Skydog – The Shoals Experience Celebrates Muscle Shoals Music

Skydog – The Shoals Experience: August 28–30, 2026 - Photo(s): Courtesy of Abraham Rowe

Thanks to Rodney Hall and FAME Recording Studios, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Skydog – The Shoals Experience festival on the grounds of the Renaissance Shoals Resort in Florence, Alabama.

“Skydog” was the nickname Wilson Pickett gave Duane Allman because of the bird sounds Duane made while playing slide guitar. Duane did some great session work at FAME Studios and actually pitched a tent in the parking lot while trying to get in on playing sessions there.

It was Duane who talked Wilson into recording “Hey Jude.” Eric Clapton heard Duane’s iconic guitar solo on that record and invited him to Criteria Studios in Miami for Derek and the Dominos’ Layla sessions.

Duane also played guitar on Boz Scaggs’ “Loan Me a Dime.” The tracks were already done for Boz’s album, and executive producer Jann Wenner asked Scaggs if he had another track he would like to do. He remembered one of his friends singing the Fenton Robinson-penned tune at a club one night. Scaggs called his friend, got the lyrics, and the rest is history.

That song, with the Swampers playing on the track, is arguably the best song ever recorded in Muscle Shoals. My friend Marlin Greene, who co-produced the album with Wenner, told me he hired Duane for the session.

When I got into town, I stopped at the Conference Center at the Renaissance Shoals Resort and ran into my old friends Spooner and Karen Oldham. I had the chance to have lunch with them both Friday and Saturday and catch up with them. Getting to hang out with them set the tone for the whole festival for me.

Although the heat ramped up in the afternoons, there were plenty of arts and crafts vendors and some cool music-related trucks there. It was great to meet Michael Weintrob, a heralded music photographer best known for his visionary photography series, Instrumenthead, in which the subjects’ faces are obscured by their instruments.

Weintrob has served as house photographer for Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Ascend Amphitheater, and the Newport Jazz Festival. His books Instrumenthead and Instrumenthead Revealed feature many musicians from Muscle Shoals, Nashville, and elsewhere whom I know and love, including Spooner, Steve Cropper, Christine Ohlman of the Saturday Night Live Band, Jimbo Hart—formerly of Jason Isbell’s band and a member of Jason Newsted’s Chophouse Band—Jimmy Johnson and David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and others. The second book reveals the subjects’ faces that were obscured in Instrumenthead.

Another cool trailer, originally used by Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band, is called the Church of Duane Allman. It was created by John Mollica, aka Johnny Mo, and is filled with folk art and materials taken from the Capricorn Records building, the Big House, and H&H Soul Food Restaurant in Macon, where “Mama” Louise fed the Allman Brothers in the early days when they were struggling.

There are replicas of Duane and Berry Oakley’s Harley-Davidson gas tanks and, interestingly, the hubcaps from Twiggs Lyndon’s Packard.

When I made my way down to the stage, The Retrograde, a blues-rock band from Tallahassee, was playing. They recorded their debut album, That’s the Spirit, at FAME Studios, and it was released in 2024. I can hear shades of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackberry Smoke in their music.

Up next was Sons of Legion, a duo that recorded its album at FAME in July 2025. They did a great cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” in 2023, and their latest single is a country-rock version of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me.” I really love the band’s use of blues harp and clavinet.

Grammy winner Gary Nichols of The SteelDrivers took the stage next with a band made up of FAME session musicians. The group featured Kelvin Holly—Little Richard and The Amazing Rhythm Aces—on lead guitar, FAME session drummer Justin Holder, Jimbo Hart—Jason Newsted and Jason Isbell—on bass, and the Shoals Sisters on harmony vocals.

Holli Mosley, another FAME recording artist, did a great version of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” I was talking with Holli after their set about her cool version of Dan Penn and Chips Moman’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man.”

Mike Farris, one of the most soulful and bluesy vocalists on the music scene these days, performed songs from his album The Sound of Muscle Shoals, which was also recorded at FAME Studios.

“Ease On” featured Kelvin Holly on six-string and baritone guitars, Justin Holder on drums—Justin was the iron man of the festival, playing drums with nine acts—legendary keyboardist Clayton Ivey on Wurlitzer, and Jimbo Hart on bass.

Farris also did a song called “Sunset Road,” which had the crowd singing along. Holder and Hart were locked in on bass and drums, forming a solid foundation.

