July 26, 1990

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame had its grand opening on July 26, 1990. Over 35,000 music fans were in attendance for the unveiling. The Muscle Shoals Music Association and Alabama legislators wanted to honor the state’s rich musical history, so they approved a $2.5 million bond to fund the construction. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame honors an abundant array of musicians across all genres and includes exhibits, memorabilia and showcases. More than 50 Alabamians have been inducted since its unveiling. The hall of fame is in Tuscumbia.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia was conceived by the Muscle Shoals Music Association in the 1980s to honor accomplished Alabama musicians. The hall’s popular music section, pictured here, is marked by a 12-foot-tall jukebox. (Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

The Sam Phillips and Sun Records display at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia, Colbert County. A Florence native, Phillips was a record producer who worked with such talents as Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Justin Dubois)

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Tuscumbia, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Tuscumbia, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.