Monthly Archives: March 2005

Get Your Kicks — World Cup soccer at Legion Field

Get Your Kicks

World Cup soccer at Legion Field.

 

 

March 24, 2005On Wednesday, March 30 the most popular sports tournament in the world will make Birmingham’s Legion Field the “Soccer Capitol of the South” for one evening. The United States Men’s National soccer team will host Guatemala in a second round 2006 World Cup qualifying match that promises to pack thousands into the stands. Once revered as “The Football Capitol of the South,” Legion Field’s success at hosting past soccer matches hasn’t been too shabby either; the U.S. Olympic men’s team played two games there in 1996, drawing a crowd of 46,000 for the second match. The Men’s National team attracted 22,000 in 2000 and 24,000 in 2002 for non-World Cup events.

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Landon Donovan, a midfielder on the U.S. Men’s soccer team, will show off his deft footwork at the World Cup Qualifying game against Guatemala on March 30.

The upcoming bout with Guatemala will be tough and not simply because of the opponent; two days earlier the U.S. will be in Mexico to face the Mexican National team. Both the Mexico and Guatemala matches will be telecast live on ESPN2, with noon and 7 p.m. starting times, respectively. Sentimental fans of the stadium should note that this will likely be the final event held at Legion Field before the condemned upper deck comes tumbling down (by design). City officials have reassured all concerned that the upper deck is safe as long as it remains unoccupied. But then again, Legion Field has never been invaded by a bunch of rowdy World Cup soccer hooligans.

City Hall — Hearing On Public Smoking

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March 24, 2005

On March 16, the public safety committee of the Birmingham City Council held a public hearing on a controversial proposal to ban smoking in all public buildings in the city. Nearly 20 residents and local business owners addressed the committee, chaired by Councilor Joel Montgomery, with roughly half the speakers in favor and half against the proposal.

The smoking ban proposal has been before the public safety committee twice previously. Loretta Herring, day-care director of Bethel Baptist Church, told the committee that she was tired of the delay and demanded that the proposal be moved out of committee to the City Council. “[The public safety committee] is just going around like a dog chasing its tail . . . cancer is so devastating . . . I was a smoker, and it’s hard for people who have been smokers to understand how devastating this dangerous disease is.” Councilor Roderick Royal, who sits on the committee, disagreed with Herring’s assessment that the committee was using delaying tactics. He explained that the law department has been studying the smoking ban proposal at the committee’s request to find a workable ordinance that is in compliance with state law. “So it’s not true that [we're] like a dog chasing its tail,” said the councilor.

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Royal, noting that he has a daughter with asthma, said that he is a cancer survivor and had no reason to delay the ordinance. “I have every reason to support a total smoking ban. But I’m not here as an individual,” said the councilor. “I’m here as a representative of the citizens of Birmingham. Some are smokers, and some are not. So I have to lay aside my personal feelings about smoking. I do not smoke, and I never have smoked, except for the time when I was in the Persian Gulf, trying to figure out whether or not I was going to get captured by the Republican Guard in the first [Gulf] war.”

Local attorney Lenora Pate, who sits on the board of the American Cancer Society, said that data and research studies show that business, sales, and revenues from bars and the hospitality industry have increased when smoking is banned indoors. “It is absolutely imperative for the workers of the next generation who work in the service industry in this city,” said Pate. “They are the ones who are vulnerably at risk for the carcinogens. More importantly, many of these are women, and the latest studies show that it is correlated with breast cancer.” As a board member, Pate met with the city law department regarding the ban. The American Cancer Society favors banning smoking in all indoor public places.

“Most of the businesses that undertake this actually have an increase in their business,” agreed Dr. Max Michael, dean of the UAB School of Public Health. “The other perspective is that we immunize our children even though our children probably don’t want to be immunized; we require ourselves to wear seatbelts; we try not to allow people to be on the streets driving drunk. These are all things we do to protect the individual and to protect the public’s health.” Local attorney Barry Marks said that “smoking in public is bad for Birmingham’s business and Birmingham’s image . . . It does not put Birmingham in a good light.” Marks noted that restaurants lose customers due to “secondhand smoke hangovers,” and added that his wife had undergone several surgical procedures as a result of “secondhand smoke.”

