Muscle Shoals

2013
PG
1h 51m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

4.5K

YOUR RATING

Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music.

Play trailer2:25

1 Video

88 Photos

Biography Documentary History Music

A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", an... Read allA documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", and "When a Man Loves a Woman".A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", and "When a Man Loves a Woman".

Director
- Greg 'Freddy' Camalier
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

4.5K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Greg 'Freddy' Camalier
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 11 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:25

Theatrical Trailer

Photos88

+ 81

User reviews37

7.84.4K

Featured reviews

10r-remmers

Fantastic - must see for a music lover

OK, I plead guilty to living within a stones throw of the subject of this movie.

If you are a fan of the music that started out in the '60s in this country, this is a must see. It gives you an insight into how the music we listen to has come into being. From the roots in the blues and R&B morphing into Rock and Roll. You may find something out about your favorite songs that you never knew.

The setting for the interviews focuses you on the person speaking. There are some amazing images in the film. In some ways it shows the area in an almost idyllic frame. The historical footage is worth the ticket price alone.

Bonus points if you actually recognize the unnamed blues legend show while they talk about Sam Phillips. If you are going to create a list of must see movies about music and musicians, this will be on the short list.

10yorkhouse-1

Entertaining, thought-provoking, and fun.

I just saw this at the George Lindsey Film Festival in Florence, Alabama -- right across the Tennessee River from Muscle Shoals. I rarely give 10/10 but this film is a gem. Photography, editing, sound values, emotional through lines, entertainment value -- this film has it all. Lots of great interviews and a kaleidoscope of personal memories from great entertainers, as well -- including Mick Jagger, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Picket, and Alicia Keys, to name just a few. This film pulls you in and puts you there, back when a handful of friends got together and made music history in their own back yards. You'll be amazed at how many number one hits came out of humble little Muscle Shoals.

9colvin-4

Wow!

Easily one of, if not THE best music documentary I have ever seen. So often these docs go flat after the first 20 minutes, none of that here! The visuals are fantastic and carry the show (as well as establish the sense of place) when the incredible music is throttled back. Underlying all of this is an incredible story of an incredible man, Jerry Hall, a man born in numbing poverty who somehow managed to rise above poverty and numerous personal tragedies to produce some of the most incredible blues and rock and roll recordings of all time. If you have access to this show and love music all I can say is WATCH THIS TODAY and prepared to be blown away!

8planktonrules

Worth seeing just so you can hear the music!

I liked "Muscle Shoals" for many reasons but the biggest one is that it taught me a lot about something I knew absolutely nothing about, as I'd never heard of the famed 'Muscle Shoals'. However, there's more to the film than that--it is quite interesting, has some surprisingly big name musicians who gave interviews (such as members of the Rolling Stones, Bono and some great R&B legends) and terrific music! So, unless you absolutely hate R&B, the blues and rock (and I know that there at least three of you out there), there is plenty that you'll enjoy about this one and it's worth seeing--as well as well made.

By the way, I have no idea why but this film, the Oscar-winning "20 Feet From Stardom" and "Sound City" all came out at about the same time---and ALL are very similar. So, if you like one, you probably would like to see the rest!

10richardpmorgan

I thought I knew a lot about American Music

This is an important documentary if you have any interest in American Music. Well done and more information than you can believe. Musicians, songwriters and singers along with engineers and producers, tell how some of the greatest records of the past 60 years came to be.

Trivia
Winner of the Grand Prize, Boulder International Film Festival, 2013.

Quotes
David Hood: When Duane came here, he was on the Wilson Pickett session that we did.
Jimmy Johnson: There was always a slight problem when we would go out, all of us white boys with a black artist, that we'd get looks, okay? But there was nothing as bad as going out with a long-haired hippie with us white boys. They couldn't stand that, right? And so both of them stayed back.
Gregg Allman: So, they went on lunch break and my brother went up to Wilson and he said, uh, "Man, why don't you cut 'Hey Jude', you know, that Beatles song?"
Wilson Pickett: And at that point, I was mostly trying to create an original career Wilson Pickett, right? My songs.
Rick Hall: Pickett and I, in unison, both said "Look, are you crazy? We're gonna cover the Beatles?" And, of course, Duane said "Exactly."
Jimmy Johnson: While we were gone, Duane changed our whole session. When you get to the vamp, it goes into just an unbelievable groove. Duane Allman was playing such great guitar fills that something happened in that vamp. And all of a sudden, there was southern rock. That was the beginnings of the Allman Brother Band.

Crazy credits
Although Steve Winwood is feature prominently, including with on-screen name identification, hie name is NOT listed in the end credits.

Connections
Features Gimme Shelter (1970)

Soundtracks
Land of 1,000 Dances
Written by Chris Kenner
Performed by Wilson Pickett
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp/Rhino Entertainment Company
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing