Studio in the Country is a recording studio located at 21443 Hwy 436 in Washington Parish, Louisiana.
The studio has been in operation since 1972. It was conceived and originally owned by recording engineer William S. "Bleu" Evans. [1] It sits on a 26-acre pine forest located near New Orleans, LA between Bogalusa, LA and Varnado, LA. The studio is approximately 60 miles north of eastern New Orleans. Construction and design was overseen by Bleu Evans with significant contributions by Tom Hidley of Westlake Audio, [2] George Augspurger, Lee Peterzell, Tom Knight and Ron Balmer. Eugene Foster bought the studio in 1979, and later sold it in 1997 to current owner Debra Farmer.
Numerous multi-platinum records were recorded, partially recorded or mixed at Studio in the Country, including classic albums by Kansas such as Leftoverture [3] and Point of Know Return , [4] each of which contained hits – "Carry On Wayward Son" (which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 [5] ) on the former and Top 10 single "Dust in the Wind" [6] on the latter. Other platinum albums from Studio in the Country include Save His Soul by Blues Traveler, [7] Smells Like Children by Marilyn Manson, [8] Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads by Jimmy Buffett, [9] Heartbreak Station by Cinderella, [10] and the 11× platinum Dirty Dancing soundtrack. [11]
Additional work done at Studio in the Country includes Stevie Wonder's Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, [12] The Hungry Years by Willie Nelson, [13] the Jack Nitzsche-produced The Neville Brothers, [14] and Fiyo on the Bayou [15] by The Neville Brothers, Louis Prima Meets Robin Hood by Louis Prima, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's An American Dream, the certified-gold Inspiration by Frankie Beverly and Maze, Thunderhead's self-titled first album (produced by Johnny Winter [16] ), Zebra's certified-gold self-titled debut album Zebra, [17] Rock'n'Roll Gumbo by Professor Longhair, [18] Pete Fountain's Alive in New Orleans, [19] The Wild Magnolias and They Call Us Wild by The Wild Magnolias, [20] Peter Yarrow's That's Enough For Me, [21] numerous albums by Louisiana's Le Roux (including the hit single "New Orleans Ladies"), [22] Lonesome Road by Doc Watson, [23] Betty Davis' Is It Love Or Desire, [24] High Life by Frankie Miller, "Spanish Doors" from the Adorata EP by The Gutter Twins, American Patchwork by Anders Osborne, [25] and My Feet Can't Fail Me Now by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. [26]
Albums including Grammy Award winner I'm Here, Bogalusa Boogie and Frenchin' the Boogie by Clifton Chenier [27] were recorded there and numerous albums by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, [28] including Blackjack and the Grammy-winning Alright Again [29] were also recorded and mixed at Studio in the Country.
Other artists who have used the studio include Ani DiFranco, [30] Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Greg Dulli, The Twilight Singers, Mandrill, [31] Tony Joe White, [32] Zachary Richard, [33] Wayne Newton, Dash Rip Rock, Melanie, The Scoundrels (UK), [34] C.C. Adcock [35] and Revolution Mother, whose lead singer is professional skateboarder Mike Vallely. [36]
The studio has one of the last functional free-standing echo chambers in the world. It was one of the last major all-analog recording facilities until adding Pro Tools HD in recent years, though the Studer two-inch and half-inch tape machines are still in use. [37]
In 2009 New Orleans' Offbeat awarded Studio in the Country "Best Recording Studio in Louisiana" for 2008 as well as awarding Ben Mumphrey "Best Studio Engineer in Louisiana". [38]
In November 2010 the installation of a vintage Neve 8068 recording console was completed. The 32-channel board was most recently in use at Allaire Studios in New York.
Kansas is an American rock band that formed in 1973 in Topeka, Kansas and became popular during the decade initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The band has produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums, one other platinum studio album (Monolith), one platinum live double album, and a million-selling single, "Dust in the Wind". Kansas appeared on the US Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. "Carry On Wayward Son" was the second-most-played track on US classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997.
The Meters are an American funk band formed in 1965 in New Orleans by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar) and Art Neville (keyboards). The band performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977 and played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists, including Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. Their original songs "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py" are considered funk classics.
