Chris Reali, Ph.D. 2014

Advisor: Jocelyn Neal

Dissertation Title: Making Music in Muscle Shoals

Find it in the library here.

Dissertation Abstract:

Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is a unique site for studying the complex intertwining of music, race, and the American South. Exploring this site reveals how and why the music recorded in Muscle Shoals became integral to the cultural framework within 1960s and ‘70s America. By incorporating close analysis of key soul music recordings, original interviews, and recently discovered archival material, my dissertation represents a new chapter in soul music scholarship. The period considered, 1960 through 1975, includes the ascension, dominance, and decline of soul music on the pop music charts, as well as Muscle Shoals’ transition from soul mecca to pop music hit factory. I use two methodologies: (1) musical analysis, (2) ethnographic research, and two case studies. In the first I foreground the contributions of the all white studio musicians to identify the musical elements that characterize the so-called Muscle Shoals sound. My conclusions challenge the often narrowly-focused associations between race and soul music, and revise the place of Muscle Shoals within the narrative of an “authentic” (black) Southern musical past. 

Dr. Reali is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he specializes in teaching about the music industry. His research focuses on relationships between local music scenes and the national music industry; his dissertation work on Muscle Shoals remains a primary source for his publications and presentations. He has also worked as an instrument technician for touring artists including Christ Whitley and David Gray.