Brittany Howard on the unexpected rise of Alabama Shakes

Brittany Howard has been ranked one of the greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone. Then there's that voice, which the New Yorker called "a mixture of Robert Plant and Marvin Gaye." Brittany's debut album with her band Alabama Shakes was a million-seller. Their follow-up went to No. 1. Now, after Brittany's two great solo albums, the Shakes are back with a record called "I Must Be Dreaming," out August 28. 00:00 Welcome to Alchemy 01:25 Reuniting with Alabama Shakes 04:31 Musical Roots and a Metal Side Project 07:16 Finding Her Voice 08:32 Believing in a Music Career 10:04 Seeing a Woman Play Guitar For the First Time 10:50 What Made Her Unstoppable 12:23 Losing Her Sister Jaime 14:36 Honoring Jaime Through Music 18:07 Finding the Band and Blowing Up 21:44 Working Odd Jobs 22:08 Writing "Hold On" on the Sanitation Job 24:50 Chasing Inspiration Wherever It Strikes 27:36 Rest, Risk, and Creative Renewal 30:14 Getting Lost in the Music 32:56 Duality, Identity, and Home 38:13 A Night at Paisley Park with Prince 40:34 Bill Withers and Treasured Moments 41:45 Music as a Source of Answers 44:39 Writing "Tea Time" and Chasing a Great Lyric ——— New episodes of Alchemy every other Wednesday. 🟠 Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.alchemy.show/ 🟡 Stay connected with Anthony Mason: YouTube: @alchemywithanthonymason Instagram: Instagram: alchemywithanthony & Instagram: anthonymasoncbs TikTok: TikTok: alchemywithanthony 🟢 If you’re interested in sponsoring Alchemy: [email protected] 🔵 For press inquiries: [email protected] 🟣 For bookings: [email protected] About our Founding Sponsor, The FLAG Art Foundation: Alchemy with Anthony Mason is presented by our founding sponsor, the FLAG Art Foundation. It is a nonprofit contemporary art exhibition space in New York's Chelsea Arts District. Since 2008, FLAG has staged more than 100 exhibitions celebrating nearly 1,000 artists, with innovative partnerships including the Parrish Art Museum, the Serpentine Galleries in London, and the Harlem Children's Zone. FLAG is free and open to the public. In this episode, I’m highlighting two exhibits: 🖼️ UNTIL THE MOON COMES OVER THE MOUNTAIN (Part II) Following the run of FLAG’s exhibition of the same name, the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY will highlight contemporary artists working with or referencing earthen and natural materials. Artists include Andy Goldsworthy, Michelle Stuart, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, and Delcy Morelos, to name a few. On view August 1-November 8, 2026 📍The Parrish Art Museum More info → https://parrishart.org/exhibitions/un... Work featured in this video: 🔸 Christine Howard Sandoval. Arch-A Passage Formed By A Curve, 2020. Forge Project Collection, traditional lands of the Moh-He-Con-Nuck. 🔹 Jonathan Sánchez Noa. Untitled (Matomba), 2026. Courtesy the artist. 🔸 Andy Goldsworthy. Long Island Road Line Diary (detail), 2024. Collection Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman NY, Courtesy The FLAG Art Foundation. © Andy Goldsworthy. Courtesy Galerie Lelong. 🔹 Michelle Stuart. Passage Bream Bay, 1999. Gift of the artist in honor of Trudy C. Kramer. 🔸 Sonya Kelliher-Combs. Nanuq, Mark III, 2026. Image courtesy of the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York. Photo: C. Creagan. 🔹 Delcy Morelos. Organized Salt Water, 2014. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery. Photo credit: Sebastiano Pellion. 🎨 Frida: The Making of an Icon The MFA Houston’s Frida: The Making of an Icon has made its way to London’s Tate Modern. The exhibition brings together 200 works from the legendary Frida Kahlo and her contemporaries. Highlighting the artist’s career and the ‘Fridamania’ that her continued popularity has created, her multidimensionality across politics, activism, art, intellectualism, and romance is on full display On view through January 3, 2027 📍Tate Modern Check it out → https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate... Learn more about the FLAG Art Foundation → https://www.flagartfoundation.org 📍 545 W 25th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10001 | Wed–Sat, 11AM–5PM 📸 Follow FLAG on Instagram → www.instagram.com/flagartfoundation About Anthony Mason: Anthony Mason, the host of Alchemy, is also a Special Correspondent with CBS News. One of the most versatile and experienced television journalists, Anthony co-hosted CBS This Morning: Saturday for seven years (2012-2019), and then the weekday CBS This Morning broadcast for two more. But he may be best known for his interviews with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Annie Leibovitz and André 3000. He has won a dozen Emmy Awards. And in 2023, the Songwriters Hall of Fame presented him their Patron of the Arts Award.