Kay Bank Studios

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Kay Bank Studios was a recording studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota at 2541 Nicollet Avenue. Daniel Heilicher and his brother Amos started in a business together in the '30s, distributing and stocking jukeboxes. In 1954, they founded Soma Records ("Amos" backwards), and started producing records out of Kay Bank Studios.

Eventually a number of huge hits would come out of their efforts at the studio, including the Fendermen's "Muleskinner Blues", Dave Dudley's "Six Days on the Road", the Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird", and the Castaways' "Liar, Liar". Those last two singles were the biggest hits from Minneapolis's golden, mid-'60s era of teenage rock, and their success inspired countless garage bands to entertain dreams of one-hit-wonderdom.

Among those who traveled to Minneapolis to record were Bobby Vee's band the Shadows ("Susie Baby"), and Chad Allen and the Reflections (later the Expressions, who became The Guess Who), who recorded "Shakin' All Over".