Producer's Notes: A Musical Mastermind

Of all the guests we've had on Larry King Now, Rick Hall stands out as a favorite. Here's why!

Larry recently interviewed Rick Hall, the creator and proprietor of Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL. Rick is a heavy hitter in the music world, but relatively unknown outside of recording industry circles. For those who are unfamiliar, Mr. Hall has produced some the 21st Century's biggest hits for artists like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, The Osmonds, The Dixie Chicks, Paul Anka and The Rolling Stones (this is just a handful). He did so out of his tiny hometown studio. Today Rick continues to work with musicians like The Alabama Shakes and The Civil Wars.

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Of all the guests we've had on "Larry King Now," Rick stands out as a favorite of mine. I knew little about him prior to producing Larry's interview, but quickly realized how remarkably unique Rick's story is. This is a man who built a music-making empire out of an obscure Southern town, all the while resisting temptation to move to  New York, LA, and Nashville where the music scenes are on a global platform. Instead,  record companies flew their biggest talent to Muscle Shoals so Rick and company could produce them, over and over again. He was privy to the personalities and talents of the industry's finest and his stories are ridiculously fascinating.

For his outstanding work, Rick is earning a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Grammys, an honor given to legends like Clive Davis and Frank Sinatra in past years.

It was an absolute pleasure getting to know Mr. Hall and learning about his career this week. His "Larry King Now" interview airs Monday January 27th, the day after the 2014 Grammys. It's worth checking out on Ora.TV and Hulu.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.

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