Starstruck Studios

Superstar Reba McEntire ventured into a whole new world of music production and promotion when she established Starstruck Entertainment in 1988 with her former husband, Narvel Blackstock. Initially, the pair formed Starstruck to manage McEntire’s megastar brand, which spans a career of publishing, recording, performing, acting, a fashion brand, and other projects. The company soon expanded to develop and manage additional recording artists and songwriters, including Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Hunter Hayes, and others. Starstruck’s key executives are Narvel Blackstock and Brandon Blackstock, McEntire’s stepson. Granite Entertainment, a creative industries marketing company based in Orlando, Florida, also partners with Starstruck.

Starstruck has two recording studios, one named the Pond and the other the Gallery. The Pond consists of three separate spaces: the Cherry Room, Slate Room, and Pond Room. The Gallery studio is a two-story studio with individual recording booths on the second floor while the first floor can accommodate a forty-piece orchestra. 

Before this building was erected, the site featured three homes built in the early 1900s. One, called the Tuneville building, was converted into a recording studio affectionately referred to as the “Back ‘Ere” studio. Buzz Cason, a Nashville-born singer, songwriter, and producer said the name came from a band mate who would say, “It’s party time boys. . . See you [Back ‘Ere]“—referring to the studio. In the 1960s, this property was largely owned by Cedarwood Publishing Company—one of the nation’s largest music publishers during Music Row’s heyday. The current building, housing Starstruck Entertainment, was completed in 1996.

Cross South Street and continue along Music Square West for half a block. Stop across the street from the iHeart Media building, the next stop on this tour.