Muscle Shoals Meets the 70s rewind

Part 22: Sweet lullaby

Listen, for any of you who still don't understand Shoals magic, there’s this one simple truth you must accept: We are all friends ... we are all family. Muscle Shoals Meets concerts are very much akin to our Shoals family reunions. Gathering with my Shoals brethren in Florence’s historic Shoals Theatre Labor Day weekend 2025 was like sitting at the table with your favorite aunts, uncles, and cousins hanging onto their every word. And boy, y'all, our fam had some stories to tell. It went something like this …

Y’all, Godfather Fiddle, the legendary Kelvin Holly, met Sandy “Blue Sky!” No, seriously, he told us — 700 or so of his closest friends —the story night one, set two of Muscle Shoals Meets the 70s. This line from my notes has me smiling and fan-girling all over again just like I did in that moment: Kelvin telling the “Blue Sky” story is my heart. “Blue Sky” is my heart.

I've had weeks now to sit with Kelvin’s rendition of The Allman Brothers Band's “Blue Sky” and I'm just going to put this out into the universe: We don’t talk enough about how Kelvin Holly is a mighty fine singer. Another thing, have y'all ever really watched Kelvin's hands? From where I sat night one, I could see him work his magic plain as day. Mesmerizing! His hands just know what to do — it’s as if they have a mind of their own. It may sound silly to say, but his hands are so animated. They're happy, joyous hands dancing with the guitar strings. Watching Kelvin tell stories is beautiful — something to behold.

Oh my goodness, y’all, how insanely talented are those world-famous Fiddleworms? That moment when Scott Todd jumped into "Blue Sky" and his guitar started conversing with Kelvin’s guitar — the two of them shared this look and well, it was epic. I was so struck by how every lick in “Blue Sky” is so familiar to me. Here’s a simple truth from my notes: I know this song just like I know my own name. What would I be without “Blue Sky?”

Talk about another simple truth: We all know a little something about walking along the river, too. Just like our Singing River, "Blue Sky" is medicine. This song is a fix-all. It is impossible to have a bad day with this song on repeat. Trust me — try it, you won’t be sorry. Listening to “Blue Sky” brings me so much joy, friends. I know how I feel singing along — not only with the vocalized story but also “singing” the guitar’s story — but I can't imagine what it must feel like to perform this song live. Thank you, Fiddleworms and friends, for giving me a big dose of sunshine on a Friday night.

I'm a firm believer that we never hear a song the same way twice. What? Haven't you ever thought about it before? No? Take a minute and think about it now. Think back to Muscle Shoals Meets the 70s. Experiencing legendary songs performed by legendary (LOCAL) artists was special. These songs have all been around for 50 years or more but I think that's what makes MSM so next level — new life and love for great songs. These crazy talented professional artists are fans, too, and that adds depth to the MSM performances that can’t be faked or duplicated. MSM is very special, Shoals fam.

Now go eat a peach and dig worms.

More to come ... stay tuned.

Photo credit: Angel DeAnn Pilati