It’s a crapshoot, really. A band can have the singing, songs, show, star-power and sound to break big, but without a kiss from Lady Luck stardom is often just beyond their fingertips.
Alabama has its share of great bands. The state’s also produced many talented acts who deserved a wider audience, and with a break or two would’ve gotten there.
Below are 20 Alabama bands and groups who, in my opinion, should’ve been bigger.
Basic qualifications for this list are: 1.) formed in Alabama or based here during their prime; 2.) had a legit shot of wider notoriety (signed to a legit label, had media buzz, had a regional following, did notable touring, etc.); and 3.) are no longer active on a regular basis and/or did their classic work in earlier decades.
Of course, these aren’t the only Alabama bands and groups who had what it takes to connect in a big way. But here are 20 of them ...
VERBENA
Verbena made rock and roll that sounded lurid and cool. But unlike many artists trying to be darkness, this Birmingham band understood vibe is vacant without songs.
Verbena’s Dave Grohl-produced major-label sophom*ore album “Into the Pink” is good. “La Musica Negra,” the band’s third LP, was solid.
But Verbena’s 1997 indie debut “Souls For Sale” is excellent, especially slithering track “Shaped Like a Gun,” and might be the best pure rock album an Alabama band’s ever made.
WILL & THE BUSHMEN
If The Smiths were from the American South instead of England, Morrisey and co. might’ve sounded like “Typical World,” a 1987 song by Will & The Bushmen.
This Mobile-made then Nashville-relocated band was led by Will Kimbrough, who went on to work with the likes of Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle.
As Kimbrough told AL.com’s Lawrence Specker in a 2014 interview, “We’re a lot of people’s first favorite band that played their own songs that they could go see in a bar. And that leaves an impression on people.”
TELLURIDE
Telluride was “huge all around the South and had a good, long run,” recalls AL.com writer Bob Carlton. The Birmingham country-rock outfit notched a regional hit with their song “Birmingham Tonight,” penned by singer Kevin Derryberry.
Telluride’s lineup included singer/guitarist Rick Carter, who in the ’90s founded bluegrass band Rollin’ in the Hay, which cultivated a regional audience of their own.
THOMAS FUNCTION
Huntsville’s Thomas Function did vintage-keyboards juiced garage-rock with pop precision, as heard on vibrant cuts like 2009′s “Belly of the Beast.”
The band had albums released by two uber-cool labels Alive! Naturalsound and Fat Possum Records, which previously introduced the world to The Black Keys.
HARVEST/HARMONY
Yes, Harvest is the answer to the trivia question: “What band was Tommy Shaw a member of before joining arena-rockers Styx”? But this Montgomery, Alabama group was more than that.
An Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash inspired combo, Harvest opened for hard-rock heroes Kiss. Harvest’s house band shows at Kegler’s Kove, a lounge inside Bama Lanes bowling alley, became the stuff of local legends. Harvest’s repertoire included an early version of Shaw-penned gem “Crystal Ball,” later upcycled for Styx.
After an offer to join Styx, then riding high on their 1973 power-ballad hit “Lady,” guitarist, singer and songwriter Shaw faced the decision of choosing between stardom and bowling alley gigs, Harvest keyboardist Eddie Wohlford joked in our 2017 interview. Still, Shaw got Styx to pay his former bandmates so they could take off for a week and rehearse before resuming the Kegler’s Cove residency.
“He loved us, and he wanted to take care of us,” Wohlford said of Shaw in 2017. Years later, when Shaw was making his 1984 A&M Records solo album “Girls with Guns,” he invited Wohlford and Harvest bassist/singer Jimbo Jones to contribute.
After Shaw’s 1975 departure and new members shaped the sound, Harvest changed their name to Harmony. Singer, pianist and acoustic guitarist Beth Nielsen Chapman joined the fold. She’d eventually go on to write songs recorded by stars like Waylon Jennings, Faith Hill and Elton John. Guitarists Bill Hinds, later a collaborator of tunesmith Paul Thorn, and Kelvin Holly, later a longtime member of Little Richard’s band and session musician for artists like Gregg Allman, signed up, too.
