Author Rob Bowman sits down with the Museum’s RJ Smith for a conversation on Bowman’s book Land of A Thousand Sessions: The Complete Muscle Shoals Story 1951–1985. Presented in support of the exhibition Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising, this program was recorded on March 14, 2026, in the Museum’s Ford Theater and was made possible in part by PEDIGREE® and PEDIGREE Foundation.

During the conversation, Bowman shares stories about the early days of FAME Studios and the many artists who shaped its legacy, including Aretha Franklin, Eddie Hinton, Jeanie Greene, Marlin Greene, Percy Sledge, Rick Hall, Spooner Oldham, the Swampers, Dan Penn, and William Pickett. The program also features audio recorded at FAME, giving direct insight into its historic sound.

Bowman is a Toronto-based author, professor, and Grammy winner. For Land of A Thousand Sessions, he interviewed studio musicians and stars—including David Hood, Millie Jackson, Mick Jagger, Candi Staton, Ray Stevens, Mavis Staples, and Bobby Womack—to illustrate how so much music came out of small-town Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

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