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{{Short description|Music recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee, US}}
{{Short description|Music recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee, US}}
{{Distinguish|RCA Building|text=the Studio A in the [[RCA Building]]'s [[NBC Studios (New York City)|NBC Studios]] or the former RCA Victor Studio A, both in Manhattan, New York City}}
{{Distinguish|RCA Building|text=the Studio A in the [[RCA Building]]'s [[NBC Studios (New York City)|NBC Studios]] or the former [[RCA Studios New York#24th St|RCA Victor Studio A]], both in Manhattan, New York City}}
{{Infobox building
{{Infobox building
| alternate_names = Grand Victor Sound <br/> Javelina Studios <br/> Ben's Place
| alternate_names = Grand Victor Sound <br/> Javelina Studios <br/> Ben's Place
Line 8: Line 8:
| coordinates = {{CoordDec|36.1496|-86.7930}}
| coordinates = {{CoordDec|36.1496|-86.7930}}
}}
}}
'''RCA Studio A''' is a music [[recording studio]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]] built and founded in 1964 by [[Chet Atkins]], [[Owen Bradley]] and [[Harold Bradley]]. Originally known simply by the name "[[RCA Records|RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios]]" (or "RCA Studios" for short), along with the adjacent [[RCA Studio B]], it became known in the 1960s for becoming an essential factor and location to the development of the musical [[record producer|production]] style and [[audio engineer|sound engineering]] technique known as the [[Nashville Sound]].<ref name="tennessean-20171021">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/industries/music/2017/10/21/rca-studio-a-iconic-signs-after-nearly-50-years/787238001/?from=new-cookie|title=Iconic signs at Nashville's historic Studio A return after nearly 50 years|last=Garrison|first=John|date=2017-10-21|work=The Tennessean|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en}}</ref><ref name="rollingstone-20141223">{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/historic-rca-studio-a-saved-from-demolition-20141223|title=Historic Nashville Studio Saved From Demolition|date=2014-12-23|work=Rolling Stone|access-date=2018-04-05}}</ref>
'''RCA Studio A''' is a music [[recording studio]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]] built and founded in 1965 by [[Chet Atkins]], [[Owen Bradley]] and [[Harold Bradley (guitarist)|Harold Bradley]] as an addition to the [[RCA Studio B|RCA Victor Studio]] the company established seven years prior. Together these two studios were oknown simply by the name "RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios" (or "RCA Studios" for short) and became known in the 1960s for becoming an essential factor and location to the development of the musical [[record producer|production]] style and [[audio engineer|sound engineering]] technique known as the [[Nashville Sound]].<ref name="rollingstone-20141223">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/historic-rca-studio-a-saved-from-demolition-20141223|title=Historic Nashville Studio Saved From Demolition|date=23 December 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref>


RCA utilized the studio until January 1977, after which it was sold to [[Owen Bradley]], who remodeled it and operated the studio as Music City Music Hall until the late 1980s. It was later operated as Javelina Recording Studios. Beginning in 2002, [[Ben Folds]] leased the building and operated it as Ben's Place and later Grand Victor Sound.
In 2015, it was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Since 2016, it has housed [[Low Country Sound]], a record label imprint run by [[Dave Cobb]].<ref name="nscene-20180218">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/article/20991582/three-years-after-being-saved-from-the-wrecking-ball-studio-a-still-makes-an-impact|title=Three Years After Being Saved, Studio A Still Makes an Impact|last=Gold|first=Adam|date=2018-02-18|work=Nashville Scene|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en}}</ref>