The FAME Gang was up next, once again featuring Ivey on keys and legendary FAME bassist Bob Wray, who is probably best known for his funky bassline on The Osmonds’ “One Bad Apple.” That bassline is just as good as anything Motown bassist James Jamerson ever did. Bob also toured with Chuck Berry, B.B. King, and Don McLean.

They laid down the funk on “Grits and Gravy,” which features great muted rhythm guitar parts, a syncopated Hammond organ part, unbelievable horn parts, and a nice lead guitar break. My friends Travis Wammack and Junior Lowe played guitar on the record. Sadly, they both passed away over the last couple of years.

So many legendary musicians in the Allman Brothers family tree have passed away over the past six or seven years. They include Jimmy Johnson of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, who told me some great stories about Duane and Gregg Allman’s band Hour Glass, and legendary Allman Brothers producer Johnny Sandlin, who was also in Hour Glass.

Pete Carr later became the legendary lead guitarist at Muscle Shoals Sound, most notably playing the solo on Bob Seger’s “Mainstreet” and appearing on Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome.”

Both Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton have also passed. They had a band on the Capricorn label called Cowboy, which featured Duane Allman on dobro on their hit record “Please Be with Me.”

Bandleader Scott Sharrard, who joined Little Feat in 2014 and played guitar in Gregg Allman’s band, took the stage with the Muscle Shoals All-Stars. Will McFarlane, the legendary Bonnie Raitt and Muscle Shoals Sound guitarist, was in on this one.

I learned a lot about the blues when I played bass with Will and Kelvin Holly about 12 years ago. We would play on the stage at the Harley-Davidson dealership down the highway in Tuscumbia, AL, which is right next to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame—another must-see for tourists and locals alike.

Lamont Landers, the next “big thing,” did a fabulous version of Gregg Allman’s “Midnight Rider.” Gregg recorded a more soulful version of the song for his solo album Laid Back, which was produced by Johnny Sandlin and featured Chuck Leavell—the Allman Brothers Band and The Rolling Stones—playing bluesy parts on the Wurlitzer. It also featured a nice horn section.

Lamont made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry last week with Vince Gill and has also appeared on Live at the Apollo with Steve Harvey. Lamont has the ability to sing like Otis Redding, Sam Moore, and many more legendary R&B and soul singers.

I’m glad I had the chance to chat with Lamont before the set. We talked guitars, his work with producer Dave Cobb, and his hometown of Decatur, AL, where I spent a lot of time in the late ’80s. We also talked specifically about which barbecue restaurant was the best in town.

I made an album with my friend Spooner Oldham called Muscle Shoals Down Through Decatur in 2010. I was talking to Steve Cropper at his home in Nashville in January 2024 about which young artists sounded the most like Otis Redding. Steve mentioned Lamont’s name. I look forward to hearing his new recordings and seeing him live again.

Sharrard sang Clarence Carter’s “Road of Love,” which was recorded at FAME with Duane on guitar. He played some unbelievable blues solos on his Gibson ES-335 all night long.

Spooner sang “Out of Left Field,” which he co-wrote with Dan Penn and Percy Sledge recorded in the ’60s. Gregg Allman also cut the song for his final album, 2017’s Southern Blood, which was recorded at FAME.

Spooner was doing a session with me at a studio a couple of blocks away on the Thursday of the week Gregg was recording there, and he stopped by to see Gregg and producer Don Was.

Lamar Williams Jr., son of Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams, did a nice version of Carter’s “Slip Away.” Williams tours and records with Oteil Burbridge, Trouble No More, and the Allman Betts Family Revival.

I’m glad I got to chat with Lamar about his father, Jimmy Hall’s incredible work with Devon Allman and the Allman Betts Family Revival, and the Modulus bass that Oteil gave him.

Gary Nichols did a terrific rendition of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” while playing a black Les Paul Junior, as well as a splendid version of “Hey Jude,” Wilson Pickett-style. Sharrard did a great job playing Duane’s iconic guitar solo on that one. I’m glad I had the chance to catch up with Gary backstage.

Jay Johnson—Skinny Molly, Blackfoot, and Southern Rock Allstars—came onstage for a little Lynyrd Skynyrd with Mike Farris: “Tuesday’s Gone.” Jay is a killer guitar player and the son of the late, great Jimmy Johnson of the Swampers.

Bandleader Sharrard took the stage once more with Peter Levin on Hammond organ and Kelvin Holly on guitar to perform Gregg Allman’s “Love the Poison” and “Love Like Kerosene” from Gregg’s album Southern Blood, with Spooner on Wurlitzer.

