Editing Alabama (band) (section)

==Musical style and influences==
Alabama's music mixes country, rock, and pop, particularly evident in their musical concept: the band was one of the first country bands to achieve significant airplay.{{sfn|Erlewine|Woodstra|Bogdanov|Erlewine|1997|p=3}} Despite their influences from other genres, the band was most inspired by country music, which is most evident in their "harmonies, songwriting, and approach."{{sfn|Erlewine|Woodstra|Bogdanov|Erlewine|1997|p=3}} Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes that the band is "indebted to country, particularly the [[Bakersfield sound]] of [[Merle Haggard]], and the sound of [[country pop|Nashville pop]]."{{sfn|Erlewine|Woodstra|Bogdanov|Erlewine|1997|p=3}} The band echoed its country upbringing in one of its first trade articles: "We're country first and crossover second. If crossovers come, that's great, but we'd rather have a No. 1. country song than be lost in the middle of both country and pop charts," said Owen.<ref name=billboard2>{{cite magazine| last =Wells| first =Robyn| date =December 13, 1980| title =Alabama Makes Its Mark| magazine =[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| volume =92| issue = 50| publisher =[[Prometheus Global Media]]| location =[[New York City]]| issn =0006-2510}}</ref>

By the mid-1980s, the band increasingly moved toward a general [[pop-rock]] sound, "going for splashier productions with a more heavily amplified sound."<ref name=BiographicalDictionary>Carlin, Richard. (2002). ''Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary''. [[London]]: [[Routledge]], 540 pp. First edition, 2002.</ref> Alabama's lyrics often centered on their homeland. Their first hit single, "Tennessee River", recounts being "born across the river in the mountains I call home," while "Dixieland Delight" chronicles cruising down a rural Tennessee [[Scenic route|byway]].<ref name="tenn"/>