Alabama Shakes is an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009.
The group consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist
Zac Cockrell, keyboard player Ben Tanner, and drummer Steve Johnson.
The group received three nominations for the 2013 Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Best
Rock Performance for "Hold On", and Best Recording Package for their debut album, Boys & Girls.
History The band originated when lead singer-guitarist
Brittany Howard and bassist Zac Cockrell, both then attending East Limestone High School
near Athens in Limestone County, Alabama, began meeting after school to write songs.
The two played progressive rock and other genres, but soon found a calling playing roots
rock.
They approached drummer Steve Johnson, who was working at a local music store, asking
him to join the band and soon the trio went to Clearwave Recording Studio with producer
Jeremy Stephens in Decatur, Alabama, to record some of the songs they were writing.
Guitarist Heath Fogg joined the band after hearing the demo.
Although they had been working on original material, they worked up cover songs by Led
Zeppelin, James Brown, Otis Redding, AC/DC, and others to fill a "one show only" 45-minute
set, under the name The Shakes.
The band later added Alabama to their name to differentiate themselves from other bands
called The Shakes.
Alabama Shakes released the four-song EP Alabama Shakes September 2011, which gained media
attention, and earned them an invitation to play at the CMJ Music Marathon industry showcase
in New York.
The successful CMJ show in October 2011 caught the attention of Jon Pareles of The New York
Times, who praised Howard's singing as well as the band's energy and musicianship.
The clarity of Howard's presentation of the lyrics is distinctive.
In late 2011, the band's song "You Ain't Alone" was used in a Zales jewelry ad and Alabama
Shakes made MTV's list of Eleven Artists To Watch In 2012.
In the span of less than a year, the band went from virtual obscurity to playing venues
such as the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and in Los Angeles, the Troubadour
and Music Box Theater.
In November 2011, the band was signed by Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom and ATO
Records in the United States.
In February 2012, the band was nominated for an mtvU Woodie for "best live performance".
Recently, Jack White tapped them to launch a series of singles for Third Man Records.
The band's first full-length album, Boys & Girls, was made available in its entirety for live
streaming from the Internet on April 1, 2012.
In June 2012, the band played a closing set for the first night of the 2012 Bonnaroo Music
& Arts Festival.
In July of that year, the band also performed at the Newport Folk Festival.
"Boys & Girls" was awarded Gold Record status by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 in the
United States on March 13, 2013.
A new Alabama Shakes album is in production, set for release in early 2015.
Media appearances The band made their U.S. national television
debut on February 7, 2012 on Conan, where they performed their first single, "Hold On",
and a web-exclusive performance of "I Ain't the Same".
On April 12, 2012, the band performed on the Late Show with David Letterman for his birthday
episode.
They made their UK television debut on April 24, 2012, where they appeared on Later...
with Jools Holland and performed "Hold On", "Be Mine" and "Hang Loose."
On August 14, 2012, they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
In September 2012, the band performed at Bestival on the Isle of Wight, alongside The xx and
Stevie Wonder.
They were featured on the February 16, 2013 edition of Austin City Limits where they performed
Hold On, Always Alright, You Ain't Alone, I Ain't the Same, and On Your Way.
They appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 16, 2013, performing Hold On and Always Alright.
They also appeared at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival in May 2013.
On June 22, 2013 they performed at Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware.
Their 2013 summer tour included the Glastonbury Festival in June, and the Pukkelpop Festival
in August.
Band members
Brittany Howard – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Zac Cockrell – bass guitar, vocals
Heath Fogg – lead guitar, vocals Steve Johnson – drums, percussion, vocals
Touring member Ben Tanner – piano & keyboards, percussion,
vocals Discography
Albums Extended plays
Alabama Shakes EP Singles
Music videos Songs in film
Awards References
External links Official website
Live recordings by Alabama Shakes at the Internet Archive
Alabama Shakes artist page: interviews, features, performances archived at NPR Music
Brittany Howard Releases New Single (along with Jack White band member Ruby Amanfu