First operating under the name Young Country and later Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs.

1 singles, including "Love in the First Degree" (1981), "Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984) and "Song of the South" (1988).

[7] Owen and Gentry grew up on separate cotton farms on Lookout Mountain (a plateau that stretches across northeastern Alabama, through northwest Georgia and into Tennessee), learning guitar together and singing in church before the age of six.

[7] The band's first performance was at a high school talent contest (playing a Merle Haggard song), for which they won first prize and tickets to the Grand Ole Opry.

[9][8] Despite this, all were too busy with prior commitments to pursue music: Owen still in high school, Cook working for Western Electric, and Gentry laying carpets full-time.

[10][7] The park would bring in established stars, such as Jerry Wallace, Bobby Bare, and Narvel Felts, and the band would back them, afterwards performing a one-hour dance set.

[8] In March, the band relocated to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, performing six nights a week at a club named The Bowery for tips.

[7] Scott left the group at this time, and was replaced by Mark Herndon, a rock drummer later credited with bringing the band their signature sound.

[15] Their early chart successes led to an invitation to appear at the "New Faces" show at Nashville's annual Country Radio Seminar, along with other new acts, such as Reba McEntire.

"[13] Alabama enjoyed a great deal of creative freedom at RCA; they followed up "Tennessee River" with "Why Lady Why" despite the objections of executives and trade publications,[16] The song became their second number one on the charts.

[7] Although the band received unprecedented success, Owen's personal life was falling apart: his father died while he was on the road, affecting him greatly.

[23] RCA issued an Alabama Greatest Hits compilation in January 1986, which went over five times platinum,[22] making the band the most successful country act of the 1980s.

[26] The group's popularity was mostly eclipsed by more traditional-sounding artists such as Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, George Strait, and Dwight Yoakam.

[26] For 1989's Southern Star, the band decided to part ways with longtime producer Shedd, instead splitting production duties between Josh Leo and Larry Lee, and the other half with Barry Beckett.

"[28] Richard Carlin of Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary, suggested that the group's harmonies sounded dated to the new audience.

[30] The following year, the group released For the Record, a two-disc greatest hits compilation that contained two new singles — "How Do You Fall in Love" and "Keepin' Up".

[33] Despite this, the album's singles did not fare well in comparison to past successes, with only the title track becoming a top 15 hit, representing the band's last career peak.

"[12] The tour collected $15 million in box office before it even began, and Alabama performed to packed arenas from June to November 2003.

[35][36] Due to "extraordinary fan response and overwhelming ticket demand," the tour was extended for an additional 30 shows, running between February and June 2004.

[37] The group performed their "final" show in October 2004 in Bismarck, North Dakota, with Herndon jokingly declaring "I need a job" as the concert closed.

[39] In May 2008, the other members of the group sued Herndon for $202,670 in money allegedly overpaid to him three years earlier after the band's farewell tour concluded.

[12] Following a series of tornadoes destroying homes and businesses throughout their state in 2011, Alabama assembled a benefit concert in Birmingham, called Bama Rising.

[12] Featuring the band's first set since 2004, alongside Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley, the concert raised $2.1 million.

[43] In April 2017, guitarist Jeff Cook announced in a video that he would reduce the number of shows for which he would be in attendance while the band was on tour, due to his struggle with Parkinson's.

[29] Kurt Wolff described the band's appeal: "They're just rebel enough for the young folks, but their parents also dig the boys' pretty harmonies, sentimental soft spots, and old-fashioned family values.

[26] The band's incorporation of rock and roll into their sound was an inspiration for groups such as Restless Heart, Shenandoah, Exile, Diamond Rio, Lonestar, Ricochet, and the Mavericks.

[26] Prior to Alabama's unprecedented chart success, most country hit singles belonged to solo artists or duets.

[49] Despite their successes, Alabama's career was loathed by music critics of the day, citing the "vacuous songs and watered-down, middle-of-the-road arrangements" that blurred lines between country and pop.

[20] Beginning in 1982 and continuing until 1997, Alabama sponsored the June Jam, a music festival in Fort Payne, which at its peak drew 60,000 fans and raised millions for local charities.

[49] The group also held "Fan Appreciation Days", weekend events that included a golf tournament and a songwriters concert that raised money for charities in Fort Payne.