Hey everybody! Everyone knows that 2020 has been an unprecedented and tough year for all, and we want you to know that we are thinking of you. We want to give a shout-out to everyone affected by COVID-19, including people in the service industry and anyone who has struggled to maintain a living through the last 10 months. Also, a special thank you to all healthcare workers who continue to help us get through this terrible pandemic.

Our artists, Billy Lawson, Ed Hill and Lance Dubroc are all looking forward to 2021 with new material they have written over the last several months. One silver lining to this year is that artists and creative types have had a lot more time to devote to their passion of writing meaningful lyrics and memorable melodies, so we can’t wait for y’all to hear what they’ve been working on. Our in-house producer Billy Lawson has been busy at our home-base of Wishbone Studios, creating music that you’ll get to hear next year. Billy has been so busy that we had to postpone his “Joke of the Week” for the time being. We are also looking forward to a relaunch of all of our artists to give them a fresh start in the coming year.

Hope everyone has a very happy and healthy holiday season, and a wonderful new year. We are all looking forward to new horizons in 2021, and we can’t wait to share the joy with all of our friends and fans.

Everyone who knows our in-house producer Billy Lawson knows that he’s always quick with a joke for any occasion. He never misses an opportunity to crack wise at anything or anyone! We here at Muscle Shoals Recordings took notice of Billy’s quick-fire wit and thought it would be a shame to let his jokes go without being immortalized in some way, so now we’re introducing…

Billy’s Joke of the Day! A few times a week, we’ll be posting a video to our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/muscleshoalsrecordings of our renaissance man Billy doing one of the many things he does best, making us laugh! Keep a check on our Facebook in the next couple of weeks and you’ll have a daily dose of comedy in your feed from one of the masters. Stay tuned!

Just in time for the beginning of the holidays, Lance Dubroc will be releasing his cover of “Please Come Home for Christmas” on Friday, November 6th. You can find it at https://youtu.be/msYV-76XcXo when it releases.

The song was written by Charles Brown in 1960, and made famous again when The Eagles covered it in 1978. Lance brings us a soulful new rendition of this Christmas classic to brighten up what has been a very dim 2020. We here at Muscle Shoals Recordings are wishing everyone a happy and bright Christmas season & a healthy and prosperous New Year.

As much talent and wisdom Billy Lawson has in writing and playing music, he has also made a name for himself in the world of music production. Billy loves the whole process, starting from the initial idea, and ending with the release of the final cut. While he has had his own songs recorded and produced by others, he has also done the same for artists near and far.

“I didn’t realize I was producing, but when you have an artist copy and record your songs, that’s what being a producer is.”

As music evolves with the times, production must also evolve. Billy has had his share of trial and error, and his lessons learned along the way have helped him find the perfect sound to match the songs of today.

“The mix has to evolve with the song now, and get more interesting, paying more attention to the music and not just the lyrics alone is where it’s at in today’s business. ”

One of Billy’s most recently produced projects is one worth the listen. “My Friend Fred” written by Billy and Ed Hill was produced in Wishbone Studios and recorded by Sammy Kershaw. The cut is on rotation at several radio stations across the US, in addition to plenty of country playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.

Billy’s trained ear for music and talented writing style draw numerous artists to his studio. He perfects his craft daily and constantly expresses his gratitude about getting to do what he loves every day. Being a producer is just another tool in the Swiss army knife that is Billy Lawson.

by Katie Crowder

As Billy Lawson’s love for music developed at a young age, he would later try his turn at writing music as well. His music has made it to the charts and even topped them a handful of times. 

Billy’s chart-topping number ones through the years have been “Learning As You Go” by Rick Trevino and “I Left Something Turned On at Home” by Trace Adkins. Along with these two toe-tapping songs, Billy’s name can be found attached to pieces recorded by George Strait, Blake Shelton, Lonestar, Lee Ann Womack, and Shenandoah.

“My writing is the most important thing to me, it’s what got me in the business. I love writing the song, and then getting to record it.” 

Billy Lawson

Though he couldn’t remember the very first song he wrote, (but who could with as many as Billy has written?) he does reminisce on his first cut, “A Work of Art” with Wayne Counts, Bob Garfrerick, Larry Gallant, Benny Wilson, and TG Sheppard. 

The writing process is an art, as Billy calls it, and like any art, you have to continuously craft it and deliver it from the heart. If you don’t use it, you lose it, and that’s why writing is a muscle that Billy says has to be exercised every day. 

Billy’s most recent accomplishment is a song he wrote with Ed Hill, the writer of Trace Adkin’s “Just Fishin’.” The pair’s song “My Friend Fred,” about the struggle of watching a friend struggle with addiction, has been recorded by Sammy Kershaw, and is being played on Country Music playlists on all streaming platforms. 

Billy Lawson is a Muscle Shoals jack-of-all-trades type. From playing music to writing music, he is passionate about the industry and constantly delivers new tunes to his fellow country music lovers.  

by Katie Crowder

Since Billy Lawson was 8 years old, music has been the fuel to his existence. As a boy, beer joints and small stages were where he found his voice. One of his most fond memories tells the story of 8-year-old Billy at Little Ponderosa in “Rascal Town,”  Tennessee, where the owner of the club, WR Morris, jokingly boasts that he discovered Billy.

