Alabama Shakes is an R&B-inspired rock quartet that was formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009. The group is comprised of Brittany Howard with lead vocals and guitar, Zac Cockrell on bass guitar, Heath Fogg on guitar and backing vocals, Steve Johnson on drums and percussion, with the addition of Ben Tanner on piano, keyboard, and percussion after 2011. Howard and Cockrell, who met in high school and began playing and writing music together, originally founded the band before going on to recruit the remaining members. In 2011 the band released their self-titled extended play album, which was followed up by their debut studio album Boys and Girls in 2012. With a vastly positive response to their albums, the Alabama Shakes experiences a rapid climb to popularity that led to several high profile performances. Armed with their impressive musicality and Howard's impressive voice, the band has performed sets on stages such as Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, the Troubadour in Los Angeles, and they have performed sets at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and Newport Folk Festival. In spring of 2015 Alamaba Shakes is set to release their second studio album Sound & Color, which they will be supporting with live performances. In their short career Alabama Shakes have received a collection of awards for their contributions to music. They have been nominated for three Grammy Awards between 2013 and 2014 in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance and have won an Americana Music Honors Award in the Emerging Artist of the Year in 2012.