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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZALABAMACountry-rock group from Fort Payne AL formed '69 as Wild Country; they changed their name '77. Jeffrey Alan Cook (b 27 August 1949; d 7 November 2022), Randy Yeull Owen (b 13 December 1949), guitars; Teddy Wayne Gentry (b 22 January 1952), bass guitar, cousins from Fort Payne, began playing with Gentry still in school; the others in day jobs. All three sang; another cousin, Jackie Owen, was their first drummer. They backed visiting stars and played dances; turned to music full-time '73; signed to GRT records '77, 'I Want To Be With You' a minor hit. To Dallas label MDJ '79, worked with Nashville producer Harold Shedd; new drummer Mark Joel Herndon joined (b 11 May 1955, Springfield MA); 'I Wanna Come Over' '79 made country chart top 40; 'My Home's In Alabama', written by Owen and Gentry, made top 20 '80. To RCA '80; 32 country no. 1 hits followed between 'Tennesee River' '80 and 'Reckless' '93, with several crossing over to the pop chart: 'Feels So Right' and 'Love In The First Degree' '81, 'Take Me Down' '82. Named Country Group of the Year '81-3, CMA Entertainer of the Year '82-4. As a crossover country act they had 15 years of pop chart albums on RCA '80-95; Feels So Right, Mountain Music, The Closer You Get, Roll On, 40 Hour Week '81-5 plus a greatest hits album '86 were all top 30 albums in the pop chart. Joel Whitburn's Top Country Singles says they were the no. 5 country group of the '80s and had the most consecutive no. 1 hits ('80-87) of any act since the Billboard country chart began '44. They started a trend for a modern country group sound, paving the way for Atlanta, Sawyer Brown, Restless Heart and later Confederate Railroad, Desert Rose Band and Diamond Rio; plus they were just about the only country group writing all or most of their own songs. 23 CDs were listed in the Schwann catalogue '97 including four greatest hits sets. |