Standout original songs Harmony played in this era include Nielsen’s starlight ballad “If I’d Only Known” and Wohlford’s hypnotic “Thief in Babylon.” The band also boasted the talents of Tommy Beavers, went on to play drums with artists such as Willie Nelson and won a Grammy with country band Asleep at the Wheel ‘s collabo with Lyle Lovett.
RELATED: THE ALABAMA BAND A ROCK STAR LEFT BEHIND RISES AGAIN
PRIMITONS
For fans of jangly ‘80s college rock, a la The Connells and Guadalcanal Diary. Birmingham combo Primitons’ eponymous debut EP boasted deft tracks like “All My Friends.”
That 1985 release was produced by Mitch Easter of underground heroes Let’s Active, also known for helming early R.E.M. albums. Primitons’ lineup included former members of another notable Bham band, new wave talents Jim Bob and the Leisure Suits.
BAAK GWAI
In the aughts, Tuscaloosa band Baak Gwai turned their Built to Spill, Wilco and Elvis Costello roots into hot alt-rock that made their local shows a must-see. As AL.com’s Ben Flanagan reported in his 2021 feature, Baak Gwai went on to tour nationwide, growing a fanbase who’d sing their songs, like the shapeshifting “Fraggle,” along with the band at shows.
Baak Gwai released albums in 2007 and 2008. A third album from that era remains unreleased. As the band prepped for a 2021 hometown reunion gig, drummer Chris Zeiler told AL.com, “We’re like family you can’t get rid of.”
RELATED: ALABAMA ROCKERS REUNITE FOR FIRST GIG IN YEARS
HOTEL/SPLIT THE DARK
Formed in mid-’70s Birmingham, Hotel spun on the axis of singer/pianist Marc Phillips and guitarist/singer Tommy Calton. The band’s guitar-pop sound led to a deal with MCA Records, the major label that released Hotel’s self-titled debut album, stocked with cuts like “You’ll Love Again” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.”
After Hotel disbanded in the early ‘80s, Phillips and Calton regrouped in a new project with another cool band name: Split the Dark. Bringing in Lolly Lee, formerly of talented local outfit The Mortals, Split the Dark’s video for their single “Always a Chance” won MTV’s 1986 “Basem*nt Tapes” contest. The band’s vid reportedly netted more than 70 percent of viewers’ call-in voters. The win was announced on air by legendary VJ Martha Quinn.
While the MTV honor didn’t convert into significant music-biz success, Split the Dark was a proving ground for latter day member Damon Johnson, who in the ‘90s would gain fame with his Bham hard-rock band Brother Cane, and later play guitar for big acts like Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
G-SIDE
Blog-famous duo G-Side put Rocket City rap on the map. Pitchfork gave G-Side’s third album “Huntsville International” a glowing 7.7 review. SPIN ranked the next LP “The One...Cohesive” at a lofty eight on their “50 Best Albums of 2011″ list, heralding G-Side’s “slow-cook country rap, songs like “Came Up,” and the production of Huntsville collective Block Beattaz.
On Stereogum’s “100 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2014,” G-Side’s “Gz To Godz” placed ahead of releases by stars like Bruce Springsteen and Wu Tang Clan.
Comprised of former Athens High School classmates ST 2 Lettaz, aka Stephen Harris, and Yung Clova, real name David Williams, G-Side added to their buzz with hot live shows, touring internationally. Most recently, ST and Clova reunited for 2018 album “The 2 Cohesive.”
RELATED: G-SIDE’S BACK: THE STORY BEHIND ALABAMA RAP DUO’S REUNION
MARS ELECTRIC/LYNAM
Before Jacob Bunton became a singer for the likes of Mötley Crüe guitar legend Mick Mars, songwriter for icons like Mariah Carey, composer of music for films starring Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson and for TV hit “Sons of Anarchy,” he fronted Mars Electric. The Birmingham band mixed hard-rock and alternative sounds on an elite level.
Initially signed by Atlantic Records, the label of lords like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, before being dropped, Mars Electric was picked up by John Kalodner, the A&R man famous for resuscitating the careers of Aerosmith and Whitesnake.