With musical talent comes performance and recordings. In 1988, at Epic Records, Billy was the first to record “Friends in Low Places,” the catchy tune made famous by two-time Grammy-winning country music artist Garth Brooks. Along with “Friends in Low Places,” Billy also recorded Alan Jackson’s first hit, “Blue Blooded Woman” and shortly after, received a thank you from Alan himself for recording it.

Loving music is one thing, but working in the music industry is something only a few can claim. Billy’s start in the music industry came rather unconventionally. Terry Woodford, Wishbone’s original owner, needed a helping hand on a project but lacked the room to hire Billy. One day as Billy was riding along with his bandmate to on-the-job training, he was offered an opportunity for a small job which also required the same on-the-job training. A month later, as Billy was still looking for a job, he remembered the benefits of that same on-the-job training, and how they would assist in payment if he could just get someone to hire him. So, Billy gave a call back to Terry Woodford, and the rest is history. Billy became the musician he is today by way of a blue-collar on-the-job training course and has never looked back.

Billy’s musical career has taken many different roads. These avenues and music ventures have brought him to where he is now, owning and recording in Wishbone Studios. Billy calls Muscle Shoals home, where he continues to feed his musician’s soul by assisting other artists as well as continuing in his own craft.

by Katie Crowder

Since July 3^rd, Lance Dubroc’s fans have been enthralled by the sound of the first single, “I Don’t Want To Lose You, Anna”. The single is being received as well as an artist could hope. Original writer, Mark Sherrill complimented the single saying Dubroc’s cut is his favorite version of the song. Mark also wrote “Ol’ Red,” a hit for Blake Shelton.

Dubroc is pleased with the success of the single, just two weeks after the release, “I’ve been contacted by numerous Annas from Louisiana, and they love it.”

One fan, Ms. Robbie, reached out to Dubroc saying, “I think this is going to be the song that puts you over the top.”

The album has, so far, been met with other great reviews as well:

“Lance’s latest recordings are indelible roots recordings that seamlessly blend country, R&B, pop, and soul.”

Johnathan Berstein, Research Editor at Rolling Stone

“Carrying on in the tradition of Gulf Coast Blue-Eyed Soul singer/songwriters like Bobby Charles and Jimmy Donley, Lance Dubroc is the real deal. In his latest album Sunny Days, Dubroc brings his South Louisiana roots to Muscle Shoals to create a unique sound that represents the best of both worlds.”

Red Kelly, Cosimocode.com

“I Don’t Want To Lose You Anna”  is an essential addition to your daily playlist, and it is just the beginning of more great things to come out of Louisiana and Muscle Shoals, from Lance Dubroc. The single is available on all streaming platforms.

by Katie Crowder

The town of Muscle Shoals has, without a doubt, one of the most recognizable names in musical entertainment and has given birth to many great records both new and old. The “Hit Recording Capital of the World” is known for legendary names like Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Percy Sledge and more. In the mix of the rich history and exciting stories found around this southern small town, sits a major contributor to the many sounds coming from Muscle Shoals. 

Established in 1976 by songwriter and musician Terry Woodford, Wishbone Studios is home to many big hits and familiar tunes. Billy Lawson, a singer, songwriter, and producer is the proud owner of the building that holds the thick history behind the recognizable wishbone showcased on the front of the building. 

Muscle Shoals prides itself on the numerous records both written and recorded in the city. Wishbone was the first 24-track recorder in the Shoals area where artists, Mac McAnally, a 7- time CMA Country Musician of the Year, spent the beginning of his career honing his craft and co-writing and demoing Alabama’s “Old Flame”.  Other projects like the popular throwback, “Family Tradition” by Hank Williams Jr. is one well-known hit cut at Wishbone, along with Roy Orbison’s “Laminar Flow”. These are sure to ring a bell to a long time country music lover. 

Exploring the possibilities for musical growth, Muscle Shoals Recordings is the most recent addition to Wishbone Studios. A talented trio made up of music professionals, Mike O’Rear, Billy Lawson and James Wright, MSR LLC provides marketing, distributing, publishing, production, merchandising, and creative intelligence to its clients and their success. MSR LLC is eagerly building its name with artists like Lance Dubroc, Alecia Elliott, and Ed Hill, to keep the sound of Muscle Shoals proudly booming and attractive to the Shoals area.  

Testing… 1, 2, 3. Hello, and welcome to our blog! Since the creation of Muscle Shoals Recordings, the Shoals area’s newest record label, we’ve been hard at work coming up with brand-new content for you, the listener, to enjoy. However, before we can talk about what we’ve been cooking up, we thought we’d give you a quick little history of who we are and what we do:

Muscle Shoals Recordings is the brainchild of industry veterans Mike O’Rear, Billy Lawson, and James Wright. It is a culmination of all the work that the three have been putting into the music industry throughout their careers. We’re so proud to have such a talented trio to lead us towards the future of the Shoals music industry, and to show the world what they’ve been missing!

So, what’s new? We’ve
been working hard on pictures, video and new music by our three current
artists, Billy Lawson, Ed Hill and Alecia Elliott.  We’re also hoping to produce a documentary on
the start-up of the new label, behind-the-scenes footage of our day-to-day
activities, and footage shot on the studio floor, so you can feel as though
you’re a part of the action. Thanks to all our fans for all of your support, we
couldn’t do it without all of you!

And as always, STAY
TUNED!