Alabama’s original drummer, Mark Herndon, returned to the stage to play “Mountain Music” with the band for the first time in over 20 years, and it sounds like he — pardon the pun — didn’t miss a beat.
“I felt like a kid all day,” he’d later say. “It was so cathartic for everybody.”
- Herndon was with Alabama through their 2004 Farewell Tour.
- After that tour, the band (Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook) sued him for alleged overpayments.
- When they reunited in 2013, they left Herndon out.
Why Did Mark Herndon Leave Alabama?
It’s actually not clear if Herndon quit Alabama or if he was just not invited back. The reasons for the band and drummer separating are equally ambiguous.
In 2014, Owen would make the case that Herndon was never a part of the band to begin with, characterizing him as more of a hired hand.
He explained that it was the record label’s idea to include him on all of the album covers because they wanted comparisons to be made to the Beatles.
“I never thought anything about it because everybody knew Mark had nothing to do with the structure with Alabama,” he told The Tennessean (quote via Al.com)
“He didn’t play on the albums. He was just on the stage with us, as were several other people. Had we been smart enough, there never would have been four people in the pictures.”
Additionally, he tried to argue there was no animosity, but the quote came off as cool. “I don’t have one thing against him in any way in the world. I hope he has a good life.”
Alabama Reunite With Mark Herndon
Alabama’s reunion with Herndon came at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Ala. on Saturday (Aug. 23). For the last song of the night, Owen brought out their old friend who tore through “Mountain Music” like he used to do.
He even got his old solo back.
“It just fell together,” Gentry explains. “The good Lord blesses us sometimes to do things that we can’t do. All we can do is kind of be in the wings and kind of hope for things. Like I said, we make plans, and he laughs. But there’s nothing he can’t do.”
No further dates with Herndon have been announced. Alabama continue to tour on the Live in Concert 25 Tour, with more than a dozen shows scheduled through the end of the year.
Of course this wasn’t a complete reunion, as Cook died in 2022 after a battle with Parkinson’s.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
