The Hackers

If you don't think Angela and Zac Hacker have created a stir among area music fans, you should have been at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame last Saturday. About 500 people packed the museum to welcome the Colbert County siblings home following their electrifying appearances on USA Network's "Nashville Star" TV-competition.

The Hackers are signed to songwriting deals with FAME Recording Studios and have performed in local venues for several years. Now, they are dazzling a national audience with their soulful country styles.

Tonight, the Hackers enter the final stretch of "Nashville Star" singing cover songs. This is the final round in which the public will vote for their favorites. Next week, the three-judge panel will select the winner, who will receive a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records.

The Hackers are in a tight competition with each other to win the "American Idol"-style talent show. But even if they don't win, they appear to be headed toward recording contracts and success.

And their success is raising the profile of the Muscle Shoals recording business, which was internationally renowned from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, producing hits for artists as diverse as Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, the Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Traffic, Bob Dylan and-Shenandoah.

FAME's Rick and Rodney Hall are understandably excited not only about the Hackers' quick rise to national prominence, but their distribution deal with EMI Records, the world's largest independent music company. EMI will distribute other FAME recording artists, which signals a rebirth of the FAME label.

Others are rediscovering Muscle Shoals as well. New recording studios are opening, some of which appear destined to score hits in the future with local and imported talent.

If you're curious about what the buzz is all about, tune in to "Nashville Star" tonight at 9 and catch the next generation of Muscle Shoals recording stars. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Oh, and be sure to vote for the Hackers. You'll not only be supporting homegrown talent, you'll be helping promote the "Hit Recording Capital of the World."