Fame Recording Studios
Fame Recording Studios
4.5
09:00 - 10:00, 16:00 - 17:00
Monday
09:00 - 10:00
16:00 - 17:00
Tuesday
09:00 - 10:00
16:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
09:00 - 10:00
16:00 - 17:00
Thursday
09:00 - 10:00
16:00 - 17:00
Friday
09:00 - 10:00
16:00 - 17:00
Saturday
10:00 - 14:00
About
FAME Music was established in 1959 and has gone on to be the heartbeat of the Muscle Shoals Sound with entities including FAME Publishing, FAME Recording Studios, FAME Records and Muscle Shoals Records. FAME moved to Muscle Shoals in 1961. FAME has worked in the studio with some of the Greatest artists in Rock music history. Artists such as Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Otis Redding, the Osmonds, Jerry Reed, Alabama, Mac Davis, the Gatlin Brothers, Bobbie Gentry and many others. More recently FAME has recorded projects for The Gregg Allman Band, Third Day, Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Aloe Blacc, Chord Overstreet, Keb Mo, John Paul White, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Matisyahu, Band of Horses, Drive by Truckers, Bettye Lavette, Cyril Neville, the Civil Wars, Anderson East and Jamey Johnson to name a few.
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  • Hal W
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A worthwhile experience.
    Well worth the time to visit. If you like music, you will enjoy the tour where so much music was made. I would recommend watching the documentary before you go to get an idea of the history there. Our guide was one of the engineers and was very knowledgeable about the history and technology used there.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 26 June 2023
  • Spmmik53
    Purley, United Kingdom638 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    One of the recording house greats in the recording capital of the world
    This is a large dynamic working studio. There are only two tours daily as the studios are in near constant use. The tour takes the best part of an hour. Great history and tales shared with our tour guide.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 20 July 2023
  • abroadwithashley
    Minneapolis, Minnesota1,444 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Make sure to visit both studios!
    The two famous studios have tours lined up to complement each other. We started at Fame at 09:00 (just after) and were able to get to the 10:30 tour at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio without issue. This should be your first of the two as this is where the story begins. Actually, the documentary should be where you begin, but that’s something else. Regardless, the standard tour is $20 a person and last about 45 minutes. The tour takes place across the two studios. They are both focused on the history of the studio, but also on the actual process of recording and the more minute aspects of that topic. Interesting to any musician, but maybe a bit less so for others. In the second you are able to listen to some of the classics recorded here which is quite the experience. Overall, recommended.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 10 October 2023
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4.5
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Ruth
Prattville, AL7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
We were curious about Rick Hall’s studio after watching
The documentary entitled “Muscle Shouls”. Although we didn’t do the longer Backstage Pass, we learned much about the many musicians who traveled to this little out of the way place to record some of the biggest hits of the past 50 years.
Written 29 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen R
Baltimore, MD422 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
Using my Discover points, I splurged on the VIP tour and was glad I did.

It takes you into Rick Hall's office and you can just feel the deals that were made there. You'll learn a lot about what's behind the curtain in the music industry.

Written 24 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

abroadwithashley
Minneapolis, MN1,444 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
The two famous studios have tours lined up to complement each other. We started at Fame at 09:00 (just after) and were able to get to the 10:30 tour at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio without issue. This should be your first of the two as this is where the story begins. Actually, the documentary should be where you begin, but that’s something else. Regardless, the standard tour is $20 a person and last about 45 minutes. The tour takes place across the two studios. They are both focused on the history of the studio, but also on the actual process of recording and the more minute aspects of that topic. Interesting to any musician, but maybe a bit less so for others. In the second you are able to listen to some of the classics recorded here which is quite the experience. Overall, recommended.
Written 10 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ryssee2018
Boston, MA16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
I love live music. Southern rock, Motown, and music in general, and watched the Muscle Shoals music documentary when it came out. I was taking a road trip this spring without much of an agenda. I was in Little Rock, Arkansas planning my next stop, and I pulled out a paper map and saw that Muscle Shoals was a short-enough drive away and I just knew I had to visit.

The night before the tour I re-watched the documentary. My watch was set to the wrong time so I got there an hour early for my all-access tour. As I approached the studios I had to laugh at the fact that they're located next to a CVS across the street from AutoZone, with a Coca-Cola truck pulling in for a delivery, right on the main strip of in-town businesses. It was hidden in plain sight. Then I went in to wait for my tour time and sat inside near the gift shop. I looked around, picked out some tees and CDs and chatted off and on with a really cool young man - the employee who turned out to be our guide - before I realized I was an hour early.

The tour is comprehensive, there's a ton of memorabilia in the building. If you're a fan of American music, you must put this place on your bucket list. I got to see the recording studios and the instruments played on recordings like the ones by Aretha Franklin, Gregg Allman, and Alicia Keys, among so many others. Duane Allman used to sleep in the parking lot outside until they let him sleep in one of the studios inside when he became one of the studio musicians. This place will blow your mind and I highly recommend watching or re-watching the documentary before your tour.

The tour isn't cheap, but it's well-priced for what you get to see. I paid $40 for the full tour, and there are tickets priced at $20 for a tour with less access. There's a tip jar for the tour guide, so if you have a few bucks to give on top of the ticket price, you should do so.

My advice is to visit before this area becomes another Nashville with super expensive prices and a Disney vibe. My mid-priced hotel was affordable at <$100 per night all-in, and there are plenty of affordable restaurants and many are local with good food and friendly service. Grocery store prices are less expensive than where I live in the Northeast. The shopping is like normal shopping with Walmart, grocery stores, clothing shops, some local second-hand places, and no tourist gift shops and candy stores. The vibe in the area is "normal people & families actually live, work, and attend college here." The nearby towns of Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and the cute college town of Florence feel like visiting a normal place like your own hometown.

There are also other interesting places to sightsee nearby. Helen Keller house, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, WC Handy home & museum. A Frank Lloyd Write home to tour. A phenomenal park by the Tennessee River with a playground, hiking, walking trails, with picnic tables near the dam where the bird-watching is pretty darned cool.
Written 26 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Spmmik53
Purley, UK638 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
This is a large dynamic working studio.
There are only two tours daily as the studios are in near constant use.
The tour takes the best part of an hour. Great history and tales shared with our tour guide.
Written 20 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kate C
Tunkhannock, PA236 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Solo
Interesting spot with a lot of good commentary from the staff. Small building thus not suitable for large groups at one time. Steps too.
Written 9 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hal W
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Family
Well worth the time to visit. If you like music, you will enjoy the tour where so much music was made. I would recommend watching the documentary before you go to get an idea of the history there.
Our guide was one of the engineers and was very knowledgeable about the history and technology used there.
Written 26 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ann
Novato, CA9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
The history and stories of the legends that were recorded at the FAME studio are fascinating. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and obviously loves t h e studio.
Written 21 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mickey R
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
Amazing music history experience. The music industry and so many genres were impacted by the passion that started Fame
Written 26 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EmilyZ
9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Family
Great experience - the tour guides are knowledgeable and friendly. It almost felt like Aretha was in the room when they played her songs. So much history here and well worth a visit.
Written 4 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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FAME RECORDING STUDIOS: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Fame Recording Studios