Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits by
Jimmie Rodgers
James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his di ...
,
Frankie Lymon &
the Teenagers
The Teenagers were an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead ...
,
the McGuire Sisters,
the Flamingos,
Dion and the Belmonts
Dion and the Belmonts were an American vocal quartet prominent throughout the late 1950s. All of its members were from the Bronx, New York City. In 1957, Dion DiMucci joined the vocal group the Belmonts. The established trio of Angelo D'Aleo ...
,
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby".
Anka also wr ...
,
Frankie Avalon
Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including Record ...
,
the Drifters
The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1959 and ...
and
Ben E. King,
the Four Seasons,
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein, May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She follow ...
,
the Dixie Cups,
the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...
,
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...
, and
Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
.
History
Early years
Co-founders Allen Weintraub and Dan Cronin were classmates at
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public specialized high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is on ...
and aspiring radio engineers. In June 1950 with an initial investment of $600 Weintraub and Cronin established the recording studio as Bell Recording Co. in a storefront at 73
Mott Street
Mott Street () is a narrow but busy thoroughfare that runs in a north–south direction in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. It is regarded as Chinatown, Manhattan, Chinatown's unofficial "Main Street". Mott Stre ...
in New York's
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
.
The studios were initially used for recording
radio
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
aircheck
Aircheck is the radio industry term for a recording that has dual meanings: a demonstration to show off the talent of an announcer or programmer to a prospective employer, and an archival record of content broadcast over-the-air made for legal ar ...
s and weddings and bar mitzvahs.
Within a year the studio had outgrown its initial location and was moved to
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, where it began picking up overflow business from record labels when more established New York studios were fully booked. On March 30, 1953
record producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
George Goldner brought
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
act
the Crows to Bell to record "
Gee" with Weintraub
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
. The song became the studio's first hit, reaching number 1 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 14 on the
pop chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...
.
The 1950s
Needing a larger studio space to accommodate recording sessions of these small ensembles, Bell moved to
West 89th Street in Manhattan. It was at this location that
Faye Adams recorded her hit song "
Shake a Hand".
[ The song, produced by Al Silver, marked the transition between ]Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
and Rhythm & Blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
and held the number one position on the U.S. ''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 ...
'' R&B chart for nine weeks. In November 1955, George Goldner was back with Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
The Teenagers were an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead ...
to record " Why do Fools Fall in Love". The single reached number 1 on the R&B chart and number 6 on the pop chart, and increased the studio's notoriety. In 1955, then known as Bell Sound Studios, the company and its nine employees relocated yet again, to the fourth floor of a building at West 46th Street and 8th Avenue[ in the heart of ]Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...
and near New York's advertising agencies, record labels, other recording studios, and the Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and farther uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. The Brill Building hous ...
, whose songwriters and producers gravitated to Bell Sound Studios for their sessions. In 1956, Jimmie Rodgers
James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his di ...
recorded his version of " Honeycomb (song)" at the studio, with the song topping the ''Billboard'' Top 100.
By 1957 the company had grown to 17 employees, and again moved, to 237 West 54th Street, where the studios eventually occupied the largest portion of a five-story building. While the major record labels initially used their own recording studios exclusively, even major record labels were utilizing Bell Sound Studios by 1957. On November 13, 1957, Coral Records
Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer.
Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head ...
president Bob Thiele
Robert "Bob" Thiele (July 27, 1922 – January 30, 1996) was an American record producer who worked on numerous classic jazz albums and record labels.
Early life and career
Bob Thiele was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, United Sta ...
booked the studio for The McGuire Sisters to record " Sugartime" with a 16-piece band. He appreciated Bell's innovative isolation capabilities to record the rhythm as he heard it and was amazed by the unusual clarity of each musical element.[ The song topped the Most Played chart in February 1958. ]Buddy Knox
Buddy Wayne Knox (July 20, 1933 – February 14, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1957 rock & roll hit song, " Party Doll".
