Alabama Shakes is an American rock band that formed in Athens in the state of Alabama (what a shocker), USA in 2009.
The band’s style can be described as a mixture of genres, from roots rock, Southern rock and garage rock to soul, Americana and blues rock. The group currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, keyboard player Ben Tanner and drummer Steve Johnson. Howard and Cockrell formed the band while still in high school together, find a calling playing roots rock. Early influences for the band include Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Otis Redding and AC/DC.
Alabama Shakes big breakthrough came when they released the four-song, self-entitled EP ‘Alabama Shakes’ in September 2011. This gained them media attention and earned them an invitation to play at the CMJ Music Marathon industry showcase in New York, a performance which was heavily praised by the press.
In November 2011, the band rose from relative obscurity to international stardom. The band was signed by Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom and ATO Records in the United States. Their debut album, ‘Boys & Girls’ was released in April 2012 and was an instant success: it achieved gold record status for sales of over half a million in the USA. The band has received several Grammy nominations for their work: the categories they were nominated for include Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance for their single ‘Hold On’, and Best Recording Package for ‘Boys & Girls’.
The Strokes
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