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Alabama Shakes

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Alabama Shakes
Brittany Howard and Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes during a West Hollywood, California concert in January 2012
Brittany Howard and Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes during a West Hollywood, California concert in January 2012
Background information
OriginAthens, Alabama
GenresSouthern rock, soul, Americana, rockabilly, blues rock, garage rock
Years active2009 (2009)–present
LabelsATO (U.S.)
Rough Trade (UK)
MembersBrittany Howard
Heath Fogg
Zac Cockrell
Steve Johnson
WebsiteOfficial site

Alabama Shakes is an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009. The group consists of lead singer Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, and drummer Steve Johnson.[1]

History

The band originated when lead singer/guitarist Brittany Howard and bassist Zac Cockrell, both attending East Limestone High School in Athens, began meeting after school to write songs. The two played prog rock and other genres but soon found a calling playing roots rock. They approached drummer Steve Johnson, who was working at the local music store, to join the band and the trio soon went to a studio in Decatur, Alabama, to record some of the songs they were writing. Guitarist Heath Fogg joined the band after hearing the demo.[2] Though they had been working on original material, they worked up cover songs by Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Otis Redding, AC/DC and others to fill a "one show only" 45 minute set, under the name The Shakes. The band later added Alabama to their name to differentiate themselves from other bands called the Shakes.[3][4]

Alabama Shakes released the four-song EP Alabama Shakes in September 2011, gained media attention (including by NPR), and earned them an invitation to play at CMJ.[5] The successful show CMJ in October 2011 caught the attention of Jon Pareles of The New York Times, who praised Howard's singing (comparing her to Janis Joplin) and the band's energy and musicianship.[6] In late 2011 the band's song "You Ain't Alone" was used in a Zales jewelry ad and Alabama Shakes made MTV's list of 11 Artists To Watch In 2012.[7][8] In the span of less than a year the band went from virtual obscurity to playing venues such as the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. and the Troubadour and Music Box Theater in Los Angeles.[9]

In November 2011 the band was signed by Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom and ATO Records in the United States. In February 2012, the band was nominated for a mtvU Woodie for "best live performance".[10] Recently, Jack White tapped them to launch a series of singles for Third Man Records.[11]

The band's first full length album, Boys & Girls, was made available to be streamed live in its entirety on April 1, 2012.[12] In June 2012, the band played a closing set for the first night of the 2012 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.

Media appearances

The band made their U.S. national television debut on February 7, 2012 on Conan [13] where they performed their first single, "Hold On" and a web-exclusive performance of "I Ain't the Same".[14] On April 12, 2012 the band performed on the Late Show with David Letterman for his birthday episode. They made their UK television debut on April 24, 2012, where they appeared on Later... with Jools Holland and performed "Hold On", "Be Mine" and "Hang Loose." On August 14th, 2012 they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

In September 2012, the band will be performing at Bestival on the Isle of Wight.

Band

Members

  • Brittany Howard – lead vocals, guitar (2009–present)
  • Heath Fogg – guitar (2009–present)
  • Zac Cockrell – bass (2009–present)
  • Steve Johnson – drums (2009–present)

Touring member

  • Ben Tanner – keyboards (2011–present)

Discography

Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US BEL (Vl)
[15] 		DEN
[16] 		FR
[17] 		IRE
[18] 		NL
[19] 		SWE
[20] 		SWI
[21] 		UK
[22] 		UK
Record Store
[23]
Boys & Girls 8 20 18 62 5 10 34 65 3 1

Extended plays

  • Alabama Shakes EP (September 13, 2011)

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album Label
BEL (Vl)
[15] 		CAN
Alt
[25] 		CAN
Rock
[26] 		NL
[19] 		US
Alt.
"Hold On" 2012 60 11 11 98 17 Boys & Girls Rough Trade
"You Ain't Alone" 2012 -- -- -- -- -- Live at Third Man Records Third Man

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alabama Shakes.
  1. ^ Spera, Keith. "The Alabama Shakes is a soul-rock band on the rise". www.nola.com. www.nola.com. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  2. ^ Dregni, Michael (July 2012). "Bringing it all home". Vintage Guitar. p. 112. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  3. ^ Mongillo, Peter (8 February 2012). "Once a cover act, Alabama Shakes rock and soul band draws notice". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  4. ^ Peisner, David (2 February 2012). "Muscle Shoals Revival: Alabama Shakes Take Off". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Text "Music News" ignored (help); Text "Rolling Stone" ignored (help)
  5. ^ Berman, Ben. "The Alabama Shakes: Right At Home with Newfound Fame". OffBeat. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  6. ^ Pareles, Jon (21 October 2011). "At CMJ, a Critic's Imagination Come to Life, Out of Alabama". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  7. ^ PUSH: MTV's 11 Artists To Watch In 2012 MTV
  8. ^ All Shook Up Houston Press
  9. ^ "Events". The Fonda Theatre. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  10. ^ Alabama Shakes nominated for an mtvU ‘Woodie’ for live performance Weldbham.com
  11. ^ "Alabama Shakes Conquer The World". American Songwriter. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  12. ^ Thompson, Stephen. "First Listen: Alabama Shakes, 'Boys And Girls'". NPR Music. NPR. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  13. ^ Alabama Shakes will play Huntsville show in March, making TV debut on 'Conan' AL.com
  14. ^ Alabama Shakes Bowl Over Conan in TV Debut. Spin magazine.
  15. ^ a b "Alabama Shakes - Belgium (Flanders) Charts". ultratop.be/nl/ Hung Medien.
  16. ^ "Alabama Shakes - Danish Charts". danishcharts.com/ Hung Medien.
  17. ^ "Alabama Shakes - French Charts". lescharts.com/ Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Alabama Shakes - Irish Charts". irish-charts.com/ Hung Medien.
  19. ^ a b "Alabama Shakes - Dutch Charts". dutchcharts.nl/ Hung Medien.
  20. ^ "Alabama Shakes - Swedish Charts". swedishcharts.com/ Hung Medien.
  21. ^ "Alabama Shakes - Swiss Charts". hitparade.ch/ Hung Medien.
  22. ^ Peak positions in United Kingdom:
  23. ^ Kreisler, Laura (20 April 2012). "Official Record Store Chart Top 40 unveiled!". London: Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  24. ^ http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/Search.aspx
  25. ^ Rock, Canadian (2012-07-18). "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Alternative Rock - July 17, 2012". Canadianrockalt.blogspot.ca. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  26. ^ Rock, Canadian (2012-09-11). "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive: Active Rock - September 11, 2012". Canadianrockalt.blogspot.ca. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
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