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Steven Stiefel grew up in Fort Payne, Alabama, the same hometown as country music superstars Alabama, a country music and southern rock band. He has many memories of the group’s annual June Jam concerts, and documenting it was an early highlight in his career. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook.
From 1982 until 1997, Alabama held an annual “Jam” in Fort Payne. Proceeds from these events were distributed to various charities and school organizations. The group received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, Country Radio Broadcasters’ Humanitarian Award, and the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award. They were also the inaugural recipients of the “Spirit of Alabama” medal.
“I’ve had many interactions with the guys in Alabama over the decades since I first saw them play their big concert at Wildcat Stadium when I was in junior high school,” Steven said. “My father was their warehouse manager for many years, and I’ve been out on the road to see them play more times than I can possibly count. I’ve done a photo shoot at Jeff Cook’s old castle house, I’ve covered their press conferences, and I saw down with Randy Owen to interview for a college scholarship funded by the June Jam. I’m grateful to the guys for everything they’ve done for our hometown.
“The June Jam was always a special time. A sleepy little town came to life and resembled a beach town during Spring Break as thousands of people drove in for the event. It felt like the attention of the whole world was upon us. Because of my proximity to Alabama and the Jams, I met a lot of famous people. Having celebrities around definitely made for a special experience growing up. My very first models that I photographed were winners of the Jam-week beauty pageant.”
The band has over 30 number one country records on the Billboard Magazine charts to their credit and have sold over 73 million records to date. Alabama was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. The band reunited in 2011 — minus longtime drummer Mark Herndon — playing with Brad Paisley on his single, “Old Alabama” and playing the Bama Rising benefit.
Randy Owen
Randy Owen
Randy Owen
Alabama
Ray Stevens
Alan Jackson
Tricia Yearwood
June Jam
[...] of people. It started as a replacement for the June Jam Week, which was an offshoot of the annual June Jam charity concerts that brought national attention to Fort [...]