The Alabama Music Hall of Fame (AMHOF) has been cataloging and putting on display the many pieces of Alabama’s musical history for 30 years.

“We have singers, songwriters, producers, musicians, all from the state of Alabama,” Sandra Burroughs, Executive Director of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame told WHNT.

“They were either born and raised here or moved here quickly afterwards or have a really strong tie to Alabama,” she added.

The Hall is located on Highway 72 in Tuscumbia, a charming city in the northwest corner of Alabama. Nearby is the town of Muscle Shoals, a town with a musical history so rich it warranted its own documentary.

In addition to celebrating its 30th birthday, the Hall of Fame is hosting an induction banquet on January 25.

The Hall will be inducting Gary Baker, Mervyn Warren, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton and Elton B. Stephens. The institution’s website describes the acts as, “two Grammy Award winners, a legendary blues singer and the philanthropist who spearheaded the revival of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.”

Performing at the induction will be the Backstreet Boys, Taylor Hicks, Jamey Johnson, Bo Bice and Chris Thompkins. The Backstreet Boys are friends with Gary Baker and will be there to support his induction.

Also at the induction ceremony on January 25 will be the handing out of the first-ever AMHOF Advocacy Award, which will go to Mitchell Self. According to a detailed piece on the award in the Florence Times-Daily, Self was a legendary radio owner and promoter of the Muscle Shoals music scene. He died in 1990 after 20 years running WLAY in Muscle Shoals.

“As any family would be, we’re quite proud of the legacy he left,” Kevin Self, Mitchell’s son, said of his father.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.