Early life
Knox was born on July 20, 1933 in the tiny farming community of Happy, Texas, ...
recorded his 1957 number 17 hit "Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep" at Bell, and Jimmy Bowen recorded three singles (including "Warm Up to Me Baby") at the studio in May. In April 1957 Dion and the Belmonts
Dion and the Belmonts were an American vocal quartet prominent throughout the late 1950s. All of its members were from the Bronx, New York City. In 1957, Dion DiMucci joined the vocal group the Belmonts. The established trio of Angelo D'Aleo ...
entered the studio to record "Tell Me Why", returning for " I Wonder Why" (April 1958) and their hit "A Teenager in Love
"A Teenager in Love" is a song written by Doc Pomus and partner Mort Shuman. It was originally recorded by Dion and the Belmonts, and released in March 1959. It appeared on their album ''Presenting Dion and the Belmonts'' (1959). It reached numb ...
" (April 1959). The Monotones
The Monotones were a six-member American doo-wop vocal group in the 1950s. They are considered a one-hit wonder, as their only hit single was " The Book of Love", which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1958.
Biography
The Monot ...
recorded their doo-wop classic " The Book of Love" at Bell in September 1957. Clint Miller recorded " Bertha Lou" here in November/December 1957. The Chantels arrived at Bell Sound on October 16, 1957, to have Richard Barrett produce their first big hit, " Maybe".
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby".
Anka also wr ...
was a regular customer at Bell Sound under the direction of producer Don Costa
Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including '' Sinatra and Strings'' and '' My Way'' ...
, beginning in September 1957 with the recording of "I Love You Baby" and " You Are My Destiny". Anka recorded almost exclusively at Bell Sound until 1961, including such hits as "Put Your Head on My Shoulder
Put or PUT may refer to:
Finance
* Put option, a financial contract between a buyer and a seller
* CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index (ticker symbol)
Science and technology
* Programmable unijunction transistor
Computing
* Parameterized unit testing ...
", " Lonely Boy", and "Puppy Love
Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by one's looks and attractiveness at first sight. It is named for its r ...
". Cannonball Adderley
Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...
recorded at Bell Sound, starting with '' Cannonball's Sharpshooters'' in 1958.
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...
, who normally recorded at Norman Petty's Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico. The population was 38,567 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the state.
A ...
studio, recorded his rock & roll classic " Rave On" at Bell Sound on January 25, 1958, backed by his band and Petty (on piano). In May of that year, Little Anthony and the Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...
recorded their hit " Tears on My Pillow". That October, George Goldner produced the Flamingos' doo-wop classic "I Only Have Eyes for You
"I Only Have Eyes for You" is a song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin. The song was written for the 1934 film ''Dames (film), Dames'', in which it was performed by Dick Powell. Several other successful recordings of the song were m ...
" in a three-hour recording session without overdubbing. Also in 1958, Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933May 3, 2021) was an American R&B and rock 'n' roll singer, known as "Mr. Personality", after his 1959 million-selling hit, "Personality (Lloyd Price song), Personality". His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a ...
recorded " Stagger Lee" and "Where Were You on our Wedding Day" at the studio, and returned the following year to record "Lady Luck", "I'm Gonna Get Married", and his Don Costa
Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including '' Sinatra and Strings'' and '' My Way'' ...
-produced single "Personality
Personality is any person's collection of interrelated behavioral, cognitive, and emotional patterns that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life. These interrelated patterns are relatively stable, but can change over long time per ...
", which reached #2 on the pop charts. The Capris recorded " There's a Moon Out Tonight" at the studio in December 1958; the song would become the group's biggest hit in 1961 upon its re-release.
Frankie Avalon
Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including Record ...
recorded two number one hits at Bell Sound in 1959: "Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
" and "Why
Why may refer to:
* Causality, a consequential relationship between two events
* Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose
* Grounding (metaphysics), a topic in metaphysics regarding how things exist in v ...
