RCA Studio B, 1611 Roy Acuff Place (2025)

02/09/2025

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings first attempted to record Welch’s third album, "Time (The Revelator)," in Los Angeles, but they couldn’t find the vibe they were looking for. Returning to Nashville, Rawlings, who produced the album, began searching for a studio space and found RCA Studio B. The studio had ceased its operations for RCA over twenty years earlier, in 1977, though it was subsequently reopened by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for public tours and occasional recording projects.

“One day, I drove by Studio B, and the door was open. I thought, ‘Oh, my God, that’s Studio B. I’ve never been in there.’ I walked in, heard my footsteps on the floor, and knew that I liked the sound of the room.”

It proved to be the perfect place to record an album filled with songs that are richly layered examinations of time, truth, myth, music, and even references to Johnny Cash and ELVIS PRESLEY, who famously recorded more than 200 songs at Studio B. The historical significance would add another layer of meaning to the sessions.

Performing without other musicians, the duo created raw and intimate tracks with no overdubs and “a tremendous number of first takes,” according to Welch.

“Dave just said, ‘Play “Revelator,”’ and we used the mic test,” she recalled, giving an example of their instinctive approach. Rawlings added, “We played it once and it was great because we hadn’t played it in months. We got that first take feeling.”

An acoustic album with rock & roll sensibilities, "Time (The Revelator)" features ten songs that are musically sparse and sometimes dissonant yet lyrically hefty and expansive, culminating with the nearly fifteen-minute “I Dream a Highway.” Encompassing the themes of the preceding nine songs, it’s at once a plaintive coda as well as a gorgeously rambling open ending.

29/08/2025

Trumpet player Al Hirt is rightfully associated with his hometown of New Orleans, but his biggest hits were recorded in Nashville. Take the 1963 instrumental tune “Java,” for example. Its origins are all New Orleans: composed and performed by a young Allen Toussaint and recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in the French Quarter, it was credited to "Tousan" on an album called “The Wild Sound of New Orleans.” Producer Danny Kessler titled all the songs after racehorses of the era, so "Java" is apparently not a peppy ode to coffee.

“Java” made its way to Nashville before Hirt got around to it. A-Team pianist Floyd Cramer cut a version that came out in 1962, eventually reaching No. 49 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.

Hirt recorded the bulk of his 1963 album “Honey in the Horn” in Nashville at RCA Studio B. He worked with the cream of the Nashville crop—Chet Atkins produced the project, the Anita Kerr Singers added the “oohs” and “aahs,” and members of the A-Team brought their usual instrumental brilliance. Hirt’s version is reminiscent of Cramer’s arrangement, but with trumpet in place of the lead piano melody.

By most measures, “Java” was a smash, reaching No. 4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Hirt would work in other modes throughout the years, but he returned to Nashville for more. In 1964, he reunited with Atkins and recorded the albums “Sugar Lips” and “Cotton Candy.” Though he couldn’t duplicate the success of “Java,” the title tracks for both albums became Top Forty hits on the "Billboard" Hot 100.

15/08/2025

When Elvis Presley entered RCA Studio B on the evening of May 25, 1966, the air held a feeling of expectation. He needed a hit.

Having spent his immediate post-Army years making Hollywood movies, Presley turned out early 1960s recordings consisting of primarily lightweight soundtrack fare with a few exceptions. “Crying in the Chapel,” recorded for Presley’s first gospel album, "His Hand in Mine" (1960), wasn’t included on the initial release of the album and was left unheard until it was issued as a single in 1965. It peaked at No. 3 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on June 12 that year, and the song’s success prompted RCA to encourage Presley to record more religious songs. This renewed focus led to the sessions for "How Great Thou Art," Presley’s second gospel album.

Jake Hess, former lead singer of the Statesmen and Presley’s childhood idol, was one of the eleven vocalists present for the recording sessions for "How Great Thou Art." “He wanted a big sound, and we sung like Elvis wanted it sung," said Hess. "I don’t think he cared so much how we blended, he just wanted that big sound.” The sessions carried positive energy, with Presley deeply involved in the song arrangements. His performance on the title track reflected the rehearsing he’d done with entourage members Red West and Charlie Hodge at home at Graceland—his tremendous range and versatility were on brilliant display.

Presley won his first Grammy, for Best Sacred Performance, for “How Great Thou Art in 1967, the same year the album was released. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in February 1968 and has since been certified triple platinum.