In 2014, when a local developer planned to demolish the building in order to build condominiums, Folds gathered support to preserve the building, and [[Mike Curb]] and local philanthropists collectively purchased the building. The following year, RCA Studio A was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Since 2016, [[Dave Cobb]] has leased the studio and used it to operate his [[Low Country Sound]] record label imprint.<ref name="GoldA">{{cite web|last=Gold|first=Adam|title=Three Years After Being Saved, Studio A Still Makes an Impact|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/features/three-years-after-being-saved-studio-a-still-makes-an-impact/article_68f6aa0b-d892-5b40-b368-13d0b7bf32bc.html|website=Nashville Scene|date=8 February 2018|access-date=5 August 2024}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
===RCA Studio A (1965-1977)===
Studio A was built in 1965 based on the ideas of [[Chet Atkins]], [[Owen Bradley]] and [[Harold Bradley]], and operated by [[RCA Records]] until 1977.<ref name="nytimes-20140927">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/us/as-music-row-shifts-to-condo-row-nashville-cries-in-its-beer.html|title=As Music Row Shifts to Condo Row, Nashville Cries in Its Beer|last=Fausset|first=Richard|date=2014-09-27|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="tennessean-20140917">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/industries/music/2014/09/17/demolition-papers-filed-studio-music-row/15801701/|title=Demolition papers filed for Studio A building|last=Rau|first=Nate|date=2014-09-17|work=The Tennessean|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en}}</ref> Despite its name, Studio A is actually newer than the adjacent [[RCA Studio B]] which was built in 1956. Studios A and B were collectively referred to as [[RCA Records|RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios]].<ref name="nytimes-20140927" />
[[Chet Atkins]] and [[Owen Bradley]] constructed a new 3-story building at the original address of 806 17th Avenue South (the street would be renamed Music Square West in 1975) to be leased by [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]]. Half of the building was built as office space for the label's Nashville division, and the other half was a new recording studio. Officially opening on March 29, 1965, the new addition to RCA Victor's Nashville Sound Studios, which was newer and larger than RCA's [[RCA Studio B|adjacent studio built 9 years prior]], was appropriately designated as Studio A, while the original studio became Studio B.<ref name="Revolution">{{Cite web|last1=Gonzalez|first1=Tony|last2=Rau|first2=Nate|title=Revolution and rebirth at Studio A|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/03/28/studio-a-nashville-50th/70463174/|website=The Tennessean|date=28 March 2015|access-date=5 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> Studio A was one of three similarly-designed large studios built by RCA in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville specifically for recording large groups of musicians, such as choirs, string sections, or orchestras, playing together live, which was essential to the [[Nashville sound]] production style. With its live room measuring 75 x 45 feet with 25 foot high ceiling,<ref name="MTSU-NRHPform">{{cite web|last=Van West|first=Carroll|title=National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: RCA Victor Studios Building|url=https://digital.mtsu.edu/digital/collection/p15838coll4/id/6651/rec/4|website=MTSU Center for Historic Preservation: Southern Places|date=15 January 2015|access-date=18 October 2024}}</ref> it was the largest studio room in Nashville when it opened.<ref name="Bullish">{{cite magazine|last=Wood|first=Gerry|title=Bradley Bullish On Potential Of Studio|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xCMEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PT66&dq=atkins%20%22studio%20a%22%20nashville&pg=PT37#v=onepage&q=atkins%20%22studio%20a%22%20nashville&f=false|magazine=Billboard|date=9 April 1977|access-date=17 October 2024}}</ref><ref name="MIXDaveCobb">{{cite web|last=Wells|first=Frank|title=Dave Cobb Settles in to RCA Studio A|url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/profiles/dave-cobb-settles-in-to-rca-studio-a|website=Mix|date=21 July 2020|access-date=5 September 2024}}</ref> The studio was based on the ideas of [[Chet Atkins]], [[Owen Bradley]] and [[Harold Bradley (guitarist)|Harold Bradley]].<ref name="nytimes-20140927">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/us/as-music-row-shifts-to-condo-row-nashville-cries-in-its-beer.html|title=As Music Row Shifts to Condo Row, Nashville Cries in Its Beer|last=Fausset|first=Richard|date=2014-09-27|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Studios A and B were collectively referred to as the RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios.<ref name="nytimes-20140927" />


Between 1965 and 1977 the studio hosted artists including [[Perry Como]], [[The Blackwood Brothers]], [[Connie Smith]], [[Charley Pride]], [[Lynn Anderson]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[The Beach Boys]], [[The Blackwood Brothers]], [[George Beverly Shea]], [[Nancy Sinatra]], [[Eddy Arnold]], [[Merle Haggard]], [[Lee Hazlewood]] and [[Ann-Margret]], and [[Dottie West]]. [[Waylon Jennings]], who had recorded nearly all of his albums at Atkins' studio, recorded ''[[Honky Tonk Heroes]]'' there in 1973, with the album becoming important to the development of the [[outlaw country]] subgenre.<ref name=GoldA/>
The building was continuously used by RCA until 1977, when they closed their Nashville offices and sold their properties located on [[Music Row]].<ref name="tennessean-20171021" />


