to the Shoals and learn a lot more about this place that has churned out hundreds of hits and favorites.
To tie-in with the exhibit’s opening, a very special concert featuring artists known for their work in Muscle Shoals (or inspired by its sound) was held on November 14, 2025 at the CMA Theater. The sold out two-hour show featured stars like Candi Staton, Dan Penn, Bettye LaVette, John Paul White and many others.
The show opened with a spotlight on the great Dan Penn as he sang his co-write with keyboard player Spooner Oldham, “I’m Your Puppet.” Penn also performed “You Left the Water Running” before Wendy Moten was brought on stage to sing the Aretha Franklin chestnut, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” another Penn co-write. And Moten did the song proud as she sounded quite a bit like Aretha.
Wendy also sang “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You.” The hit parade kept rolling as the marvelous Bettye LaVette sang the Eddie Hinton cut “I Still Want to Be Your Baby (Take Me Like I Am)” and the John Prine tearjerker “Souvenirs.” LaVette nearly choked up relating the story of how, after not meeting him for decades, she got to sing the song to John while holding his hand in his last days. The always buoyant Jimmy Hall, he of Wet Willie and “Keep on Smiling” fame, took over the stage to belt out the Percy Sledge song “When a Man Loves a Woman,” one of the earliest hits to come out of Muscle Shoals. He also performed the always fun-to-hear-and-sing-along-to Wilson Pickett-associated “Land of 1000 Dances.”
After the crowd finished singing lines like “Do the alligator!” and shimmying by their seats, band leader, musical director and guitarist Will McFarlane introduced the crack band of Muscle Shoals players who played to perfection throughout the show. Not just a typical band introduction, McFarlane made it fun and informative by telling brief stories about each player and lauding their history. The players were: Mark Beckett on drums, Mickey Buckins on percussion, Kelvin Holly on guitar, Clayton Ivey on keys, Spooner Oldham on Wurlitzer, Bob Wray on bass, Shoals Sisters Marie Lewey and Cindy Richardson-Walker on background vocals, and a four-man horn section consisting of Brad Guin, Steve Herrman, Jim Hoke, and Charles Rose.
Everybody took a brief respite and then returned to play the second half of the show which opened with two songs from Shenandoah: “Two Dozen Roses” and “The Church on Cumberland Road” which provoked an audience sing-along. John Paul White, known for his work with the Civil Wars as well as his solo work, performed the Arthur Alexander cut “You Better Move On” and the Bob Seger smash “We’ve Got Tonight.”
In a highly-anticipated moment, the much-beloved Candi Staton came on stage to sing “I’m Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin’),” working the stage in a manner that belied her 85-years. Unlike the other singers, Staton only performed the one song and got a rousing standing ovation for it.
Two more ladies took the show to its conclusion as Tiera Kennedy performed the Rolling Stones hit “Wild Horses” and the classic “I’d Rather Go Blind” – while Maggie Rose voiced a swamp-rocking version of “Chain of Fools” and the funky Staples Singers favorite “I’ll Take You There.”
For the grand finale: Hall, Kennedy, Staton, Penn, White, Rose, and LaVette performed “Mustang Sally” and a couple verses of “Sweet Home Alabama,” the song that namechecks Muscle Shoals and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, also known as the Swampers. It was a fantastic evening of Muscle Shoals music and a perfect example of why the new Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising exhibit will be ensconced at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for three full years.
