Decca Records, Quonset Hut, and Columbia Records Studio A

Look for two more big guitars and a historical marker for Bradley Studios and you’ll know you are in the right place. Take another picture if you’d like… this is a gee-tar town after all! This building complex is now part of Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.

Look for the sign that says: “Original home of Decca Records.” In that building was the first recording studio built on Music Row, and it began when the Bradley Brothers purchased a house on this lot for $7,500. It would probably cost a little more than that today. In 1955, they added an Army surplus Quonset Hut to the back, which became the earliest large recording studio on Music Row. The Quonset Hut studio is still active, although—from the outside—it looks very different. Check out the pictures above to see what it looked like in the 1950s.

Johnny Cash, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, Sonny James, Brenda Lee, Roger Miller, the Statler Brothers, and many others recorded in the Quonset Hut.

This complex you see here today is actually two buildings. They are separated by only about six inches! On the right side was the original home of Capitol Records. Above and behind that small building, the legendary Buddy Lee ran his booking agency office.

Now, shift your eyes left and you’ll see a sign that says “Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.” Mike Curb owns these two buildings. Belmont University’s world renowned music business college is named after Mike, who has been most generous with his support.

If you think Mike Curb owns a lot of buildings on Music Row—you’re right. He owns 11 of them and the Nashville music community is thankful that he bought them because he wants to restore them and keep Music Row alive. Thank you, Mike.

Now let’s walk a little further up Music Square East—look both ways and live more days as we cross a street—and look to your right. That’s another studio owned by Mike Curb as well as a mastering studio. Mastering means the sound levels and tone are consistent before a recording is released.

Stay on Music Square East for one block until you reach Warner Chappell and Warner Brothers Music on your right. This is your next stop.