". Wilbert Harrison
Wilbert Huntington Harrison (January 5, 1929 – October 26, 1994) was an American rhythm and blues singer, pianist, guitarist and harmonica player.
Biography
Harrison was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He had a Hot 100 number-one hits o ...
recorded his hit single "Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
" at Bell on February 25, 1959, accompanied by Ike Turner on the piano, among others. The big hit was created in less than 30 minutes and cost a mere $40 to record. Ronnie Hawkins
Ronald Cornett Hawkins (January 10, 1935 – May 29, 2022) was an American rock and roll singer, long based in Canada, whose career spanned more than half a century. His career began in Arkansas, United States, where he was born and raised. He ...
recorded his eponymous LP at the studio in April 1959, including the single " Forty Days", and in June, manager Harry Balk
Harry Balk (October 1, 1925 – December 3, 2016) was an American A&R man, record producer and record label executive. He discovered Little Willie John, Johnny and the Hurricanes, and Rodriguez; co-produced Del Shannon's 1961 hit " Runaway"; ...
brought his instrumental band Johnny and the Hurricanes to Bell Sound to record "Red River Rock". Fabian was also in the studio in June, recording Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
, which would become his biggest hit. In December 1959, Ben E. King and the Drifters recorded "This Magic Moment
"This Magic Moment" is a song composed by lyricist Doc Pomus and pianist Mort Shuman. It was first recorded by The Drifters, with Ben E. King singing lead.
Original Drifters version
It was recorded first by Ben E. King and the Drifters, at ...
" and "Save the Last Dance for Me
"Save the Last Dance for Me" is a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, first recorded in 1960 by American musical group the Drifters with Ben E. King on lead vocals. It has since been covered by several artists, including the DeFranco ...
" at the studio in the late 1950s. The latter, released a few months after Ben E. King's departure from the group, became the band's biggest hit. In December 1959, the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...
' first recording session outside of Nashville produced " Let It Be Me" at the studio.
The 1960s
After moving from Decca
Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label
* Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...
to Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
, Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band formed in 1947 and continuing until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...
went to Bell Sound in January, 1960 and recorded material for their first Warner LP, ''Bill Haley and His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band formed in 1947 and continuing until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...
''. Paul Anka returned in April of the same year to record " My Home Town". Ben E. King's second solo session at Bell Sound on October 27, 1960, spawned his first solo hit, "Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east ...
", and a March 27, 1961 recording session produced his classic song " Stand by Me". Ferrante & Teicher, both Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...
alumni and faculty, had their two grand piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
s hoisted into the studio, where they were recorded with full orchestra for the duo's hit instrumental
An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
s " Theme from ''The Apartment''" (July 1960) and " Exodus" (November 1960).
Dion returned to Bell Sound as a solo artist in 1961 and recorded " Runaround Sue", the song for which he would be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame
The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
in 2002. The Drifters also returned to the studios beginning in 1961 to record " Some Kind of Wonderful", " Please Stay", " Sweets for My Sweet" and "Room Full of Tears". Subsequent Drifters sessions at Bell Sound in the years to follow would produce " Up on The Roof" (June 1962) and " On Broadway" (January 1963).
On July 13, 1961, while performing as a background singer on the Drifters' song "Mexican Divorce", Dionne Warwick
Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...
was discovered by producer and composer 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 ...
, the beginning of one of the most successful teams in popular music history. Warwick recorded her debut solo single, " Don't Make Me Over", at Bell Sound in August 1962, and the singer and her songwriting team returned to record many more hits, including " Walk On By" (1964) and " Do You Know the Way to San Jose" (1967).[
In December 1961, ]Solomon Burke
Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been called ...
recorded one of his best-known songs, " Cry to Me" at the studio, produced by Bert Berns. In May 1962, Berns was back at Bell Sound assisting Luther Dixon on a recording session with new Wand Records signees the Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...
as they tried, unsuccessfully, to record " Make It Easy on Yourself". In an attempt to salvage the session, Berns suggested the group should record a new version of his song, " Twist and Shout", after the first recording of the song, released by the Top Notes, failed commercially the previous year. The song became the Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...
