Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Reali’s cultural history of the magical, mystical Shoals captures the multifaceted layers of this little Alabama spot that produced so much storied music from artists as diverse as Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and the Osmond family." --
No Depression"A fascinating study of a musical microcosm, reveling in contradictions and debunking myths. " --
Kirkus Reviews"Grounded in oral histories and meticulous archival research, Reali's work takes us deep into the story of the Muscle Shoals sound, providing additional complexity and context that helps to answer the question scholars and music enthusiasts have been asking for over half a century: 'Why Muscle Shoals?'" --Carolyn M. Crawford, Director, Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area
"Reali’s work successfully shatters misconceptions about soul music and an identifiable Shoals sound." --
Library Journal "Reali’s meticulous research--including his use of original oral histories and new archival finds--situates Muscle Shoals’s rich musical history within a broader understanding of its impact on pop music and culture in the United States."--Charles L. Hughes, author of
Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South"Reali's account is fascinating, essential reading for anyone interested in American music and cultural history." --
Shepherd Express"Thanks to a fine effort by the author, readers can now enjoy a well-rounded, succinct history of Muscle Shoals, and many of the musical highlights that have been created there over the last seven decades. A solid addition to the College of Musical Knowledge!" --
Blues Blast Magazine"
Music and Mystique in Muscle Shoals is among the rarest of nonfiction books that require no subtitle. It is one of many details that makes Christopher M. Reali's account an outstanding contribution to the understanding of not only Muscle Shoals and its music but also the wider postwar South." --
Journal of Southern History
