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| FAME Publishing was founded in
1959 by Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill and Tom Stafford. FAME writers Billy Sherrill, Dan Penn and Rick Hall have cuts on Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee and Tommy Roe. Rick Hall took over as sole owner of FAME. Late 1961 Rick Hall produced Muscle Shoals’ first hit record on Arthur Alexander. The song, “You Better Move On”, was later covered by the Rolling Stones. FAME’s first house rhythm section included Norbert Putnam, David Briggs, Peanut Montgomery and Jerry Carrigan. FAME moves its studios and offices to the current location on Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals. |
Jimmy Hughes has a huge hit with “Steal
Away” on FAME Records, the first record done at the new location.
Hughes went on to have seven hit records most of which were for FAME Records. The Tams record their huge hit “What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am”. Buddy Killen brings Joe Tex to FAME to record the gold record “Hold On To What You’ve Got”. Rick Hall produces Etta James’ Tell Mama album. This was James’ biggest hit. This album has been praised as one of the greatest albums of the Rock and Roll era. “Tell Mama” was written by Clarence Carter and published by FAME. FAME helps place the Muscle Shoals classic “When A Man Loves A Woman”. |
FAME Records Clarence Carter has his very
first hit with “Slip Away”. Clarence went on to record three
gold records, “Patches” , “Too Weak to Fight” and
“Slip Away” among many other hits at FAME. Clarence’s
recent recording marks the fifth consecutive decade that he has cut at FAME.
Clarence was also a writer for FAME Publishing. In 1972 Clarence’s
record “Patches” was nominated for a Grammy. Wilson Pickett comes to FAME to fire off a string of classic recordings. “Mustang Sally”, “Funky Broadway”, “Land of 1000 Dances” and “Hey Jude” are only some of the songs that came from these sessions. (continued...) |
| Jerry Wexler brings his newly
signed artist Aretha Franklin to FAME. Franklin had been signed to Columbia
for four years with no success. Her first cut at FAME was the million selling
double sided smash, “I Never Loved A Man” and “Do Right
Woman”. This album won a Grammy for Album of the Year. FAME also published
“Do Right Woman”. Otis Redding brings Arthur Conley to FAME to record the soul classic “Sweet Soul Music”. On a later visit to FAME Otis cut one of his last records, “You Left The Water Running” which was also published by FAME. The second house rhythm section, later memorialized as the “Swampers” in Lynyrd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”, left in 1969 to form their own studio, Muscle Shoals Sound. FAME Records inks a joint venture with Capitol Records for Capitol to distribute FAME Records. FAME’s artist roster included: Clarence Carter, Candi Staton, Dan Penn, Arthur Conley and Willie Hightower. |
In 1970 Mike Curb brought a new young group,
the Osmonds, to FAME. The Osmonds sold eleven million records in 1971. They
had a string of smashes with “One Bad Apple”, “Yo-Yo”,
and “Down By The Lazy River”. Donny released several FAME recorded
solo albums which were all million sellers, including the hits “Go
Away Little Girl” and the Rick Hall/Billy Sherrill song “Sweet
and Innocent”. In 1974 Marie Osmond came to town to do her This
is the Way That I Feel album. The Osmond Brothers returned to FAME
in the 80’s to do their first country record, and had two hits off
of the Electra album. Marie also returned to do some work in the 90’s.
In 2001 Marie’s son Steven Craig came to Muscle Shoals for a little
magic on his upcoming Def Jam release. 1970 Rick Hall was nominated for a Grammy in the “Producer of the Year” category. |
In 1971 Mac Davis started recording a string
of twelve albums of FAME. Mac had four Gold and platinum records produced
by Rick Hall. Hits that came from Mac were: “Baby Don’t Get
Hooked On Me”, “Stop and Smell The Roses”, “Friend
Woman Lover Wife”, “Texas In My Rearview Mirror” and “Hooked
on Music”. Billboard Magazine names Rick Hall the World’s Producer of the Year for 1971. FAME Records Capitol distribution deal ends with FAME placing 29 records in the R&B Top 40 and nine in the Pop Top 40. FAME Records inks distribution deal with United Artists. Legendary singer/songwriter, Paul Anka signs with FAME Records. Anka records the smashes “One Man Woman”, “One Hell of A Woman”, “I Don’t Like To Sleep Alone” and “You’re Having My Baby”. Each were million sellers with the latter selling five million. (continued...) |
| FAME reinvests in its publishing
operations signing several new young writers including Walt Aldridge, Tommy
