Some bands are built on a shared sound. The Selma Boys are built on something older: a high school friendship forged in the Black Belt more than half a century ago. The group, made up largely of members of Selma High’s class of 1972, has become a familiar name on stages from Birmingham to the Alabama Gulf Coast, and after a tornado tore through their hometown in January 2023, the old friends turned their music into a relief effort with a song called “Selma’s Still Here.”
One afternoon in the spring of 2023, the band played Avenue Pub in Orange Beach, the waterfront spot on Terry Cove, and even on a dreary day the music and the food drew a crowd. It was a good snapshot of what makes the coast’s live music scene special: talented local players, casual venues and audiences who know every word.
A Band Born in the Class of 1972
The members of the Selma Boys attended high school together in Selma. It began in 1970, when Rick Carter and Richard Tabor formed a band called Truffle. After graduation, their paths diverged. Carter went to the University of South Alabama, Mike Estep headed to school in Tuscaloosa and became an oil and gas attorney, and Tabor launched a successful homebuilding business in central Alabama, staying in his hometown.
Forty years after leaving high school, Carter pulled the old friends together as the Selma Boys, and the band settled into a schedule of roughly 30 to 35 shows a year. The lineup today brings together Carter, Tabor, Estep and bassist Stan Foster.
Those long friendships come through in the music. There is a special harmony and closeness to a group of players who have known one another since their teens, and their song selection leans on the rock, pop and country hits of the late 1960s and 1970s. For audiences of a certain age, a Selma Boys set is a trip back to high school and college, and an invitation to sing along.
Rick Carter: A Lifetime on Stage
Carter has been a full-time musician since the mid-1970s. In 1977 he formed Telluride in Birmingham with Roger Bailey, Jim Liner, Robert Churchill and Moose Harrell, and the band became one of Birmingham’s most beloved rock acts. More than four decades later, Telluride remained a major draw whenever its members got together, including a Memorial Day weekend headline slot at the Flora-Bama on May 27, 2023. Estep hung around with Telluride while he was in school, and they played music together whenever they could.
Carter is also a founding member of Rollin’ in the Hay, an alternative bluegrass band recognized by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame as a “Music Achiever.” Between the Selma Boys, Rollin’ in the Hay and solo, duo and trio gigs, he plays an estimated 275 to 300 shows a year, a pace few musicians anywhere can match.
Stan Foster: The Arkansas Connection
Bassist Stan Foster is the band’s lone non-Selma native; he graduated from high school in Camden, Arkansas. He also plays with Rollin’ in the Hay and contributes lead and harmony vocals to the Selma Boys, along with a keen sense of humor and a colorful stage personality.
Foster and Estep both play frequently around the coastal area, from Mobile to Pensacola and points in between, sometimes together. Their presence on the regional circuit is part of what keeps the Selma Boys connected to Gulf Coast audiences even though the band’s roots are in central Alabama.
Part of Alabama’s Deep Musical Roots
Bands like the Selma Boys draw on a state with an outsized musical legacy. Alabama gave the world W.C. Handy, the “Father of the Blues,” from Florence; Hank Williams, who grew up in south-central Alabama; and Nat King Cole, born in Montgomery. The recording studios of Muscle Shoals produced hits for Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones and countless others, and the band Alabama became one of the best-selling country acts of all time. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia honors that heritage, recognizing not only famous stars but also working musicians and groups who have made their mark on the state’s music, which is where Rollin’ in the Hay earned its “Music Achiever” recognition.
The Black Belt, the band of dark, fertile soil that stretches across central Alabama and gives the region its name, has its own rich tradition of gospel, blues and church music. Players who grew up there in the 1960s and early 1970s came of age as rock, soul and country were blending on the radio, and that mix is audible in the kind of set lists bands like the Selma Boys still play today.
A Hometown in the Path of the Storm
On January 12, 2023, a powerful tornado rolled through Selma, leaving a path of destruction across the city. It was part of a severe weather outbreak that struck central Alabama and Georgia that day. No one in Selma was killed, but homes, businesses, churches and historic buildings were damaged or destroyed, and many friends and family members of the Selma Boys were left facing an enormous rebuilding task.
Selma holds a significant place in American history. The Dallas County seat on the Alabama River is where the 1965 voting rights marches began, including the “Bloody Sunday” confrontation at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, events that helped lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act. The city is part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail and draws visitors from around the world, particularly during the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee commemoration. It is also a community that has faced long-term economic challenges, which made recovery from the 2023 storm especially difficult.
“It’s uncanny how many wonderful people are from Selma,” Carter said. “These are people whose families’ lives have been uprooted by the storm. It hit all of us hard, and we wanted to do something that would help draw attention to Selma’s plight and help them recover.”
“Selma’s Still Here”
Within two weeks of the tornado, the Selma Boys and their longtime friend Don Tinsley had written and recorded “Selma’s Still Here,” a heartfelt tribute to the people whose lives were upended by the storm and who were determined to put them back together.
The song was made available for download for a minimum donation of $4, with proceeds supporting the recovery effort through the Black Belt Benefits Group, part of the United Way’s disaster relief fund. By April 2023, the song had raised more than $3,200. “We wanted to give back,” Carter said. The download was offered through Carter’s Bandcamp page, along with complete bios of everyone who played on the recording.
Benefit songs have a long tradition in American music, from nationally known charity singles to countless local recordings made after floods, fires and storms. For smaller communities, a song can do two things at once: raise money directly and keep attention on a disaster after the national news cycle has moved on. That second benefit matters, because recovery from a major tornado often takes years, long after the initial wave of volunteers and donations fades. Homeowners must work through insurance claims, contractor shortages and rising material costs, and nonprofits often shift from emergency supplies to rebuilding assistance in the months that follow.
On the Road, Among Friends
As the Selma Boys, Carter, Tabor, Estep and Foster play around Alabama and do a few shows in Mississippi each year. Estep and Carter handle the schedule, often booking six to eight months ahead. In 2023, their calendar included dates in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and along the Alabama coast, along with a class reunion back in Selma.
“It’s a great opportunity to play with friends doing something we love,” Carter said.
The Alabama coast has become a natural home for bands like this one. From Orange Beach and Gulf Shores to Fairhope, Mobile and Pensacola, waterfront restaurants, beach bars and listening rooms book live music throughout the week, and many of the players are veterans of the Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Muscle Shoals scenes who now split their time between central Alabama and the Gulf. The Flora-Bama, straddling the state line at Perdido Key, is the most famous of those venues, but dozens of smaller rooms keep the circuit alive.
How to Catch the Band and Help Selma
- Find a show: The band posts upcoming dates on the Selma Boys Facebook page; schedules are typically set months in advance.
- Download the song: “Selma’s Still Here” was released through Rick Carter’s Bandcamp page with donations supporting tornado recovery.
- Support recovery: Community organizations in Selma and the Black Belt continue to work on long-term rebuilding; donors should give through established relief organizations.
- Visit Selma: Tourism supports local businesses. The Edmund Pettus Bridge, the National Voting Rights Museum and the city’s historic downtown are all worth the drive.
The Selma Boys are a close-knit group that clearly enjoys playing and entertaining, and they are worth seeking out when they come to the coast. Their song carries a simple message worth remembering long after the storm: Selma is still here.