Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

, United States.

History

Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the

Ardent Records Ardent Records is an American record label based in Memphis, which was founded by John Fry in 1959. Ardent of the 1960s and 1970s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975. It is best remembered today for B ...

label. Equipment in the studio included an Altec tube mixing console,

Ampex Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff as a spin-off of Dalmo-Victor. The name AMPEX is a portmanteau, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence.AbramsoThe History ...

2-track tape recorder, Pultec equalizer, and

Neumann Neumann is German and Yiddish for "new man", and one of the 20 most common German surnames. People * Von Neumann family, a Jewish Hungarian noble family A–G *Adam Neumann (born 1979), Israeli-born entrepreneur and founder of WeWork * Alfre ...

microphones. In 1966 the studios moved to a commercial location at 1457 National Street, which was shared with a bookshop.

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 recording ...

was consulting with Auditronics on an early multitrack console for nearby Stax Records, and Fry ordered the same input modules for his second mixing board. When the studio upgraded to a Scully 4-track tape recorder, Ardent became the first 4-track studio in Memphis. It was also the first studio in the area to use EMT plate reverbs. Ardent became home to young producers and

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the li ...

such as Jim Dickinson, Terry Manning, Joe Hardy, John Hampton, Paul Ebersold, and later Skidd Mills, Jeff Powell,

Brad Blackwood Brad Blackwood is an American audio mastering engineer. He has mastered albums for artists such as Maroon 5, Against Me, Lamb of God, Black Eyed Peas, Sara Bareilles, and is a 17 time Grammy nominee and 3-time winner, as well as having multiple nom ...

, Pete Mathews, and Jason Latshaw. In 1971, Ardent Studios moved to its present location on Madison Avenue, upgrading its equipment with 24-track tape recorders, larger mixing consoles, and more gear. Ardent came to have three studios equipped, all with large format Neve and SSL desks alongside Pro Tools rigs. It is managed by Jody Stephens (also the drummer for Big Star, an early Ardent group whose first two albums appeared on the Ardent Records label in the early 1970s). All three Big Star albums were named in

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and “In The Street,” from their first album, became the theme for “ That 70s Show.” In its early years, Ardent Studio recorded Sam & Dave,

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

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

, Leon Russell, and

the Staples Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February ...

, and in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s recorded

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

, ZZ Top, R.E.M., George Thorogood, The Allman Brothers,

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, Joe Walsh, and Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In the 2000s younger artists such as The White Stripes, 3 Doors Down, Cat Power,

North Mississippi Allstars North Mississippi Allstars is an American blues and southern rock band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is currently composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, lowebow, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, elec ...

, The Raconteurs, Low Cut Connie, and

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

recorded at Ardent, and the soundtracks for Hustle and Flow and Black Snake Moan were produced at Ardent as well. Ardent has recorded over 70 gold and platinum albums and singles.

which? ''Which?'' is a United Kingdom brand name that promotes informed consumer choice in the purchase of goods and services by testing products, highlighting inferior products or services, raising awareness of consumer rights and offering independ ...

]

Gallery

File:Neve VR60 48x48 Console with Flying Faders II Automation, Studio A, Ardent Studios.jpg, Studio A console:
Neve VR60 48x48 File:SSL Duality SE 48 Channel Console, Studio C, Ardent Studios.jpg, Studio C console:
SSL Duality SE 48ch File:Ardent Studios, Studio C tracking room.jpg, Studio C tracking room File:Multitrack recorders & ProTools, Studio A, Ardent Studios.jpg, Today's recorders:
Pro Tools HD3 Accel, etc.

Notable artists

.38 Special The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & ...

* 3 Doors Down * 8Ball & MJG * Aaron Tippin *

Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

* Alain Bashung * Albert Collins * Alex Chilton *

ALL All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

Alvin Youngblood Hart Alvin Youngblood Hart (born Gregory Edward Hart; March 2, 1963) is an American musician. Career Hart was born in Oakland, California, and spent some time in Carroll County, Mississippi, in his youth, where he was influenced by the Mississippi ...

* Anita Ward * Anthony Gomes * Archers of Loaf * Audio Adrenaline * Bar-Kays * B.B. King * Big Star *

Big Tent Revival Big Tent Revival is a Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1991 by Steve Wiggins. They were signed to Ardent Records who had a distribution deal with Forefront Records. They disbanded in 2000 after having released five albums, h ...

Black Oak Arkansas Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970charting ten albums according to Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Their style is punctuated ...

* Black Rob * Bobby Rush *

* Booker T & the MG's * Cat Power *

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen a ...

Coco Montoya Coco Montoya (born Henry Montoya, October 2, 1951, Santa Monica, California) is an American blues guitarist and singer and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Musical career Montoya's career began in the mid-1970s when Albert Col ...

Cracker Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to: Animals * ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies * '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker" Arts and entertainment Films ...

* Dave Matthews *

DC Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian rap and rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They released five major studio albums together: ...

* DeGarmo and Key *

Dreams So Real Dreams So Real were an American alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia, who gained national exposure in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recorded three albums, including two releases on Arista Records. History The trio was led by songw ...

* Evanescence *

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy b ...

* George Ducas * George Thorogood * Gin Blossoms * Golden Smog *

Jimmie Vaughan Jimmie Vaughan (born March 20, 1951) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas. He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant ...

* Joe Walsh * John Hiatt * Julien Baker * Juvenile *

* Leon Russell * Little Texas * Lucero *

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

* Mach Five * Maria Taylor * Marty Brown *

Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as ...

* M.I.A. * Mika Nakashima * Mikey Jukebox *

Mojo Nixon Mojo Nixon (born Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr.; August 2, 1957) is an American musician and actor best known for his humorous, irreverent Novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere" which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style can generally be defined ...

* Montgomery Gentry *

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. ...

* Prehab * Primal Scream * Prix * Puscifer * R.E.M. * Reverend Horton Heat * Robert Cray * Satellite Soul *

Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies is a band from Nashville, Tennessee, US, which was formed in April 1991. The band features a heavy southern bluesy jam oriented style which led to comparisons with groups such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers ...

* Seven Mary Three * Shawn Camp * Sister Hazel *

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab han ...

* Smalltown Poets * Soundgarden * Spacehog *

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music ...

* Stevie Ray Vaughan *

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, " Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature in ...

* The Afghan Whigs * The Allman Brothers * The Angels * The Box Tops * The Cramps * The Fabulous Thunderbirds * The Georgia Satellites *

The Hooters The Hooters are an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band combines elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music to create its sound. The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid-198 ...

* The Posies * The Raconteurs * The Radiators * The Replacements *

The Scruffs The Scruffs are an American power pop group formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1974 by writer/guitarist/vocalist Stephen Burns along with guitarist David Branyan, bassist Rick Branyan, and drummer Zeph Paulson. Although their line up has changed many ...

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassi ...

* The White Stripes * Tim McCarver *

Todd Agnew Todd Wilson Agnew (born March 15, 1971, in Dallas, Texas) is a contemporary Christian musician and songwriter. Musical career Agnew's best-known song is " Grace Like Rain", a version of "Amazing Grace", which was featured on his first album, ...

* Todd Snider * Tom Cochrane * Tommy Hoehn * Toots Hibbert *

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 20 ...

* Triple 6 Mafia *

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

* Yo Gotti * Zucchero * ZZ Top

Notable albums

– '' Soul Survivor'' * Alain Bashung – '' Osez Joséphine'' * Alex Chilton – '' Like Flies on Sherbert'' *

– ''Motivational Speaker'' * B.B. King – '' Blues Summit'' * Big Star – '' Keep an Eye on the Sky'', '' #1 Record'', '' Radio City'', '' Third/Sister Lovers'' * Booker T. & the M.G.'s – ''

Soul Limbo ''Soul Limbo'' is the seventh studio album by the American R&B band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released in 1968 on Stax Records. The album was the first Stax LP issued after the label severed its ties with former distributor Atlantic Records in 19 ...

'' * George Thorogood and the Destroyers – ''

The Dirty Dozen ''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph M ...

'', '' Bad to the Bone'', '' Born to be Bad'' *

– '' The Memphis Album'' *

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempo ...

– '' Soulsville'' *

– ''

Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon ''Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released in April 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded between early January and late February of the same year. Relea ...

'' * Jim Dickinson – ''Free Beer Tomorrow'', ''Dixie Fried'' * Joe Walsh – '' Got Any Gum?'' * Johnny Diesel and the Injectors – '' Johnny Diesel and the Injectors'' *

– '' Led Zeppelin III'' (Mixing Only) *

– ''Electric Blue Watermelon'', ''51 Phantom'', ''Polaris'', ''Shake Hands With Shorty'' * R.E.M. – ''

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

'' * Stevie Ray Vaughan – '' Live at Carnegie Hall'', '' The Sky is Crying'' * The Afghan Whigs – ''

Gentlemen A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the r ...

'' * The Allman Brothers – ''

Shades of Two Worlds ''Shades of Two Worlds'' is the tenth studio album by the Allman Brothers Band. Among the tracks are several longer songs of varying genres: the rock song "Nobody Knows"; jazzy instrumental "Kind of Bird"; and the blues-rocker "Get On with Your Lif ...

'' * The Angels – '' Beyond Salvation'' * The Box Tops – '' Cry Like a Baby'' * The Raconteurs – ''

Broken Boy Soldiers ''Broken Boy Soldiers'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Raconteurs, released on May 15, 2006 in the United Kingdom and May 16, 2006 in the United States. The album was generally favored among critics and spawned the hit sing ...

'' * The Replacements – '' Pleased to Meet Me'' *

– '' Wanna Meet the Scruffs?'' * The Staple Singers – ''The Staple Swingers'' * The White Stripes – ''

Get Behind Me Satan ''Get Behind Me Satan'' is the fifth studio album by the American rock duo the White Stripes, released on June 7, 2005, on V2 Records. Though still basic in production style, the album marked a distinct change from its guitar-heavy 2003 predecess ...

'' * ZZ Top – ''Antenna'', ''

Afterburner An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and c ...

'', '' Eliminator'', '' El Loco'', '' Degüello'', '' The Best of ZZ Top'', '' Tejas'', '' Fandango!'', '' Tres Hombres'', ''

Rio Grande Mud ''Rio Grande Mud'' is the second studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in 1972 by London label. The album title was inspired by the Rio Grande, the river that forms the border between Mexico and Texas. Background ZZ Top ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 35, 8, 15, N, 89, 59, 40, W, type:landmark_region:US_dim:50, display=title Recording studios in Tennessee