' first single to reach the Top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart.
Another Luther Dixon-produced group, the Shirelles
The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...
, recorded several hits at Bell Sound, including "Will You Love Me Tomorrow
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles for their album '' Tonight's the Night''; released as a singl ...
" (November 1960), "Baby It's You
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby It ...
" (1961), " Mama Said" (April 1961), and " Soldier Boy" (March 1962). Del Shannon
Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one ''Billboard'' hit " Runaway", which was covered la ...
recorded his biggest hit, " Runaway" at the studio in January 1961, and returned to Bell Sound to record " Hats Off to Larry" (May 1961) and " Little Town Flirt" (November, 1962).
Gene Pitney
Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician.
Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 h ...
began his studio career at Bell Sound with " (I Wanna) Love My Life Away" (January 1961) and "Every Breath I Take" (August 1961). More ballads followed with " Town Without Pity" (October 1961), " Only Love Can Break a Heart" (September 1962), and " It Hurts to Be in Love" (July 1964).
Other studio customers included the Four Seasons, who recorded their hit " Big Girls Don't Cry" at the studio in October 1962, and 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 '' ...
, who recorded "It's Too Late" there in August 1963. Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein, May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She follow ...
recorded her hit song "It's My Party
"It's My Party" is a song recorded by American singer Lesley Gore on her debut studio album '' I'll Cry If I Want To'' (1963). It was released as a single on April 5, 1963, by Mercury Records. The song was written by Herb Wiener, John Gluck Jr. ...
" in March 1963, as well as its follow-up, " Judy's Turn to Cry" that May, and "You Don't Own Me
"You Don't Own Me" is a pop song written by Philadelphia songwriters John Madara and David White and recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963, when she was 17 years old. The song was Gore's second most successful recording and her last top-ten single ...
" that December. Phil Ramone
Philip Rabinowitz (January 5, 1934March 30, 2013), better known as Phil Ramone, was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, and co-founder of A & R recording studio. Its success led to expansion ...
- himself a studio operator - acted under producer Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...
to engineer Gore's vocal overdubs for the recordings. Other songs recorded at Bell Sound include Garnet Mimms' " Cry Baby" (May 1963), the Dixie Cups' number one hit " Chapel of Love" (May 1964), and " Gloria" by Them with Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
(May 1965). Len Barry
Leonard Warren Borisoff (June 12, 1942 – November 5, 2020), known professionally by the stage name Len Barry, was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, record producer, author, and poet.
Life and career
Born on June 12, 1942, and raised ...
had all his hits produced at Bell Sound, including " 1-2-3" (June 1965).
In 1965, the McCoys
The McCoys were a rock music, rock group formed in Fort Recovery, Ohio, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Originally named Rick and the Raiders, they changed their name to "The McCoys" from ...
recorded their hit song " Hang On Sloopy" at Bell Sound.[ The same year, after renewed interest in the band's 1964 regional release of " Hanky Panky", ]Tommy James
Tommy James (born Thomas Gregory Jackson; April 29, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. James is the frontman of the rock band Tommy James and the Shondells, which is known for hit singles such as "Mony Mony", ...
, backed by a freshly-recruited quintet that would serve as his new Shondells, re-recorded a new version of the song and its eponymous LP at the studio. Notable songs recorded at the studios in 1966 included the Bobby Hebb song " Sunny" and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels' song " Devil with a Blue Dress On".[
In 1961, the studio hired 15-year recording industry veteran Irv Jerome, who grew the studios' business recording commercials for radio and television, including work for ]Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...
firms like Ted Bates, J. Walter Thompson, BBD&O, Benton & Bowles, Young & Rubicam
VMLY&R was an American marketing and Marketing communications, communications company specializing in advertising, Digital media, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the 2020 mer ...
, Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy is a New York City-based British advertising, marketing, and public relations agency. It was founded in 1850 by Edmund Mather as a London-based agency. In 1964, the firm became known as Ogilvy & Mather after merging with a New York City a ...
