Muscle Shoals Meets the 70s rewind

Part 18: An offer you can’t refuse

Muscle Shoals Meets the 70s was somewhat of an educational experience for me. Truth is, I dismissed a lot of 70s radio songs because I hadn't lived enough life to actually “get” them. Case in point: I always thought Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years" was just a throwaway dude song by a filler rock band. Boy, was I wrong. That'll teach me.

With Scott Todd singing (stellar) lead, the Shoals Sisters PLUS Lenny LeBlanc singing backup, Cissy Guin giving that saucy 70s jam band percussive swagger, and Kelvin “Godfather Fiddle” Holly telling the story via his trusty guitar, this sixth performance of night one, set two of MSM the 70s left me stunned.

Listen, Godfather Fiddle jerked a knot in my tail more than once over Labor Day weekend 2025 and this one had me gobsmacked. Until this live performance of “Reelin’ in the Years” — a song I’m sure I’ve heard in excess of ten thousand times in my lifetime — it never seemed like anything special to me at all. I've been schooled in Godfather Fiddle's classroom, friends. Turns out, this song is kind of a big deal.

Thanks to these Shoals music legends, it was as if I was hearing this song for the first time. Experiencing these powerhouse performers loving this song and loving each other — allowing us to live inside this beautiful moment with them — was absolutely enlightening.

It’s always surprising to me how live music is just a different animal. You know how people say the secret ingredient in a dish is love? Yeah. Same goes for live music. When artists love what they do, they send joy into the world and if we let it, that joy fills our hearts. Oh my goodness. I just can't thank these beautiful performers enough for filling life with music.

You know, the irony isn’t lost on me here. How funny is it that I had a lightbulb moment about how I never understood this song — a song about making sense of growing old and life experiences — because I was too young to “hear” the message? Beautiful epiphany.

By the way, being schooled is one of my most favorite things about the "Muscle Shoals Meets" series. Thank you, Fiddleworms and friends, for taking this 50+ year-old music freak to raise.

More to come ... stay tuned.

Dig worms, friends.

Photo credit: Angel DeAnn Pilati