In 1977 as the result of an unresolved union dispute, RCA closed their Nashville studios.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=RCA Folds Nashville, L.A. Studios: N.Y. Next?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YEUEAAAAMBAJ&dq=rca+studios&pg=PA3|magazine=Billboard|date=15 January 1977|access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="tennessean-20171021" /> The label's management continued to occupy offices within the other half of the building until 1990. RCA Studio B was made available to the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] for tours.<ref name=nytimes-20140927/>
In 2002, the building was leased by [[Ben Folds]] for his Grand Victor Sound company and became also known as Ben's Place. He leased the building for twelve years.<ref name="douglas">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6cdcDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT274|title=Now You Know Nashville – 2nd Edition|last=Douglas|first=Mason|date=2016-01-04|publisher=BookBaby|isbn=9781483560113|language=en}}</ref> Folds rented out parts of the building to other artists, such as [[Jamey Johnson]].<ref name="tennessean-20140624">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/industries/music/2014/06/24/ben-folds-make-passionate-pitch-save-rca-studio/11319531/|title=Ben Folds makes passionate pitch to save RCA Studio A|last=Rau|first=Nate|date=2014-06-24|work=The Tennessean|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en}}</ref>


==={{Anchor|Music City Music Hall}}Music City Music Hall (1977-1988)===
⚫
==Demolition controversy==
Three months after its closure, Owen Bradley bought Studio A, re-opening it as Music City Music Hall and operating it as a subsidiary to his [[Bradley's Barn]] recording studio in nearby [[Mount Juliet, Tennessee|Mount Juliet]].<ref name=Bullish/><ref name="BBFeb1982">{{cite magazine|last=Kirby|first=Kip|title=Nashville Studio Broadens Its Non-Country Horizons|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FyUEAAAAMBAJ&dq=rca+studios&pg=PA31|magazine=Billboard|date=6 February 1982|access-date=7 May 2024}}</ref>
The studio grounds passed through multiple owners until in 2014 when the building’s existence was threatened with demolition by a local developer to make way for condominiums.<ref name="tennessean-20140917"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/article/13054847/brentwood-developer-buys-rca-studio-a|title=Brentwood Developer Buys RCA Studio A|last=Gold|first=Adam|date=2014-07-28|work=Nashville Scene|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en}}</ref>


Artists recording at the studio in the Music City Music Hall era included [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Gary Stewart (singer)|Gary Stewart]], [[Sylvia (singer)|Sylvia]], the [[Family Brown]], and [[Earl Klugh]]. In 1981, [[George Strait]] recorded six of the ten songs on [[Strait Country|his debut studio album]] at the studio, and returned to the studio to record [[Strait from the Heart|the followup album]], which included his first two number one singles.<ref name=MTSU-NRHPform/>
At this time, Ben Folds gathered regional and professional support, enabling [[Curb Records]] founder, [[Mike Curb]], and local [[Philanthropy|philanthropists]] Chuck Elcan and Aubrey Preston to collectively purchase the building, which became paramount to preserving its historic significance.<ref name="rollingstone-20141223" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/03/28/studio-a-nashville-50th/70463174/|title=Revolution and rebirth at Studio A|last1=Gonzalez|first1=Tony|work=The Tennessean|access-date=2018-04-05|last2=Rau|first2=Nate|language=en}}</ref>


==={{Anchor|Javelina}}Javelina Recording Studios (1989-2002)===
⚫
The efforts to save RCA Studio A led to a more consolidated, dedicated and collaborative effort to preserve the musical history and promote creativity within [[Music Row]] and the Nashville area. It also led to the establishment of grassroots preservationist organizations such as the [[Music Industry Coalition]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/03/28/studio-a-nashville-50th/70463174/|title=Studio A Nashville 50th|last1=Gonzalez|first1=Tony|work=The Tennessean|access-date=2018-04-05|last2=Rau|first2=Nate|language=en}}</ref>
By 1992 the studio was run by producer Warren Peterson under the name Javelina Sound Studios. Artists recording at the studio in the Javelina era included [[Amy Grant]], [[Glen Campbell]], [[DC Talk]], [[Jimmy Buffett]], [[Tim McGraw]], [[Beth Nielsen Chapman]], [[Reba McEntire]], [[Little Texas (band)|Little Texas]], [[Point of Grace]], [[Martina McBride]], [[Wynonna Judd]], [[Mark Chesnutt]], [[Sawyer Brown]], [[Rebecca Lynn Howard]], [[Steve Wariner]], [[Alabama (band)|Alabama]], [[Vince Gill]], [[BeBe & CeCe Winans]], [[Dan Seals]]. In 1997 [[Lee Ann Womack]] recorded [[Lee Ann Womack (album)|her self-titled debut album]] at the studio, and returned to the studio for the recording of her next two studio albums.


