Release - Ford Concert Series at AMALIE Arena Kicks Off With Alabama's "Southern Drawl Tour 2017" On Sunday, May 28

Your local Ford Dealers and AMALIE® Arena kick off the Ford Concert Series with ALABAMA with very special guest The Charlie Daniels Band on Sunday, May 28 at 7:00 PM.

From humble beginnings picking cotton in the fields to international stars that went on to sell 73 million albums while changing the face and sound of country music, ALABAMA, hits the road with the “Southern Drawl Tour 2017”. 

It's been over 40 years since Randy, Jeff and Teddy, left the cotton farms of Fort Payne, Alabama, to spend the summer playing in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina bar. Since, ALABAMA has changed everything – they brought country music to the mainstream and from side stage to the main stage. ALABAMA introduced rock style guitars, lights, pyrotechnics and sounds to the country audience.

"We were renegades in sneakers and T-shirts," says Teddy. "We had long hair and played loud and some of the country folks resisted us for a while. But then of course they did accept us and then after that, our success made it lots easier for other bands to try it in country music," concluded Gentry. Bands benefitting from that breakthrough include Zac Brown Band, Florida Georgia Line and Eli Young Band. They have also inspired many of today’s brightest country stars including Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan as well as pop and rock stars from Ed Sheeran to Jon Bon Jovi.

ALABAMA’s reach goes far beyond their impact on other artists; their music is timeless and can be heard today as a part of every cover band’s set list in nearly every college town in America.

While their music continues to stand the test of time, their numbers and stats are beyond compare. They have charted 43 #1 singles including 21 #1 singles in a row, a record that will likely never be surpassed in any genre. They have won over 178 CMA Awards, Grammy Awards, ACM Awards and counting. They’ve earned 21 Gold®, Platinum® and Multi-Platinum® albums and were named the RIAA's Country Group of the Century. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They are also world-class philanthropists who have raised over 250 Million dollars for charity.

But the boys from Fort Payne are not content to rest on past glories. To much acclaim the band released a new studio album SOUTHERN DRAWL in 2015 landing on the cover of USA Today, in People Magazine, Rolling Stone and Country Weekly. Adding a new chapter to an already iconic legacy can be a little tricky, but the album skillfully walks the line between the fresh and familiar, featuring a potent collection of songs for a new generation of Alabama lovers while also giving longtime fans plenty of reasons to rejoice.

Quality songs that have become the soundtrack for American life are the foundation for Alabama’s stellar career. That standard of excellence continues on Southern Drawl. Whether it’s a wistful ballad about a musician missing his lover on the road such as “Come Find Me,” the emotional honesty of “I Wanna Be There,” their heartfelt tribute to working class America in “American Farmer” or just the rowdy, groove-laden fun of “Hillbilly Wins the Lotto Money,” each song on Southern Drawl is a snapshot of life vividly brought into focus by three masters of their craft.

As they have for over forty years, ALABAMA continues to “Roll On.”

ABOUT THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND:

From his Dove Award winning gospel albums to his genre-defining Southern rock anthems and his CMA Award-winning country hits, few artists have left a more indelible mark on America’s musical landscape than Charlie Daniels. An outspoken patriot, beloved mentor to young artists and still a road warrior at age 80, Charlie has parlayed his passion for music into a multi-platinum career and a platform to support the military, underprivileged children and others in need.

Over the course of his career, Charlie has received numerous accolades, including his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame (2016), the Musicians Hall of Fame and becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was presented the Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music and was honored as a BMI Icon in recognition of his songwriting. He also received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame.