Video: Tuning Thursdays - Alabama Shakes and Their "Heavy Chevy"

Hello all, and welcome back to Tuning Thursdays, where you can kick back, imbibe your preferred libations, and plan to plan what you’ll do for the rest of the day. Today’s selection is a 12-bar blues rockabilly song called “Heavy Chevy” by the band Alabama Shakes. The song can be found on the band’s debut album, Boys and Girls.

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The band consists of Brittany Howard on guitar and lead vocals; Zac Cockrell on bass; Heath Fogg on guitar; and Steve Johnson on the drums. On the video, we see a fifth band member, Ben Tanner, pounding the piano à la Jerry Lee Lewis. He serves as a pianist and general keyboard maestro when the band goes on tour.

The band’s charged and explosive presence has earned them praise from multiple sources, both public and professional. Even performing in front of a small audience in Portland, Oregon, doesn’t seem to detract much from Howard’s energy and stage presence.

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The song itself, while unclear in terms of a coherent lyrical message, nevertheless is a foot-tapping, dance-inducing romp that’s fun to listen to whether in the garage or out on the road. And what’s better to cruise around in than those heavy Bel-Air, 150, 210, or Nomad Tri-Fives?

Elegant, powerful, and iconic, they did a great service to building the name and legacy of our favorite Bowtie, not only with Turbofire 265 V8 engines and Powerglide transmissions, but also with imposing fascia and eye-popping interiors. It’s a small wonder that there’s whole books like Tri-Five Chevy Handbook by Jim Richardson and Chevy Tri-Five Custom Interiors by Ron Mangus Interiors dedicated to these vehicles.

Power and style are what make a Chevy car a Chevy, and why we will always respect and admire what these mid-50s cars did for the industry and for the public. In the meantime, get your mashed potato and twist practiced to perfection with the Alabama Shakes’ “Heavy Chevy.” Thanks for Tuning in this fine Thursday. See you next week for another automotive sound track selection.