The band’s debut album “Beautiful Something” was released in 2020 by Columbia Records distributed imprint Portrait Records, then home to heavy-guitar groups like Ratt and Iron Maiden. That LP boasted radio-ready tunes like “Someday.”
In a 2000 Birmingham News interview with AL.com writer Mary Colurso, Bunton said, “You need to be realistic so you don’t get your heart broken every five minutes, but I’m in this for life. All we can do is bring the music to the people. And, really, it blows me away when someone actually likes what I do.”
Mars Electric opened for acts ranging from Alice Cooper to Nickelback to Stone Temple Pilots. After the band splintered, Bunton dug into darker, crunchier sounds with Lynam, another Birmingham combo, releasing songs like “Enemy,” a cowbell-clanging 2008 collabo with Cinderella’s Tom Keifer.
RELATED: THE ROCK STAR AMBITIONS OF MARS ELECTRIC’S JACOB BUNTON
JACKSON HIGHWAY
Jackson Highway got their name from the address of Muscle Shoals Sound, the iconic Sheffield recording studio. Led by brothers and Fort Payne natives Dennis and Russell Gulley, the band cut their 1977 self-titled debut album with legendary studio musicians Jimmy Johnson and David Hood producing. That LP featured tracks like Southern rock sidewinder “Wayne County, Tennessee.”
Based in Muscle Shoals, Jackson Highway’s major-label debut, also self-titled, dropped in 1980 via Capitol Records. The band toured with hard-rock stars like Ted Nugent, Triumph and UFO. Jackson Highway guitarist Britt Meacham also played some uncredited licks, remnants from a demo recording, on Bob Seger’s 1979 smash “Old Time Rock and Roll,” according to a 2006 interview with bassist Russell Gulley.
BABY BROTHER
Huntsville-via-Ohio funkateers Baby Brother cut their 1981 debut album at FAME Studios with Muscle Shoals music pioneer Rick Hall producing.
The sextet’s self-titled bow was released via Cotillion Records, the Atlantic Records arm with a roster ranging from Curtis Mayfield to The Velvet Underground to Freddie King.
The “Baby Brother” LP opened with “You Make My Warm Spot Hot,” a sultry single born to fill dancefloors.
WILD SWEET ORANGE
They landed a song on hit TV show “Grey’s Anatomy.” Performed live on “Late Show with David Letterman.” Opened concerts for the likes of Counting Crows. Got props from Paste Magazine.
During the 2000s, Birmingham’s Wild Sweet Orange, led by singer/guitarist Preston Lovinggood, had a pretty sweet ride.
The band’s lone full-length album, 2008′s “We Have Cause to Be Uneasy,” was issued via Canvasback Music, a division of Atlantic Records known for acts like Manchester Orchestra and Death Cab For Cutie.
Wild Sweet Orange’s LP included a guest vocal from fellow Bham product Katie Crutchfield, who’d become an indie-rock success under the name Waxahatchee.
WAYNE
No, not the band called Wayne led by singer David Wayne of influential ‘80s Seattle rockers Metal Church. This is the Wayne formed in Birmingham in the late ‘90s with a sleek pop-rock sound, as heard on standout tracks like “Shooting at the Stars.”
Anchored by singer/guitarist/songwriter Rodney Reaves, the band’s music was featured on TV’s “Smallville” and movies like “Swim Fan.” Wayne also toured with the likes of John Mayer.
The band’s 2002 album “Music on Plastic,” was released via TVT Records, an imprint known for early Nine Inch Nails albums.
THE SHOOTERS
Featuring Walt Aldridge, a silky-voiced tunesmith influenced by ‘70s singer/songwriters like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, The Shooters scored a top 20 hit with 1989 single “Borderline.”
This Muscle Shoals-based group released two albums on Epic Records. Aldridge’s destiny was a writer for others, though. Chart-topping hits he helped pen include Travis Tritt’s “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” and Heartland’s “I Loved Her First.”
A longtime house FAME Studios house recording engineer, Aldridge also wrote “My Love Is Chemical,” a synthy gem sung by rock iconoclast Lou Reed for the soundtrack to hit 1985 film “White Nights.”
