Remember When Alabama Scored Their First No. 1 Hit Back in 1980?

By the time Alabama released their debut album, My Home’s In Alabama, the group, made up of cousins Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry, and Jeff Cook, had already been making music in their home state of, not surprisingly, Alabama. In fact, they had a moderate radio hit with “I Wanna Be With You Tonight”, from Deuces Wild, the second of the band’s three albums that they released independently.

Videos by American Songwriter

In 1980, Alabama released My Home’s In Alabama, their first project on a major record label.  Joined by drummer Mark Herndon, the record includes “I Wanna Come Over” and the album’s title track, both of which became hits on the radio. But it’s “Tennessee River”, the first single that their new record label, RCA Records, pushed to radio, which became Alabama’s first of many songs to hit No. 1. 

Owen wrote “Tennessee River” by himself. The song is inspired by Owen’s love of the famous river, which runs through Alabama. “Tennessee River” says, “Oh, Tennessee River and a mountain man / We get together anytime we can / Oh, Tennessee River and a mountain man / We play together in Mother Nature’s band.”

The Story Behind “Tennessee River” by Alabama

Owen drew on personal experience and his own childhood memories when writing “Tennessee River”.

“Beginning when I was about three or four, Daddy used to drive me over to Scottsboro, Alabama, about thirty miles from home, every first Monday for a big open sale called First Monday,” Owen recounts. “They sold and swapped everything—dogs, cows, cats, goats, sheep, hunting knives. You name it. People would come from all over, and even area politicians would show up at First Monday to press the flesh.”

“Coming off of Sand Mountain near Scottsboro, you could see the majestic Tennessee River flowing by,” he adds. “That’s where the song of the same name, ‘Tennessee River’, came from, taking in that view on the way to First Monday.”

By the end of 1980, Alabama would have their second No. 1 single, with “Why Lady Why”, the follow-up to “Tennessee River”. Beginning with “Tennessee River”, Alabama had eight consecutive No. 1 singles. Interrupted only by “Christmas In Dixie” in 1982, Alabama continued their chart-topping streak with 13 more songs that went all the way to No. 1. The group has an impressive career total of 43 songs to become No. 1 singles. In 1981, Alabama had its first Top 10 pop hit, with “Feels So Right”.

Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images