About
Also known as: Wild country, Wildcountry
Few bands in country music history have left a mark anything like Alabama. Formed by cousins Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry, and Jeff Cook in Fort Payne, Alabama, the group spent years grinding through Southeast bars under the name Wildcountry before landing a record deal and unleashing a run of dominance in the 1980s that still looks staggering: 27 number one country hits in that decade alone, seven multi platinum albums, and a sound that blended traditional country with Southern rock, bluegrass, folk, and pop in a way that pulled in fans from well outside the usual country audience. Their first RCA single, "Tennessee River", kicked off a streak of 21 consecutive number one singles. Hits like "Mountain Music", "Dixieland Delight", and "Song of the South" became staples, and the band brought full rock concert production values, lighting rigs and elaborate sets, into country touring at a time when that was genuinely unusual. Over 75 million records sold and more than 41 Billboard number one country records later, AllMusic flat out called them the most successful band in country music history. Alabama stepped away in 2004 after a farewell tour but came back in 2010 and have kept recording and touring since. They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019.