Heartbroken to hear of the passing of legendary engineer/producer John Fry, founder/owner of Ardent Studios in Memphis. The summer after Patrick Grenham & I built the Soul Shop, before it was even completed, I drove across the country to Denver. On the way I stopped in various locations to see old friends, visit places Id never been, and draw inspiration from some of the great studios in America. Motown. Stax. Sun Records. In Memphis I was compelled to drive by Ardent. To this day theyre a working studio, so I didnt imagine I could see the place, even though the building is a recording Mecca to a nerd like me. I just had to drive past. Once I did, I couldnt help but pull into the lot. Once I did, I couldnt help but walk in the door.... In the lobby was a Scully 2-track tape machine, with a plaque on the front detailing a myriad of legendary albums on which it was used. I froze. The young man at the receptionists desk asked if he could help me. I stammered out something about traveling through town, being an engineer, just had to see the place, etc. He smiled politely. They must get recording geeks coming by all the time, I figured. I thanked him and was about to leave. John Fry walked into the lobby, holding a manila envelope. If I wasnt already humbled just by being in the building, I was nearly floored by seeing the man himself. He looked at me, then at the receptionist. Are you just going to let people stand in my lobby? An unbelievable Southern-gentleman deadpan delivery. He laughed, turned to me and extended his hand. Hello, Im John. Somehow I got through that conversation: told him who I was, apologized for interrupting the work day, tried to conceal my stumbling fandom. He asked about me, and before I knew it I was talking analog recording with one of the heaviest hitters in music history. He was gracious, personable, and forthcoming. Looked you right in the eye when he spoke. He turned to the receptionist, asked him to page someone on the intercom. Im sure one of my best engineers is just sitting around on his ass somewhere, lets get him to show you around. I was shown every inch of Ardent. Talked tape with one of the engineers, saw the Leslie that Terry Manning used when he mixed Big Stars Thirteen, saw the console on which they mixed Zeppelin III, the piano that Jim Dickinson played on so many albums, the huge A room where John Hampton (also - sadly - recently deceased) got those massive drum sounds on the first Gin Blossoms record. Unreal. Humbling. Every Ardent staffer was gracious and down-to-earth. Clearly Johns leadership-by-example was at work. On the way out the door, the receptionist stopped me. John wanted you to have this. Handed me a bag of Ardent swag, merchandise, records, ephemera. When you go to Motown, Stax, Sun Records, theyre museums. Berry Gordy lives in California, not Detroit. Sam Phillips has been gone a long time. Stax is a reproduction of the original building. Ardent was a living, breathing entity, it still is. Its clear John Frys stewardship was responsible for their success. He was a class act, and treated some dude who literally walked in off the street like I was a multiplatinum client. I try to impart some of that feeling, to embody that honest, no-nonsense attitude, and to aspire to that professionalism in regards to everyone who walks through the door of the Soul Shop. Thanks for the lesson, John. RIP. Our version of Big Stars Jesus Christ from our forthcoming Christmas album will be dedicated to Johns memory.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 23:02:12 +0000
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