06/08/2025

Eddy Arnold had an enviable run through the 1940s and early 1950s, scoring twenty-one No. 1 hits through 1955. Then he hit a relative lull in his career with fewer songs high on the charts. But in 1959 he scored a No. 5 hit with Jimmy Driftwood’s “Tennessee Stud.”

It was a hard-earned success on Arnold’s part. The song’s rhythm was just off-kilter enough that Arnold struggled through the session trying to figure out when he was supposed to begin singing.

“Eddy had a hard time doing that song,” RCA Studio B engineer Bill Porter told the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in an oral history interview. “For some reason, he couldn’t figure out where to come in, and we did seventy-two takes on that song. Not all the way through, but seventy-two starts. He had a little trouble trying to adjust to one of the parts to come back in again. And even Chet [Atkins] was starting to get upset with him. . . . Really was funny.”

Whether it was that seventy-second take that did the trick or not, it’s hard to say. In the end, Arnold’s recording of “Tennessee Stud” has since become a standard covered by numerous artists including Johnny Cash, the Meat Puppets, and Doc Watson.

31/07/2025

"Their stuff fit us like a glove, because it was designed to fit," said Don Everly. "Boudleaux would sit down and talk with us. A lot of his songs were written because he was getting inside our heads—trying to find out where we were going, what we wanted, what words were right."

Husband and wife Boudleaux and Felice Bryant wrote more than six thousand songs together in a variety of different musical styles. Many would come to be regarded as pop and country classics, including several recorded by the Everly Brothers in Studio B.

The first Bryant song the Everlys accepted was "Bye Bye Love," previously rejected by thirty different acts. Recorded at RCA's McGavock Street studio in Nashville, the Everlys' catchy performance combined high-pitched sibling harmony, rock & roll rhythms, and the simple, direct story of a broken romance. It was the duo's first hit, reaching No.1 on the "Billboard" country chart and No.2 on its pop chart.

Next, the Everlys took the Bryants' "Wake Up Little Susie"—recorded at the same studio—to No.1 on both charts. In 1958 and 1959, they had continued success in country and pop with Bryant classics such as "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Bird Dog," and "Devoted to You," all recorded at the Nashville studio on 17th Avenue South later known as RCA Studio B.

Once the Everlys' career ignited, the Bryants faced stiff competition from other music writers and publishers. "Our material did get preference," Boudleaux said. "But it had to stand the test." It passed with flying colors. All told, the Everlys recorded twenty-nine Bryant songs, with some selling millions worldwide.

Those hits helped make the Everlys rich and world-famous, heightened Studio B's visibility, and expanded Nashville's reputation as a diverse music center. Moreover, Chet Atkins said the Bryant-Everly alliance gave Boudleaux and Felice tremendous international impact: "Many of their songs, recorded by the Everly brothers, greatly influenced the Beatles, who, in turn, influenced the whole world of music."

23/07/2025

Guy Clark was the quintessential Texas singer-songwriter, and his 1975 debut album, "Old No. 1," is considered a classic. Highly influential, the album features a stripped-down musical approach, but it could easily have sounded quite different.

Clark was signed to RCA Records by A&R man Mike Lipskin on the condition that he would produce the album. Lipskin enlisted the "Memphis Boys"—a formidable group of studio musicians assembled by producer Chips Moman in Memphis—to create backing tracks for Clark at RCA Studio A, along with the Muscle Shoals Horns and drummer Jerry Carrigan. However, Clark simply hated the result, considering it too much like mainstream 1970s country music and not representative of him.

“The producer pi**ed me off," Clark later said. "I walked into the studio one day and found he’d flown in an entire horn section to play on my record. The charts had been written and the session planned out without asking me anything. It would have been an absolute disaster had I put that record out.”

Legend has it that Clark told RCA he’d change his name and leave town if they released the album. The label complied with his wishes, but Clark had already used most of his recording budget on the Lipskin sessions. Clark then enlisted Neil Wilburn, who had recorded Clark’s song publishing demos, to help him save the album.

Clark and Wilburn surreptiously slipped into RCA Studio B and got to work. Using those demo tracks, and with support from singer-songwriter friends Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, and Steve Earle, plus fiddler Johnny Gimble, pianist David Briggs, and harmonica player Mickey Raphael, Clark and Wilburn created the laid back, authentic sound of "Old No. 1." It was released on November 7, 1975, the day after Clark’s thirty-fourth birthday.

