For many years, thousands of fans from across the country gathered in Fort Payne during this month for the June Jam, an annual mega-concert for charity that was produced and headlined by the country supergroup “Alabama.”

During the 2002 Republican primary, “Alabama” staged a free concert in Mobile, Alabama in support of Congressman Bob Riley’s Republican primary campaign for governor.

The location of Mobile was specifically chosen because it was the home of Riley’s chief primary rival, Lieutenant Governor Steve Windom, who also once represented the city in the Alabama State Senate.

A capacity crowd of more than 10,000 filled the Mobile Civic Center, which once hosted Elvis Presley in concert.

Though the band members did donate their services for free, the Riley campaign spent $10,000 for facility rental, security, and stage hands.

Alternative bluegrass band “Roliin’ In The Hay” served as the concert’s opening act, although the group was specifically told not play its signature song, “Old Milwuakee, an Ugly Woman, and a [Expletive Deleted] Bag of Pot.”

Riley would go on to win the Republican nomination without a run-off by defeating Windom and Greenville businessman Tim James with 73% of the vote.

Though the 2002 Riley concert was part of the group’s “Farewell Tour,” the band members later came out of retirement and continue to tour today, although guitarist Jeff Cook passed away in 2022.
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A ticket and backstage pass from the Riley campaign concert are shown here from our collection.

This story originally appeared in The Art of Alabama Politics, an outlet dedicated to the wild, weird, and wonderful history of Alabama politics.