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Alabama (Band): Members, Ages, Songs and History

February 6, 2024 89

By Wild Country Radio · Updated 29 October 2026

Alabama is one of the most successful bands in country music history: three cousins from Fort Payne, Alabama, who started out as a bar band playing for tips and went on to more than 30 No. 1 country singles. Before they were Alabama, they were called Wildcountry.

Alabama at a glance

Formed	1969, Fort Payne, Alabama
Earlier names	Young Country (1969–1972), Wildcountry (1972–1977)
Members today	Randy Owen (lead vocals, guitar) and Teddy Gentry (bass, vocals)
Former members	Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, keyboards; 1949–2022), Mark Herndon (drums, 1979–2004)
Status	Active. Owen and Gentry still tour as Alabama
No. 1 hits	33 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, starting with “Tennessee River” (1980)
Major honors	CMA Entertainer of the Year 1982, 1983 and 1984; ACM Artist of the Decade (1989); two Grammy Awards; Country Music Hall of Fame (2005)

How old are the members of Alabama?

Ages as of October 2026:

Randy Owen, lead singer: 76. Born December 13, 1949, in Fort Payne, Alabama.
Teddy Gentry, bass: born in 1952, so he turns 74 in 2026.
Jeff Cook, lead guitar and fiddle: born August 27, 1949. He died on November 7, 2022, at 73.
Mark Herndon, drums from 1979 to 2004: born in 1955, so he turns 71 in 2026.

Is Alabama still together?

Yes. Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry still tour as Alabama. Jeff Cook was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012, made it public in 2017 and left the road after 2018; he died in 2022. In August 2025, drummer Mark Herndon joined Owen and Gentry onstage at a sold-out show in Huntsville, Alabama, for the first time in more than 20 years.

For current dates, see the band’s official tour page, and check our country music concerts guide.

From Wildcountry to Alabama

Cousins Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook grew up around Fort Payne, at the foot of Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. They started playing together in 1969 as Young Country and became Wildcountry in 1972. Through much of the 1970s they worked at The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, playing six nights a week for tips.

They changed the name to Alabama in 1977. Rock drummer Mark Herndon joined for good in 1979, and RCA Records signed the band in April 1980. Their first RCA single, “Tennessee River,” went to No. 1 that year and started a run of 21 straight No. 1 singles.

Unusually for a country act of the time, the four played their own instruments on the road. From 1982 to 1997 they hosted June Jam, a festival in Fort Payne that raised money for local charities and schools. The band played a farewell tour that ended in 2004, reunited in 2010, and went back on the road in 2013 for its 40th anniversary.

Alabama’s biggest songs

All of these reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart. Years are the year each hit No. 1.

“Tennessee River” (1980)
“Feels So Right” (1981)
“Love in the First Degree” (1981)
“Mountain Music” (1982)
“The Closer You Get” (1983)
“Dixieland Delight” (1983)
“If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)” (1984)
“Song of the South” (1989)
“Jukebox in My Mind” (1990)
“I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)” (1992)

Hear them alongside today’s country on Wild Country Radio.

Awards and honors

CMA Entertainer of the Year three years running, 1982 to 1984
ACM Artist of the Decade for the 1980s, named in 1989
Grammy Awards for Mountain Music and The Closer You Get… (Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal)
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1998)
Country Music Hall of Fame (2005)
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (2019)

Randy Owen’s Country Cares radiothons have raised more than $70 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Alabama FAQ

Where is the band Alabama from?

Fort Payne, in northeast Alabama. All three founding cousins were born and raised nearby.

How old is Randy Owen?

Randy Owen is 76. He was born on December 13, 1949.

Which member of Alabama died?

Jeff Cook, the band’s lead guitarist and fiddle player, died on November 7, 2022, at 73, after a long illness. He had lived with Parkinson’s disease since 2012.

How many No. 1 hits did Alabama have?

33 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, including 21 in a row in the 1980s. The Country Music Hall of Fame puts it as more than 30 No. 1 records between 1980 and 1993.