Tuesday, November 15th, 2005 Alabama's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame caps one of the most astounding success stories in American entertainment.

With a career that to date has resulted in 21 gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums, 42 number one singles and over 73 million records sold, Alabama has received over 150 industry awards including 8 country music "Entertainer of the Year" honors, 2 Grammys, 2 People's Choice Awards and their very own star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame."

They were named the "Artist of the Decade" by the Academy of Country Music in 1989 and "Country Group of the Century" by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1999.

Theirs is an amazing career, stretching across more than two decades and for three of the guys, it's been more than 30 years.

In the late '60s, cousins Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry discovered they shared a common interest in music. Joined by Jeff Cook, they started playing on a regular basis.

Working their day jobs and playing any place they could locally in the evenings, the мboys in the bandо used what limited spare time they had to compose and practice their unique style of harmony.

In 1973 coupled with Randy Owen's graduation from Jacksonville State University the band said goodbye to their daytime jobs and part-time weekend gigs. Bravely, "Wildcountry", as the band was formerly known, left their Lookout Mountain and Fort Payne roots to hone its burgeoning talent on the club scene in coastal South Carolina and the surrounding area.

On April 21, 1980, Alabama signed with industry giant RCA, the label that turned the likes of Elvis Presley into a megastar and cultural icon. The label quickly pressed Alabama's autobiographical anthem "My Home's in Alabama" as a single. That May, RCA Records issued "Tennessee River" as the first No. 1 Alabama hit.

Starting with "Tennessee River", they would rack up a string of 21 consecutive number-one hits. 21 more would follow, rewarding the band with 42 number one singles. Alabama became, seemingly overnight, a driving force in country music, essentially changing it forever.