Sharrard and Holly’s solos were extraordinary, as was Levin’s B3 work. Maggie Rose joined the band for The Staple Singers’ “Respect Yourself.” That song features one of my favorite David Hood basslines, and he used to warm up before sessions by playing that intro. That sent chills up my spine.

Next, it was time for some Johnny Jenkins music, with Sharrard playing some wonderful slide guitar and great solos by Holly and Will McFarlane.

The horn section, featuring Brad Guin on saxophone, Marc Franklin on trumpet, and Jimmy Bolland on baritone sax, was kickin’ all night. They also did Aretha Franklin’s “The Weight,” which featured Duane Allman playing dobro on the original recording.

Lamont and Maggie did a great version of “I’ll Take You There,” with Spooner on Wurlitzer.

The evening was capped off by Jackson Dean, who was signed by Big Machine Records in 2021. His debut single, “Don’t Come Lookin’,” came out in early 2022, and his first album, Greenbroke, followed in March 2022.

“Don’t Come Lookin’” was featured in Paramount’s juggernaut series Yellowstone. Dean was nominated by the ACM in the category of Best New Male Artist in 2023.

Dean recorded his latest album, Magnolia Sage, at FAME Studios and will open for Jamey Johnson on September 25 at Sand Mountain Amphitheater. I was really impressed by Dean’s lead guitarist, who played a blue Telecaster.

The morning of Day Two started off a little overcast, but by 11 a.m., the sun was beating down once more. By 3 p.m., I could tell it was going to be another scorcher, with the temperature reaching 100 degrees and the heat index somewhere between 105 and 110.

When I arrived at the Renaissance Shoals Resort, I once again had the good fortune to have lunch with Spooner and Karen Oldham as we watched Spooner’s cousin, Mark Narmore, perform a set for the Muscle Shoals Songwriter Festival, which was held in conjunction with Skydog at Swampers Bar and Grille.

Mark has written many hit country songs, including Shenandoah’s “Moon Over Georgia,” Craig Morgan’s “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” and Reba McEntire’s “Tammy Wynette Kind of Pain.”

Country artist Mae Estes recently collaborated with Shenandoah on a new recording of “Moon Over Georgia,” which was released in August. Mark would also serve as emcee, introducing the bands later that night. Spooner and Karen would celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary the next day.

I ran into Muscle Shoals music promoter Johnny Ballew and Jimbo Hart at the Conference Center later in the afternoon, and I had the chance to talk bass with Jimbo for a bit.

He was the bassist for Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit for many years, and he recently finished a tour with Jason Newsted’s Chophouse Band. Over the past few years, Jimbo has secured his place as one of the greatest bass players ever to come out of Muscle Shoals, along with David Hood, Bob Wray, Norbert Putnam, and Jesse Boyce.

He also owns one of Duck Dunn’s Fender Precision basses. We talked about how great Duck, Memphis bassist Tommy Cogbill, and the Muscle Shoals bass players were.

Mobile, Alabama’s Eric Erdman kicked off the musical performances for Night Two and performed a song he wrote that was recorded by The Red Clay Strays called “Stone’s Throw.”

His song “Caddo County,” recorded with acclaimed Nashville producer Dave Cobb and The Red Clay Strays, appeared on the Grammy-nominated Twisters soundtrack. His current album, Enough, is in the Top 20 on the iTunes country album chart. Steve Knight recorded at FAME Studios back in May.

Bonneville gave a spectacular performance of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Southbound” and several other songs. They had a killer horn section.

Earlier in the afternoon, I was talking about the brutal heat with a guy who was wearing an Alabama jersey and walking through the gate with his kids. We were discussing Alabama football. I did not realize it at the time, but he was the keyboard player for the band.

I saw Angela Hacker of the band The Family making her way backstage with her guitar. Her son Bay Simpson, stepson Dylan LeBlanc, and husband James LeBlanc make up The Family. Dylan is a popular Americana recording artist, but sadly, he couldn’t make the show.

James was one of the first people I met at FAME Studios in 2001, and I remember a teenage Dylan starting his own band. James has written many hit songs, including Travis Tritt’s “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde,” Kenny Chesney’s “I Remember,” and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s “Roll the Dice.”

Bay, who appeared on The Voice earlier this year, performed Tom Petty’s “The Waiting” on the show, as well as The Wallflowers’ “One Headlight” and Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” with Hunter Jordan.

I was fortunate to interview Bay for Americana Highways a few months ago. I can hear shades of Jason Isbell in his performances. Their song “Everybody Loves You” has quickly become one of my favorite songs since its release.

