Alabama (American band)

About Alabama (American band)

Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass, backing vocals). They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, and keyboards). First operating under the name Young Country and later Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a recording deal. Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, when the band had 27 country No. 1 hits, seven multi-platinum albums, and received numerous major awards. Alabama's first single on RCA Records, "Tennessee River", began a streak of 21 country No. 1 singles, including "Love in the First Degree" (1981), "Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984) and "Song of the South" (1988). The band's popularity waned slightly in the 1990s, although they continued to produce hit singles and multi-platinum albums. Alabama disbanded in...