In our 2018 interview, Aldridge said, “It was just such an honor to be able to say that Lou Reed had recorded one of my songs, because he’s such a unique artist. And I’ve always laughingly said, I think I’m the only songwriter in the world who’s had songs recorded by both Lou Reed and Conway Twitty.”
CARNIVAL SEASON/SHAME IDOLS
Tim Boykin is one of the most talented guitarists Birmingham has ever produced. His ‘80s band Carnival Season had MCA Records sniffing around and released ripping underground rock songs like “Waiting For No One.” Carnival Season opened shows for notables like The Replacements and Meat Puppets.
In the early ‘90s, Boykin featured in The Shame Idols. That band wielded alt-rock snarl and sticky, as heard on tracks like “Superman” off Shame Idol’s 1995 album “I Got Time.” Boykin’s guitar playing goosed several other local standouts, including blues studs Topper Price and the Upsetters.
MCQUEEN STREET
If McQueen Street’s 1991 debut album would’ve come out five years earlier this Montgomery band would’ve been huge. Their self-titled release rattled with pop-metal power, as heard on the song “When I’m In The Mood.”
No wonder. The McQueen Street LP was produced by Tom Werman, known for steering hit albums by Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Poison and L.A. Guns. Billy Idol guitar wiz Steve Stevens guested on McQueen Street’s song “Two Worlds.”
THE UGLI STICK
In early 2000s Mobile, The Ugli Stick hit on a certified organic sound between Arrested Development and Rusted Root. See “Started Out Right,” a track off 2006 Ugli Stick album “Nostoi.”
As AL.com writer Lawrence Specker put it in his 2014 feature the band began as, “three guys who sounded like six.” Over the years, The Ugli Stick expanded to a quintet. The band performed at bygone musical festival BayFest and was tapped for the theme song for Speed Channel TV series “Drag Race High.”
LEBLANC & CARR
In 1977, Muscle Shoals duo LeBlanc & Carr was touring as Southern rock gods Lynyrd Skynyrd’s support act. Lenny LeBlanc and Pete Carr and their slim crew traveled via two rented Pontiac vans. Skynyrd flew to the next gig in Baton Rouge. Skynyrd never made it to Baton Rouge, their Convair crashing in a Mississippi swamp.
In the aftermath, LeBlanc & Carr cratered. Before breaking up they did feature on TV’s “American Bandstand,” performing Chablis-toned single “Falling.”
As a bassist and backing vocalist, LeBlanc worked with the likes of Roy Orbison, Joan Baez, Etta James and Hank Williams Jr. Carr’s sky-kissing guitar lines were integral to hits like Bob Seger’s “Mainstreet” and Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night.” Carr’s acoustic guitar graces essentials like Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome,” and he also recorded with artists ranging from Willie Nelson to Barbara Streisand.
STORM ORPHANS
The guy from A&M Records showed up with a well-known blonde p*rn star on his arm. He’d arrived at Sunset Strip nightclub Coconut Teaszer that summer night in 1991 specifically to check out Storm Orphans, a rock band from Tuscaloosa.
The band was in Los Angeles to play a couple of showcases. Including here at the Teaszer, the same venue groups like Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead and Hole would play on the way to becoming famous.
Storm Orphans’ music had a heavy, alt-rock sound. See their Chili-Peppers-meets-Stooges track “Greenwood, Mississippi,” a song penned by Muscle Shoals musicians Travis Wammack and Junior Lowe, and previously recorded by rock legend Little Richard.
The A&M Records rep described Storm Orphans as “a Southern version of Soundgarden” to the band’s management, according to frontman Rusty LuQuire.
Alas, Storm Orphans were’t destined to sign with A&M. Or become famous. But they were contenders, packing sweaty bars across the Southeast.
For many rock fans coming of age in the Southeast during the late-80s and early-’90s, Storm Orphans were at the center of some of the best nights of their young lives.
As LuQuire told me in a 2017 Storm Orphans retrospective, “”It’s very flattering to know we did play a role in a lot of people’s moments. For a seven or eight year period there, we were the soundtrack a couple times, you know?”
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