It was so cool to hear them perform it while I was sitting by the pool, just as it was starting to cool down. That song is as good as anything Fleetwood Mac did in its prime. “Pick Your Poison” is another favorite of mine.

Sharrard and Mike Farris kicked off the Allman Brothers tribute with Peter Levin—who played keys with Gregg Allman and appeared on his Southern Blood album—on Hammond B3, Kelvin Holly on guitar, Justin Holder on drums, and Jimbo Hart on bass. Jimbo was playing a beautiful Sadowsky bass.

They did a rollicking version of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Statesboro Blues.” Holly played a great guitar solo, Levin played some great Hammond parts, and Sharrard played some fabulous slide solos.

Maggie Rose and her guitarist, MP Gannon, joined in on “Blue Sky,” which featured some great guitar harmony lines.

Lamar Williams came out and did a terrific version of “Dreams,” a great song in 6/8 time. Sharrard played some great octave chords and also played behind the nut of his guitar. Holly added another cool guitar solo, and Levin once again provided some great B3.

Sharrard handled the vocal for “Melissa,” which Scott Boyer of Cowboy sang many times in Muscle Shoals over the years with The Decoys. All the musicians in my age group, Jason Isbell included, learned so much from them.

The band featured Boyer, Holly, David Hood on bass, N.C. Thurman on keys, and Mike Dillon on drums. They all had links to Duane and Gregg Allman, as well as Dickey Betts.

The Allman Brothers tribute also featured Williams on “Southbound” and Gary Nichols, once again playing the black Les Paul Junior, singing “Whipping Post.” They also performed my favorite Allman Brothers Band song, “One Way Out.”

Seeing Wet Willie was special for me because of my friendship and work with Jimmy Hall over the past few years. I’ve worked with Jimmy on several recordings since 2015.

It was great to see T.K. Lively on drums, whom I had met the day before, Rick Hirsch on guitar, Jimmy’s brother Jack on bass, his son Ryan on keys, and youngest son Alex on drums. This could have been called the Wet Willie Big Band, with the full horn section.

They opened with “Jumpin’ for Joy” from Jimmy’s 2022 album Ready Now, which he wrote for his wife, Karen. He played some phenomenal blues harp parts on that one.

They also performed “Risin’ Up,” which featured great horn parts and Nashville vocalist Jackie Wilson, who appeared with Etta Britt in one of Van Zant’s latest videos.

It was so great hearing them perform “Street Corner Serenade.” I bought that 45 with my own money when I was in eighth grade.

I had never heard Wet Willie perform “Airport” before. It features a really funky vibe, with Hirsch using a wah-wah pedal and great work by the Hurricane Horns.

“Everything That ’Cha Do” featured a nice muted trumpet solo. They also did “The Country Side of Life,” which features a great bassline by Jack.

They surprised the crowd by covering The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” as a tie-in to the Caution: Stones Ahead exhibit on display at the Renaissance.

I never get tired of “Keep On Smilin’.” It’s one of those songs that makes you perk up when it comes on the radio or music player.

They closed the show with “Grits Ain’t Groceries,” which also features a cool bassline, and “Shame, Shame, Shame.”

To close out Skydog – The Shoals Experience, Maggie Rose and her band took the stage. Maggie had her beautiful red Gibson ES-335.

Maggie recorded her 2021 album Have a Seat at FAME Studios with Ben Tanner of Alabama Shakes producing. Tanner also produced her 2024 album No One Gets Out Alive.

This was my third time seeing Maggie perform, and her shows just keep getting better and better. She embodies everything the Muscle Shoals sound is about.

“Used to It,” from her latest album, Half Moon, which was released on August 14, is a nice song in 6/8 time. It begins with a piano intro that later segues into a driving beat, with guitarist MP Gannon playing overdriven seventh chords and shapes. The song ends with a simple fadeout.

“What Are We Fighting For” features some great Reggie Young and Steve Cropper-inspired guitar, great Wurlitzer parts, and nice slide guitar from Gannon.

I love seeing Maggie perform Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” which she performed as a duet with Vince Gill in 2025. It’s my favorite song of hers.

“Gentle Man” is a song Maggie wrote for her son, who was born in 2025, and features the lyrics, “Build a better home on your father’s land, all you need to do before you understand, is be a gentle man.”

“Red Shoes,” also from Half Moon, has a nice retro vibe reminiscent of the ’80s, featuring muted guitar arpeggios, horn lines, and a cool solo by Gannon.

Skydog – The Shoals Experience was a memorable two days of fun and great music, and I hope it becomes an annual event.