Church Studio: What to expect from restoration of Leon Russell's recording studio
Church Studio: What to expect from restoration of Leon Russell's recording studio
Jimmie Tramel Mar 24, 2021 Updated 1 hr ago
4 min to read
Teresa Knox, while providing a sneak preview of an upcoming Tulsa attraction, pointed out the future location of Dan Fogelbergs piano and the future location of a console that was used during the recording of a Bob Dylan album. ... The upcoming attraction is actually an old attraction made new again, but, this time, you can get a foot inside the door.
Back in the day, the saying was you had to know someone to get inside Church Studio, a church that the late, great Tulsa music legend Leon Russell converted into a recording studio during the heyday of a record label (Shelter Records) launched by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and English producer Denny Cordell.
Knox said Russell and Cordell were eating at restaurant (the Ranch House, now the Freeway Cafe) across the street when they saw a for sale sign on the built-in-1915 church. During a span of years from 1972 to 1976, music artists came to Tulsa to hang out and record at Church Studio. And they will again.
Workers are hammering away at Church Studio, 304 S. Trenton Ave., to get the facility restored to its 1970s glory for a July opening. Knox, the current owner, wants to recapture the Russell-era vibe of Church Studio while modernizing it for contemporary studio use and for public enjoyment.
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Musicians flocked to Church Studio after it was acquired by Leon Russell in the 1970s. The plan is for musicians to return there after Church Studio again becomes a recording studio.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World
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