Muscle Shoals

US, Feature Documentary, 2013, 111 min

Winner of Grand Prize for Best Film at BIFF 2013

At the heart of the story is Rick Hall. Overcoming crushing hardship, he managed to entice talent like Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett to come and record what became their hit albums, backed up by the funkiest white men ever—the homegrown house band, the Swampers. As the word spread about the electrifying musical chemistry in this unexpected place, the likes of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Staples Singers, the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Simon & Garfunkel magnetically followed suit. Interviewing an incredible roster of musicians, the filmmaker unearths a rich history of this unheralded gold mine of American music.

Directed by Greg 'Freddy' Camalier