Mark Narmore, Muscle Shoals Songwriter Talks Hits & Music History

If you sat next to Mark Narmore on an airplane, chances are you wouldn’t think he is an award-winning songwriter.  He also hails from Muscle Shoals royalty. That’s the way this humble wordsmith prefers it.

In the late 1980s, Mark was a student at the University of North Alabama. For pocket change,  he spun records at WLX in Lexington, AL. An aspiring songwriter, Mark honed his skills by working at the feet of Fame Recording Studios founder and producer, Rick Hall.  It was at this famous studio where he wrote “The Moon Over Georgia,” a top-ten Country Music hit for the group Shenandoah.

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In 1995, Mark and Walt Aldridge, another hall of fame Muscle Shoals songwriter, penned “Like There Ain’t No Yesterday” for Blackhawk. However, his blockbuster hit came along a decade later when Craig Morgan cut “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” which was the most performed song on Country radio in 2005. 

Mark grew up on the outskirts of Muscle Shoals listening to his cousin, keyboardist Spooner Oldham. He also had the good fortune of seeing the infamous Swampers and dozens of major artists who ventured to Fame and Muscle Shoals Sound recording studios during the 1970s and 80s.

Keyboards are his primary instrument, yet this versatile musician can also play guitar and sing. Artists such as Josh Turner, Alabama, Reba McIntyre, Terri Clark, Guy Penrod, and others have recorded his material. 

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Mark continues writing songs for Noble Vision Music Publishing in Nashville, TN. He also has a star at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Mark and his wife, Sandy, live in his hometown of Center Star, AL. You don’t want to miss Mark discuss his career and his memories of the Muscle Shoals recording scene.

 

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