Studio in the Country is a recording studio located at 21443 Hwy 436 in Washington Parish, Louisiana. The studio has been in operation since 1972. It was conceived and originally owned by recording engineer William S. "Bleu" Evans. It sits on a 26-acre pine forest located near

New Orleans, LA New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Bogalusa, LA and

Varnado, LA Varnado is a village in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,461 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Varnado is located at (30.894911, -89.831635). According to ...

. 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 Tom Hidley (born 27 May 1931) is an American recording studio designer and audio engineer whose companies have been responsible for the design of hundreds of professional studios worldwide since 1965. Hidley coined the term "bass trap", and is cr ...

Westlake Audio Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio in West Hollywood, California. History Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name Westlake Audio. Hidley was experien ...

, George Augspurger, Lee Peterzell, Tom Knight and Ron Balmer. Eugene Foster bought the studio in 1979, and later sold it in 1997 to current owner Debra Farmer. Numerous multi-platinum records were recorded, partially recorded or mixed at Studio in the Country, including classic albums by

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

such as ''

Leftoverture ''Leftoverture'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1976. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001. It was the band's first album to be certified by the RIAA, and remains their highest selling al ...

'' and ''

Point of Know Return ''Point of Know Return'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1977. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2002. Composition and recording The recording sessions for ''Point of Know Return'' comme ...

'', each of which contained hits – "

Carry On Wayward Son "Carry On Wayward Son" is a song by American rock band Kansas, released from the band's fourth studio album '' Leftoverture'' (1976). Written by guitarist Kerry Livgren, the song became the band's first Top 40 single, reaching No. 11 on the US ...

" (which reached No. 11 on

the Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

) on the former and Top 10 single "

Dust in the Wind "Dust in the Wind" is a song recorded by American progressive rock band Kansas and written by band member Kerry Livgren, first released on their 1977 album ''Point of Know Return''. The song peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the wee ...

" on the latter. Other platinum albums from Studio in the Country include ''

Save His Soul ''Save His Soul'' is the third studio album by American jam band Blues Traveler, released on April 6, 1993, by A&M Records. Track listing ">" indicates a segue directly into the next track. #"Trina Magna" (John Popper) – 5:49 #"Love and Gree ...

'' by

Blues Traveler Blues Traveler (formerly known as "The Establishment" or "The Black Cat Jam" or "The Establishment Blues Band") is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. They are known for extensive use of segues in live performance ...

, ''

Smells Like Children ''Smells Like Children'' is the first EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 24, 1995, by Nothing and Interscope Records. Produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, it represents an era of the band full of dru ...

'' by

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

, ''Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads'' by

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

, ''

Heartbreak Station ''Heartbreak Station'' is the third studio album by American rock music, rock band Cinderella (band), Cinderella, released in 1990 through Mercury Records. It reached No.19 in the Billboard 200 US chart on December 21, 1990, and went platinum fo ...

'' by

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

, and the 11× platinum ''Dirty Dancing'' soundtrack. Studio in the Country (studio interior)

Additional work done at Studio in the Country includes

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

's ''Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants'', ''The Hungry Years'' by

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

, the

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...

-produced ''The Neville Brothers'', and '' Fiyo on the Bayou'' by

The Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 19 ...

, ''Louis Prima Meets Robin Hood'' by

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...

, 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 John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

), Zebra's certified-gold self-titled debut album ''Zebra'', ''Rock'n'Roll Gumbo'' by Professor Longhair,

Pete Fountain Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr. (July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016), known professionally as Pete Fountain, was an American jazz clarinetist. Early life and education LaFontaine was born to Pierre, Sr. and Madeline, in a small Creole cottage-style fr ...

's ''Alive in New Orleans'', ''The Wild Magnolias'' and ''They Call Us Wild'' by

The Wild Magnolias The Wild Magnolias are a Mardi Gras Indian tribe who also record and play as a funk musical act from New Orleans, Louisiana. History Origins A group calling itself the Wild Magnolias, participating in the local " Indian masking" traditions an ...

Peter Yarrow Peter Yarrow (born May 31, 1938) is an American singer and songwriter who found fame for being in the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote (with Leonard Lipton) one of the group's best known hits, " Puff, the Magic Dragon". H ...

's ''That's Enough For Me'', numerous albums by

Louisiana's Le Roux LeRoux (also known as Louisiana's LeRoux) is a band founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which saw its heyday from 1978 to 1984. Their best-known songs were "Take a Ride On a Riverboat" with its 4-part a capella intro, the regional smash "New Orl ...

