Recording Studios

Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis in 1942, but grew up in Detroit, where her father, C.L. Franklin, was a minister at the New Bethel Baptist Church. As...

Visitors to Quinvy in 1970 included Tony Borders, Buddy Causey and Lynyrd Skynyrd, who came to cut a few demos but also to offer their services as session...

During the middle years of Motown in Detroit, Mike McLean added a significant element to Motown’s studio equipment. Berry Gordy wanted to be able to explore different versions...

Berry Gordy was always wary of adding another, more political, agenda to the music of Motown. He had allowed references to the war in Vietnam, but only in...

The origin of the sound recording industry can be traced back to the nineteenth century, to the inventions of Thomas Edison and others. Companies were able to set...

John Fry’s interest in electronics began in the late fifties, when he and a couple of friends started to record music in the garage at John’s home. Ardent...

When Roy Brown recorded his song “Good Rockin’ Tonight” for DeLuxe records in 1947, he was no doubt dreaming that it would be a huge national hit in...

In 1967 Rick Hall decided to set up a horn section at FAME Studios, probably influenced by the success of the Memphis Horns, Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love....

Ed Wingate and JoAnne Bratton formed their first record company in 1961, after rejecting a suggestion from Berry Gordy that they should buy a share of Motown. Wingate...