Alabama

The biggest-selling country group of the '80s, Alabama began in 1969 as a trio of cousins: Jeff Cook, Randy Owen, and Teddy Gentry. Then known as Young Country, the band performed on weekends at a local amusement park, Canyonland. In 1973, after moving to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the group (with drummer Rich Scott), began playing its own songs in clubs, renaming itself Alabama.

After a few self-produced singles, the group signed with GRT Records in 1977. Its first release, "I Want to Be With You," made the country Top 100, but subsequent releases failed to match even that standing. In 1979 Alabama went to MDJ Records of Dallas, and its first single on the independent label, “I Wanna Come Over,” reached #32 on the country chart in 1980, and the followup, “My Home’s in Alabama,” #17. Alabama’s first RCA single, “Tennessee River,” hit #1 in 1980. It was the first of 42 country chart-toppers.

To date the group has sold over 65 million records worldwide of its country-pop sound, becoming the first country group to sell quintuple-platinum albums. Of its 16 releases on RCA through 1993, only that year’s Cheap Seats failed to go gold or platinum - an indication that after nearly 15 years, Alabama’s thunder had been stolen by Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, and other contemporary country acts. Nevertheless, 1993 did see the quartet win the People’s Choice award for favorite musical group, and as the decade ended the group had scored several country Top 5 singles. When It All Goes South debuted on the country albums chart at #4 (#37 pop) in early 2001.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)