1969–1979: Formation and early years (seen here in 1999). Alabama was formed by guitarists Randy Owen and Jeff Cook, and bassist Teddy Gentry, three cousins born and raised near Fort Payne, Alabama, an area with strong country music roots. Owen and Gentry grew up on separate
cotton farms on
Lookout Mountain (a plateau that stretches across northeastern Alabama, through northwest Georgia and into Tennessee), learning guitar together and singing in church before the age of six. Gentry and Owen played in numerous groups during the 1960s, ranging from
pop to
bluegrass. Cook joined the band in 1969 forming the group Young Country, which first jammed together around Christmas. Cook also played in numerous other bands and was a
rock and roll disc jockey. The three cousins all shared vocal duties, with another cousin, drummer Jackie Owen, completing the group's first lineup. The band's first performance was at a high school talent contest (playing a
Merle Haggard song), for which they won first prize and tickets to the
Grand Ole Opry. The trio shared a $56-a-month apartment in Anniston, and GRT declared bankruptcy the following year. Due to a hidden clause in their contract, Alabama was forbidden from recording with another label. For the next two years, the band raised money to buy out their contract and they began recording again in 1979. Following self-recorded efforts
Wildcountry (1976) and
Deuces Wild (1977),
Alabama Band No. 3 (1979) became the band's third album, and the band performed over 300 shows on the road that year. The group hired independent radio promoters to receive radio play for the single "
I Wanna Come Over", and they sent hand-written letters to program directors and DJs nationwide. It received the attention of
Dallas-based MDJ Records, who signed the band. Scott left the group at this time, and was replaced by Mark Herndon, a rock drummer later credited with bringing the band their signature sound. "I Wanna Come Over", became their first radio hit, reaching the top 40 in the
Billboard country chart. with whom they signed in April 1980. Their first single on RCA, "
Tennessee River", was produced by
Harold Shedd and was their first to hit number one on the
Billboard country chart, beginning a streak of over 30 number one hits.
Cashbox named the band the New Vocal Group of the Year, marking the band's first award. In July 1980, the band left their long-time gig at the Bowery, "
Old Flame" was their next number one in February 1981, followed by "
Feels So Right" in May, and "
Love in the First Degree" that October. That year, Alabama received a great deal of industry attention:
Billboard named them New Group for the Year,
Radio & Records called them Group of the Year, and the
Academy of Country Music (ACM) deemed the band the Vocal Group of the Year. The quartet performed on the 1981
Country Music Association Awards, where it received both Instrumental Group of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year. Although the band received unprecedented success, Owen's personal life was falling apart: his father died while he was on the road, affecting him greatly. "
Christmas in Dixie", a seasonal song released in 1982, charted on two of
Billboard magazine's music popularity charts in six different calendar years. Alabama became the first group to win CMA's prestigious Entertainer of the Year award, which they collected three years in a row, from 1982 to 1984. Each of the album's singles—"
Dixieland Delight", "
The Closer You Get", and "
Lady Down on Love"—were number ones in both the U.S. and Canada. RCA issued an Alabama
Greatest Hits compilation in January 1986, which went over five times platinum,
1987–2004: Decline in popularity and Farewell tour By the late 1980s, Alabama's sales slowed down considerably, with only their major albums going gold. The group's popularity was mostly eclipsed by more traditional-sounding artists such as
Alan Jackson,
Randy Travis,
George Strait, and
Dwight Yoakam. Despite this, they continued to be a popular touring act, and the band issued their first live album,
Alabama Live, in 1988. For 1989's
Southern Star, the band decided to part ways with longtime producer Shedd, instead splitting production duties between
Josh Leo and Larry Lee, and the other half with
Barry Beckett. "
Song of the South" was another number one, and the album's remaining singles—"
If I Had You", "
High Cotton", and "
Southern Star"—were number ones in both the U.S. and Canada.
Cheap Seats followed in 1993, with "
Reckless" becoming Alabama's final number one, although most of the band's singles afterward peaked within the top 10. Despite this, the album's singles did not fare well in comparison to past successes, with only the title track becoming a top 15 hit, representing the band's last career peak. Alabama announced the American Farewell tour in May 2002 at the
Country Music Association Awards (CMAs), encompassing 40 tour dates, sponsorships, special events, and a TV special. Owen spoke then on the decision to part ways: "When you get down to it, there are many, many factors involved — some of them very personal. It's really about the integrity of the group, the dignity of the group." Owen later admitted the group was exhausted after 20 years of nonstop touring and recording, and "everybody needed some time." The tour collected $15 million in box office before it even began, and Alabama performed to packed arenas from June to November 2003. Due to "extraordinary fan response and overwhelming ticket demand," the tour was extended for an additional 30 shows, running between February and June 2004. The group performed their "final" show in October 2004 in
Bismarck, North Dakota, with Herndon jokingly declaring "I need a job" as the concert closed.
2004–2014: Reunions and lawsuit against Mark Herndon In the ensuing years, Owen stayed active as a solo act, Cook with his Allstar Goodtime Band and Gentry as a producer and with his band Rockit City. Herndon and the other group members had a difficult relationship during the band's career. While he was present in each press photo and a photo of him once hung at Alabama's fan club and museum, Owen contended that he was never an official member of the group. He claimed his inclusion in photos was the label's idea, and that Herndon was a paid employee of the band, rather than a member. Owen stated that RCA desired Herndon in the band so their image could be comparable to
the Beatles. In addition, the band released
Alabama & Friends, a
tribute album encompassing covers from newer artists such as
Jason Aldean and
Florida Georgia Line, in addition to two new tracks by Alabama. In 2016, Alabama was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "
Forever Country", a mash-up track of "
Take Me Home, Country Roads", "
On the Road Again", and "
I Will Always Love You" that celebrates 50 years of the
CMA Awards. In April 2017, guitarist Jeff Cook announced in a video that he would reduce the number of shows for which he would be in attendance while the band was on tour, due to his struggle with
Parkinson's. He had been diagnosed four years prior, and this was his first public announcement about his condition. In August 2021, the band sold its interest in its recorded music rights catalog to Reservoir Media. Cook died from complications of
Parkinson's disease on November 7, 2022. His death left Owen and Gentry as the two remaining original members. On August 24, 2025, during a show in Huntsville, Alabama, former drummer of Alabama's classic lineup, Mark Herndon, reunited with Owen and Gentry on stage to perform "Mountain Music", the show's encore. The show was met with praise by fans. ==Musical style and influences==