Shoals Gold Record Room
100 gold records line the walls of the ground floor lobby of the Suntrust Bank Building in downtown Florence, Alabama—100 reminders of the raw talent that has driven through the Alabama pines in search for that Muscle Shoals music grit. For years new and seasoned artists alike traveled across the country and across the world to find the palatable, soulful Shoals sound that rose out of the river and into the recording studio. Legendary artists like Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Percy Sledge, Etta James, and the Rolling Stones are just a few of the musicians that found that sound and possess gold records displayed on Court Street, however, the wall isn’t just a museum or reminder of the success found in the past, but also of the talent that is here today, and the potential for the future. On June 1 st , 2016 Marty Abroms and Bill Lyons, owners of the Suntrust Building, teamed up with Swampette wife, Judy Hood, to unveil the Gold Record Room, which showcases current musicia