The series revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to make larger points about Southern beliefs and identities.
All episodes of TrueSouth are available on demand on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ immediately upon airing. Visit the TrueSouth website to follow the crew throughout the year.
Episode Summary
Inspiration for this episode begins with the Tennessee River, which courses through the Shoals. Native people said that river sang. Power generated by Wilson Dam, which now spans that river, drove the electrification of the rural South and the rise of clothing manufacturing here. Beginning in 1959 with the founding of Florence Alabama Recording Enterprises, known to generations of musicians as FAME, Shoals studios became the places to record hit records, welcoming everyone from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones.
Before NAFTA upended the clothing industry in the late 1990s, manufacturers here made band tee-shirts, just down the road from the studios where those bands recorded songs. Today, as the Shoals redefines its economy, this episode tracks the rise of post-industrial jobs, grounded in creativity and education, while asking who gets included in that new equation, and who gets left out.
Three restaurants anchor our story: Trowbridge’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop, founded in 1918, the same year construction on that dam began, is Florence’s flagship, now stewarded by fourth generation operator Pam Trowbridge and her father Don Trowbridge. Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q, famous for slaw dogs, is where Malcolm Cole, son of founder John Bunyan Cole, carries forward the family legacy. Down in Sheffield, at George’s Steak Pit, owned by Leigh Anna and Scott Trimble, Elaine Goodloe has worked a hickory-fueled pit for more than 40 years.
In tribute to the studios of the Shoals, where so much of the American songbook has been recorded, session musicians at FAME and Sun Drop Sound wrote and recorded much of the music for this episode. The crew also staged most of the interviews at FAME, Muscle Shoals Sound and Sun Drop Sound.
Advance press screeners of TrueSouth: Season Nine, Episode One are available upon request: katie.callahan@espn.com.
About TrueSouth
TrueSouth is a National Emmy Award-winning limited series on Southern food and culture, airing on SEC Network. John T. Edge, author of House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home, writes and hosts the show, which is executive produced by four-time New York Times best-selling author, ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson, and produced by Bluefoot Entertainment.
The series, now in its ninth season, revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to tell bigger stories about Southern beliefs and identities. This season’s featured places are The Shoals, Alabama; Arkansas Flyway; Buford Highway in Atlanta; and Rayna, Louisiana. A special behind-the-scenes episode finishes out season 9. Seasons 1-8 of TrueSouth are available in their entirety on the ESPN App.
Music plays an integral role in TrueSouth’s storytelling via in-episode performances and on-screen credits. The TrueSouth playlist on Spotify shares the full soundtrack of every season. A TrueSouth hub on SECSports.com offers a roster of places the crew has visited, along with a road trip planning feature.
About SEC Network
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched SEC Network on August 14, 2014. The network televises hundreds of games across the SEC’s 22 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth analysis and storytelling in studio shows such as SEC Nation, Marty & McGee, Read & React and Rally Cap, daily news and information with The Paul Finebaum Show and SEC Now, original content such as the Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth, SEC Storied and SEC Inside, and more. Hundreds of additional live events are available for streaming exclusively on SEC Network’s digital companion, SEC Network+, via the ESPN App and SECNetwork.com. Follow SEC Network on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter/X.