Alabama History and Culture News: October 7 edition

 

Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Some articles may be behind a paywall. Enjoy!

National Park Service names Clarke County site to federal Underground Railroad program ... South Alabamian A Clarke County Historical Society marker was among the 18 new listings by the National ... only one other site from Alabama had been named to the list.

Historic Moulton gin gets barn quilt square | News | moultonadvertiser.com

Moulton Advertiser

Regina Painter, a traveling nurse anesthetist from Killen, founded the Alabama Barn Quilt Trail in 2013-14. She is away from home much of the time, but when she ...

Historic Birmingham mine now part of Red Mountain Park attractions - Alabama NewsCenter Alabama NewsCenter The mine dates back to 1873 and is now a great glimpse into the mining history that helped build the Magic City. Jeff Newman, co-founder of Underground ...

Walter Bennett's second novel, Last First Kiss, buzzes | Charlotte Observer Charlotte Observer His first novel, “Leaving Tuscaloosa,” won wide acclaim — including the Alabama Author's Award and being named a finalist for both the PEN/Bellwether Prize ...

Springfield author book with James Patterson on NYT best seller list Springfield News-Leader "The Jailhouse Lawyer" tells the story of a public defender who "tries to do her job and ends up in jail." While set in Alabama, Allen said the genesis of the ...

'Genius grant' goes to writer, radio producer with Alabama ties Alabama NewsCenter I really am interested in people's stories. When asking them questions, I really want to hear the answers, whether it's in fiction or nonfiction, whether it's ...

'Dabo's World': New book about Pelham native, Clemson coach's life - CBS 42 WIAT - CBS42.com Anderson is a celebrated sports writer and professor at the University Of Alabama. A description of the book reads: “How Dabo Swinney used his energy, faith, ...

Convicted Alabama sheriff talks about jail time, his new book and looking for a job - al.com al.com ... was Alabama's longest-serving sheriff until he was convicted of felony charges this summer, maintained his innocence and previewed a forthcoming book in ...

Two Auburn Professors Want to Identify "Bloody Sunday" Marchers - Alabama News Network Alabama News Network “Actually putting names to these faces is a game-changer,” Selma City Council Chairman Billy Young said. “We're extremely enthusiastic about recording history ...

NASCAR at Talladega results: Bubba Wallace makes history with first Cup Series victory ... Sporting News Bubba Wallace made history at Talladega Superspeedway. ... The 27-year-old Alabama native cheered with his crew once the race was called. Bubba Wallace makes history with first Cup victory at Talladega | NASCAR - NASCAR Full Coverage

New exhibits feature Mobile's colonial history - FOX10 News FOX10 News (WALA) -- There's a new interactive and engaging exhibit in Mobile to help children learn about the city's history. On Sunday, the History Museum of Mobile held ...

Student makes history as first African-American lead in Mobile Ballet in Alabama - Wichita, KS

Our Community Now at Colorado

By Ariel Mallory Click here for updates on this story MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — A Davidson High School student has danced her way into history.

DON NOBLE: Book showcases fascinating places you can no longer visit - Tuscaloosa News Tuscaloosa News Throughout the state of Alabama, we see reminders of the unintended but perfectly predictable effects of the interstate ... Publisher: The History Press.

From slavery to police abuse, new museum documents US history of racism - News.com.au NEWS.com.au Slavery, lynchings, segregation, mass incarceration and police abuse: a museum that opens Friday in the state of Alabama traces a direct link between the ...

Columbus Arts Council exhibits to feature Alabama artists - The Dispatch The Commercial Dispatch Tony Brock, whose art is described as “vibrant, pop with a comic-book feel,” is an artist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Some of his artwork will be featured in ...

Huntsville History Month kicks off October 1 - The Madison Record themadisonrecord.com From Monte Sano State Park to the Land Trust of North Alabama's historic trails and green spaces, Huntsville's outdoor spaces have many stories to tell.

First Baptist Church Atmore celebrates 135th anniversary Alabama Baptist Oct. 3 will be about “Celebrating the Past” with a historical celebration at ... will feature Rick Lance, director of the Alabama State Board of Missions, ...

Alabama on the Rolling Stone "500 Greatest Songs" List

Rolling Stone magazine recently released a list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time": "For the first time in 17 years, we’ve completely remade our list of the best songs ever. More than 250 artists, writers, and industry figures helped us choose a brand-new list full of historic favorites, world-changing anthems, and new classics." Let's see how Alabama artists and other state connections fared on this list. 

At number 350 is John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery". The song describes a woman in that city who is very unhappy with her life. Prine has said he probably used Montgomery because of its ties to Hank Williams. You can read the lyrics here. The song has been recorded by numerous artists including John Denver, Bonnie Raitt, Tonya Tucker and the Dave Matthews Band. 