[[Ben Folds]], a [[Session musician|session drummer]] at the time, used the studio at night to work on his own original material that would become [[Ben Folds Five]].<ref name="MIXBensPlace">{{cite web|last=Kenny|first=Tom|title=On the Cover: Ben's Studio, Nashville|url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/cover-ben-s-studio-nashville-366402|website=Mix|date=1 May 2013|access-date=5 September 2024}}</ref>
⚫
==Historic landmark==
⚫
In 2015, Studio A joined Studio B in the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.curbed.com/2015/8/3/9934558/nashville-studio-a-national-register-of-historic-places|title=Nashville's Studio A Added to Nat'l Register of Historic Places|last=Sisson|first=Patrick|date=2015-08-03|work=Curbed|access-date=2018-04-05}}</ref> While Studio B became a tourist attraction and learning facility, Studio A continues to be in use by recording artists to this day.<ref name="nytimes-20140927" />


==={{Anchor|Grand Victor Sound}}Ben's Place & Grand Victor Sound (2002-2014)===
In early 2016, [[country music]] record producer [[Dave Cobb]] took over the building from Folds for his [[Low Country Sound]] record label imprint.<ref name="nscene-20180218" />
Folds moved away and returned to Nashville in 2002, and leased the building for the next 12 years,<ref name="douglas">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6cdcDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT274|title=Now You Know Nashville – 2nd Edition|last=Douglas|first=Mason|date=2016-01-04|publisher=BookBaby|isbn=9781483560113|language=en}}</ref> initially for his own use. He also rented out parts of the building to other artists, such as [[Jamey Johnson]].<ref name="TN2014-06-24">{{Cite news|last=Rau|first=Nate|title=Ben Folds makes passionate pitch to save RCA Studio A|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/industries/music/2014/06/24/ben-folds-make-passionate-pitch-save-rca-studio/11319531/|date=24 June 2014|work=The Tennessean|access-date=5 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 2009 Folds enlisted the help of Sharon Corbitt-House to re-open it to outside clients as a commercial studio under the name of Ben's Place and later Grand Victor Sound.<ref name=MIXBensPlace/><ref name="FlintT">{{cite web|last=Flint|first=Tom|title=Ben Folds: Recording So There|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/ben-folds|website=Sound On Sound|date=December 2015|access-date=17 October 2024}}</ref> Artists recording at the studio during this timeframe included [[Kacey Musgraves]], [[Joe Bonamassa]], [[John Hiatt]], and [[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]]. Folds himself recorded ''[[So There]]'' at the studio with the [[yMusic|yMusic Ensemble]], which included a [[piano concerto]] performed with the 83-piece [[Nashville Symphony]] and producer [[Elliot Scheiner]].<ref name="FlintT">{{cite web|last=Flint|first=Tom|title=Ben Folds: Recording So There|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/ben-folds|website=Sound On Sound|date=December 2015|access-date=17 October 2024}}</ref>

⚫
===Demolition controversy===
In 2014 the building’s existence was threatened with demolition by a local developer to make way for [[Condominium|condominiums]],<ref name="Demolition">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/industries/music/2014/09/17/demolition-papers-filed-studio-music-row/15801701/|title=Demolition papers filed for Studio A building|last=Rau|first=Nate|date=2014-09-17|work=The Tennessean|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/article/13054847/brentwood-developer-buys-rca-studio-a|title=Brentwood Developer Buys RCA Studio A|last=Gold|first=Adam|date=2014-07-28|work=Nashville Scene|access-date=2018-04-05|language=en}}</ref> and Ben Folds gathered regional and professional support in an effort to save the building.<ref name=TN2014-06-24/> In late 2014, just prior to the building's demolition, [[Curb Records]] founder, [[Mike Curb]], and local [[Philanthropy|philanthropists]] Chuck Elcan and Aubrey Preston partnered to collectively purchase the building for $5.6 million in order to preserve its historic significance.<ref name="tennessean-20171021">{{Cite web|last=Garrison|first=Joey|title=Iconic signs at Nashville's historic Studio A return after nearly 50 years|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/industries/music/2017/10/21/rca-studio-a-iconic-signs-after-nearly-50-years/787238001/|website=The Tennessean|date=21 October 2017|access-date=5 April 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref name="rollingstone-20141223" /><ref name=Revolution/>

⚫
The efforts to save RCA Studio A led to a more consolidated, dedicated and collaborative effort to preserve the musical history and promote creativity within [[Music Row]] and the Nashville area. It also led to the establishment of grassroots preservationist organizations such as the [[Music Industry Coalition]].

