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- Feb 26, 2007
I have heard about that-bathroom.- Specifically, I’d heard about the bathroom walls and door.
Whenever I’d pass along that famous “3614 Jackson Highway” address, I’d want to stop by and check it out.
That’s because the bathroom of the building at the address, the old Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, has an interesting history.
Noel Webster, who owns the building and is renovating it into a museum and working studio, said it all started with Johnny Wyker, member of a band called “American Eagles.”
“The story about it is in (music producer) Jerry Wexler’s book,” Webster says. Johnny Wyker took out his pocketknife and carved out “American Eagles” into the wall.”
Webster said Wexler was, well, let’s just say less than pleased about that. But it turned out to be the start of a tradition.
From then on, numerous musicians would write their names, usually in pen or marker, on the walls and door of the bathroom.
Since then, those plywood-looking panels have been removed, but not all have been destroyed.
Today, Webster is trying to preserve sections of that old wall. He already has several framed, and intends to do so for others that he has at the studio.
Webster showed me one section of the wall.
Within a matter of seconds, he was able to point out autographs by Donnie Fritts, Cat Stephens, David Hood, Spooner Oldham, former “Rolling Stones” guitarist Wayne Perkins and members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and-Blackfoot.
“Every time I look at it, I see something a little bit different,” Webster said. “I can’t believe it all survived.”
One of his favorite sections is called “Name the Nukes.” Webster is unsure how it originated, but wonders if it somehow is related to the group, “Nuke the Whales.”
Anyway, the section asks you to, as the section implies, name the nukes. That’s followed by an ongoing list: Nuke and Laura, Nuke Skywalker, Nuke Box, Nukes of Hazard — you get the idea.
Webster said that’s an example of the quirky things that provided fun breaks during recording sessions in the studio during the 1970s.
“That’s some of the silliness that was perpetuated here,” Webster said.
And how’s this for a little piece of history on the bathroom: Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger once locked himself in there for two hours and wrote the 1971 hit song, “Wild Horses,” in there.
I enjoyed the visit to the studio, and I’ll just bet I stop by some time again real soon.
Heck, after seeing the writing on the wall, wild horses couldn’t drag me away.
Staff Writer Bernie Delinski travels aimlessly throughout northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee in search of ideas for “Where’s Bernie?,” which appears Mondays and Fridays in the TimesDaily. He can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@timesdaily.com.
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