On July 30, 1985, Alabama made country music history when they became the first act in the genre to earn quadruple-platinum status. Thirty-three years ago, the group was recognized for selling 4 million copies of both their 1981 album Feels So Right and 1982's Mountain Music.
Alabama's sophomore album, Feels So Right, amassed three No. 1 hits, including the title track, "Old Flame" and "Love in the First Degree."
Additionally, all three singles from Mountain Music also topped the charts. Those hits included the title track, "Close Enough to Perfect" and "Take Me Down."
Despite this massive success, Alabama's Randy Owen admits that they were uneasy about their back-to-back chart toppers.
"I was afraid it would curtail the ability to stay true to who Alabama was, and [we would] just do songs that would be commercially easy for radio stations to put on, spin it and have a No. 1 record," Owen told No Depression. "It concerned me. I’m not sure how the other guys feel about that—but it concerned me because, to me, there are songs that you write that you think, 'This is an Alabama song,' and you just feel, 'This is us.'"
Over three decades after making country music history, Alabama are still going strong. The group recently announced their 2018 tour, fittingly called The Hits Tour. The tour kicked off in Texas in March, and the 22-date trek runs through September.
"This year's tour is for the lifelong fans, and also the younger generations just now discovering the music,” Owen says in a press release.
Tickets for the Hits Tour are available now via Alabama's official website.