16/07/2025

One of country music’s most colorful personalities, Jerry Reed was also a blazingly original guitar player whose fingerstyle riffs have influenced generations. The Georgia native made his way to Nashville in the early 1960s and quickly picked up session work, having caught the attention of his hero Chet Atkins. Reed played on sessions for a variety of the era’s biggest stars, including Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, and Bobby Bare.

In 1964, Atkins signed Reed to RCA Records, where Reed continued his working relationship with Atkins, who encouraged him to embrace his idiosyncrasies and not worry about fitting in. The advice worked: Reed’s artistic and songwriting career got a jolt with the revved-up 1967 single “Guitar Man,” which he cut at Studio B with Atkins producing. Shortly after, Elvis Presley cut his own version of “Guitar Man” at Studio B. When it came to playing the intricate lead guitar part, Presley went straight to the source and brought in Reed for the session.

Reed’s wild-man persona was only in its beginning stages at the time but was becoming fully realized by the early 1970s, just before his Hollywood stardom began. His musical artistry came into full view when he started releasing country-funk bombs like “Amos Moses” and “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” that emphasized his sense of groove and nimble playing alongside his singing.

Atkins had been a huge influence on Reed as a guitarist, but the effect went both ways. In 1970, Atkins recorded the collaborative "Me and Jerry" with Reed, featuring versions of songs by Paul Simon, Oscar Hammerstein, and Merle Travis. Reed returned the favor in 1972 with "Me and Chet," taking on everyone from Franz Liszt to Hank Williams. Reed joined Atkins as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017.

09/07/2025

Born to a poor farming family near Wellston, Oklahoma, Norma Jean Beasler would become a popular recording artist and television star of the 1960s. Known primarily for her role on "The Porter Wagoner Show," she starred opposite Wagoner for six years before returning home to Oklahoma, passing the mantle to Dolly Parton in 1967.

With the encouragement of her aunt, Norma Jean learned to play guitar and made her radio debut at the age of twelve. The promising young singer looked to Kitty Wells as a source of musical inspiration as well as a model for a successful career in country music. While still in school, Norma Jean had three weekly radio spots on Oklahoma City’s KLPR and toured with several western swing bands.

Norma Jean's big break came in 1958 when she joined the cast of ABC-TV's "Ozark Jubilee," where she met Wagoner during an early guest appearance. She moved to Nashville and joined Wagoner in 1961 on his syndicated TV show, billed as Pretty Miss Norma Jean. In 1963, she began recording for RCA. Her first hit, "Let's Go All the Way," was recorded in RCA Studio B and reached No. 11 on the country charts in 1964.

Though they only occasionally recorded as a duo, Wagoner functioned as her producer on most of Norma Jean's recordings. Of her twenty-two chart records, her highest was "The Game of Triangles" (No. 5), recorded with Bobby Bare and Liz Anderson. Norma Jean had her last RCA chart record in 1971 with “The Kind of Needin’ I Need.” In a full-circle moment, she scored her last chart hit in 1982 with "Let's Go All the Way" once again, this time in a duet with Claude Gray.

Pictured: Norma Jean and Chet Atkins, 1967

02/07/2025

"The musicians in this town will cut you a hit if you don’t get in their way too much,” producer and guitarist Chet Atkins was fond of saying. What a perfect way to describe the intuitive magic Nashville’s studio professionals applied to their work.

Upright bass player Bob Moore, a key component of the Nashville Sound and core member of Nashville’s A-Team, played on an estimated 17,000 sessions during his career. A sizable portion of them took place at RCA’s Studio B.

“We didn’t know what songs we were going to do. They’d present us with a demo and a good song, and a lot of them would go into the control room and leave us alone, and we’d work the song out and knock on the glass and say, ‘Let’s cut.’ Every now and then, you just know that it’s going to be a hit,” Moore recalled.

Moore played on hundreds of hits at Studio B, including Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date,” the Browns’ “The Three Bells,” and Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight.” For “Crying” by Roy Orbison, Moore also served as musical director.

Moore, a Nashville native, began playing the upright bass as a teenager and worked with Country Music Hall of Fame members Little Jimmy Dickens, Flatt & Scruggs, Eddy Arnold, Red Foley, and Marty Robbins before becoming a first-call studio musician.

Pictured: on the left, Moore plays a session at Owen Bradley’s studio; on the right, Moore is with Flatt & Scruggs for a WSM radio show.