Henry “Bubba” Hines, owner of Bubba’s Pub, was not happy with the proposed ban: “This is not a smoker’s rights, this is a business’s right to pick and choose how he wants to do his business with legal activities . . . Let the customers decide what goes on in these bars. Let us decide, because our customers will choose if we’re going to stay in business or not stay in business.” T.C. Cannon, a former mayoral candidate and long-time owner of TC’s bar in the Lakeview district, also opposes the ban. “It is opening a big can of worms if you pass this ordinance,” said Cannon. “The American Cancer Society does great work. Their research and development have saved many lives. However, there are many carcinogenic agents, businesses, etc., that are allowed to exist . . . To restrict this to Birmingham is a definitely a grave injustice to the business owners in this city.”

David Ricker, chairman of the Freedom to Choose Committee, said, “We do not need more government control of our personal choices. I’m amazed that some politicians feel that they should treat individual citizens and business owners as infantile babies.” Ricker said that other municipalities with less stringent restrictions will draw business from Birmingham. Irene Johnson, a South Town resident, irately opposed the no-smoking ordinance. “I am opposed to this ban. I do not smoke . . . I have the choice to walk out if I go to a restaurant where there’s smoking . . . After a while you’re going to put a law on people sneezing in public because it spreads viruses! Those smokers pay taxes. It’s a disgrace they have to stand outside in the rain, smoking.”

Lawrence Fidel, president of the Alabama Restaurant Association, said that his group opposes the ordinance. “We’ve always been opposed to local smoking bans because it just seems to drive business from one sector to another. I’m not going to say that there are maybe some nonsmokers who might be attracted to come to a restaurant, but it doesn’t offset the loss of smoker business in our research and studies.” Fidel added that his organization is working with State Senator Vivian Figures, who introduced the statewide Clean Indoor Act a couple of years ago. “We are going to support legislation to ban smoking statewide in restaurants,” said Fidel. He explained that this would level the playing field by banning smoking in all bars, restaurants, private clubs, and even outdoor smoking areas adjacent to restaurants. He added that bars that function as restaurants early in the evening before becoming late night entertainment bars will “suffer greatly” because patrons will go to bars that are not declared restaurants.

“Clean air is important to me. Health is important to me,” surmised Councilor Joel Montgomery. “I do believe that people have choices in life. I do believe that business owners have rights as well.” Montgomery recommended a compromise which would exclude bars and lounges from the smoking ban. The public safety committee, with the law department’s blessing, approved the anti-smoking ordinance with the amendment. The City Council will vote on the amended smoking ban at the March 29 council meeting.

After the meeting, Montgomery said: “This is the best thing that I can come up with. And I’m still not so sure that the city is not going to end up with some type of litigation.” The councilor said he has been concerned that businesses will move to surrounding municipalities should the ban pass, and he disputes numbers that indicate an increase in business when smoking is prohibited. “Even in New York City you’ve seen a drop in business as much as 30, 40, or 50 percent. Most of it is in restaurants that have bars and lounges as part of their establishment. You can make a case for it either way . . . It is a health issue, but it is also a freedom of choice issue and a civil liberties issue, and we just have to balance it out, and it’s a tough thing to do.” In closing, Montgomery issued a caution as ominous as the surgeon general’s warning on a pack of cigarettes. “I believe that people who are proponents of this smoking ban want a prohibition on tobacco, period. From there, what’s next? I don’t think you’ve heard the last of this.” &

World Cup Soccer at Legion Field

World Cup Soccer at Legion Field

March 24, 2005

On Wednesday, March 30 the most popular sports tournament in the world will make Birmingham’s Legion Field the “Soccer Capitol of the South” for one evening. The United States Men’s National soccer team will host Guatemala in a second round 2006 World Cup qualifying match that promises to pack thousands into the stands. Once revered as “The Football Capitol of the South,” Legion Field’s success at hosting past soccer matches hasn’t been too shabby either; the U.S. Olympic men’s team played two games there in 1996, drawing a crowd of 46,000 for the second match. The Men’s National team attracted 22,000 in 2000 and 24,000 in 2002 for non-World Cup events.

