The PennZone

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. & LANCASTER, Pa. - PennZone -- Bassist and session artist Scott Ward has long revered the history of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, its musicians and the iconic "Muscle Shoals Sound." Ward was first invited to the area by David Hood to come and hear his band, The Decoys. The first studio Scott visited was Fame Studios, where he was awestruck by the gold record for Wilson Pickett's hit, "Mustang Sally."  Over the years, Ward has worked with and learned from the world class musicians and engineers of the region, many of whom knew Wilson Pickett, wrote with him or played on his biggest records. Blessed by his experiences and friendships, Ward is driven to pay it forward through collaborations and projects including I Believe I'll Run On: A Tribute to Wilson Pickett, slated for September 20, 2024 release. Recorded primarily at Wishbone Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Ward assembled an all-star cast of featured artists including Steve Cropper, Jimmy Hall, Christine Ohlman, Damon Johnson, T. Graham Brown and more.

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Born in Prattville, Alabama and later moving to Detroit during his teens, the late Wilson "Wicked" Pickett (1941 - 2006) got his start singing in the church and later in the gospel group The Violinaires before joining The Falcons and entering the world of secular music in 1959. Later during his tenure with Atlantic Records, Pickett's breakthrough single, "In the Midnight Hour" (1965) was recorded at STAX in Memphis, Tennessee. After three sessions there, he went to FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, where he recorded some of his biggest hits including his remakes of "Mustang Sally" and "Funky Broadway," as well as "Land of 1000 Dances," his biggest pop hit. Pickett was a five-time GRAMMY nominee and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

"After several conversations with Scott, during a recent trip to Muscle Shoals we had an opportunity to sit down and discuss the many facets of this project," says Sallie Bengtson, Nola Blue Records President. "Both the caliber of musicians he has assembled and their significance in honoring Wilson Pickett are outstanding, and we are honored to work with Scott to release this legacy project."

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"Having the opportunity to produce this album has been a dream come true for me. I've had the chance to work with many of my favorite bands and artists and the best session musicians and engineers in the world," says Ward. "I want to thank my friend Billy Lawson for his great engineering and mixing skills and Nola Blue for making the release of this album possible."

A single, "Sugar, Sugar" featuring Christine Ohlman, The Beehive Queen, will be released on August 23, 2024 with the start of album preorders. Street date is September 20. Follow facebook.com/picketttribute and visit nolabluerecords.com for all news and updates.