Studio in the Country
Encyclopedia
Studio in the Country is a recording studio located at 21443 Hwy 436 in Washington Parish
, Louisiana.
The studio opened in 1973, conceived and owned at that time by recording engineer William S. "Bleu" Evans 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, George Augspurger, Tom Knight and Ron Balmer. Evans sold the studio in 1979 to engineer Eugene Foster, who 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
and Point of Know Return
, each of which contained hits – "Carry On Wayward Son
" (which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100
) on the former and Top 10 single "Dust in the Wind
" on the latter. Other platinum albums from Studio in the Country include Save His Soul by Blues Traveler
, Smells Like Children
by Marilyn Manson
, Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads
by Jimmy Buffett
, Heartbreak Station
by Cinderella
, and the 11x platinum Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
Additional work done at Studio in the Country includes Stevie Wonder's
Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, The Hungry Years by Willie Nelson
, the Jack Nitzsche
-produced The Neville Brothers, and Fiyo On The Bayou
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
), Zebra's
certified-gold self-titled debut album Zebra, Rock'n'Roll Gumbo by Professor Longhair
, Pete Fountain's
Alive in New Orleans, The Wild Magnolias and They Call Us Wild by The Wild Magnolias
, Peter Yarrow's
That's Enough For Me, numerous albums by Louisiana's Le Roux (including the hit single "New Orleans Ladies"), Lonesome Road
by Doc Watson
, Betty Davis'
Is It Love Or Desire, High Life
by Frankie Miller
, "Spanish Doors" from the Adorata
EP by The Gutter Twins
, American Patchwork by Anders Osborne
, and My Feet Can't Fail Me Now by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
. Albums including Grammy Award
winner I'm Here, Bogalusa Boogie and Frenchin' the Boogie by Clifton Chenier
were recorded there and numerous albums by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, including Blackjack and the Grammy-winning Alright Again were also recorded and mixed at Studio in the Country.
Other artists who have used the studio include Ani DiFranco
, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
, Greg Dulli
, The Twilight Singers
, Mandrill
, Tony Joe White
, Zachary Richard
, Wayne Newton
, Melanie
, The Scoundrels (UK), C.C. Adcock
and Revolution Mother (whose lead singer is professional skateboarder Mike Vallely
.
The studio has one of the last functional free-standing echo chamber
s in the world. It was 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.
In 2009 New Orleans' Offbeat
awarded Studio in the Country "Best Recording Studio in Louisiana" for 2008 as well as awarding Ben Mumphrey
, the studio's manager and chief engineer since 2007, "Best Studio Engineer in Louisiana".
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.
Washington Parish, Louisiana
Washington Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Franklinton. In 2000, its population was 43,926....
, Louisiana.
The studio opened in 1973, conceived and owned at that time by recording engineer William S. "Bleu" Evans on a 26-acre pine forest located near New Orleans, LA between Bogalusa, LA
Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,365 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Washington Parish and is also part of the larger New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa...
and Varnado, LA
Varnado, Louisiana
Varnado is a village in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Varnado is located at ....
. 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, George Augspurger, Tom Knight and Ron Balmer. Evans sold the studio in 1979 to engineer Eugene Foster, who 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
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
such as Leftoverture
Leftoverture
Leftoverture is the fourth album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1976. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001.-Overview:...
and Point of Know Return
Point of Know Return
Point of Know Return is the fifth album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1977. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2002.The huge success of Kansas's previous effort, Leftoverture, brought a new kind of pressure...
, each of which contained hits – "Carry On Wayward Son
Carry On Wayward Son
"Carry on Wayward Son" is a progressive rock single recorded by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren for their 1976 album Leftoverture. In 1977, the song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard pop singles chart, becoming their first Top 40 hit....
" (which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
) on the former and Top 10 single "Dust in the Wind
Dust in the Wind
"Dust in the Wind" is a song by American progressive rock band Kansas, first released on their 1977 album Point of Know Return.The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 22, 1978, making it Kansas' only top ten Billboard Hot 100 charting single...