Producer [[Dave Cobb]], who was slated to record an album with [[Chris Stapleton]], originally intended to record the album at [[Sound Emporium Studios]], but it was already booked. Having read reports of the impending demolition of the historic RCA Studio A building and its Grand Victor Sound studios, he decided to record Stapleton's [[Traveller (Chris Stapleton album)|debut studio album]] there, before the building and its recording studios were gone forever.<ref name=GoldA/>

⚫
===Historic landmark & Restoration===
⚫
In 2015, Studio A joined Studio B in the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.curbed.com/2015/8/3/9934558/nashville-studio-a-national-register-of-historic-places|title=Nashville's Studio A Added to Nat'l Register of Historic Places|last=Sisson|first=Patrick|date=2015-08-03|work=Curbed|access-date=2018-04-05}}</ref> The same year, [[Kacey Musgraves]] recorded her 2015 Grammy-nominated album ''[[Pageant Material]]'' at the studio.<ref name=TN2014-06-24/>

In early 2016, [[country music]] record producer [[Dave Cobb]] leased the building,<ref name=MIXBensPlace/> which he uses for his [[Low Country Sound]] record label imprint.<ref name="MIXDaveCobb">{{cite web|last=Wells|first=Frank|title=Dave Cobb Settles in to RCA Studio A|url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/profiles/dave-cobb-settles-in-to-rca-studio-a|website=Mix|date=21 July 2020|access-date=5 September 2024}}</ref>

In October 2017, the completion of a $500,000 restoration of the studios was marked by the mounting of replicas of RCA Victor Recording Studios signage used for the first four years of the studio's operation on the building's exterior.<ref name=tennessean-20171021/>


==Production style==
==Production style==
{{main|Nashville sound}}
{{main|Nashville sound}}
[[Quonset Hut Studio]], RCA Studio B, and RCA Studio A were essential locations to the development of the "''Nashville Sound''." Owen Bradley, Chet Atkins, [[Bob Ferguson (musician)|Bob Ferguson]], and [[Bill Porter (sound engineer)|Bill Porter]] produced studio recordings in the Nashville Sound style, a sophisticated style characterized by background vocals and strings. The Nashville Sound both revived the popularity of [[country music|country]] music and helped establish Nashville's reputation as an international recording center, with these three studios at the center of what would become known as [[Music Row]].
[[Bradley Studios]], RCA Studio B, and RCA Studio A were essential locations to the development of the "Nashville Sound", a style characterized by background vocals and strings. The Nashville Sound both revived the popularity of [[country music|country]] music and helped establish Nashville's reputation as an international recording center, with these three studios at the center of what would become known as [[Music Row]].


Designed and built later than Quonset Hut Studio and RCA Studio B, Studio A's gym-sized room, large enough to house choirs, orchestras, string sections and a live band, was specifically designed by [[John E. Volkmann]] to more easily facilitate recording the large ensembles needed to create the Nashville Sound.<ref name="nytimes-20140927"/> Today, it is the last remaining of only three Volkmann-designed rooms of this size.<ref name="nscene-20180218" />
Designed and built later than the Bradley Studios' Quonset Hut and RCA Studio B, Studio A's [[gym]]-sized room, large enough to house choirs, orchestras, string sections and a live band, was specifically designed by [[John E. Volkmann]] to more easily facilitate recording the large ensembles needed to create the Nashville Sound.<ref name="nytimes-20140927"/> Today, it is the last remaining of only three Volkmann-designed rooms of this size.<ref name=MIXDaveCobb/>


== List of notable artists recorded ==
== List of notable artists recorded ==
Notable artists who recorded songs at Studio A include:<!-- EACH ARTIST NEEDS A CITE -->{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
Notable artists who have recorded in RCA Studio A include:<!-- EACH ARTIST NEEDS A CITE - PLEASE MAINTAIN ALPHA ORDER BY LAST NAME -->{{div col|colwidth=18em}}


