Tomfoolery: Feels So Right

The first ever concert I went to was to see ALABAMA in Ozark, AL, in the city's civic center. My dad and stepmom took a few of us. Not even sure who else went. But I remember where we all sat - up in the balcony, to left of the stage, if you're facing it. At the time, I was so young I had no idea who ALABAMA was. After that show, though, they became a favorite of mine, and I have liked them all these years. At that first concert, I remember the song Mountain Music. It opened with a hillbilly voice saying. "You see that mountain over there, Yea, one of these days I'm going to climb that mountain." And then it went into this fast-paced, catchy, energetic song you can't get out of your head once you hear it. It was one of ALABAMA's classics.

Another song I have always loved is Feels So Right. Not long ago, my wife, who is from Asia, was in the car with me, and this song came on. She knew nothing of the group ALABAMA. Yet, as the song played, I heard her say, "This is really beautiful." That, my friends, is when you know something is pretty special. You may not like country music, you may have never been exposed to a certain artist for whatever reason, but a song might impact you. I caught the ALABAMA "bug" when I was young....in part, thanks to that live concert in Ozark....but it was the music that really did it.

In the 90s, when I was working in Headland, AL, I rode up with my dad to Fort Payne to a cattle sale. Fort Payne is the home to the legendary band, ALABAMA. I remember that my dad drove up to the front gate of lead singer Randy Owens' house. And on that gate was "Feels So Right." It was a pretty special moment. Later, I will share a funny story of my dad bidding on a cow at an auction in Fort Payne, only to discover the reason the price kept getting higher and higher. It involves the group ALABAMA.

Just recently, on a drive to Birmingham, on the interstate, my wife and I passed by Fort Payne. We saw the signs to the museum and considered returning back through on Sunday to tour it. That didn't happen, unfortunately. But on that interstate drive, I put in my ALABAMA Greatest Hits cd and reminisced, telling my wife all these stories.

I did see ALABAMA once more in concert. It was in the mid to late 90s in Dothan, Alabama. It was an outdoor concert out near where the new Peanut Festival grounds are. There's some kind of stadium there. Another great show! I think I went by myself to that one!