" on the latter. Other platinum albums from Studio in the Country include Save His Soul by Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
, Smells Like Children
Smells Like Children
Smells Like Children is a EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 24, 1995 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
by Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
, Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads
Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads
Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads is a four-compact disc compilation box set of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band's greatest hits, rarities, and previously unreleased songs. Released in 1992, the collection reached quadruple platinum.-Boats:...
by Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
, Heartbreak Station
Heartbreak Station
Heartbreak Station is Cinderella's third studio album, released in 1990 through Mercury Records. It hit #19 in the US and went platinum for shipping a million albums there the same year...
by Cinderella
Cinderella (band)
Cinderella is an American heavy metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation. They were famous for being a glam metal band, but then shifted over towards a more hard...
, and the 11x platinum Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
Additional work done at Studio in the Country includes Stevie Wonder's
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, The Hungry Years by Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, the Jack Nitzsche
Jack Nitzsche
Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others...
-produced The Neville Brothers, and Fiyo On The Bayou
Fiyo on the Bayou
Fiyo on the Bayou is the second studio album by the New Orleans four piece The Neville Brothers. It was released in 1981 on A&M. It also features a young Whitney Houston on backing vocals. In 1975 another album entitled Fire On The Bayou was released by The Meters, a band that included Art Neville...
by The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
, Louis Prima Meets Robin Hood by Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
An American Dream, the certified-gold Inspiration by Frankie Beverly and Maze
Maze (band)
Maze a soul / quiet storm band, also known alternately as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Frankie Beverly and Maze, was established in San Francisco, California in the early 1970s.-Career:...
, Thunderhead's self-titled first album (produced by Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
), Zebra's
Zebra (band)
Zebra is a hard rock band founded in 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It features Randy Jackson , Felix Hanemann and Guy Gelso . Their mainstream debut on Atlantic Records was in 1983 with their eponymous album, highlighted by the singles "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind The Door"...
certified-gold self-titled debut album Zebra, Rock'n'Roll Gumbo by Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist...
, Pete Fountain's
Pete Fountain
Pete Fountain , is an American clarinetist based in New Orleans. He has played jazz, Dixieland and Creole music.-Early life and education:...
Alive in New Orleans, The Wild Magnolias and They Call Us Wild by The Wild Magnolias
The Wild Magnolias
-History:A group calling itself the Wild Magnolias, participating in the local "Indian masking" traditions and performing New Orleans Mardi Gras music, extends at least back into the 1950s. The group's lead member was called the Big Chief, and at least three Big Chiefs are known to have headed the...
, Peter Yarrow's
Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow is an American singer who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group's most famous songs, "Puff, the Magic Dragon"...
That's Enough For Me, numerous albums by Louisiana's Le Roux (including the hit single "New Orleans Ladies"), Lonesome Road
Lonesome Road (Doc Watson album)
Lonesome Road is the title of a recording by Doc Watson and Merle Watson, released in 1977.Lonesome Road is out-of-print and was re-issued on CD in 1998 by BGO Records...
by Doc Watson
Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
, Betty Davis'
Betty Davis
Betty Davis is an American funk, rock and soul singer. She was also Miles Davis's second wife.- Background :She worked as a model, appearing in photo spreads in Seventeen, Ebony and Glamour...
Is It Love Or Desire, High Life
High Life (Frankie Miller album)
High Life is the second album by Frankie Miller.With Chrysalis Records willing to speculate in matching up Miller's vocal talents with hitmaking talent, they commissioned Miller's second album to be produced by Allen Toussaint who also composed seven songs on the album. Toussaint's production...
by Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy in Sacred Heart Chapel...
, "Spanish Doors" from the Adorata
Adorata
Adorata is The Gutter Twins' eight-song EP, released initially as an iTunes exclusive on September 2, 2008. Within a couple of weeks, Adorata was released in DRM-free, 320kbit/s MP3, a superior audio quality in comparison to iTunes, through the Sub Pop Records website...
EP by The Gutter Twins
The Gutter Twins
The Gutter Twins is a musical collaboration between rock musicians Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. Dulli and Lanegan have regularly contributed to each other's projects since 2000, most notably in Dulli's Twilight Singers; of the duo's origins, Dulli said "I think Mark told a journalist we were doing...
, American Patchwork by Anders Osborne
Anders Osborne
Anders Osborne is a songwriter and singer.Anders was born in 1966 in Uddevalla, Sweden, left home at age sixteen, and hitchhiked and played music throughout Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the U.S...
