Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Images of America Series)

Long known as the Shoals, Muscle Shoals saw its formal birth as an incorporated city in 1923. It really sprang to life in 1933, when the Tennessee Valley Authority took shape on the Tennessee River and became the nations largest public power company. The construction crew for the Wilson Dam and power plant was one of the regions first racially integrated workforces. Some truly influential figures of the 20th century came to Muscle Shoals to witness firsthand what was unfolding in this tiny corner of the world. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford found themselves drawn to Wilson Dam and the nitrate plants in the early 1920s, as did the French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. At one time, Muscle Shoals was regarded as the hit recording capital of the world. FAME studio musicians referred to as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section gained notoriety as a result of the studios success and are part of the legacy of the Muscle Shoals sound.Tapia, Laura Flynn is the author of 'Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Images of America Series)', published 2007 under ISBN 9780738552651 and ISBN 0738552658.