The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The music of Louisiana can be divided into three general regions: rural south Louisiana, home to Creole Zydeco and Old French, New Orleans, and north Louisiana. The region in and around Greater New Orleans has a unique musical heritage tied to Dixieland jazz, blues, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The music of the northern portion of the state starting at Baton Rouge and reaching Shreveport has similarities to that of the rest of the US South.
Clifton Chenier, was an American Creole musician known as a pioneer of zydeco, a style of music which arose from Creole music, with R&B, blues, and Cajun influences. He sang and played the accordion and won a Grammy Award in 1983.
Aaron Joseph Neville is an American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. "Tell It Like It Is", from 1966, also reached the top position on the Soul chart for five weeks.
Leftoverture is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1976. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001. It was the band's first album to be certified by the RIAA, and remains their highest selling album, having been certified 5 times platinum in the United States.
Tab Benoit is an American blues guitarist, musician, and singer. His playing combines a number of blues styles, primarily Delta blues.
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was an American singer and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1983 for his album, Alright Again!.
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Dash Rip Rock is an American rock band. Originally playing rockabilly and country music, the band is best known for its cowpunk sound, which mixes punk rock, rockabilly, hard rock, country and boogie. The New York Times stated that Dash Rip Rock combines “fluency in American roots music with a robust dose of punk-rock spirit.” Bill Davis, Dash Rip Rock's founder and frontman, is a songwriter known for his blistering guitar work. Spin praised Dash Rip Rock as “undeniably the South’s greatest rock band.” In 2012, Dash Rip Rock was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
LeRoux is a band founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which saw its heyday from 1978 to 1984. Their best-known songs were "Take a Ride On a Riverboat" with its 4-part a capella intro, the regional smash "New Orleans Ladies", "Nobody Said It Was Easy ", "Addicted" and "Carrie's Gone".
Leo Nocentelli is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as "Cissy Strut" and "Hey Pocky A-Way". As a session musician he has recorded with a variety of notable artists such as Dr. John, Robert Palmer and Etta James. He is the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of The Meters.
Ultrasonic Studios was a music recording studio in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The studio was located on Washington Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood near Xavier University. It was established in 1977 by Jay Gallager and George Hallowell. The studio was sold to the two Grammy Engineers, David Farrell and Steve Reynolds, who ran the day-to-day operations. They co-owned the studio. In 2005, the studio suffered major damage from the levee failure disaster flood during Hurricane Katrina, and has not been back in operation since. According to Jay Gallager in a 2007 interview, the building has knocked down following the hurricane. There are no plans to rebuild the building or restore the studio elsewhere. Farrell and Reynolds have moved on to other career paths.
Randy Jackson is an American rock musician from New Orleans, Louisiana, best known for his role as frontman for the band Zebra. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. In addition to his career with Zebra, he is a Long Island Music Hall of Fame inductee, a Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee, and has toured with Jefferson Airplane and tributes to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Doors.
Glenn Worf is an American bassist known mainly for his work as a session musician. He has recorded with many major country music acts and also tours with Mark Knopfler.
Joseph "Smokey" Johnson Jr. was an American drummer. He was one of the musicians, session players, and songwriters who served as the backbone for New Orleans' output of jazz, funk, blues, soul, and R&B music.
Joe Krown is an American keyboardist, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Apart from being a solo artist, he is the full time member of Kenny Wayne Shepherd band. He plays New Orleans styled piano and also Hammond B3 organ.
Louisiana Love Call is a 1992 studio album by Maria Muldaur. The album was her debut for Black Top Records and was recorded at Ultrasonic Studio in New Orleans. An homage to Crescent City soul, the album featured a host of New Orleans musicians including David Torkanowsky, Cranston Clements, Herman Ernest and Dr. John. The title track features a duet with Aaron Neville.
Eric Johanson is an American blues rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Johanson has performed with Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, the Neville Brothers, Terrance Simien, JJ Grey, Eric Lindell, Mike Zito, and at events including the Chicago Blues Festival, Edmonton Blues Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia).
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