The American Sound Studio was a recording studio located in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

which operated from 1964 to 1972. Founded by Chips Moman, the studio at 827 Thomas Street came to be known as American North, and the studio at 2272 Deadrick Street came to be known as American East or the Annex. More than one hundred hit songs were recorded at these studios, with backing provided by the studio musicians " The Memphis Boys", also known as the "827 Thomas Street Band". Artists who recorded at American included

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Joe Tex Yusuf Hazziez (born Joseph Arrington Jr.; August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982), known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the style ...

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

, Bobby Womack, Joe Simon, Merrilee Rush,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, Oscar Toney Jr.,

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

, B. J. Thomas,

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

Roy Hamilton Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969) was an American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black gospel feeling, he brought Soul music, soul to Great American Songbook singing. Hamilton's greatest commercia ...

, and The Box Tops. In 2011, producer/engineer Brad Dunn and partners, seeking to preserve its recording history legacy, reopened the American East location as American Recording Studio.

History

Beginnings on Thomas Street

American Sound Studio was started in 1964 at 827 Thomas Street in North Memphis by producer Chips Moman and Don Crews. Between 1967 and 1971 approximately 120 hit songs were produced, and listed in the top 100 of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', at the American Sound Studio. During one week span, 25% of Billboard's top 100 not only came from the same studio, but featured the same band backing a variety of artists. It was further noted that the Memphis Boys recorded 122 Top 10 records using the same rhythm team, and were also known as the “827 Thomas Street Band” after the address of the studio. The first American Sound Studio facility on Thomas Street was closed in 1972 and the building was torn down in 1989. In its place is a

Family Dollar Family Dollar Stores, Inc. is an American variety store chain founded in 1959 by Leon Levine in Charlotte, North Carolina. With over 8,000 locations in all states except Alaska and Hawaii, it was once the second largest retailer of its type in th ...

store with a County historical marker. Moman moved first to Atlanta, and then to Nashville, opening and operating American Sound Studio facilities in each city. Neither location remains today.

American Recording Studio East

American Sound Studios and the Memphis Boys were in high demand, and had to use other studios in Memphis, such as Royal Studios (where " Dark End of the Street" was recorded), Sounds of Memphis,

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The studio was founded in the late 1950s by John King, Fred Smith, and John Fry. Over time, it has become a commercially successful recording studio. ...

, National Street Studios, Lyn Lou Studios, and Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. By acquiring a second studio they could keep most productions in house. They found a studio located at 2272 Deadrick Avenue in East Memphis. Designed and built in 1967 as Onyx, with construction commissioned by

Steve Sholes Stephen Henry Sholes (February 12, 1911 – April 22, 1968) was a prominent American recording executive with RCA Victor. Career Sholes was born in Washington, D.C., and moved with his family to Merchantville, New Jersey, at the age of ni ...

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

, it was the first purpose-built recording studio in Memphis. Onyx was utilized by different record companies. The studio's staff included Ronnie "Angel" Stoots from the Mar-Keys and George Klein. The first single cut there was "Mama”/“Merry Go Round" produced by Bobby Manuel. By 1968 the studio became popular with

Jerry Wexler Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...

and

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recordings ...

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, as well as Dot Records/

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson (guitarist), Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramoun ...

. In November of 1968 Moman and Crews ran a full page advertisement in ''

'' to announce the new studio acquisition and operation of both their "North" and "East" studios. Moman and Don Crews purchased Onyx in December 1968, renaming it American Recording Studio East, AKA “The Annex”. The studio was custom-designed with stereo

echo chamber Echo chamber of the Dresden University of Technology Hamilton Mausoleum has a long-lasting unplanned echo An echo chamber is a hollow enclosure used to produce reverberation, usually for recording purposes. A traditional echo chamber is cove ...

