Podcast Summary: Exploring Muscle Shoals – Insights on Nashville's Music History with Paul Kingsbury

Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Sarah Harrelson (Guest Host for "Takin' a Walk, Nashville")
Guest: Paul Kingsbury (Senior Director of Editorial and Interpretation, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the new exhibit “Muscle Shoals: Rhythm Rising” at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Host Sarah Harrelson speaks with Paul Kingsbury about the intertwining histories of Nashville and Muscle Shoals, the artists and session players who gave rise to some of music’s greatest hits, and the transformative power of collaboration across boundaries. Together, they offer listeners a virtual tour through the exhibit, unpacking the stories behind iconic artifacts and discussing the broad influence of Muscle Shoals on American music.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Muscle Shoals Exhibit: Origins and Purpose

(01:54 – 04:04)

• The exhibit, three years in the making, will run for three years at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
• Research and artifact gathering reached beyond North Alabama, including loans from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and private collectors.
• The exhibition features a variety of artifacts and an immersive audio-visual experience, including Wilson Pickett’s “Land of a Thousand Dances” looping at the entrance.

Paul Kingsbury [02:06]: “We worked on this exhibit for about three years to do all the research and contact everybody we needed to fill this up.”

2. The Connection Between Nashville and Muscle Shoals

(03:43 – 04:41)

• Muscle Shoals is only a 2.5-hour drive from Nashville and has always had intertwined music communities.
• The Fame Studio and its rhythm section led to a migration of key session players to Nashville in the mid-1960s, strengthening the bond between the two scenes.

Paul Kingsbury [04:26]: “The rhythm section… moved up to Nashville and became a team of session players up here.”

3. Opening Concert and Celebrating Muscle Shoals Artists

(04:41 – 05:36)

• The exhibit opened with a live concert featuring artists like Bettye LaVette, Maggie Rose, and Shenandoah, celebrating the songs of Muscle Shoals.
• Kingsbury singles out Bettye LaVette’s energetic stage presence as a highlight and praises Jimmy Hall’s performance.

Paul Kingsbury [05:06]: “Bettye LaVette…late 70s now…dancing all over the stage. She really brought the energy.”

4. Iconic Artifacts and Their Stories

(05:36 – 08:41)

• Artifacts include:
  • Candy Staton’s 1970s costume and stories of her musical versatility.
  • Sam Phillips’ and Arthur Alexander’s memorabilia, including Alexander’s passport and royalties ledger.
  • Aretha Franklin’s piano from her career-making sessions at Fame Studio and an early 1970s dress.
  • Wilson Pickett’s costume from the "Best of Wilson Pickett Vol. 2" album cover and mention of Duane Allman’s guitar work.
  • Two guitars played by Duane Allman, showcasing his history as a session musician before founding the Allman Brothers.

Paul Kingsbury [06:52]: “Aretha Franklin turned around her whole career when she came to Muscle Shoals in 1967…that launched her whole career to become the Queen of Soul.”

Paul Kingsbury [07:33]: “He’s matched lick for lick by Duane Allman…who was then a session musician.”

5. The Social Impact of Muscle Shoals Music

(08:41 – 09:54)

• The exhibit underlines how music at Muscle Shoals transcended racial boundaries, especially significant during the civil rights era.
• Black R&B artists and white session musicians created hits together, long before such collaborations were widely accepted.

Paul Kingsbury [08:53]: “A subtext of this exhibit is that music brings people together…they did this all under the radar [before] the Civil Rights act was passed in ‘64.”

6. Attracting Global Talent to Muscle Shoals

(09:54 – 11:11)

• Muscle Shoals became a magnet for American and international artists, including Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Cher, the Osmonds, Traffic, Joe Cocker, and notably the Rolling Stones.
• The Rolling Stones recorded “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses” at Muscle Shoals due to visa complications in LA, finding creative freedom in the town’s obscurity.

Paul Kingsbury [10:47]: “…if we go to Muscle Shoals, nobody’s paying attention. They recorded Brown Sugar…Wild Horses…both big hits.”

