2011 is Year of Alabama Music

This year, Alabama is inviting the world to join them in a celebration of Alabama's musical heritage. To kick off this year's tourism theme, Mark Smirnoff, highlights the state's musical contributions in his Annual Music Issue of Oxford American magazine. The magazine will include coverage of Alabama's music and music makers throughout its history in both print and song. The 12^th edition of Oxford American features a 27 song party mix CD along with feature articles. Oxford American magazine highlighting Alabama music is sold at newsstands until throughout the month of February.

Smirnoff, Oxford American's founder and editor, will feature music events taking place throughout the state this year. The 27 songs on the CD include well known Alabama artists from our state. Artists who are not so well known but who produced great music are featured on the CD just as well. Smirnoff's aim was to include compilations over many genres of more than 400 artists emerging from Alabama.

In an interview with Birmingham Box Set, Smirnoff stated, "The basic thing we found out was Alabama is so ridiculously wealthy when it comes to its musical heritage, that there's no way for one organization to say everything about Alabama music. It's too much. It'd have to be a multi-layered conversation in order for it to be accurate."

Oxford American is a quarterly literary magazine based in Arkansas, Smirnoff's home state. Smirnoff began featuring music in southern states. He received a call from Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel welcoming him to have a hand in Alabama's celebration of its music, musicians and varied art forms. Of course, Smirnoff being the music connoisseur that he is, researched Alabama thoroughly for a taste of every musical contribution, whether by someone famous, or by someone who wasn't. Smirnoff will be introducing the world to those not so well known artists on his party mix.

Alabama's Year of Alabama Music will showcase more than 230 stages and over 300 music festivals throughout the state. The Alabama Jammer, an electric guitar created in the shape of the state ,will be placed in the hands of various musicians throughout the state this year as Alabamians invite the world to celebrate their rich music history with them. Visit the Year of Alabama Music website to get to know artists from A to Z and hear their songs. You can also find the dates and places of music festivals and make plans to be there.

Music is a universal language that speaks in many genres - pop, soul, rock & roll, gospel, contemporary Christian, rhythm and blues, folk, bluegrass, blues, jazz, reggae, classical, rap, funk, country, and all the mixes that blend two or more genres to create yet another new style. Alabama is credited for blues, country, jazz and country tracing their origin here.

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-box-set/2011/01/celebrating_alabama_music_in_p.html

http://www.yearofalabamamusic.com/