s, and its new large tracking floor made it well suited for larger productions such as horn and orchestra sessions (Presley's " Kentucky Rain" arranged by Glen Spreen, is an example). Wayne Jackson recorded there as part of the Memphis Horns, including the trumpet part on Neil Diamond's " Sweet Caroline". The studio had easy access to the Memphis International Airport, and next door was the Memphis landmark John Grisanti's restaurant. American East helped complete many of the productions made at American's North Memphis studio between 1968 and 1972. Both studios were fitted with similar equipment which allowed the easy transfer of tapes, and were able to operate all day and night to handle the demand. So much more work could be done, as Moman quoted to ''Billboard'' magazine. Moman also liked to work in anonymity during these years and the East location served that purpose well. In 1972 Moman and Crews made arrangements to dissolve their partnership and crews restored American East back to Onyx. Following Don Crews' retirement in 1978, Onyx was purchased by musicians/producers Doyle and Bernice Turner. STAX's studio had closed by 1975, and from 1978 to 1988 Onyx was the studio for ex-STAX engineer and producer Allen Jones ( the Bar-Kays,

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

, Albert King, Kwik), and the studio home for the Bar-Kays. By 1990 the studio was leased to producers Doug Easley and Davis McCain, and known as

Easley McCain Recording Easley McCain Recording is an American recording studio, based in Memphis, Tennessee, notable for recording musicians such as Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Oblivians, Grifters, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Come, White Stripes, Townes Van Zandt, ...

from 1990 to 2005. Under the direction of producers Easley, McCain and Stuart Sikes, the studio was used by acts including

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950March 17, 2010) was an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops ...

, Tav Falco,

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...

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Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...

, and Jeff Buckley. In 2005 the studio suffered a major fire and Easley McCain relocated to new premises in 2009. The now-vacant fire-damaged Deadrick studio was bought by an out-of-state developer. After negotiating with the developer to protect this Memphis landmark, custodial power was given to Brad Dunn in 2006 to campaign to get the studio reopened. Brad was supported by his father, Robert, and his uncle, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and sought input from Chips Moman, Don and Erick Crews on preserving the historical site. A trust was set up by new owner David Gicking & partner Brad Dunn to preserve the studio's future. Following a detailed restoration, the first phase was completed in 2011. Brad Dunn (producer, engineer), Matt Martone and Will Gilbert (engineer) re-opened the studio in 2011 as American Recording Studio. Owned by David Glicking and Brad Dunn, American Recording Studio is the only remaining physical location of the American Sound Studios legacy.

Recording artists

In January 1969,

recorded his last number one hit " Suspicious Minds" with producer/engineer Chips Moman. Around this time, American Sound Studio was at the top of its game, in the middle of a three-year span that would yield more than 100 hit records for artists that included B. J. Thomas,

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- THOMAS STILL HOOKED ON POP MUSIC FEELING - ROBERT DiGIACOMO -12-12-03

, and

The Memphis Boys

The studio's

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

, known both as the 827 Thomas Street Band and (informally) as the Memphis Boys, consisted of Reggie Young on guitar, Tommy Cogbill and Mike Leech on bass, Gene Chrisman on drums, Bobby Wood on piano, and Bobby Emmons on organ. They brought versatility to the studio, including

's " Skinny Legs and All"," I Gotcha";

's " I'm in Love"; Joe Simon's " Hangin' On"; The Box Tops' " Cry Like a Baby";

's " Sweet Caroline"; Merrilee Rush's " Angel of the Morning";

's " In the Ghetto"; and Danny O'Keefe's " Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues". It was Tommy Cogbill's bass ride out in

's hit " Son of a Preacher Man." They were also the band in flutist

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

's 1969 Jazz Rock classic '' Memphis Underground''. In 2007, they were inducted into the

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum Mission Statement The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is a 501(c)(3) charity organization. The mission of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is to honor all great musicians regardless of genre or instruments. This is done by exhibiting t ...

Nashville, TN Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack worked at producer Chips Moman's American Sound Studio in Memphis, and played on recordings by

and The Box Tops. Until this point, around 1967, he had had little success as a solo artist, but at American he began to record a string of hit singles, including 1968's "What Is This" (his first chart hit), "It's Gonna Rain", and "More Than I Can Stand". During this period he became known as a songwriter, contributing many songs to

's repertoire; these include " I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover." He also played guitar on three of

's hit-making late 1960s recordings, including the '' Lady Soul'' album, and " Chain of Fools". Among his appearances as a session musician from this period are Sly & the Family Stone's 1971 album '' There's a Riot Goin' On'', and

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

's ''

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

'', which features a song by Womack and

Michael McClure Michael McClure (October 20, 1932 – May 4, 2020) was an American poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist. After moving to San Francisco as a young man, he found fame as one of the five poets (including Allen Ginsberg) who read at the famo ...