 

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Landon Donovan, a midfielder on the U.S. Men’s soccer team, will show off his deft footwork at the World Cup Qualifying game against Guatemala on March 30.

The upcoming bout with Guatemala will be tough and not simply because of the opponent; two days earlier the U.S. will be in Mexico to face the Mexican National team. Both the Mexico and Guatemala matches will be telecast live on ESPN2, with noon and 7 p.m. starting times, respectively. Sentimental fans of the stadium should note that this will likely be the final event held at Legion Field before the condemned upper deck comes tumbling down (by design). City officials have reassured all concerned that the upper deck is safe as long as it remains unoccupied. But then again, Legion Field has never been invaded by a bunch of rowdy World Cup soccer hooligans.

City Hall — Domed Stadium Debate

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March 10, 2005

On February 22 the Birmingham City Council passed a resolution in support of a 65,000-seat domed convention complex and adjoining entertainment district development in downtown Birmingham. In January, Governor Bob Riley decided against pledging either $75 million up front or $5 million yearly for 30 years as requested by the BJCC authority, but did promise to seek other ways that the state might contribute to the facility expansion. Jefferson County currently gives $10 million a year to the BJCC (and will do so through 2008), and has pledged to continue for an additional 35 years if the city and state are on board. Birmingham currently gives $5 million [$3 million from occupational taxes and $2 million from lodging taxes]. The BJCC wants an additional $5 million from the city for 30 years, but the city has not secured a source for the money.

At the February 22 meeting, Councilor Valerie Abbott said that uncertainty about where the money is going to come from, as well as doubt about the city’s current financial state, gives her pause regarding the BJCC expansion. “It’s like driving down the interstate in a pouring rain toward Malfunction Junction, and your windshield wipers don’t work,” said the councilor, adding that consultant reports indicate that most conventions are failures and lose money. Councilor Carole Smitherman pointed out that people have shown a willingness to support local events, with many flocking from out of town for top concert acts. “Alicia Keys, sold out!” said Smitherman. “People from all over want to come see Alicia Keys. She passed up going to Nashville, Tennessee, to come to Birmingham, Alabama!”

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Kincaid said the resolution is intended to send a good faith message to the state that the city is very much committed to the expansion project, as Governor Bob Riley has indicated that the state still wants to help. “We have it from the Governor’s lips,” Kincaid said repeatedly when Councilor Joel Montgomery kept asking if the governor has put the pledge in writing. “When we talk about a domed stadium, it is as if we’re talking about a sports venue. It is not; it is an expansion of the exhibit space with retractable seats that has a dome over it,” explained the Mayor. He stressed it will be used primarily for trade shows and conventions, and he even feels that Birmingham can snatch the SEC football championship game from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. “Cities of comparable size [bringing in] trade shows and conventions are eating our lunch,” Kincaid told the council.

Councilors Elias Hendricks and Bert Miller complained about naysayers. “Some people are against progress in Birmingham if it doesn’t agree with how they perceive and define progress, no matter what we do,” said Hendricks, who asked those with a better idea for development and creating jobs to step up to the plate. “Why do we always make it so difficult to give business to Birmingham?” asked Hendricks. “You cannot build jobs the day you need them. You have to do that five to ten years in advance.” Councilor Miller said that he intended to support the resolution. “I think part of the misconception is, it’s not a domed stadium. That’s probably got a lot of people rattled. It’s a convention center,” explained Miller. “But every city you go in, you’re going to have ‘cave people.’ What ‘cave’ stands for is ‘citizens against virtually everything! I’m gonna have a wrestling match, as soon as it’s built, between two people on this dais. I think it will sell out then!” said Miller, laughing, presumably referring to himself and Councilor Joel Montgomery, who opposes the project. He added that the expanded facility will “make a lot of millionaires in this city, particularly a lot of black millionaires.”