⚫
* [[Eddy Arnold]]<ref name=GoldA/>
* [[The Beach Boys]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[The Beach Boys]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Tony Bennett]]<ref name="tennessean-20140917" />
* [[Tony Bennett]]<ref name=Demolition/>
* [[Joe Cocker]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[The Blackwood Brothers]]<ref name=MTSU-NRHPform/>
⚫
* [[Zach Bryan]]<ref name="douglas" />
⚫
* [[Brandi Carlile]]<ref name=GoldA/>
* [[Brent Cobb]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Brent Cobb]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Joe Cocker]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Leonard Cohen]]<ref name=FlintT/>
* [[Anderson East]]<ref name=GoldA/>
* [[Ben Folds]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Ben Folds]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Alan Jackson]]<ref name="tennessean-20140917" />
* [[Jason Isbell]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Waylon Jennings]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Alan Jackson]]<ref name=Demolition/>
* [[Jamey Johnson]]<ref name="tennessean-20140624" />
* [[Waylon Jennings]]<ref name="douglas" /><ref name=FlintT/>
* [[Jamey Johnson]]<ref name="TN2014-06-24" />
* [[B.B. King]]<ref name="nytimes-20140927" />
* [[B.B. King]]<ref name="nytimes-20140927" />
* [[Miranda Lambert]]<ref name="tennessean-20140917" />
* [[Miranda Lambert]]<ref name=Demolition/>
* [[Loretta Lynn]]<ref name="nytimes-20140927" />
* [[Loretta Lynn]]<ref name="nytimes-20140927" />
⚫
*[[Jason Isbell]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[The Monkees]]<ref name="douglas" /><ref name="nytimes-20140927" />
* [[The Monkees]]<ref name="douglas" /><ref name="nytimes-20140927" />
* [[Kacey Musgraves]]<ref name=TN2014-06-24/>
* [[Willie Nelson]]<ref name=FlintT/>
* [[Amanda Palmer]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Amanda Palmer]]<ref name="douglas" />
⚫
* [[Paramore]]<ref name="Paramore">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7767572/paramore-new-album-after-laughter-single-hard-times|title=Paramore Drop Single, 'Hard Times,' Announce New Album, 'After Laughter'|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Dolly Parton]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Dolly Parton]]<ref name="douglas" /><ref name=GoldA/>
* [[John Prine]]<ref name=GoldA/>
* [[Rival Sons]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Rival Sons]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Leon Russell]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Leon Russell]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[William Shatner]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[William Shatner]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Chris Stapleton]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[George Beverly Shea]]<ref name=MTSU-NRHPform/>
* [[George Strait]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Amanda Shires]]<ref name=GoldA/>
* [[Nancy Sinatra]]<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Nancy Sinatra to Wax in Nashville|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CCgEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA34&dq=billboard%20april%2029%201967%20nancy%20sinatra&pg=PA63#v=onepage&q=billboard%20april%2029%201967%20nancy%20sinatra&f=false|magazine=Billboard|date=29 April 1967|access-date=18 October 2024}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Zach Bryan]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Chris Stapleton]]<ref name=GoldA/>
⚫
* [[Paramore]]<ref name="Paramore">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7767572/paramore-new-album-after-laughter-single-hard-times|title=Paramore Drop Single, 'Hard Times,' Announce New Album, 'After Laughter'|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
* [[George Strait]]<ref name="douglas" /><ref name=MTSU-NRHPform/>
* [[Porter Wagoner]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Porter Wagoner]]<ref name="douglas" />
* [[Slash (musician)|Slash]]
* [[Airbourne (band)|Airbourne]]
* [[Wheeler Walker Jr.]]
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|RCA Studio A}}
* [https://www.davecobbproducer.com/rcastudioa Official website]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Recording studios in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Recording studios in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Nashville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Nashville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:RCA Records]]
[[Category:RCA Records]]

Latest revision as of 22:03, 21 October 2024

Not to be confused with the Studio A in the RCA Building's NBC Studios or the former RCA Victor Studio A, both in Manhattan, New York City.
RCA Studio A
Map
Alternative namesGrand Victor Sound
Javelina Studios
Ben's Place
General information
Address30 Music Square W # 100
Town or cityNashville, Tennessee
Coordinates36°08′59″N 86°47′35″W / 36.1496°N 86.7930°W / 36.1496; -86.7930

RCA Studio A is a music recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee built and founded in 1965 by Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley and Harold Bradley as an addition to the RCA Victor Studio the company established seven years prior. Together these two studios were oknown simply by the name "RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios" (or "RCA Studios" for short) and became known in the 1960s for becoming an essential factor and location to the development of the musical production style and sound engineering technique known as the Nashville Sound.[1]

RCA utilized the studio until January 1977, after which it was sold to Owen Bradley, who remodeled it and operated the studio as Music City Music Hall until the late 1980s. It was later operated as Javelina Recording Studios. Beginning in 2002, Ben Folds leased the building and operated it as Ben's Place and later Grand Victor Sound.

