Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry. They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook. 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. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a recording deal.
"Rocky Top" is an American country and bluegrass song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967 and first recorded by the Osborne Brothers later that same year. The song, which is a city dweller's lamentation over the loss of a simpler and freer existence in the hills of Tennessee, is one of Tennessee's eleven official state songs and has been recorded by dozens of artists from multiple musical genres worldwide since its publication. In U.S. college athletics, "Rocky Top" is associated with the Tennessee Volunteers of the University of Tennessee (UT), whose Pride of the Southland Band has played a marching band version of the song at the school's sporting events since the early 1970s.
The University of Alabama is a school with many traditions. This article describes several of these traditions.
The Auburn Tigers football program represents Auburn University in the sport of American college football. Auburn competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The Third Saturday in October is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama and the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee. The respective campuses are located approximately 310 miles (500 km) apart. It is known as the Third Saturday in October because the game was traditionally played at such date prior to the 1992 football season, when the Southeastern Conference (SEC) split into its East and West divisions. From 1995 to 2024, it has only been scheduled on that date 9 times. Alabama leads the series 59–40–8. At 40 wins, Tennessee has more victories over Alabama than any other program in college football. Likewise, at 59 wins, Alabama has more victories over Tennessee than any other program in college football.
U.S. Route 11W (US 11W) is the western branch of US 11 from the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee/Bristol, Virginia, where US 11 splits into US 11E and US 11W, to Knoxville, Tennessee, where the two highways rejoin. The highway serves the Appalachia region's Ridge-and-Valley section of East Tennessee, bounded by the Clinch Mountain ridge to the north and the Holston River to the south. US 11W from Bristol to Bean Station and Blaine to Knoxville are designated as part of the National Highway System.
"Elvira" is a song written and originally recorded by Dallas Frazier in 1966 on his album of the same name. Though a minor hit for Frazier at the time of release, the song became a bigger and much more famous country and pop hit by the Oak Ridge Boys in 1981. "Elvira" is now considered one of the Oak Ridge Boys' signature songs.
For the Record: 41 Number One Hits is a two-disc greatest hits album by the American country pop and southern rock band Alabama, released in 1998.
Livin' Lovin' Rockin' Rollin': The 25th Anniversary Collection is a three-disc box set chronicling the career of country music band Alabama. It contains 51 tracks, dating from their earliest days as a recording act in 1973 through September 2000.
The 1901 Alabama Crimson White football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1901 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The team was led by head coach M. S. Harvey, in his first season, and played their home games at The Quad in Tuscaloosa and one game each at Highland Park in Montgomery and at West End Park in Birmingham, Alabama. In what was the ninth season of Alabama football, the team finished with a record of two wins, one loss and two ties.
The 1903 Alabama Crimson White football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1903 college football season. The team was led by head coach W. A. Blount, in his first season, and played their home games at The Quad in Tuscaloosa and at West End Park in Birmingham, Alabama. In what was the eleventh season of Alabama football, the team finished with a record of three wins and four losses. Alabama did not have another losing season until their 1951 season.
The 1906 Alabama Crimson White football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1906 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. It was Alabama's 14th overall and 11th season as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The team was led by head coach J. W. H. Pollard, in his first year, and played their home games at both the University of Alabama Quad in Tuscaloosa and the Birmingham Fairgrounds in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of five wins and one loss.
The Closer You Get... is the seventh studio album by American country music band Alabama, released in March 1983. All three singles from this album — "The Closer You Get", "Lady Down on Love" and "Dixieland Delight" — reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1983. The album itself reached number ten on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's highest-charting album. Considered a stylistic move towards a more pop-friendly sound, the album was described as a mix of "easy listening" country pop and neotraditional country by AllMusic's Vik Iyengar.
Alabama Live is the first live album by the American band Alabama. Released in 1988, it became a Number One album on Top Country Albums chart, marking their inaugural live compilation. The album features live renditions of various singles from the band's career, along with album tracks "Red River", "Fireworks" and "Gonna Have a Party". Additionally, the album includes is a cover of the Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See", track never before featured on any of Alabama's studio albums.
The 1961 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1961 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 67th overall and 28th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his fourth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished season undefeated with eleven wins, with a victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl and as consensus national champions. The 1961 national championship was the first of the six that Bear Bryant would win as head coach of the Crimson Tide.
The 1959 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1959 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 65th overall and 26th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his second year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and at Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished with a record of seven wins, two losses and two ties and with a loss against Penn State in the inaugural Liberty Bowl.
The 1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1939 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 46th overall and 7th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of five wins, three losses and one tie.
Randall "Ronnie" Rogers is an American country music singer and songwriter. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rogers charted eight singles on the Billboard country charts, including the top 40 hits "Gonna Take My Angel Out Tonight" and "My Love Belongs to You". He recorded for the Lifesong, Epic and MTM labels.
"Old Alabama" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Brad Paisley, featuring guest vocals from the band Alabama. It was released in March 2011 as second single from Paisley's 2011 album This Is Country Music.
"I Hate Alabama" is a 2021 song by American country music singer Conner Smith. Released on October 8, 2021 as a promotional single, the song is about the heartbreak of a broken romantic relationship that was ended in the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama that Smith had experienced, comparing it to the Third Saturday in October college football rivalry. The song would later go viral within the college football fanbase, gaining millions of streams on social media platforms and resulting in Smith signing a record deal with Big Machine. It was later included on Smith's debut studio album, Smoky Mountains (2024).