Raitt and Prine sing the tune in 2019

Source: Rolling Stone

Number 318 is "Hound Dog" as recorded by Big Mama Thornton in Los Angeles on 
August 13, 1952. Released in February 1953, her version sold over 500,000 copies. Of
course, Elvis recorded the song in July 1956 and that version sold over 10 million copies 
worldwide and was his best-selling single. More than 250 other artists have also recorded the
tune over the years. Thornton did not write "Hound Dog", but she did write another
classic, "Ball and Chain". Thornton was born in Ariton, Alabama, on December 11, 1926
and died July 25, 1984.

Numbers 130 "Dancing in the Streets" and 257 "Heatwave" were both recorded by
Martha and the Vandellas, one of the signature Motown girl groups in the 1960's. Lead 
singer Martha Reeves was born in Eufaula, Alabama, on July 18, 1941. 

Rosaland Ashford, Martha Reeves, and Betty Kelley in 1965 

          Source: Wikipedia

Of course, Hank Williams has a couple of songs on the list, number 165 "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and number 237, "You're Cheatin' Heart". Despite his brief life, Williams wrote and recorded numerous songs and has had a tremendous influence on both modern country music and popular music more broadly as well. 
He's credited with helping to transform "hillbilly" music into country music and along with Woodie Guthrie was an early prototype of the singer-songwriter so prevalent from the 1960's until today. 

Hank Williams and his guitar on a Montgomery street in 1938

Source: Alabama Dept of Archives and History

Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" is number 218 on the list. The song was recorded at Stax Studios in Memphis on May 12, 1965. He and Steve Cropper--guitarist for Booker T and the MGs and numerous others--wrote the song at the Lorraine Hotel, where Martin Luther King would later be assassinated. Pickett was born March 18, 1941, in Prattville on the farm of his sharecropper parents; he had ten siblings. He died January 19, 2006; Little Richard delivered the eulogy. 

Steely Dan's "Deacon Blues" appeared on the group's 1977 album Aja and is number 217 on the Rolling Stone list. You can read the lyrics here. The chorus goes

I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues

The sentence "They call Alabama the Crimson Tide" has been explained by Donald Fagen, who along with Walter Becker made up Steely Dan. “If a college football team like the University of Alabama could have a grandiose name like the Crimson Tide, the nerds and losers should be entitled to a grandiose name as well.” That name "Deacon Blues" was suggested by the name of football player Deacon Jones. 

This Alabama connection reminds me of other minor ones that have popped up from time to time in popular culture, like Groucho Mark's joke about Tuscaloosa and the reference to an Auburn football game in that great elevator scene with Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson in the original Ocean's 11 film.

Source: Wikipedia

At least one song I found was recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. "Wild Horses" was written by guitarist Keith Richards about his wife and new son as he prepared to leave with the band for an American tour. Number 193 on the list, it was recorded December 2-4, 1969, at the Alabama studio. 

I've always liked the Stones version, but I like the cover version by the British group The Sundays even better. The vocals by Harriet Wheeler really bring out the longing at the heart of the song.

Source: Discogs

Now we come to another pair of entries, both by one of the masters of classic rock and roll, Little Richard. "Good Golly Miss Molly" is number 92 and "Tutti Fruitti" is number 35. Recorded in 1956 and 1955 respectively, these two songs sent loud waves of sexual energy into popular music. 

In 1957 Little Richard--real name Richard Penniman--left secular music and enrolled in Huntsville's Oakwood College to study theology. By 1962 he had returned to popular music and continued to perform and record until his death on
May 9, 2020. He is buried in Oakwood University's Memorial Gardens Cemetery. 

Little Richard in 2007

Source: Wikipedia

Source: Discogs.com

Source: al.com

Reaching the number 1 song on the list, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, and what do we find? Why, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, of course!

In early 1967 Franklin had left Columbia Records for Atlantic, and recorded one song in Muscle Shoals, "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Loved You)" and it was a hit. Producer Jerry Wexler brought the Swampers as the musicians were known then to New York City, and on February 14 Franklin recorded a cover of the Otis Redding song, "Respect". Several other songs were also recorded that day, but "Respect" would become Franklin's signature tune. 

Source: Discogs.com

Alabama History & Culture News: September 30 edition

 

Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Some articles may be behind a paywall. Enjoy!

The Kelly's new exhibit focuses on state's Native American heritage | News | thewetumpkaherald.com Wetumpka Herald ... an opportunity to discover the art and history of Alabama's native tribes. ... historic items and native handicrafts from the Alabama's Native American ...

UAB receives $100 million, largest gift in history, for medical school - al.com

al.com

Dr. Marnix Heersink, an eye surgeon and entrepreneur, and his family have made the largest gift in the history of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Alabama journalist explores death penalty, local newspapers in new novel 'Tell it True' - CBS 42 WIAT - CBS42.com Lockette calls the novel–his second–a “north Alabama book.” “There's a landscape that people here would recognize,” saiid Lockette, who grew up in Jacksonville ...

Canebrake Players celebrate 40 years of entertainment on Demopolis stage West Alabama Watchman Spring 1982 saw a move to the auditorium at the old school on Main Avenue. ... Since that time, a grant from the Alabama Historical Commission made possible ...

New Alabama monument honors slaves subjected to experiments | TheHill The Hill Browder told the AP that she believes the statue is important to reflecting the full history behind medical advancements in gynecology and the sacrifices of ...

Alabama Museum of Natural History introduces permanent freshwater mussel exhibit - The ... The University of Alabama Crimson White The Alabama Museum of Natural History is joining forces with UA faculty members for its new freshwater mussel exhibit. Carla Atkinson, a professor of ...

Alabama statues honor slaves subject to experimental surgery | The Olympian

The Olympian

But he also conducted experimental surgery without anesthesia on enslaved African-American women between 1845 and 1849. Indigenous Affairs. Weekly roundup of ...

Author Janet D. Cook's new book “The Life She Lived” is an evocative collection of poetry ... PR Web Janet D. Cook, a lifelong resident of Alabama, has completed her new book “The Life She Lived”: a poignant poetic journey through the happiness and ...

Alabama café customers learn Black history while ordering - SFGATE SFGate OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — Catrice Hixon named her new Opelika coffee shop Melanin Café, and she wants people to understand the significance of it.

Local scouts restore historic Madison cemetery | WHNT.com whnt.com MADISON, Ala. — A local Eagle Scout candidate and his fellow scouts spent Saturday morning restoring an historic cemetery in Madison.

DON NOBLE: Characters seek answers to mysteries of family and race - Tuscaloosa News Tuscaloosa News “Children of Dust” is an impressive, serious novel and I hope will find the serious, patient readers it deserves. Don Noble's newest book is Alabama Noir, a ... [New novel by Alabama author Marlin Barton]

How Ashley M. Jones Became the Most Influential Poet in Alabama - al.com al.com As Alabama's Poet Laureate, Jones is already making plans. ... Jones considers her latest book her strongest and most authentic work.

Birmingham native and NYC executive, Kathryn Tuggle, to publish first book - Bham Now Bham Now Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Tuggle has become an inspiring professional woman in New York City. Keep reading to find out when she's publishing her ...

Clotilda Descendants Association is an Alabama Bright Light shining on a dark history ... Alabama NewsCenter Nearly 160 years ago, a wooden ship entered Mobile Bay to deliver the last-known and illegal shipment of 110 African slaves to the U.S..

Could football at Alabama's historic Talladega College make a comeback? - Alabama NewsCenter Alabama NewsCenter By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. September 24, 2021. Could football at Alabama's historic Talladega College make a comeback? Allen McQueen, librarian at Talladega ...

Mellon Foundation to help fund restoration of historic A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham ...

Alabama NewsCenter

Alabama NewsCenter is presenting a continuing series marking the 150th birthday of the city of Birmingham. RELATED: Birmingham birthed from 'weeds and briars' ...

“I'm done proving myself”: Alabama's new poet laureate muses on her love of art and the ... The University of Alabama Crimson White Jones is interested in using this position to help Alabama confront its history, and she's passionate about spreading art and the use of poetry in healing. “ ...

Why 'The Wonder Years' Premiere Ended With That Historical Tragedy - The Wrap

TheWrap

Even though the new “Wonder Years” centers on a middle-class Black family in 1968 Alabama and dives into topics like racism and desegregation in schools, ...

Ramsay High grad sheds light on Alabama's racial violence in new play at Red Mountain Theatre

al.com

The Jefferson County Memorial Project (JCMP), composed of over 40 community partners, researches the untold history of lynching in the county and the ...

Birmingham Airport Exhibit about Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth

I was at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport recently picking up my son Amos coming in from Philadelphia. Since I arrived early, I had time to examine the extensive exhibit on the civil rights icon Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth [18 March 1922-5 Oct 2011] located between the baggage claim areas 1-2 and 3-4. 

In the introduction to his Encyclopedia of Alabama entry on Shuttlesworth, Andrew Manis writes, "African American Baptist pastor and the central leader of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Fred Lee Shuttlesworth (1922–2011) was one of the pioneering figures in the civil rights era. The organization he founded in 1956, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR), joined with Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to protest segregation in Birmingham in 1963. Partly as a result of those direct-action demonstrations, the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

The exhibit is a compelling portrait of an important individual and important period in Birmingham, Alabama, and American history. You can read more about Rev. Shuttlesworth here and here. Among the numerous articles and books is Andrew Manis' 1999 A Fire You Can't Put Out: The Civil Rights Life of Birmingham's Fred Shuttlesworth and a 2000 volume edited by Manis and Marjorie White, Birmingham Revolutionaries: The Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.