United Sound Systems is a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

and locally designated

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States. Many popular music artists over the last seventy years have recorded at the facility, including blues musicians like

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

(he recorded "

Boogie Chillen' "Boogie Chillen'" or "Boogie Chillun" is a blues song first recorded by John Lee Hooker in 1948. It is a solo performance featuring Hooker's vocal, electric guitar, and rhythmic foot stomps. The lyrics are partly autobiographical and alternate ...

" there in 1948), and funk bands like

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkadeli ...

. The studio was also the site of the first recording for

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

's Tamla label in 1959, starting what would become

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

. The building is threatened by a planned highway service drive expansion by the

Michigan Department of Transportation The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate ...

. The studio ownership changed in 2009 and eventually reopened in 2014. It was designated a local historic district by the City of Detroit in 2015. Others who have recorded at the studio include

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

, Dan Schafer and Alberta Adams.

History

There is currently a debate within collector forums and Detroit music historians about the origins of United. The issues revolve around when the first Cass location for the studio began and when it moved to the current location at 5840 Second Avenue. Regardless, it was listed at the current Second Avenue location by 1943. The historical marker says that James Siracuse converted the current location to a recording studio in 1939. The house it is located in was built in 1916. The 1946 Inter-racial Goodwill Program was recorded here. In March 2014, ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Februa ...

'' reported that:

"M-DOT spokesman Rob Morosi said they DOTmet with Scott last summer, and had 'a good conversation' about various options on the table. One of those options, he confirms, would be moving the studio from its location on Second at Antoinette. 'We’re waiting to hear back from them,' Morosi said Monday. (Scott says she’s exploring her options, but moving the large house and back studio is not what she favors.)"

Later in March, the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

reported that the Detroit City Council "will refer the United Sound Systems Recording Studio matter to a historic designation advisory board for study." The National Park Service conducted a study of the site and the Blue Bird Inn in 2019 but found they were not suitable to be an affiliated area of the national park system.

Selected recordings

References

External links

* http://unitedsoundsystemsrecordingstudios.com/ {{Coord, 42.36235, -83.07236, type:landmark_region:US-MI, display=title Buildings and structures in Detroit Recording studios in the United States Motown