7. The Magic of the Exhibit: Interactivity and Immersion

(11:20 – 13:40)

• Artifacts from The Staple Singers, Pops Staples’ guitar, Cleotha, Yvonne, and Mavis Staples’ costumes.
• Bob Dylan’s platinum record for "Slow Train Coming," recorded in Muscle Shoals.
• The exhibit spans 5,000 square feet, includes more than 13 studios, 50 hours of video interviews, clips from the 2013 Muscle Shoals documentary, touchscreens, and a digital jukebox with 60 songs.

8. Extending the Experience: Visiting Muscle Shoals

(13:47 – 14:14)

• Visitors are encouraged to drive to Muscle Shoals to tour Fame Studio and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, which host regular music events.

9. The Broader Museum & Other Exhibits

(14:37 – 15:50)

• Highlights other Country Music Hall of Fame exhibits: Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, Roseanne Cash, 100 Years of Grand Ole Opry, and the permanent country music history walk.
• The American Currents exhibit is updated annually to reflect recent trends and notable artists.

10. Educational Impact & Community Engagement

(15:50 – 16:35)

• The museum offers extensive education workshops for families and children, with schedules available online.
• The Taylor Swift Education Center hosts frequent, family-friendly programming.

11. The Evolution of Nashville’s Music Scene

(17:26 – 18:56)

• Paul Kingsbury reflects on Nashville’s transformation: more venues, diverse genres, and a revitalized downtown, with the museum playing a part in the city’s cultural revival.

Paul Kingsbury [17:48]: “…it didn’t used to be the music town that it is now…we have dozens of great venues…[we helped] the whole revival of downtown Nashville.”

12. Muscle Shoals: More Than Just Country

(18:56 – 19:11)

• The exhibit demonstrates that Muscle Shoals’ legacy reaches across genres—R&B, rock, soul, country—just as Nashville now does.

Paul Kingsbury [19:11]: “…even people who aren’t hardcore country fans would enjoy the Country Music Hall of Fame and certainly the Muscle Shoals exhibit…”

13. Favorite Walking Spots in Nashville

(20:02 – 21:30)

• Kingsbury enjoys walking the museum, especially by Kris Kristofferson’s original manuscript of "Help Me Make It Through the Night."
• Also praises Nashville’s outdoor spaces: Radnor Lake and Warner Parks.

Paul Kingsbury [20:51]: “He started to talk about real adult relationships, sexuality to some extent…in a very poetic way. Of course, it’s become a standard.”

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the essence of Muscle Shoals:
  “Music brings people together. They wanted to cross racial boundaries…Black R&B singers getting together with crack session musicians that were white…making incredible music.”
  — Paul Kingsbury [08:53]

• On Aretha Franklin’s transformation:
  “She had been recording for years but never had a hit until she came to Muscle Shoals…and that launched her whole career to become the Queen of Soul.”
  — Paul Kingsbury [06:52]

• On capturing the museum experience:
  “We have the original song manuscript that Kris Kristofferson wrote…a very transformative song...I love walking past this and looking at this.”
  — Paul Kingsbury [20:51]

• On Nashville’s revival:
  “We like to feel like when our museum moved…downtown in 2001, we were part of the whole revival of downtown Nashville.”
  — Paul Kingsbury [18:56]

Timestamps by Section

• [01:38] Introduction to Exhibit and Guest
• [02:06] Exhibit Origins & Gathering Artifacts
• [03:43] Nashville–Muscle Shoals Connection
• [04:41] Opening Concert Highlights
• [05:36] Featured Artifacts Tour
• [06:52] Aretha Franklin’s Piano Story
• [07:33] Wilson Pickett & Duane Allman
• [08:53] Racial Collaboration & Civil Rights Context
• [09:54] Global Artists Recording in Muscle Shoals
• [10:47] The Rolling Stones’ Muscle Shoals Sessions
• [11:20] Staple Singers and Interactive Exhibit Features
• [13:47] Encouraging Visits to Muscle Shoals
• [14:37] Other Museum Exhibits
• [15:50] Educational Programming
• [17:26] Nashville’s Evolution
• [18:56] Muscle Shoals — Not Just Country
• [20:02] Paul’s Favorite Walking Spots

Conclusion

The “Muscle Shoals: Rhythm Rising” exhibit is a vivid, hands-on celebration of a small town’s colossal impact on global music. Through stories, artifacts, and interactive experiences, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum connects the soulful creativity of Muscle Shoals with the ongoing evolution of Nashville—showing that great music knows no boundaries.