A Tour of American Recording Studios from Coast to Coast

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Sunset sound studios are located on Sunset Boulevard, and have been in business since 1958. The studio was originally bought for the production of Disney movie soundtracks. Over the years, the studio began to host all types of musicians and become a historical place in the industry for cutting hit songs and albums.

2. The Church Studio

While it may not look like much now, The Church Studio is historically significant as the birthplace of what became known as the "Tulsa Sound," the style of music that combines blues, country and rock. Many famous artists recorded here including Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, George Harrison, J.J. Cale, The GAP Band, Kansas, and Leon Russell himself. The Church Studio was established by recording artist Leon Russell in 1972 to be the location of his company Shelter Records, which he co-founded in 1969. The building itself was built in 1915 and called Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. As of August 2019, the current owners are remodeling the building and plan to open in the Summer of 2020. They will add a museum, a small theater/screening room, a professional culinary kitchen and bar, and collaborative space for music professionals. The Church Studio also features an archive holding a large collection of 4,000 items highlighting the legacy of Leon Russell, the musicians that recorded here, and the Tulsa Sound. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

3. American Sound Studio

Between 1965 and 1972, many of the leading musicians recorded their albums at Memphis's American Sound Studio. A Family Dollar now occupies the original site and there is only a small historical marker to let the public know the significance of this location to the history of American music. In addition to recording hits, studio owner Lincoln “Chips” Moman created his own house band with guitarist Reggie Young, drummer Gene Chrisman, pianist Bobby Wood, organist Bobby Emmons, and bassists Mike Leech and Tommy Cogbill. This house band provided the background for many leading musicians, including Elvis Pressley.

4. Sun Record Company

Where Rock and Roll was born. Sam Phillips launched his record company in February, 1952, and named it Sun Records as a sign of his perpetual optimism: A new day and a new beginning. Sun Studio became known as a place that nurtured talent and then encouraged it to expand with bigger labels. In 2003 it became a national tourist attraction due to the record company discovering Elvis Presley.

5. Stax Museum of American Soul Music

The Stax Museum was originally a business called Satellite Records, owned and operated by Jim Stewart. The museum's purpose is to show the heart and soul that was poured into the record company and the musical history. Even though the company shut down in 1975 due to bankruptcy, the legacy lives on and is still impacting people today. Stax Museum is run by Soulsville Foundation, who helps people recognize the beauty of soul music.

6. Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

From 1969-1978, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was one of the preeminent recording studios in the world. It was founded by legendary producer Jerry Wexler in partnership with four session musicians (Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins , Jimmy Johnson and David Hood) who called themselves the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. The four musicians got their start at FAME Studios, which was established in Muscle Shoals by Rick Hall. While under the leadership of Hall, the four musicians produced the background msic for musical acts ranging from Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding to the Osmonds and Bobby Gentry. These four musicians were later referred to as “The Swampers” by Lynyrd Skynyrd in his hit song “Sweet Home Alabama.” After partnering with Wexler and creating their own studio, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio produced 400 albums, 52 of which earned gold and platinum status. The Rolling Stones, Cher, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkle, Willie Nelson, Joe Crocker and many others recorded at the studio during this period. The Rolling Stones recorded "Wild Horses" and "Brown Sugar"—two of their more popular songs—here in 1969. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Today it is owned by the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation. The studio moved to a new building in 1978 and sold it to Malaco Records in 1985. Malaco ran the new studio for twenty years. The original building on Jackson is undergoing restoration at the time of this writing but tours will be offered after the restoration process is complete.

7. Quonset Hut (Columbia Studio B)

The Quonset Hut, later known as Columbia Studio B, was the first music recording studio in the historic Music Row district of Nashville. In 1954, music producer Owen Bradley and his brother, musician Harold Bradley, converted a house and a surplus Quonset hut into a makeshift music studio on 16th Avenue. Noted musicians such as Brenda Lee and Johnny Cash recorded at the Quonset Hut, known for the superior acoustics it provided. As the studio became more successful, other music labels moved into the neighborhood and it became known as "Music Row." After Bradley sold Bradley Studios and the Quonset Hut in 1962, Columbia Records owned and operated the studio until 1982, repurposing a portion for offices. In the 2000s, music producer and philanthropist Mike Curb purchased the land and office space, and it currently houses facilities for Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.

8. RCA Studio B

Historic RCA Studio B was the original recording home of Elvis Presley and has been used by dozens of country and folk music stars such as the Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, and Willie Nelson. In 2002, the Mike Curb Family Foundation purchased the building, renovated and restored it back to its appearance in the 1970s, and then granted the Country Music Hall of Fame a perpetual lease of the building so that they could operate tours of the studio for the public.

9. The Motown Museum

The Motown Museum is located at Hitsville USA, the original home of Motown Records from 1959-1972. Founded by Berry Gordy, Jr., Motown Records would become the most successful independent record label in the industry and the largest Black-owned company in the U.S. at one time. The "Motown Sound" jump-started the careers of notable artists like The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and the Jackson 5. Visitors to the museum can see Studio A, where some of the most famous Motown songs were recorded, along with a collection of other memorabilia from the era.

10. Electric Lady Studios

Constructed in 1929 and home to the Film Guild Cinema in its early years, this Greenwich Village building would later become home to the Village Barn, a country-themed nightclub that inspired an NBC spinoff. During the late 1960s, the building was home to the Generation, a legendary but short-lived live music venue, and later, a recording studio owned by Jimi Hendrix. Although Hendrix is most often associated with Seattle and London, this building is an important part of the musician’s legacy and he and his manager purchased the nightclub in 1968 and transformed it into a state-of-the-art recording studio that continues to operate as Electric Lady Studios. Hendrix’s untimely death occurred not long after the studio was completed, but it continues to draw some of the biggest artists of the day, including Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey.

This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.

A Tour of American Recording Studios from Coast to Coast

Created by Gavin Anderson on May 6th 2021, 9:27:35 pm.

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Description

From New York to Los Angeles, the United States is home to some of the most well known and important music studios of the past century. This tour covers covers some of the most famous and influential recording studios in America who primarily focus on Rock, R&B, Country, and Blues. The tour begins in New York in the legendary Electric Lady Studios and travels to the Motor City of Detroit. Following the visit to the birth of Motown, the tour travels south where it visits the birthplace of rock and roll itself and the capital of country music. The tour concludes in the arguably coolest studio of all time: Sunset Sound Studios. Learning the histories of these legendary studios and the people who helped create the soundtracks of generation after generation can give better insight to the state of America during those times.

Entries on This Tour

A Tour of American Recording Studios from Coast to Coast

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