Hello, We Are The Alabama 3

The Intro

I first heard the Alabama 3 as the intro music to the Sopranos, "Woke Up This Morning". I'm not sure if they made a lot of money from it, but I bought their debut album on the back of hearing it.

They are still touring and their website is here.

I have seen them many times, and they mix almost every musical style you can think of.

Here is an amusic story about one of their gigs I attended:

This is taken from their Wikipedia page.

The band formed when Jake Black met Rob Spragg at a rave in Peckham. They decided that a fusion of country music with acid house was a musical possibility.Other members of the band were added later: Nick Reynolds is the son of one of the Great Train Robbers;Rob Spragg was at university with Piers Marsh, the harmonica player and synthesiser programmer for the band; while Orlando Harrison, the group's keyboardist, used to live with Jake Black.

Forming initially under the name the First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine (UK), and after having been dismissed by the mainstream media as a novelty act, the group switched names to Alabama 3. As with their performances under the previous name, their sound fuses electronic pop with elements of country and blues styles. Every member of the group has an alias, the band's founding members adopting the personas Larry Love (Rob Spragg) and The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love (Jake Black). Their second album, La Peste, featured bassist John "Segs" Jennings of the Ruts under the stage name Frank Zappatista.

The name came from the Alabama 2, a legal case in the American deep South during the 1930s, in which two black men were hanged for allegedly raping a white woman.

The name is also a nod to other victims of injustice like the Birmingham 6 and Guildford 4. In the United States, they are known as A3, after they were sued by the legendary country outfit Alabama.

There are a lot of members in the band, a lot more than three, and I thought that they were named after an American prison, but I may have got that wrong given what I found above.

They are an amazing band so I will share a few of the songs with you in the hope that you too will be converted.

"Hello I'm Johnny Cash"

The man in black could actually have sung this and probably would have if he was still with us. I love almost every song that this band have written and play and this is a great video.

They have a lot of great albums, but their greatest hits is a brilliant introduction along with their debut album.

"Woke Up This Morning"

This is the opening to The Sopranos which is the song that hooked me on the Alabama 3.

"U Don't Dans 2 Tekno"

The band address so many social issues in their music and in a live situation you WILL dance and sing and join in. Listen to the crowd in this live take.

"Mao Tse Tung Said"

The last one from their debut album but I could include every song from every album that they have made, again you just have to join in with this.

Have You Seen Bruce Richard Reynolds?

The story of the father of band member Nick Reynolds. I can't condone celebrating a criminal, but it is a great song and you can't visit the sins of the father on the son and his band.

"How Can I Protect You?"

I will conclude this short playlist with this one about a pregnant girl leaving home, with a chorus to absolutely die for.

Now go out and find that you love the Alabama 3!