Producers and Engineers - Sweet Sounds From SugarHill
On Saturday, October 8, Texas Chapter members were given unprecedented access to mix some of the classic tracks recorded at SugarHill Studios over its 70 year history in both Studio A and Studio B. Owner of SugarHill Studios and Texas Chapter Trustee, Dan Workman, Chapter Secretary and Project Manager of SugarHill, Gina Miller, and Voting member and SugarHill engineer, Andy Bradley, welcomed members into their studio with a brief history on SugarHill Studios, known to be the oldest studio in the United States. Born during the classic blues period in Houston's historic Telephone Road district, SugarHill has been the place where more hit records have been recorded than in any other Texas studio. From Lighting Hopkins and the Big Bopper, to Freddie Fender and Beyoncé, SugarHill has been home to the very biggest stars in the business.
Following the welcome, attendees were given in-depth tours of the facility revealing its unique origins—from the 1940’s home recording studio, to the five nested building that it has become today. Workman and Andy split the group up into studios A and B, where members were then given the chance to listen to archived recordings, such as listening to only the vocal tracks of Beyoncé on Destiny’s Child’s, “Bootylicious—“ which proved her talent of being a immaculate singer. And that’s not it—Workman and Andy encouraged members to take turns on the sound board, and remix tracks from various artists over the years; a truly unique and one-of-a-kind experience for P&E and regular members.
After the program, members joined Houston VIPs for a mixer and celebration of SugarHill’s 70th Anniversary with food, beverages and plenty of hang-out time. Overall, the event was not only an incredibly cool experience, but also “a great hang” for P&E and regular members. The Texas Chapter would like to thank SugarHill Studios for opening their doors to the program, and our sponsors of this event, Constellation Wines for their Simply Naked wine, and Saint Arnold’s Brewery.