(including the hit single "New Orleans Ladies"), ''Lonesome Road'' by

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

Betty Davis Betty Davis (born Betty Gray Mabry; July 26, 1944 – February 9, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and model. She was known for her controversial sexually-oriented lyrics and performance style, and was the second wife of trumpeter Mile ...

' ''Is It Love Or Desire'', ''High Life'' by

Frankie Miller Francis John Miller (born 2 November 1949) is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter and actor. Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his 1977 album ''Full House'', the singles "Be Good To Yourself", " D ...

, "Spanish Doors" from the ''

Adorata ''Adorata'' is the only EP by The Gutter Twins, 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, t ...

'' EP by

The Gutter Twins The Gutter Twins was a musical collaboration between rock musicians Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. Dulli and Lanegan had regularly contributed to each other's projects since 2000, most notably in Dulli's Twilight Singers; of the duo's origins, Dul ...

, ''American Patchwork'' by

Anders Osborne Anders Osborne (born May 4, 1966 in Uddevalla, Sweden) is an American singer-songwriter. He tours solo and with a band, and often plays in North Mississippi Osborne (N.M.O), a group formed by Osborne and North Mississippi Allstars. Early life ...

, and ''My Feet Can't Fail Me Now'' by

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a brass band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ensemble was established in 1977, by Benny Jones and members of the Tornado Brass Band. The Dirty Dozen revolutionized the New Orleans brass band style by incorpo ...

. Albums including

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winner ''I'm Here'', ''Bogalusa Boogie'' and ''Frenchin' the Boogie'' by

Clifton Chenier Clifton Chenier (June 25, 1925 – December 12, 1987), was an American Creole musician known as a pioneer of zydeco, a style of music which arose from Creole music, with rhythm and blues, R&B, blues, and Cajun music, Cajun influences. He sang a ...

were recorded there and numerous albums by

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (April 18, 1924 – September 10, 2005) was an American singer and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1983 for his album, ''Alright Again!''. Early life Br ...

, 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 Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influe ...

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American folk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group is led by singer Alex Ebert. The band's name is based on a story Ebert wrote in his youth, about a messianic figure named E ...

Greg Dulli Greg Dulli (born May 11, 1965) is an American musician from Hamilton, Ohio. Debuting as a member of the rock band the Afghan Whigs in 1986, Dulli has been a member of the Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, and in 2020 released his debut solo albu ...

The Twilight Singers The Twilight Singers are an United States, American indie rock musical group, band. The group was formed in 1997 by Greg Dulli as a side project during a hiatus from his group The Afghan Whigs. After the Afghan Whigs disbanded, Dulli used The Twi ...

Mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

Tony Joe White Tony Joe White (July 23, 1943 – October 24, 2018), nicknamed the Swamp Fox, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie" and for "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but which was first ma ...

Zachary Richard Ralph Zachary Richard (born September 8, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and poet. His music is a combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles. Biography Zachary Richard began his musical career at the age of 8, as soprano in the Bish ...

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the nation from the mid-to-late 20th-century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas. He is known by the nicknam ...

Dash Rip Rock Dash Rip Rock is an American rock band. Originally playing rockabilly and country music, the band is best known for its cowpunk sound, which mixes punk rock, rockabilly, hard rock, country and boogie. ''The New York Times'' stated that Dash Rip ...

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".C.C. Adcock C. C. Adcock (born Charles Clinton Adcock, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and blues rock musician, noted for his cajun, zydeco, electric blues and swamp pop-influenced sound and for his efforts to preserve and promote swa ...

and Revolution Mother, whose lead singer is professional skateboarder

Mike Vallely Mike Vallely ( ), also known as Mike V, is an American professional skateboarder and musician. Since November 2013, he has been the lead vocalist of hardcore punk band Black Flag. Vallely is the second-longest-serving member of the band, althou ...

. The studio has one of the last functional free-standing

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. For example, the producers of a ...

s in the world. It was of the last major all-

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

recording facilities until adding Pro Tools HD in recent years, though the

Studer Studer is a designer and manufacturer of professional audio equipment for recording studios and broadcasters. The company was founded in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1948 by Willi Studer. It initially became known in the 1950s for its professiona ...

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 "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 Glen Tonche is an estate atop Mount Tonche, in Ulster County, near Shokan, New York. The estate's house was built in 1928 as the summer family compound of American businessman Raymond Pitcairn, whose family founded PPG Industries. Since 1999 ...

in New York.

External links

Official Website

Studio in the Country Facebook Page

Studio in the Country MySpace Page

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Studio In The Country Recording studios in the United States 1972 establishments in Louisiana Buildings and structures in Washington Parish, Louisiana Buildings and structures completed in 1972