entitled "Trust Me". In 1971, on an album with jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó, he recorded the instrumental "Breezin'", which later became a hit for

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

Joe Tex

recorded his major hit, " Skinny Legs and All"(1967), and " I Gotcha"(1972), at American Sound Studio. "I Gotcha" was originally intended to be recorded by King Floyd, but Floyd never recorded a version of it. Instead, Tex went ahead and recorded it himself in the late 1960s, but ended up not releasing it. He decided to re-record the song in late 1971 at American Sound Studio and released it as the B-side of "A Mother's Prayer," the first single off his 1972 album that was also titled ''I Gotcha''. Radio DJs decided to flip the single over and started playing "I Gotcha." This would result in Tex having his first major hit in five years as "I Gotcha" eventually peaked at number one on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and number two on the Pop chart and would sell around three million copies.

Elvis Presley

In January and February 1969,

recorded an extensive number of tracks during a period known as his comeback. One notable track, and the first to be released, was " In the Ghetto", unusual in Elvis' repertoire for its social commentary on the cycle of crime and poverty, followed by " Suspicious Minds", which became a centerpiece of his live performances that would begin that year. Indeed, four charting singles came from these sessions- "Suspicious Minds", " Don't Cry Daddy", "In the Ghetto", and " Kentucky Rain" —as well as two critically acclaimed albums released during 1969, '' From Elvis in Memphis'' and the studio portion of '' From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis'', also the strings and horns were scored at American East Studio. Mike Leach and Glen Spreen did most of the arranging, “sweetening” the tracks at American East. The studio portion of ''From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis'' was later released separately as ''Back in Memphis'' in 1970. Additional tracks recorded during the 1969 sessions would continue to appear haphazardly on assorted Elvis albums as late as 1972, including a cover version of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' "

Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' fir ...

B. J. Thomas

B. J. Thomas made his name in the mid-1960s with easy listening hits like " Hooked on a Feeling" and " Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" recorded at American Sound Studio. The song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", written by

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

and

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

for the 1969 film ''

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western (genre), Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, k ...

'', won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Original Song. Further, David and Bacharach won Best Original Score. The version by B. J. Thomas was number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the United States in January 1970 for four weeks and the first No. 1 single of the 1970s. It also spent seven weeks atop the U.S. adult contemporary chart. The song was recorded in seven takes, after Bacharach expressed dissatisfaction with the first six.

Dusty Springfield

The sudden changes of pop music in the mid-1960s left female singers out of fashion. To boost her credibility as a soul artist,

went to

to record an album of pop and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

at American Sound Studio. The LP '' Dusty in Memphis'' earned Springfield a nomination for a

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

in 1970 and received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2001. International readers and viewers polls list the record among the one hundred greatest albums of all time. The LP's standout track " Son of a Preacher Man" was an international Top 10 hit in 1969.

The Box Tops

The Box Tops recorded Wayne Carson Thompson's " The Letter". Under two minutes in length, it was an international hit in late 1967, reaching

's number-one position and remaining there for four weeks. Produced by Dan Penn and featuring 16-year-old vocalist

, the single sold over four million copies and received two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s nominations. Their single " Cry Like a Baby" was a major hit in 1968, peaking at number two on Billboard. Some of their recordings' instrumental tracks were performed by session musicians like Reggie Young, Tommy Cogbill, Gene Chrisman, and Bobby Womack at Moman's American Sound Studio, and by future Chilton producer

Terry Manning Terry Don Manning (December 29, 1947 – March 25, 2025) was an American recording engineer, record producer, musician and photographer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top, the ...

, although the actual group members performed on a number of the recordings, including their first hit "The Letter", and on all live performances.

Neil Diamond

" Sweet Caroline", recorded at American Sound Studio, was

's first major hit after his slump.CBS "Sunday Morning" 5-11-2008 Wayne Jackson of The Memphis Horns recorded his trumpet part at the Annex, American East.

References

{{Authority control Elvis Presley Music of Memphis, Tennessee Recording studios in Tennessee History of Memphis, Tennessee Buildings and structures in Memphis, Tennessee 1964 establishments in Tennessee 1972 disestablishments in Tennessee American companies disestablished in 1972 Former recording studios