The "A" in A&R Studios

[W.B.]

A lot of people (myself included) have wondered what the "A" in Phil Ramone's A&R Studios operation (where some A&M artists recorded over the years) stood for. I stumbled across a website which just might have the answer . . .

http://www.reevesaudio.com/studiothree.html

 

[jimac51]

Very interesting link,indeed! So the follow up question is:Who is Jack Arnold? Is this possibly the film director of "Creature from the Black Lagoon" fame(thogh my favorite Jack Arnold film was "The Incredible Shrinking Man"). He had ties to broadway as an actor,later he worked in TV(CBS)so there is link to New York. And who would that mystery harmonica player/partner have been? Mac

 

[Dave]

Yes, thanks for unlocking that "mystery" about that famous New York Recording studio. A Jazz Violinist (ELECTRIC Violinist, actually) John Blair recorded his early albums on A&R Records, the studio's own small and short-lived record company.

Quincy Jones recorded there since the beginning of his recording career and the studio had two locations. One was on Seventh Avenue and I forgot what street the other was on, but it later became the local Musicians Union AFL Hall. I think the once-working studio was briefly used for the making of (another frequent user) Paul Simon's One Trick Pony.

Other artists I have seen credited with recording there have been Cal Tjader, Gary McFarland, Frank Sinatra, Carly Simon and Phoebe Snow. And James Taylor recorded one his album, One Man Dog there with his band of studio musicians, who normally recorded in California. I think they were on tour at the time.

Dave

 

[W.B.]

The other thing I noticed on that 'site was that, prior to becoming A&R, it had been known as JAC. Which leads to this question: Was there a connection between A&R and the JAC publishing company which co-published many of Bacharach & David's best-known songs (and B&D, on Dionne Warwick's best-known '60's hits, used A&R to record)?

I do know that in 1966, after Columbia vacated 799 Seventh Avenue and moved their main recording, editing and mastering facilities to 49 East 52nd Street (and retired two "ancient," pre-'58 mono Scully lathes in the process - one to cut LP's, the other to cut 45's), A&R took over the place; Frank Sinatra actually cut a few sides there in 1969. Later, they went to 48th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, which is now what was described above.