The Quonset Hut, also known as Bradley Film & Recording Studios, was the first major recording studio on what would later become known as music row in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1954, producer Owen Bradley, along with his brother Harold Bradley, purchased an old house at 804 16th Avenue South to convert into a film and recording studio. The Bradleys tore out the first floor of the house to create recording space in the basement and attached a Quonset hut to the back of the house to use for filming musical performances for television. In 1955, the basement proved to be too crowded and so the studio was recreated inside the Quonset Hut after its initial venture proved unsuccessful. The recording facility became an instant success, attracting business from both Decca and Columbia records.
The Bradleys sold the studio to Columbia Records in 1962. [1]
The legendary studio operated from 1955 through 1982 when it was converted into office space. In 2006, philanthropist, Mike Curb bought the structure and restored it. Today it serves as a Belmont University hands on recording classroom. Plans are to eventually open the facility for tours.,
The Quonset Hut produced some of the biggest recordings in music history such as Patsy Cline's, "Crazy", Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry" and Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" to name a very small few.