Dixieland Delight: See Alabama Through the Years [Pictures]
Alabama is one of the most influential groups in country music history.
Randy Owen, Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry formed the group in 1969, calling themselves Wild Country before rocketing to fame as Alabama in the '70s and '80s.
Their first No. 1 single, "Tennessee River," hit the radio in 1980, sparking a massive career that includes 21 consecutive No. 1 hits. Just some of the group's career-defining hits include "Mountain Music," "Dixieland Delight," "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" and "Song of the South," all of which are instantly recognizable as Alabama classics.
In addition to a string of chart-topping hits, the group also earned a number of awards for their work. The group members have taken home a combined total of 24 ACM, CMA and Grammy Awards over their multi-decade career, claiming the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMAs three years in a row, as well as earning the same prize at the ACM Awards five times.
Additionally, the group belongs to some of the industry's most respected organizations, with an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and a star on the Music City Walk of Fame alongside fellow superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, Jimi Hendrix and more.
With more than 75 million albums sold and more than 30 records hitting No. 1 on the Billboard charts, Alabama has become one of the most successful bands of all time. The band made a comeback with their 2014 album, Southern Drawl, which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, and a 2016 tour of the same name.
The band announced in April of 2017 that Jeff Cook was battling Parkinson's Disease and would no longer be able to tour as a member full time. Cook died on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the age of 73, ten years after he was diagnosed and five years after he stepped away from Alabama.
Scroll through the gallery to see some of the groundbreaking group's greatest moments and relive Alabama's tremendous musical legacy.