RCA Studio A (1965-1977) Chet Atkins and
Owen Bradley constructed a new 3-story building at the original address of 806 17th Avenue South (the street would be renamed Music Square West in 1975) to be leased by
RCA Victor. Half of the building was built as office space for the label's Nashville division, and the other half was a new recording studio. Officially opening on March 29, 1965, the new addition to RCA Victor's Nashville Sound Studios, which was newer and larger than RCA's
adjacent studio built 9 years prior, was appropriately designated as Studio A, while the original studio became Studio B. Studio A was one of three similarly-designed large studios built by RCA in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville specifically for recording large groups of musicians, such as choirs, string sections, or orchestras, playing together live, which was essential to the
Nashville sound production style. With its live room measuring 75 x 45 feet with 25 foot high ceiling, it was the largest studio room in Nashville when it opened. The studio was based on the ideas of
Chet Atkins,
Owen Bradley and
Harold Bradley. Studios A and B were collectively referred to as the RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios. Artists recording at the studio in the Music City Music Hall era included
Loretta Lynn,
Gary Stewart,
Sylvia, the
Family Brown, and
Earl Klugh. In 1981,
George Strait recorded six of the ten songs on
his debut studio album at the studio, and returned to the studio to record
the followup album, which included his first two number one singles.
Ben's Place & Grand Victor Sound (2002-2014) Folds moved away and returned to Nashville in 2002, and leased the building for the next 12 years, initially for his own use. He also rented out parts of the building to other artists, such as
Jamey Johnson. In 2009 Folds enlisted the help of Sharon Corbitt-House to re-open it to outside clients as a commercial studio under the name of Ben's Place and later Grand Victor Sound. Artists recording at the studio during this timeframe included
Kacey Musgraves,
Joe Bonamassa,
John Hiatt, and
Jewel. Folds himself recorded
So There at the studio with the
yMusic Ensemble, which included a
piano concerto performed with the 83-piece
Nashville Symphony and producer
Elliot Scheiner.
Demolition controversy In 2014 the building’s existence was threatened with demolition by a local developer to make way for
condominiums, and Ben Folds gathered regional and professional support in an effort to save the building. The same year,
Kacey Musgraves recorded her 2015 Grammy-nominated album
Pageant Material at the studio. In October 2017, the completion of a $500,000 restoration of the studios was marked by the mounting of replicas of RCA Victor Recording Studios signage used for the first four years of the studio's operation on the building's exterior. ==Production style==