The album that got Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard into classic rock
During her time with the now-on-hiatus (and possibly broken up) southern rockers Alabama Shakes, lead singer Brittany Howard managed to blend genres like it was easy. With elements of classic groups like The Allman Brothers Band rubbing elbows with pop and southern-fried soul music, Howard was a force to be reckoned with. Refusing to be pigeonholed, Howard instead found a unique voice all her own.
But that’s not to say there weren’t traces of other acts in her DNA. It’s no surprise that singers like Al Green and David Bowie have informed Howard’s tastes and approach to music, but what band sparked her love of rock and roll? That would be Pink Floyd, the heady British progressive rockers who were required listening for any and all music fans. It’s not shocking which album Howard heard first: The Dark Side of The Moon.
“I think I was 13 when I first heard this and it got me into music,” Howard told The Guardian when asked to name some of her most formative albums in 2012. ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ was playing with this lady screaming on it. I was like, ‘What is this?’ and then there’s a wave and the music crashes in.”
“I’d never heard anything like that before. It got me really interested in what other types of music might be out there,” Howard explained. “Before that, I didn’t really dig for music: music found me. After hearing it, I got into classic rock and found bands such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Black Sabbath.”
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Howard found The Dark Side of The Moon. With more than 45 million copies of the album sold, pretty much everyone in the Western world has a copy of Dark Side lying around somewhere. It’s a favourite of music fans from all walks of life, even for a young black girl in Alabama.
But what about formative Alabama-centric music? For that recommendation, Howard went with the 2011 album Swagger by Detroit indie rockers Fly Golden Eagle. “This album reminds me a lot of where I’m from,” Howard explained. “We’re not bumpkins, but we’re not city kids and this album is kind of like that in-between phase where your idea of a good time is going to a hotel and drinking cheap whiskey by the pool that you’re not supposed to be in. It’s very free and each song is different. I like anybody who does things their own way.”
Check out ‘Money’ down below.