Calling Miller’s diatribe about “cave people” a personal attack, Joel Montgomery later responded, “Citizens against virtually everything? Well, if I remember correctly, these same people are going to hold you accountable when it comes time to be re-elected because those ‘citizens against virtually everything’ went to the polls in 1998 and voted MAPS down [MAPS won in Birmingham, but lost on a county-wide basis].” Miller replied, “Brother, I ain’t scared of nothing.” Montgomery voted no, while Abbott was not in the room at the time the vote was taken. The remaining seven councilors voted approval.

In a press conference following the council meeting, Kincaid said he was not surprised that some councilors were not on board. “No, I think the ones who aren’t going to vote for it, no matter how sanguine it is for the city, aren’t going to vote for it notwithstanding what I present. And some have said in advance that they are adamantly opposed to the notion, period,” said Kincaid. “A majority of the council, however, a super majority, obviously, will be in favor and will support our funding the enterprise.” Complaining that none has been shown him, Kincaid said that he needs to look at a preliminary offering statement [POS] that details “how the deal is to be structured.”

The Mayor said all he has received regarding proposed investors “was some peoples’ thoughts on a plain piece of paper. We’re going to want their financial advisor, their attorneys, to certify the money that’s going to be on the table.” Kincaid said, “Once we understand that, and once we see a POS that shows how the funding will take place, then I can feel comfortable saying to the council, let’s go . . . But what we have said and telegraphed to the world is that, as a city, we are inclined toward supporting this if the numbers work.”

Kincaid is waiting to see how the Alabama Supreme Court will rule in March on a lawsuit the city won in circuit court against the BJCC after the state legislature passed a law converting taxes to fees. The state’s action allowed the BJCC to keep tax collected at events there by designating the taxes as fees. The tax receipts otherwise would go to the city and county. The BJCC has appealed the circuit court ruling to the Alabama Supreme Court Circuit. The outcome of that case will shape the preliminary offering statement, said Kincaid. In an interview a week later, Kincaid expressed fear that the city would have another Visionland on its hands [The city was forced to give a five-year notice to get out of its deal with Visionland at a cost of $1 million a year]. The Mayor said the expanded convention center proposal must be sound legally and financially, and added that he was optimistic that the state would eventually be on board financially. &

All Souled Out — The famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studio closes.

All Souled Out

The famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studio closes.

March 10, 2005

In the late 1960s, the small northwest Alabama town of Muscle Shoals became a magnet for many top recording stars. Attracted by a phenomenally tight and versatile house band later known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, many black rhythm and blues singers, including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, and others, flocked to FAME Studios to discover that the studio’s legendary funky sound was created by a quartet of white men—Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Barry Beckett, and Roger Hawkins. “The Muscle Shoals Sound” soon was in such demand that the four musicians decided to start their own studio a few miles down the road in Sheffield, and in 1969 opened Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in an old casket warehouse. The first sessions at the new facility were for Cher’s album 3614 Jackson Highway, so named because it was the studio’s address. R.B. Greaves’ “Take a Letter Maria” was the studio’s first hit. Leon Russell dubbed them the Muscle Shoals Swampers on the back of one of his albums, and Lynyrd Skynyrd referenced “the Swampers” in the hit “Sweet Home Alabama.”