, and My Feet Can't Fail Me Now by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a New Orleans, Louisiana, brass band. The ensemble was established in 1977 by Benny Jones together with members of the Tornado Brass Band...
. Albums including Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner I'm Here, Bogalusa Boogie and Frenchin' the Boogie by Clifton Chenier
Clifton Chenier
Clifton Chenier , a Creole French-speaking native of Opelousas, Louisiana, was an eminent performer and recording artist of Zydeco, which arose from Cajun and Creole music, with R&B, jazz, and blues influences. He played the accordion and won a Grammy Award in 1983...
were recorded there and numerous albums by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, including Blackjack and the Grammy-winning Alright Again were also recorded and mixed at Studio in the Country.
Other artists who have used the studio include Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot. Their first full-length recording, Up from Below, was released July 7, 2009, digitally and July 14, 2009, physically on Community Records...
, Greg Dulli
Greg Dulli
-Biography:Greg Dulli was born and brought up in the working-class city of Hamilton, Ohio. Although he was raised a Catholic, he is now agnostic. Dulli first came to public attention in the late 1980s with The Afghan Whigs when he joined D.C. transplant bassist John Curley and Louisville, Kentucky,...
, The Twilight Singers
The Twilight Singers
The Twilight Singers is an American indie rock band. The group was initially formed as a side project of The Afghan Whigs leader Greg Dulli in 1997...
, Mandrill
Mandrill (band)
Mandrill is an American funk band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1968. The band was formed by three brothers: Carlos Wilson , Lou Wilson and Ric Wilson . The brothers were born in Panama and grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn...
, Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
, Zachary Richard
Zachary Richard
Zachary Richard is a Cajun singer/songwriter and poet. His music is an innovative combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles.-Biography:...
, Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
, Melanie
Melanie Safka
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk is an American singer-songwriter. Known professionally as simply Melanie, she is best known for her hits "Brand New Key", "Ruby Tuesday" and "Lay Down ".-Early career:...
, The Scoundrels (UK), C.C. Adcock
C. C. Adcock
C. C. Adcock is a rock and roll musician, noted for his cajun, zydeco, electric blues and swamp pop-influenced sound, and for his efforts to preserve and promote swamp pop music...
and Revolution Mother (whose lead singer is professional skateboarder Mike Vallely
Mike Vallely
Mike Vallely , also known as Mike V, is a professional skateboarder. Mike is also a musician, actor, television personality, stuntman, professional wrestler and FHL hockey player.-Early life:...
.
The studio has one of the last functional free-standing echo chamber
Echo chamber
thumb|right|Echo chamber of the Dresden University of Technologythumb|right|Hamilton Mausoleum has a spectacularly long lasting unplanned echoAn echo chamber is a hollow enclosure used to produce echoing sounds, usually for recording purposes...
s in the world. It was of the last major all-analog
Magnetic tape sound recording
The use of magnetic tape for sound recording originated around 1930. Magnetizable tape revolutionized both the radio broadcast and music recording industries. It did this by giving artists and producers the power to record and re-record audio with minimal loss in quality as well as edit and...
recording facilities until adding Pro Tools HD
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
in recent years, though the Studer
Studer
Studer is a Swiss manufacturer of professional audio equipment, founded in Zurich in 1948 by Willi Studer. It is known primarily for the design and manufacture of analog tape recorders and mixing consoles. Studer also produce other technology solutions, such as telephony management systems and...
two-inch and half-inch tape machines are still in use.
In 2009 New Orleans' Offbeat
OffBeat (magazine)
OffBeat is a monthly music magazine in New Orleans, Louisiana first published in 1988. It mainly focuses on the music scene of New Orleans and Louisiana. It covers wide range of local music including R&B, blues, brass bands, jazz, cajun music, zydeco, to rock....
awarded Studio in the Country "Best Recording Studio in Louisiana" for 2008 as well as awarding Ben Mumphrey
Ben Mumphrey
Ben Mumphrey is an audio engineer, record producer and musician.Some of his work credited as producer or co-producer includes the Frank Black albums Show Me Your Tears, 93-03 and Devil's Workshop, all released on Cooking Vinyl Records, , the 1998 album by released by Bong...
, the studio's manager and chief engineer since 2007, "Best Studio Engineer in Louisiana".
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.