Junior Lowe obit

Muscle Shoals mourns Alabama musician who played on many classic songs

 

He was not on the list.

There are many unsung Muscle Shoals music greats, and Junior Lowe might be the most unsung of them all.

He played guitar or bass on a pile of Shoals classics including Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” Wilson Pickett’s “Land of 1000 Dances,” Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind,” Bobbie Gentry’s “Fancy” and Clarence Carter’s “Patches.”

But Lowe’s name recognition is nowhere close to that of the Shoals’ signature studio band, known to the masses as The Swampers: bassist David Hood, guitarist Jimmy Johnson, drummer Roger Hawkins and keyboardist Barry Beckett.

The great and prolific Hood, Johnson, Hawkins and Beckett -- featured along with FAME Studios mastermind Rick Hall in popular 2013 documentary “Muscle Shoals” –- deserve the acclaim.

And Lowe does too.

Junior Lowe died Saturday at age 84. In recent years he’d endured health setbacks including a stroke.

In addition to his tasty musicianship, the Florence-born musician was beloved locally for his down-to-earth and low-key personality.

After Lowe’s passing, members of the Muscle Shoals music community mourned him on social media.

Bassist Jimbo Hart, former longtime member of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, posted, “Ladies and gentlemen, a legend has left the building. Groove on, Jr. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world! Rest well and Godspeed, sir.”

Shoals saxophonist Brad Guinn wrote that Lowe “was the mud between your toes of the Muscle Shoals sound. He was deeply humble and although being hilarious, he was shy. He loved people and he never quite understood how dramatically unique and important his contributions were, despite our best efforts to let him in on it.”

A FAME Studios remembrance reads, “As a guitarist and bassist, Junior’s unmistakable sound helped define the Muscle Shoals groove, shaping some of the most iconic recordings in music history. More than just a musician, Junior was a beloved friend.”

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio called Lowe, “a true legend of Muscle Shoals music. His guitar and bass work and his songwriting helped shape some of the most iconic recordings to come out of the Shoals, leaving behind a lasting legacy in American music history.”

A fundraising effort is underway to help pay for costs of cremation, memorials and other end of life needs. Donations are being accepted through PayPal (search “The Gathering for Goodness”) or by mail (The Gathering, P.O. Box 756, Rogersville, AL 35652, Note: Junior Lowe).

In a previously unpublished interview from 2019, Lowe told me his biggest guitar heroes were Memphis music icons Steve Cropper and Chips Moman.

Asked what he liked best about being a studio musician, Lowe said, “you meet so many different people, you know, and [play] different types of music. There wasn’t no two or three that’s alike. It gives you a chance to spread out and try things. With the different artists and everything, a lot of nice guys I met in that era.”

He had particularly fond memories of playing bass on Pickett recordings. “He was a heck of a singer, man. The way he sang, you know, you had to have a groove when it fell in.”

Lowe said James gave him the best compliment he ever received in the studio. “She told me she loved what I put on her record. Etta James was great.”

Lowe summed up his recording prime this way: “Back then we all were trying to put something together, you know, make it click. There’s a lot of hours to make it all come together. But if I had to do it all over again, I’d go back the same way, probably.”