RAY CHARLES' HISTORIC LOS ANGELES RECORDING STUDIOS By David Ritz City of Los Angeles To Designated As Historic Landmark on April 30 Along with Motown's Hitsville USA in Detroit and Sun Studios in Memphis, 2107 West Washington Boulevard stands as a major monument in the history of popular entertainment. For four productive decades, the building served as creative home and working studio for Ray Charles. Within its walls an astounding array of music has been recorded-music whose influence is felt in virtually every corner of the globe. Ray himself conceived the building in the early sixties, a time when he dominated the charts in no less than four categories-pop, rhythm-and- blues, jazz and country. "I'd been running in and out recording studios since 1948," he recalled, "and always dreamed of a place of my own. I dreamed of being able to play and record whatever and whenever I wanted. So in the early sixties, after I had some big hits--`What I Say,' `Georgia,' `Hit the Road Jack,' `I Can't Stop Loving You'-I decided to make the dream come true." The dream involved more than a studio. Ray's vision encompassed a self-contained enterprise in which he controlled all aspects of his professional life. "Even though I was only in my early thirties, I'd been in the business a long while" he recalled. "I'd seen what it meant to be managed by others. Now it was time to manage myself. It was time to put all my business under one roof." The roof was finally put atop 2107 West Washington in the winter of 1964. The two-story stucco structure had been in the planning stages for two years. "I liked the location," said Ray. "People were trying to tell me to move to fancier areas like Beverly Hills. But why? What was wrong with a working-class black neighborhood? Why not put some money back into the community? Besides, the location was great-close to downtown, close to Hollywood and a straight shot to the airport. The land was reasonable and because I'd worked on the design of the building myself, I knew it would fit me to a T." It did. Within days of moving in, Ray knew every inch of the second story which housed his offices and studio. The first story was rented out to tenants. "I liked being a landlord," Ray said with satisfaction. "Ownership is a beautiful thing. For less than a hundred thousand dollars, the building was all set up and ready to go. That same year I built a house for my family in Baldwin Hills. The house cost twice as much as 2107 West Washington, although 2107 would give me twice as much pleasure." The sign placed out front of 2107-RPM-is a play on words. "Some thought it stood for revolutions per minute, as in a 33 l/3 long-playing album" Ray explained. "But in my mind it stood for Recording, Production and Management-the three activities going on inside." While Ray's chief business associate Joe Adams concentrated on production and management, Ray's undying passion was recording-and the custom-made studio that stood in the rear of the building. "I'm fascinated by electronics," said Ray, "and was blessed to have worked with Tommy Dowd, the genius engineer who recorded all my sessions when I was with Atlantic Records. Even though I switched to ABC Paramount in 1960, Tommy remained my friend. Tommy was the one who designed the studio, told me what equipment to buy and, when the board was installed, came out from New York and taught me how to use it. I couldn't have had a better teacher. A guy named Bob Bushnell was also a great help. We started out with a three-track. Then went to eight, twelve, twenty-four, forty-eight-it keeps getting bigger, although the goal never changes. The goal is simple: Whatever I do, it needs to sound like me." Those sounds encompassed more than Ray's own landmark recordings. "While I wasn't using the studio, I didn't want it to sit idle," he explained. "So I had other artists recording in there-the Ohio Players, a group called the Vocals who later became the Fifth Dimension, even Ike and Tina Turner. "The studio was also designed with my big band in mind. It's big enough to accommodate a whole mess of musicians. Every spring, before leaving to tour around the world, I have the band assemble in the studio for rehearsals." Since 1964 when the studio became operative, Ray has recorded, with few exceptions, all his material at 2107 West Washington-at last count, some 30 albums and, in total, over 300 songs. Such Ray Charles classics as "Rainy Night in Georgia," "Let's Go Get Stoned," "I Don't Need No Doctor, "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma" and his immortal version of "America, the Beautiful" are all products of 2107. The albums include the critical triumphs Sweet and Sour Tears, Message to the People, Renaissance, True to Life, Would You Believe, Strong Love Affair and My World. "I guess you can't help but be a little impressed when you think of the singers and players who have recorded up in there," Ray remembered. "Willie Nelson has been here a bunch of times. So has B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Freddie Hubbard, George Jones, Milt Jackson, Lou Rawls, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and of course my best buddy Quincy Jones. The studio has been a blessing." The studio has also been the scene of countless taped interviews with Ray, the most recent being the Martin Scorsese/Clint Eastwood documentary Piano Blues. "If the media wants to talk to me, talk to me where I'm most at ease," said Ray. "Talk to me in my studio." The studio has the aura of a sacred space. It is, after all, the primary work arena of one of the modern era's most prolific creative geniuses. For forty years, it is where Ray came, day after day, night after night, to pursue his extraordinary art. "When we worked for eighteen months on his memoirs Brother Ray," says the book's co-author David Ritz, "practically all the work was done right there in Ray's studio. That's where he's happiest. The studio is where he feels most free--where his ideas come together and his art and life seem to make sense." "There's something about the place that continues to excite me," said the singer. "The studio is everything I've ever wanted, everything I've ever needed. It's where I can relax, take my time or hurry up if I please. It's where the ideas flow. I'm comfortable in my studio because my studio is so familiar. I call the shots here-and I love that." The fact that 2107 West Washington Boulevard has achieved historic status is a credit both to Ray Charles' original vision of establishing a recording home of his own and, even more, to the enduring beauty of the music made within its hallowed walls.