LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — In a recent list, Reader’s Digest encouraged readers to visit some “lesser-known” destinations for travel experiences instead of locations where tourists are expected to swarm over the summer.
While Nashville has its obvious perks, the article insists that music lovers won’t want to miss their opportunity to enjoy the rich music history in Florence.
From the likes of Cher to the Rolling Stones, the area is as steeped in music as the renowned Tennesse capitol, some might argue. A cinderblock building called the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio (MSSS), affectionately called “The Burlap Palace,” was only outranked in the number of records it sold by Motown.
MSSS tour guide Terrell Benton said they took housing insulation wrapped in burlap attaching it to the ceiling to create a soundproof barrier.
Several prolific acts, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Dusty Springfield and Led Zepplin.
When the Rolling Stones’ first two recording options failed due to technicalities, they ended up at MSSS. According to Benton, Keith Richards once said, “This is the only studio we’ve ever recorded in where Charlie Watt’s drums sounded like they were supposed to.”
It’s definitely not a surprise to see how Florence and its surrounding areas have grown over recent years, adding a little something for everyone – from sightseeing to history to the W.C. Handy Music Festival, celebrating the so-called “Father of Blues,” born in Florence in 1873.
Though, we can’t forget that Florence/Muscle Shoals was ranked as the “worst city for commuters” among smaller metros, after transportation data from the U.S. Census Bureau was analyzed, ranking the worst commutes in the country.
As far as the article’s other suggestions, it encourages people to visit Charlottesville, Virginia instead of Washington, D.C., McMinnville, Oregon instead of Portland, Bloomington, Indiana instead of Indianapolis, and Tupelo, Mississippi instead of Memphis, Tennessee.
