5 Reasons Why You MUST Visit RCA Studio B!

One of Nashville's most historic and musically rich sites is an easy 20-minute walk from Kristi's Kottage. Studio B, built in 1957, was the epicenter of the "Nashville Sound." Few recording studios are as iconic as RCA Studio B—it is up there with Abbey Road, Muscle Shoals, Motown, Chess, and a handful of others that have been instrumental in bringing some of the best-recorded music to a diverse audience. Here are my Top 5 Reasons why you MUST visit Studio B!

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1) Elvis Was In The Building

Inarguably, the most famous client, Elvis Presley, recorded over 200 songs in Studio B. Such classics as ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT, NOW OR NEVER, GUITAR MAN, STUCK ON YOU, and most of his gospel classics (HOW GREAT THOU ART). In 1970, what was dubbed the Marathon Sessions, Elvis recorded 30-plus songs in just five days!

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2) Dolly Parton And Her Biggest...Hits

Yes, that Dolly! A national treasure, the voice of an angel, and sweeter than Waffle House ice tea. There is a rumor that Dolly wrote two of her biggest hits, JOLENE and I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, on the same day. There is some debate about the facts regarding that claim, but there is no debate about where those two songs were recorded in 1973...at Studio B.

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3) Ladies and Gentlemen...Charley Pride

If you don't know who Charley Pride is...you should! Read more...
Charley was the first successful black country music artist and one of the greatest vocalists ever recorded in Nashville! KISS AN ANGEL GOOD MORNING and IS ANYBODY GOING TO SAN ANTONE were recorded at Studio B.

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4) And That's The Way It...Was

The studio is located in Music Row, a historic area of Nashville where some of the greatest songs ever were written and recorded. Studio B is located between 16th and 17th Avenue. 

As the song says: 

Hey, it looks so uneventful, so quiet and discreet,
But a lot of lives were changed there on that little one-way street,
'Cause they walked away from everything just to see a dream come true,
So God bless the boys who make the noise on 16th Avenue

I encourage you to take the time to wander those two streets! You will undoubtedly pass countless nondescript houses that "changed a lot of lives."

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5) Play Me A Song I'm The Piano, Man

Affectionately known as the "Elvis Steinway," this piano is the centerpiece of RCA Studio B's instrument collection. It is generally considered Elvis' favorite piano, which he used to rehearse before recording some of his greatest hits. But this piano was also used on so many hit songs that it is impossible to list them all!

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