In 2014, when a local developer planned to demolish the building in order to build condominiums, Folds gathered support to preserve the building, and Mike Curb and local philanthropists collectively purchased the building. The following year, RCA Studio A was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2016, Dave Cobb has leased the studio and used it to operate his Low Country Sound record label imprint.[2]

History

[edit]

RCA Studio A (1965-1977)

[edit]

Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley constructed a new 3-story building at the original address of 806 17th Avenue South (the street would be renamed Music Square West in 1975) to be leased by RCA Victor. Half of the building was built as office space for the label's Nashville division, and the other half was a new recording studio. Officially opening on March 29, 1965, the new addition to RCA Victor's Nashville Sound Studios, which was newer and larger than RCA's adjacent studio built 9 years prior, was appropriately designated as Studio A, while the original studio became Studio B.[3] Studio A was one of three similarly-designed large studios built by RCA in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville specifically for recording large groups of musicians, such as choirs, string sections, or orchestras, playing together live, which was essential to the Nashville sound production style. With its live room measuring 75 x 45 feet with 25 foot high ceiling,[4] it was the largest studio room in Nashville when it opened.[5][6] The studio was based on the ideas of Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley and Harold Bradley.[7] Studios A and B were collectively referred to as the RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios.[7]

Between 1965 and 1977 the studio hosted artists including Perry Como, The Blackwood Brothers, Connie Smith, Charley Pride, Lynn Anderson, Dolly Parton, The Beach Boys, The Blackwood Brothers, George Beverly Shea, Nancy Sinatra, Eddy Arnold, Merle Haggard, Lee Hazlewood and Ann-Margret, and Dottie West. Waylon Jennings, who had recorded nearly all of his albums at Atkins' studio, recorded Honky Tonk Heroes there in 1973, with the album becoming important to the development of the outlaw country subgenre.[2]

In 1977 as the result of an unresolved union dispute, RCA closed their Nashville studios.[8][9] The label's management continued to occupy offices within the other half of the building until 1990. RCA Studio B was made available to the Country Music Hall of Fame for tours.[7]

Music City Music Hall (1977-1988)

[edit]

Three months after its closure, Owen Bradley bought Studio A, re-opening it as Music City Music Hall and operating it as a subsidiary to his Bradley's Barn recording studio in nearby Mount Juliet.[5][10]

Artists recording at the studio in the Music City Music Hall era included Loretta Lynn, Gary Stewart, Sylvia, the Family Brown, and Earl Klugh. In 1981, George Strait recorded six of the ten songs on his debut studio album at the studio, and returned to the studio to record the followup album, which included his first two number one singles.[4]

Javelina Recording Studios (1989-2002)

[edit]

By 1992 the studio was run by producer Warren Peterson under the name Javelina Sound Studios. Artists recording at the studio in the Javelina era included Amy Grant, Glen Campbell, DC Talk, Jimmy Buffett, Tim McGraw, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Reba McEntire, Little Texas, Point of Grace, Martina McBride, Wynonna Judd, Mark Chesnutt, Sawyer Brown, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Steve Wariner, Alabama, Vince Gill, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Dan Seals. In 1997 Lee Ann Womack recorded her self-titled debut album at the studio, and returned to the studio for the recording of her next two studio albums.

Ben Folds, a session drummer at the time, used the studio at night to work on his own original material that would become Ben Folds Five.[11]

Ben's Place & Grand Victor Sound (2002-2014)

[edit]

Folds moved away and returned to Nashville in 2002, and leased the building for the next 12 years,[12] initially for his own use. He also rented out parts of the building to other artists, such as Jamey Johnson.[13] In 2009 Folds enlisted the help of Sharon Corbitt-House to re-open it to outside clients as a commercial studio under the name of Ben's Place and later Grand Victor Sound.[11][14] Artists recording at the studio during this timeframe included Kacey Musgraves, Joe Bonamassa, John Hiatt, and Jewel. Folds himself recorded So There at the studio with the yMusic Ensemble, which included a piano concerto performed with the 83-piece Nashville Symphony and producer Elliot Scheiner.[14]

Demolition controversy

[edit]

In 2014 the building’s existence was threatened with demolition by a local developer to make way for condominiums,[15][16] and Ben Folds gathered regional and professional support in an effort to save the building.[13] In late 2014, just prior to the building's demolition, Curb Records founder, Mike Curb, and local philanthropists Chuck Elcan and Aubrey Preston partnered to collectively purchase the building for $5.6 million in order to preserve its historic significance.[9][1][3]

The efforts to save RCA Studio A led to a more consolidated, dedicated and collaborative effort to preserve the musical history and promote creativity within Music Row and the Nashville area. It also led to the establishment of grassroots preservationist organizations such as the Music Industry Coalition.

