Skip to main content

RCA Studio B - Nashville

In this episode – RCA Studio B, Nashville . . .

You've never been to Nashville; what sights would you want to see? Is it the "Broadway Honkytonk Scene" where live bands "blast" their music non-stop from 9:30 am until 3:00 am every day!

Maybe it's The Grand Ole' Opry?

Or how about the Earnest Tubb Record Shop serving downtown Nashville since 1947 - hosting The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree, the second longest-running radio show in history. Broadcast on WSM 650 with a live audience every Saturday at 10:00 pm.

For me, it was Historic RCA Studio B.

Constructed in 1957, RCA Studio B became known as the birthplace of the "Nashville Sound." A melodic style characterized by background vocals and strings helped establish Nashville as an international recording center from 1957 – 1977 – Music City USA.

On December 3rd, 1957, country singer Don Gibson stood before a microphone in a newly built Nashville studio at 17th Ave. South and Hawkins St, leased to RCA records by local businessman Don Maddox.

Poised to record his original song "Oh Lonesome Me," Gibson was backed by drummer Troy Hatcher, vocal quartet The Jordanaires, bassist Joe Zinkin, rhythm guitarist Velma Smith, and guitar ace Chet Atkins who played electric lead and produced the session.

Adkins later explained, "I just wanted to make "Oh Lonesome Me," kind of like Don's demo, toward that end; he said, "we miked the bass drum."

Up until that time, people just recorded the drums with one microphone. On cue, Velma Smith kicked off the performance by playing "a special beat," as Atkins had advised, with syncopated basslines quickly building the excitement.

Atkins spiced the recording with strategic "chunks" then sailed into a spirited rock-tinged lead. The Jordanaires harmonized background chords and punctuated the arrangement with clipped fills (bah-dee-yah-bop-bop). "It was so fresh and so exciting," Atkins reflected in 1989. "We hit the bullseye at that time." It was just the kind of recording that satisfied country fans while reaching beyond the genre's core audience.

As "Oh Lonesome Me" proved, Atkin's country-pop approach worked well. In February 1958, the record began its 34-week chart run to #7, where it remained for a whopping eight weeks on Billboard magazine's country/pop charts.

Recorded during the same session and issued as the flip side of "Oh Lonesome Me," Gibsons "I Can't Stop Loving You," another original, also became a #7 country hit.

His double-sided smash confirmed Gibson's status as a star while boosting producer Atkin's confidence. This propelled the new studio to instant national visibility.

The studio's opening marked a milestone in Nashville's development as a music center. Based in New York, RCA already maintained studios there; in Chicago, Hollywood, and Camden, New Jersey. Studio B strengthened the label's commitment to Nashville's emerging music industry.

Nashville's Bradley family had previously established a studio in 1955 at 804 16th Ave South. The new RCA recording room became the second major enterprise in the neighborhood, later called "Music Row."

Over the next 20 years, RCA studio B hosted over 18,000 recording sessions. Both RCA studio and Bradley's operation became workshops for hits that embodied the country-pop Nashville sound.

This new style increased country records sales and fueled the dramatic expansion of full-time country radio stations from 81 in 1961 to more than 600 in 1972.

Both studios earned international fame for producing musically diverse hits that became firmly grounded in American popular culture. In doing so, the studios helped to secure Nashville's international reputation as Music City, USA.

Today Historic RCA Studio B-once, the recording home of famous artists such as Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Roy Orbison, Eddy Arnold, Dolly Parton, Charlie Pride, Willie Nelson, and the Everly Brothers, is a classroom for Nashville area students and a popular tourist attraction.

In 2002 the Mike Curb Family Foundation purchased the studio and leased it to the non-profit Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum.

The studio's exterior was renovated, and the interior returned to its 1970s-era as an analog "temple of sound."

So, won't you be my virtual neighbor? If you enjoy our weekly visits, please share them with a friend.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Resurrecting the '90s Graphite

Let’s face it, there’s a certain danger in reading John Gierach's Trout Bum . His wit, self-deprecation, and sharp, effortless satire are entirely infectious. If you aren't careful, his words will inspire you to drop everything, wade into a freezing river, and try to outsmart a creature with a brain the size of a lentil. In my case, re-reading Gierach recently didn't send me straight to the river. It sent me digging through the dusty, spider-guarded corners of my garage. In the early 1990s, seeking a natural escape from Manhattan's concrete canyons, I decided to learn to cast a fly rod. I bought an Orvis Rocky Mountain —eight-and-a-half feet, three ounces, built for a five-weight line—and had absolutely no idea how to use it. To avoid aimlessly whipping the water like scrambling eggs, I took fly-fishing lessons from Al Cucci, co-author of Hatches , on the Delaware River. With his guidance, I fished renowned waters: the AuSable in New York and Michigan, and New Jersey...
Post a Comment
Read more

A B+ Kind of Life

Welcome back to this week's On the Fly . Retirement has taught me something unexpected: life gets a lot more enjoyable when you stop chasing perfection. Lately, I've been having an absolute blast playing executive par-3 courses like Rancho Carlsbad . A short iron, a sunny morning, and nowhere to be except the next tee—that's my kind of day. This Thursday, though, I'm raising the stakes. I'm heading to The Links at Lakehouse in San Marcos, a full-size par-71 course with enough water hazards to keep the local fish well-stocked with my golf balls. After shooting a 64 on a par-3 course, I've set myself a new goal: shoot an 89 before my birthday next August. Why 89? Because on a par-71 course, that's bogey golf—one extra stroke per hole. For non-golfers, think of it this way: par is like earning 100% on a final exam. Bogey golf is a solid B+. You got the job done, learned something, and probably had a lot more fun getting there. The older I get, the more I appre...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Birth of a Cubs Legend

In this episode, The 162-Game Exhale — and the Birth of a Cubs Legend There’s a hush in the baseball world on Game 162 — a collective breath drawn in and slowly released. Scoreboards stop flipping. Dugouts empty. For six months, the game has been our steady heartbeat, pulsing from the cherry blossoms of Tokyo in March to the crisp, playoff-charged winds of late September. And now, as the regular season exhales, baseball fans everywhere pause to absorb the story we’ve just lived. For me, that story has been deeply personal. This season unfolded in the rhythms of my daily life. It was the summer soundtrack echoing beneath the constant turmoil of politics and sensational headlines. It was a handful of carefully chosen ballpark pilgrimages stitched together with countless nights in front of MLB.TV. And at the center of it all, for a lifelong Cubs fan like me, it revolved around one name — a young center fielder who turned hope into history: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 2025 season didn’t begin...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Mailbox to Microphone

In this episode, catching up with Sierra . What happens when you combine a little imagination, modern digital tools, and the willingness to make a glorious, muddy mess? You get our guest’s latest project. I’m Patrick Ball. Welcome back to On the Fly . Today, we are diving into the world of native plants and guerrilla gardening with twelve-year-old creator Sierra. After watching her impressive, self-produced tutorial on how to make ‘Seed Balls,’ I had to know how she did it. It’s incredibly inspiring to watch Sierra evolve from a young artist wielding crayons and stationery into a savvy digital creator. She’s writing scripts, mastering voiceovers, and editing—all to make a positive, green impact on her local community. “She shoots, she scores, and she’s here to tell us all about it.” Please welcome Sierra to On the Fly ! Let’s get into it. Audio interview . . . For more blog posts showcasing Sierra’s talents, see: The Mailbox Surprise . . . and The Summer Surprise I’m Patrick Ball. Sta...
Post a Comment
Read more