25/06/2025

During the twenty years when Studio B was an active recording center for RCA Records, session musicians were assembled by a producer like Chet Atkins to bring the magic to an artist’s potential hit songs. Sometimes they didn’t even need a lead singer: a handful of instrumental compositions from some of the key players became hits that highlighted the exemplary musicianship present in Nashville.

Pianist Floyd Cramer’s calling card was his slip-note technique, picked up from composer Don Robertson, in which Cramer added playful grace notes to recordings like Hank Locklin’s “Please Help Me, I’m Falling.” Cramer was signed to RCA Victor as an artist, and his lilting 1960 single, “Last Date,” reached No. 2 on the pop charts, held from the top spot by Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight," recorded at a session that Cramer had participated in.

Saxophone player Boots Randolph was an unlikely presence in country music circles where horns weren’t always welcome, but his playing showed up on pop hits like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and Elvis Presley's "Return to Sender." In RCA Studio B, he recorded the first version of his whimsical “Yakety Sax” for RCA Victor; a re-recorded version for Monument would become a hit in 1963. Later on, it became synonymous with slapstick comedy after it was used as the theme music for “The Benny Hill Show.”

Chet Atkins was not only a formidable presence as a producer and label executive, but also as a brilliant guitar innovator. His nimble, hard-to-categorize playing blended styles together and often combined rhythmic and lead voices. His biggest instrumental hit was “Yakety Axe,” a guitar-centric remake of Randolph’s hit that went to No. 4 on the country chart, though he also cut versions of songs by the Beatles, Bobbie Gentry, and Simon & Garfunkel.

Atkins, Randolph, and Cramer didn’t limit these performances to the studio. They often toured together in a revue-style configuration—in which Randolph served as the affable emcee—and played together as part of the Million Dollar Band on numerous episodes of “Hee Haw.”

18/06/2025

“You could say that my career actually started here at RCA Studio B because it’s where we recorded the song that started it all,” said Donna Fargo on a visit to the studio last year.

That song was "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.,” which Fargo wrote and recorded for Dot Records at Studio B in 1972. The song went No. 1 country and No. 11 pop; won a Grammy for the Best Country Vocal Performance, Female; took CMA’s Single of the Year award; and was named BMI’s most performed country song in 1973.

Fargo cited recording in Music City, with background singers like the Nashville Sounds and a conductor/arranger like Bill Walker, as one contributing factor to the song’s success. “I can’t say enough good things about the musicians in Nashville. You just sing a song, and they interpret it perfectly. ‘Happiest Girl’ just has a three-note pick-up for an intro, so it wasn’t a fancy cluttered arrangement . . . it was simple, and Stan [her husband and producer Stan Silver] mastered it perfectly, so the lyrics were easy to hear.”

Another factor in the song's popularity was creative flexibility. Fargo explained, “My [first] idea was ‘The Happiest Girl in the World,’ but when I started to write it, it changed my mind. I could have changed the rhyme scheme, but how many words rhyme with 'world'? I limited my happiness to the U.S.A., which is still pretty big, right?”

13/06/2025

The Everly Brothers were Nashville’s first consistently successful rock & roll act. They sang close, sibling harmony in the country tradition of brother duets but infused their records with rock & roll rhythms and lyrics that appealed to a young audience. They were also hitmakers on the country charts, and they were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Don and Phil Everly, born almost two years apart, arrived in Nashville with their parents, Ike and Margaret, in 1955. By early 1957, they’d secured a deal with Cadence Records. The brothers began releasing a string of hits, including “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” recorded at RCA’s Studio B on March 6, 1958. Cadence owner Archie Bleyer produced the session, which featured Chet Atkins on electric tremolo guitar.

The husband-and-wife songwriting team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant usually wrote together, but Boudleaux wrote “All I Have to Do Is Dream” without Felice.

Phil Everly recalled, “I remember hearing ‘All I Have to Do Is Dream’ on an acetate with Boudleaux’s version on it, and I said, at the time, they could have put Boudleaux’s out and it would’ve been a hit. It’s just a great, great song.”

“All I Have to Do Is Dream” spent three weeks at #1 on the "Billboard" C&W Best Sellers chart, five weeks at #1 on the "Billboard" Top 100, and was a massive hit in the United Kingdom, where it was #1 on the "New Musical Express" chart for seven weeks. It received a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 2004.

RCA Studio B

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