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Mick Jagger twists the knobs on the console at Muscle Shoals Sound, where the Rolling Stones recorded three songs for the Sticky Fingers, including “Brown Sugar.” (click for larger version)

The Rolling Stones recorded three songs there (“Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” and “You Gotta Move”) for the album Sticky Fingers while on their 1969 tour. Bands not from the U.S. had to apply for either a touring or a recording visa to be permitted to work in the country. The Stones’ first choice had reportedly been Stax Records studio in Memphis, but since Memphis had a higher profile in the recording industry, the band opted for the relative obscurity of Muscle Shoals. Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bass player David Hood recalls that the Stones sessions were supposed to be top secret. “We worked during the day, then at night they brought in the Stones. We were supposed to keep it a secret that they were coming because they didn’t have the proper work permits to record in the United States,” says Hood. “They flew from Miami and had chartered an old Super Constellation four-motor prop plane. It was smoking and leaking oil, so half the group wouldn’t get on the plane (in Miami). So they flew in on Southern Airways, so it was kind of hard to keep it a secret.” The recording of “Wild Horses” is documented in the film Gimme Shelter. (In one memorable scene, Keith Richards smiles through rotten teeth as he proudly flashes a Minnie Pearl Fried Chicken souvenir.) The unassuming life of a small Alabama town was a perfect respite for rock stars accustomed to being mobbed by fans. One story has it that the Stones would tell curious waitresses in Muscle Shoals’ diners that they were Martha and the Vandellas. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards reportedly wrote “Wild Horses” while lounging in the grass in front of the Executive Inn in Florence (right across the river from Muscle Shoals). Hood remembers the Stones being very business-like. “When people come to a recording studio to work, they’re not doing a lot of showbiz stuff, they gotta work,” he explains. “The way [the Stones] worked up their songs, it was different from us. Whereas we were very quick and would learn a song in 30 or 40 minutes and have it recorded in an hour, they worked all night or sometimes a couple of days on one song. They pretty much knew what they wanted, but they would work a long time to get it because they weren’t polished musicians.”

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Pops and Mavis Staples confer during the recording of the Staples Singers hit “I’ll Take You There.” Pops was reportedly disappointed that he didn’t get to play guitar on the session. (click for larger version)

In 1972, Paul Simon showed up in Muscle Shoals looking for the “black musicians” who had backed up Aretha Franklin. “We worked as a rhythm section together so much that we got really tight. We were very fast,” recalls Hood. “Paul Simon rented the studio and booked us for four or five days to cut one song. And we got it on the first or second take. So that’s what led to us recording ‘Kodachrome’ and ‘Love Me Like a Rock’ and other stuff. We had all this extra time.”

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The tiny town was once a vital component of the recording industry.

Jimmy Cliff came to Muscle Shoals to record “Sitting Here in Limbo” for The Harder They Come soundtrack. “They sent him here trying to make him sound non-Jamaican,” says Hood. “This was before Bob Marley and the Jamaican thing caught hold, so they were trying to Americanize his sound.” Bob Seger cut “Old Time Rock & Roll” and “Mainstreet” at Muscle Shoals Sound. When Bob Dylan was recording there, he brought in Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler to record Dylan’s gospel masterpiece Slow Train Coming. Hood said the Dylan sessions were the only ones to draw a crowd of people hanging around outside the studio. When asked if Dylan, who had just converted to Christianity at the time of Slow Train Coming, exhibited any signs of having become an evangelical Christian, Hood says, “I think more than anything else that was a way to cut a different kind of record, a different style. Jerry Wexler [Atlantic Records] is the one who brought him here. Jerry’s a very shrewd businessman, and he saw that this was a commercial thing here, Bob Dylan changing the message of his songs. He saw it as an opportunity. I’m afraid I’m taking a little of the glamour out of this stuff.”

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Cher poses in front of the original studio location.

By 1978, the business had outgrown its Jackson Highway space and the studio moved into a 31,000-square-foot building. The company was sold to Malaco Records, based in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1985. Citing a lack of business, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio closed its doors in February 2005. As to the secret of the Muscle Shoals sound, Hood has a simple definition: “It was our goal not to sound like ourselves, but to sound like the band of the artist we were working with.” &