The Real Story ...
The Real Story ...
Hopefully the following information will help Alabama fans find out a few facts about the group.
Basic Statistics
Jeff Cook
Vocals, Lead Guitar, Fiddle
Born: August 27, 1949
Teddy Gentry
Vocals & Bass
Born: January 22, 1952
Mark Herndon
Drums & Percussion
Born: May 11, 1955
Randy Owen
Vocals & Rhythm Guitar
Born: December 13, 1949
Relationship:
Jeff and Randy are 4th cousins. Jeff
and Teddy are 5th cousins.
Randy and Teddy are 2nd. cousins. Jackie
Owen is Randy's 1st. cousin and is the
same kin to Jeff and Teddy that Randy
is. The other members are related only in
the fact that all of their mothers
were mothers. Contrary to some popular
beliefs, there are no brothers in the
group.
Current Manager:
Dale Morris
Booking agent:
Barbara Hardin, Dale Morris & Associates,
Nashville, TN
Phone - 615-327-3400
Previous Band Members:
The very first drummer was Teddy Gentry.
The very first show for the group then
known as "Young Country" was a talent
contest at Section High School (Section,
Alabama). That talent contest was in
the fall of 1969. The contest followed a
concert by Grand Ole Opry star, Jack
Green. Jack Green's band, the "Jolly Green
Giants" were the judges. The bassist
for the band in that show was Jackie Owen.
They won that contest out of twenty-seven
acts. The prizes were to be $500.00
cash and tickets to the "Opry". Due
to the small turn out, the promoter only
paid off with gas money to Nashville
and the Opry tickets. Jeff's dad, James
Cook, drove the guys to the Opry.
Teddy's drumming career was limited
to that one night and one song which was
"Sing Me Back Home" (Merle Haggard).
In 1994, the band (Alabama) recorded that
song for a Merle Haggard tribute album
"Mama's Hungry Eyes".
John Bennett Vartanian, a veteran drummer,
at that time recently discharged from
the Army and working for Merico bakery
as a production clerk, was soon recruited
and most people assume he was the original
drummer.
Other drummers
were:
Other interests
and education interrupted the music for a time.
The instrumentation changed some in
that Jeff took up fiddle and doubled on
keyboards. The job was approximately
six months of the year as the house band
for the hole-in-the-wall bar. Watered
down beer and waiters that doubled as
bouncers and sometimes "singers" (and
I use the term loosely). If you weren't
drinking then you were asked to leave.
The band worked on tips and as Teddy once
put it "We played every thing from
Acuff to Z.Z. Topp".
Randy was out of college for a two week
break at the time of the first Bowery
summer and had to return to finish
up. Once again, Jackie came along to play
guitar & bass and help take up
the slack until Randy could get back to the beach
in about two weeks. Jackie stayed on
that summer to help play the long hours
without a break, a normal week there
was six nights and occasionally daytime on
Saturdays and certain holidays. Unlike
most of the albums and stage shows today,
Teddy and Jeff along with B.V., did
quite a bit more of the singing. It was not
uncommon for one of them to sing verses
of a song and Randy would take the lead
on the courses while Jeff & Teddy
went to the harmonies.
The name "Wildcountry" became the corporate
name in October of 1973. This job at
the Bowery was secured by John B. Vartanian
(B.V.) who had worked here in
earlier years with another band from
Ft. Payne called "The Malibous".
"Wildcountry" or "The Wildcountry Show"
would play at the Bowery in the summers
of 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979,
and until July 12 1980, at which time
they went on the road. The name was
changed from "Wildcountry" to "The Alabama
Band" in 1977 with the release of their
"one shot" record deal ("I Wanna Be With
You Tonight" written by the group)
with GRT Records.
This was a small company which was about
to go under and at this time their
(GRT) efforts were concentrated on
promoting "The King Is Gone" (Ronnie
McDonnell). The gap of the summer of
1976 was due to a couple of things. Up until
then B.V. Had been the business man
of the group. Things like keeping the credit
card and paying the bills, etc. He
took it on himself not to book the band at
the Bowery that year because he didn't
want to go for personal reasons. This led
to the other three members buying Vartanian
out of the corporation and the three
way ownership exists today. "The Alabama
Band" was shortened to "Alabama". The
other reason was that Jeff had severed
a tendon and a nerve in the ring finger
of the left hand. He had to wear a
cast and finger restraint with a button sewn
through the finger nail for three months.
During this time Jerry McKoon was
hired to play lead guitar.