How We Got Here

This photo is from a studio built in Atlanta decades ago. The equipment came from James Brown's Augusta studio. Ampex 8 - 4 - 2 track recorders and a Quad-Eight mixing console.

My first pro studio session was in 1963 at Memphis’ Sun Records. I went in as a musician, but Sam Phillips invited me to play — and I was instantly hooked by the gear, especially his 3‑track Ampex recorder. Stereo was brand new then, and three tracks felt groundbreaking. (Today, my ProTools setup offers 197!)

At the time, I was studying electronics, planning to repair TVs. But one of my instructors — a co‑inventor of the transistor — explained that new circuits would make TVs disposable, not repairable. That conversation changed everything. Soon I was learning under a Gates transmitter designer and became chief engineer for three eastern North Carolina radio stations: WEEW, WIAM, and WITN.

Still, the recording bug kept biting. I built three studios in Washington, NC: first above a jewelry store (where sessions rattled the chandeliers), then in the Bank of Washington building (unfinished before the Army drafted me), and finally in Chocowinity — the first multi‑track facility in eastern North Carolina.

Turning Point

After building those early studios in North Carolina, I knew the recording bug wasn’t going away. Each project taught me more, but I was ready for a bigger stage. That drive led me to Atlanta — a city alive with opportunity — where the next chapter of my journey truly began.

Atlanta & Beyond

I moved to Atlanta, where I designed several brick‑and‑mortar studios and mobile recording units — including a 45‑foot tractor‑trailer audio/video production rig.

From there, the real world of music production opened up. I was fortunate to see 29 records reach the Billboard Top 100 and earn five Grammy nominations. Along the way, I worked with legends like Curtis Mayfield, Little Richard, Al Green, The Isley Brothers, SOS Band, Jim Croce, Marty Robbins, the NBC Tonight Show Orchestra, Fats Domino, Parliament Funkadelic, and more.