My American Splendor Cruise – Part 4

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. My journey continues in “The Shoals” – which I wrote about in a previous edition a couple of months ago. That’s the northwestern corner of Alabama along the Tennessee River centered around Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. Just as Huntsville and northeastern Alabama is “The Space Capital Of America” – Muscle Shoals and northwestern Alabama is “The Hit Recording Capital Of The World”.

I booked a premium shore excursion for the morning. Most of the shore excursions via American Cruise Lines are included as part of the cost of the cruise. Some cost extra money – particularly those that are exclusive and limited to a small group of people with transportation provided by a local tour company.

On Friday October 02ND 2026 I was with a small group of 7 music fans on an exclusive tour of three legendary music studios – courtesy of Mavis’s Movin’ & Groovin’ Tour Bus. Let me just state this right now for the record. It was one of the greatest shore excursions I’ve ever been on in my 35-year history of cruising.

I didn’t quite know what to expect, but as a hit music chart nerd of the past 50 years – growing up with Top 40 music in the 1970s – thinking that I would be part of the industry as an adult – this was an absolute bucket list tour. This was fully-narrated – mostly from our tour guide – a seasoned music industry insider who worked with the band Alabama. He led the tour from the time we got in the mini-van until 3½ hours later when we all thanked him immensely for guiding us through 75 years of U.S. music history – originating from various studios in “The Shoals”.

Our first stop was FAME Recording Studios on Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals. Over 5,000 tracks have been recorded there over the past 65 years from some of the greatest music artists that ever lived (and still live today). We heard some of them via Spotify and Bluetooth speakers as well as the true stories behind them. I touched actual musical equipment that was utilized in many great hits on the radio.

Our next stop was Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway (also an informal name for the studio) in Sheffield. This was my favorite of the 3 stops, and we had a different tour guide – a docent who worked there. It serves as a museum with multiple scheduled guided tours during the daytime (5 days a week – Tuesdays to Saturdays), and as a still active recording studio during the nighttime and on Sundays and Mondays. Over 3,000 tracks have been recorded there over the past 57 years. Most music artists recorded there back in the 1970s so that they could work with The Swampers. Yeah – those Swampers mentioned in the classic song “Sweet Home Alabama”.

Our final stop was Cypress Moon Studios on the banks of the Tennessee River just down the hill from downtown Sheffield. It served as the next home for the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio from 1978 until 2005 when The Swampers retired. Over 4,000 tracks were recorded there during that era.

Tomorrow on Facebook (#FollowUpFriday) I’ll write about some of the greatest hits you’ve definitely heard on the radio featuring The Swampers, and next #TravelThursday I’ll write about Savannah Tennessee. Let’s keep traveling together.