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Simply south

Its exceptional bonding with fans that helps Alabama still rock

Formed by the trio of cousins Jeff Cook (vocals, guitar), Teddy Gentry (bass, vocals) and Randy Owen (vocals, guitar), the group Alabama's origins were in Fort Payne in northern Alabama. After changing its name from Young Country to Wild Country, the band roped in Bennett Vartanian — first among their many drummers. In 1973, it moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, inducting Rich Scott on drums and renamed itself Alabama.

"I want to be with you" cracked the country top 100 in 1977 but later releases fell short of that mark. A change of recording label fetched a No. 32 hit in "I wanna come over" in 1980. Its sequel, "My Home's in Alabama" touched No. 17. "Tennessee River" reached the peak in 1980, a feat the band would replicate no less than 40 times!

The first country group to chart five fold-platinum albums to date, it has sold over 65 million records. Right through the '80s, it enjoyed pride of place in that genre. Of its 16 releases by RCA, "Cheap seats" was the only offering that didn't go gold. In 1993, the band won the People's Choice favourite musical group award.

That citation was no public relations exercise as the band performed last month at the Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama, for those hit by hurricane Katrina. The concert raised $110,000, mostly voluntary donations from fans. Tickets were not priced, while hurricane victims, given armbands, were allowed to attend the show free and avail of several concessions. Most of the group's songs stress its southern and Christian roots. "Pass it on down" became an environmental anthem, springing a pleasant surprise on audiences.

Through the Nineties, it had several top singles to its credit. In early 2001, "When it all goes south" opened at No. 4 on the country charts. Owen summed up the band's appeal thus: "We're basically a blue-collar working band. We work really hard at what we do and we work for our fans and listen to them."

A. GEORGE ANTONY

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