Producer Dave Cobb, who was slated to record an album with Chris Stapleton, originally intended to record the album at Sound Emporium Studios, but it was already booked. Having read reports of the impending demolition of the historic RCA Studio A building and its Grand Victor Sound studios, he decided to record Stapleton's debut studio album there, before the building and its recording studios were gone forever.[2]

Historic landmark & Restoration

[edit]

In 2015, Studio A joined Studio B in the National Register of Historic Places.[17] The same year, Kacey Musgraves recorded her 2015 Grammy-nominated album Pageant Material at the studio.[13]

In early 2016, country music record producer Dave Cobb leased the building,[11] which he uses for his Low Country Sound record label imprint.[6]

In October 2017, the completion of a $500,000 restoration of the studios was marked by the mounting of replicas of RCA Victor Recording Studios signage used for the first four years of the studio's operation on the building's exterior.[9]

Production style

[edit]
Main article: Nashville sound

Bradley Studios, RCA Studio B, and RCA Studio A were essential locations to the development of the "Nashville Sound", a style characterized by background vocals and strings. The Nashville Sound both revived the popularity of country music and helped establish Nashville's reputation as an international recording center, with these three studios at the center of what would become known as Music Row.

Designed and built later than the Bradley Studios' Quonset Hut and RCA Studio B, Studio A's gym-sized room, large enough to house choirs, orchestras, string sections and a live band, was specifically designed by John E. Volkmann to more easily facilitate recording the large ensembles needed to create the Nashville Sound.[7] Today, it is the last remaining of only three Volkmann-designed rooms of this size.[6]

List of notable artists recorded

[edit]

Notable artists who have recorded in RCA Studio A include:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Historic Nashville Studio Saved From Demolition". Rolling Stone. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gold, Adam (8 February 2018). "Three Years After Being Saved, Studio A Still Makes an Impact". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b Gonzalez, Tony; Rau, Nate (28 March 2015). "Revolution and rebirth at Studio A". The Tennessean. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e Van West, Carroll (15 January 2015). "National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: RCA Victor Studios Building". MTSU Center for Historic Preservation: Southern Places. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b Wood, Gerry (9 April 1977). "Bradley Bullish On Potential Of Studio". Billboard. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Wells, Frank (21 July 2020). "Dave Cobb Settles in to RCA Studio A". Mix. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Fausset, Richard (2014-09-27). "As Music Row Shifts to Condo Row, Nashville Cries in Its Beer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  8. ^ "RCA Folds Nashville, L.A. Studios: N.Y. Next?". Billboard. 15 January 1977. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Garrison, Joey (21 October 2017). "Iconic signs at Nashville's historic Studio A return after nearly 50 years". The Tennessean. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  10. ^ Kirby, Kip (6 February 1982). "Nashville Studio Broadens Its Non-Country Horizons". Billboard. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Kenny, Tom (1 May 2013). "On the Cover: Ben's Studio, Nashville". Mix. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Douglas, Mason (2016-01-04). Now You Know Nashville – 2nd Edition. BookBaby. ISBN 9781483560113.
  13. ^ a b c d e Rau, Nate (24 June 2014). "Ben Folds makes passionate pitch to save RCA Studio A". The Tennessean. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d e Flint, Tom (December 2015). "Ben Folds: Recording So There". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Rau, Nate (2014-09-17). "Demolition papers filed for Studio A building". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  16. ^ Gold, Adam (2014-07-28). "Brentwood Developer Buys RCA Studio A". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  17. ^ Sisson, Patrick (2015-08-03). "Nashville's Studio A Added to Nat'l Register of Historic Places". Curbed. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  18. ^ "Paramore Drop Single, 'Hard Times,' Announce New Album, 'After Laughter'". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Nancy Sinatra to Wax in Nashville". Billboard. 29 April 1967. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
[edit]
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