, and produced ads for Pepsi
Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
, Coke, Ford, and Barneys
Barneys New York is an American brand founded in 1923 by Barney Pressman that operated full-line department stores from 1923 until 2020. Authentic Brands Group acquired Barneys' intellectual property in 2019, and has licensed the brand to Saks ...
. Bell Sound would eventually be utilized by nearly every Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...
advertising agency, with this business becoming 35-40% of the studio's annual revenue by 1968.
In 1965, when the company expanded into high-speed tape duplication services with its A&B Duplicators, Ltd. subsidiary, Bell Sound managers did not find equipment that offered the features and flexibility the company required, so Bell Sound developed their own tape duplication machines, which the company marketed and sold under the Electro Sound brand beginning in 1966. The studio's research and development team developed a new 12-track 2-inch tape recorder that offered higher-quality recording than the 8-track 1-inch and 16-track 2-inch recorders in use at other studios. Early adoption of 12-track 2-inch technology introduced an unforeseen challenge, however - as the only studio in New York City using a 12-track 2-inch device at the time, recordings produced at Bell Sound lacked compatibility with other studios.[
In January 1968, co-owner Don Cronin died in a plane crash. In November of that year, faced with rising rent and other financial challenges, Weintraub sold Bell Sound Studios and its affiliates to Viewlex, a ]Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
music and entertainment conglomerate that purchased a controlling interest in the Kama Sutra
The ''Kama Sutra'' (; , , ; ) is an ancient Indian Hindu Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the ''Kamasutra'' is neither exclusively nor predominantly a sex manual on sex positions ...
and Buddah Records
Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...
labels.[
]
The 1970s
Business at the studio without Cronin and under new ownership began to wane. The Flamin' Groovies recorded their LP '' Teenage Head'' in January 1971, and Roberta Flack
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...
recorded " Feel Like Makin' Love" at the studio in June 1973. On October 10 of that year, rock band Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
began recording their debut album, ''Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
''. The following year, the recording studio began to experience financial difficulties. Bell Sound Recording Studios finally ceased operations in 1976, and the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
in 1977.
Facilities
Bell Sound Studios' 237 West 54th Street facilities eventually grew to include 60 employees, three studios, four editing rooms, five mastering rooms, and a film room. It was one of the first studios to allow engineers to specialize in mixing, and could be requested by a client.[
Studio A was the largest of Bell's three studios, located on the top floor and capable of recording full orchestras.] Studio B was slightly smaller than Studio A, it could accommodate about 20 to 25 musicians and had a small vocal booth. Studio C could accommodate up to ten people and was used for the production of demo recordings, while Studio D was used for quadraphonic and later voice-over recordings. Studio B and C were located next to each other on the second floor, with the mixing and mastering rooms between the two recording rooms.
As Bell Sound's technical director, Cronin designed the first automatic width and depth control for stereo disc mastering, and Bell Sound provided mastering and disc cutting services for songs and albums recorded elsewhere, as it did for Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
' album ''Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two
''Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two'' is a 1962 album by Ray Charles. It is the second volume of country and western recordings by Charles following his landmark Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, debut on ABC Record ...
'' (September 1962).
Cronin also designed an early magnetic tape noise reduction system, as well as the first solid-state professional recording console in the late 1950s, when vacuum tube consoles were the norm.
Legacy
In 1981, The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano.
History
In 1969, songwriter Jerry Ragavoy opened a recording studio in New York City and named it ''The Hit Factory.'' On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, ...
relocated to Bell Sound Studios former location to establish The Hit Factory Broadway, which remained in operation until 2002.
Bell Sound Recording Studios had no legal relationship with the New York independent record label Bell Records founded by Benny Bell in 1945, and is in no way related to Bell Sound Studios in Hollywood, founded by Bill Bell in 1965.
References
{{Reflist
Recording studios in Manhattan
1950 establishments in New York City