The Music of Muscle Shoals Revue, produced by singer/songwriter Amy Black, is a soulful celebration of some of the incredible music that came out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama in the 1960s and 70s. Amy, full-band, and often times special guests perform classic songs originally recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Lou Rawls, Bob Dylan and others, as well as a few originals that embody the spirit and soul of Muscle Shoals.

In 2014, a number New England’s most respected performing arts centers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine presented the show to an enthusiastic response. Black also presented the show in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with special guests — original Muscle Shoals swampers, Spooner Oldham and David Hood, in her backing band. Now, she is taking the production to audiences around the country and overseas.

Amy Black, a Boston-based recording artist with Alabama roots, was inspired to create the show after releasing a four-song EP “The Muscle Shoals Session” recorded this summer in Muscle Shoals, her family’s home place, with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Spooner Oldham, keys player for Aretha Franklin, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and many others. In February 2015, Amy will return to Muscle Shoals to record with Nashville producer Lex Price, Spooner, guitarist Will Kimbrough (Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell) to turn the EP into a full length album that will be released in July 2015.

The recent release of the award-winning documentary Muscle Shoals (http://www.magpictures.com/muscleshoals/) has shined a spotlight on an area of the country that was almost forgotten for it’s incredible place in the history of modern music. Before Black was aware of the documentary, she has already planned to record in Muscle Shoals. But what she learned through the film shaped her idea of what she wanted the project to be and the music of Muscle Shoals has shaped her as an artist.

“Recording in Muscle Shoals this summer at FAME recording studio was an amazing experience for me. I’d passed that little building my whole life — every time I came to visit my grandparents — but I didn’t know the history until a few years ago. When I learned that Aretha Franklin and Etta James recorded there, I was shocked. I decided to spend a day there and record several of classic covers from the past. Getting to do this with Spooner Oldham was like walking back in time and being a part of something so special. He played the same Wurly piano that he played with Aretha on ‘I Never Loved a Man’”,” says Amy Black.

As much as the show is a celebration, Black also takes the opportunity to educate music lovers about the rich history behind the songs. The result is one incredible night of some of the best music ever written and recorded.

HEADLINER

About Amy Black

Amy Black Head Shot 2014American Songwriter Magazine calls Amy Black “a powerful, authentic, talented and above all soulful new entry in the rootsy singer/songwriter ranks;” while the Philadelphia Inquirer calls her ” an appealing cross between Bonnie Raitt and Mary Chapin Carpenter” with “songs that mix substance and accessibility.” A Boston-based artist with storytelling and southern tradition in her blood, Amy has shared stages with artists including Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Delbert McClinton, John Hammond, Chris Isaak, Suzy Boggus, Joey Ely, and the Courtyard Hounds. Her seamless blend of all things Americana, coupled with her soulful, smooth vocals and gift for bringing characters to life through song make her an artist that pleases lovers of blues, folk, soul and country alike. Amy’s most recent full length album, “This Is Home,” features Will Kimbrough (Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris) and Oliver Wood of the Wood Brothers. Music, photos and video at www.amyblack.com