THE PAST
Historic RCA Studio B—once the recording home of popular music titans such as
—is both a classroom for Nashville-area students and a popular cultural attraction.
Following the Mike Curb Family Foundation's philanthropic 2002 purchase and subsequent lease in perpetuity to the non-profit Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, the storied studio's exterior has been renovated and the interior has been returned to its 1970s-era prime as an analog "temple of sound."
Built by Dan Maddox in 1957, RCA Studio B first became known as one of the cradles of the "Nashville Sound" in the 1960s. A sophisticated style characterized by background vocals and strings, the Nashville Sound both revived the popularity of country music and helped establish Nashville as an international recording center.
Hitmakers in Studio B have included Eddy Arnold, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves, Willie Nelson, and Floyd Cramer, among others. For many years, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Chet Atkins managed RCA's Nashville operation and produced hundreds of hits in Studio B.
Studio B has also been home to numerous innovations in recording practices, including the development of the "Nashville number system," a musician's shorthand for notating a song's chord structure, which facilitates the creation of individual parts while retaining the integrity of the song.
First made available to Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum visitors in 1977, RCA Studio B was donated to the Museum by the late Dan and Margaret Maddox in 1992. It was operated as an attraction until shortly before the opening of the Museum's new downtown facility in 2001.
