On This Day in 1982, an Iconic Country Band Released Their Most Successful Album—Spending 7 Months at No. 1 and Selling Millions Despite a Critical Error

On this day (February 25) in 1982, Alabama released Mountain Music. Less than two months later, it reached the top of the chart, where it stayed for 28 weeks. The album has also been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA for the sales of 5 million units. Moreover, the LP produced multiple No. 1 singles, adding to the band’s years-long streak of chart-toppers. Initial LP pressings were mastered at a slower speed than intended. However, reissues corrected the error.

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Few country artists or bands have experienced the kind of success that Randy Owen and company found in the early 1980s. They released three albums on independent labels in the 1970s. All of them failed to chart. Then, in 1980, they released their major label debut, My Home’s in Alabama, and it reached No. 3 on the country albums chart. “Tennessee River,” the second single from that LP, became their first No. 1. Moreover, it was the first in a string of 21 consecutive chart-toppers.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1982, Alabama Released a No. 1 Hit That Took Three Years To Write and Features a Few Appalachian References]

The band saw similar success on the country albums chart. Their second major-label release, and fifth overall, reached the top of the chart, where it stayed for 28 nonconsecutive weeks between 1981 and 1982. Mountain Music saw the same success between 1982 and 1983. The rest of their studio albums in the 1980s topped the country chart. Moreover, they all earned at least one Platinum certification. However, Mountain Music proved to be their best-selling LP of the decade. It was the only release to be certified Platinum five times.

Alabama Scores Their First Platinum Single with “Mountain Music”

When they released “Mountain Music” as the album’s lead single, Alabama was already on a hot streak. They had already notched four No. 1 singles. Two of those were certified Gold by the RIAA. Then, the title track from their 1982 album became their first Platinum single.

On paper, “Mountain Music” is an unlikely hit. It blends country, Southern rock, and bluegrass. Today, genre fans know that’s a winning combination. At the time, though, it seemed like a risk. To make things even more uncertain, the song includes a drum solo.

The band’s label initially doubted the song’s potential as a single due to the drum solo, but the band stuck to their guns and pushed for the track’s release. At the same time, Randy Owen refused to remove the drum solo because it was practical.

“The reason I wrote the drum solo part of it was so that Jeff [Cook] would have time to put down the guitar and pick up the fiddle,” he explained.

In a way, “Mountain Music” was more than a hit song. It became an example of how successful Alabama could be when they followed their artistic vision and thought outside of Nashville’s box.

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