The island of Montserrat is a
British Overseas Territory, nicknamed the "Emerald Isle of the Caribbean" in British culture due to its resemblance to coastal areas of Ireland and history of Irish migration. In July 1979, George Martin's AIR Studios built 'AIR Montserrat', a recording studio situated on the west side of the island. The studio became a cultural attraction for the island and created a culture of rock and pop music, offering the technical facilities of its London counterpart studio, with the alternative of an exotic location for international bands. American country rock musician
Jimmy Buffett named his album,
Volcano, after the
Soufrière Hills volcano at which the studio stood at the base of. From the period from 1979 to 1989, over 70 albums were recorded in the studio, including
Hot Hot Hot,
Synchronicity and
Brothers in Arms. In September 1989, tropical cyclone
Hurricane Hugo travelled across the north-eastern Caribbean region, affecting approximately 2 million people. By the time the storm hit the island it was classified as a
Category 4 hurricane, was Montserrat's costliest hurricane on record, dismantling the power infrastructure of the island and destroying ninety percent of the buildings and structures. Amongst the damage done to the island's economy and structures, AIR studios Montserrat experienced extensive structural damage and most recording equipment was destroyed. With the closure of this facility, the tourism economy on the island was effectively wiped out In referencing the forced closure of the studio, Martin said:"After ten great years of recording there the music business had changed...the moguls running the business no longer wanted their artists miles away, outside their control." "That coincided with the devastation caused by the hurricane and sadly the studios had to close. The people of Montserrat are still very proud of the work that was done at AIR Studios, it's only fitting that we continue and support music development."In July 1995, the once dormant Soufrière Hills volcano became active and erupted after a three-year period of heightened seismic activity beneath the island. The eruption from the volcano destroyed most of the public infrastructure around the island, including its airport and shipping facilities, necessitating an evacuation of the southern part of the island. Following the devastation caused by the two years of volcanic activity, and given his past connection with the island and community, Martin began efforts to raise funds in order to support the island. == Organisation ==