You might know Alabama Shakes best for the big, booming, beautiful voice of frontwoman Brittany Howard, but we bet you don’t know everything about the Alabama-based group. Though they rose very quickly to fame after their release of the super-catchy “Hold On,” there are still some things that many people don’t know about them. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Alabama Shakes. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: Brittany Howard Used to Cause Explosions. As a child growing up, lead singer for Alabama Shakes Brittany Howard used to experiment with chemicals and cause explosions. She caused most of these explosion’s in her family’s treehouse.
Number Fourteen: They Began Modestly. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Howard revealed that the group really was not focused on their long-term goals when they started out. Instead, they wanted to focus on getting gigs and making sure their music was heard in the present time.
Number Thirteen: Howard Gets Her Incredible Stage Presence From the Audience. Howard has one of the strongest stage presences of any lead singer in a band. She revealed that, for her, the audience is able to bring out a lot of that energy, and she says that the stage is the only place she can release that energy.
Number Twelve: Howard Has a Lot of Influences. In an interview, Howard revealed that she is influenced by many artists, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield, Bjork, Tom Waits, and Gil Scott-Heron.
Number Eleven: She Is Proud to Be From the South. Though many parts of the south have earned the reputation as being backwards, racist, and altogether uninformed, Howard is proud of her roots and says that she grew up in an accepting and loving home. She has a tattoo of her home state, Alabama, on her arm.
Number Ten: She Experiments With Alcohol. Though Howard doesn’t drink or smoke as much as she used to, she still experiments with cocktails, and she has said that she enjoys a hot toddy before she goes on stage.
Number Nine: They Don’t Mind Being Misclassified. Howard revealed in an interview that she has a great appreciation for bands that are difficult to describe. She has said that they are a rock and roll band, but that they have much more to offer the musical world than just rock and roll.