Rock and Roll Road Trips: Where The Music Was Made

Muscle Shoals

"Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers," as Skynyrd said in "Sweet Home Alabama," and that house band did indeed appear on several classics by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, and Percy Sledge. The Stones, Willie Nelson, and Paul Simon all came here to get a bit of the magic, as well.

Gold Star

The building where Phil Spector built his famous "Wall Of Sound" brick by brick, where the Wrecking Crew roamed like giants, the Beach Boys cut "Good Vibrations," and where the West Coast sound was born and bred is, sadly, gone, having been gutted by fire and then torn down in 1984. Another landmark claimed by -- ugh -- strip malls.

Chess

A location so important the Stones themselves created an instrumental with the title, the legendary home of Cadillac -- oops, Chess Records has been turned into a tourist attraction of sorts by the Blues Heaven Foundation, not just a studio but an educational center where everyone can learn about blues and early rock and roll.

Abbey Road

Sure, everyone knows the famous crosswalk, which is located just a few feet south of this location and which the Beatles famously used to exit the studio one last time. But as London's premier recording studio, its fame extended well past the Fabs. For example, you might remember a little record called Dark Side of the Moon.

King

Most folks don't remember this Cincinnati mainstay as a landmark, but it was a seminal meeting point for early R&B, where Hank Ballard's original "Twist" and was laid down. And, oh yes, every single R&B, soul, and funk classic James Brown recorded, from 1956 to 1971. Birthplace of funk? Maybe. Good news: the city council plans to revive this studio, too.

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