Brasfield, Steven Dale Jones and Robert Byrne. Grammy winner Terri Gibbs comes to record at FAME. Walt Aldridge and Tommy Brasfield’s “There’s No Getting Over Me” is recorded by Ronnie Milsap. The song is #1 on both the pop and country charts for several weeks and wins ASCAP’s Song of the Year, the first for FAME Publishing. Aldridge and Brasfield, along with Robert Byrne, continue to burn up the country charts with hits on acts such as Earl Thomas Conley, T. Graham Brown, Ricky Van Shelton, Ronnie Milsap and Alabama. These hits included “Holding Her and Loving You”, “That Was A Close One”, “How Do I Turn You On”, “I Can’t Win for Losing You”, “Simple Man” and “Once in A Blue Moon”. |
Rick Hall produces the Houston to Denver
CD for Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. The CD was widely acclaimed
as the group’s best in years and yielded three top 10 singles. RCA’s Jerry Reed comes to FAME after over five years without a chart record. Reed records his next four albums at FAME. These sessions included the #1 records, “She Got The Goldmine I Got The Shaft”, penned by Tim Dubois, and “The Bird”. Once again an artist’s career is turned around at FAME. Drums on these sessions were played by a new guy from Shreveport, Louisiana named James Stroud. Walt Aldridge pens “My Love is Chemical” sung by Lou Reed for the Mikhail Baryshnikov & Gregory Hines movie White Nights. The Beatles Live at the BBC is released containing the FAME Publishing tune, “A Shot of Rhythm and Blues”. |
In 1987 Rick Hall signs a band playing at
a local club down the street from FAME. The group later became known as
Shenandoah. After co-producing five sides with Robert Byrne, they took the
group to Sony Records who immediately signed the act and FAME Productions
to a deal. Walt Aldridge and Gary Baker’s group, the Shooters, were
also signed under this production deal. Shenandoah did four albums for Sony
and had seven #1 records in a row before leaving Sony and FAME Productions.
In 1988 the group won TNN Music City News award for Best Group. FAME sells its publishing catalog to EMI in 1989. Another company is formed with Rick Hall and his three sons, Mark, Rodney and Rick Jr. Rick Hall Sr. turns over day to day operations of the company. Publishing hits continue to flow throughout the 90’s from FAME’s songwriters. Gary Baker, Mark Narmore, Brad Crisler, Bruce Miller, Mark Hall, Tony Colton along with Walt Aldridge all pen several hits for FAME. (continued...) |
| In 1994 John Michael Montgomery
cuts the FAME Publishing classic, “I Swear”. The song goes to
#1 for four weeks. Atlantic pop artist All-4-One covered the country smash
and their version was at #1 for a Billboard Magazine record 17 weeks. “I
Swear” was #1 in every country in the world. The song went on to win
every award imaginable including ASCAP country and pop “Song of the
Year”, Grammy for Country “Song of the Year” and ACM Country
“Song of the Year”. FAME also won American Songwriter Magazine
“Publisher of the Year”. The song was involved in over 20 million
record sales. FAME Publishing has hits with John Michael Montgomery, Pam Tillis, Blackhawk, Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, All-4-One and Shenandoah. In 1996 Mark Hall Co-wrote “I Like It I Love It” which went on to be #1 on the country charts for 4 weeks. This song also was nominated for numerous country awards and won the American Songwriter Magazine Song Of The Year. |
1997 Sons of the Desert have a top 10 record
with Brad Crisler’s “Whatever Comes First”. 1997 Tony Colton pens LeAnn Rimes’ smash “Commitment”. In 1999 FAME Publishing sells partial catalog to Music and Media. Rodney and Mark Hall buy the remaining shares of stock from Rick Hall, as he decides to conserve his time for his production efforts. Dixie Chicks Bruce Miller’s “Once You’ve Loved Somebody” for the Wide Open Spaces CD which has sold eleven million records to date. In 2000 Tim McGraw cuts and releases FAME’s “Some Things Never Change”, co-written by FAME writer Brad Crisler. The publishing company replenishes its writing staff with new young writers James LeBlanc and Victoria Banks, with veteran Russell Smith to anchor the group. |
Rick Hall produces part of the Alabama When
It All Goes South CD at FAME in 2000. Since 2000 FAME Publishing has had cuts on the Dixie Chicks, George Strait, Joe Diffie, Martina McBride, Travis Tritt, Sara Evans, Cyndi Thomson, Aaron Tippin, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alabama, John Michael Montgomery, Chris Ledoux, Perfect Stranger, 3 of Hearts, Chad Brock, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Michael Peterson, Kristin Garner, T. Graham Brown, Wild Horses and Kenny Chesney. Victoria Banks has the single on Sara Evans, “Saints and Angels”. James LeBlanc has the Travis Tritt single, “Modern Day Bonnie & Clyde”. In 2001 FAME Publishing established a subsidiary label, Muscle Shoals Records, immediately signing Amazing Rhythm Aces front man Russell Smith and Muscle Shoals super group The Decoys as their first acts. |
FAME Studios •
603 E. Avalon Ave. • P. O. Box 3629 • Muscle Shoals, AL
35662 • (256) 381-0801 • (256) 381-6337 fax |