Born on This Day in 1915, the Legendary Producer Who Helped Create the Nashville Sound and Worked With Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Kitty Wells

On this day (October 21) in 1915, Owen Bradley was born in Westmoreland, Tennessee. He began working as a musician in his teens. However, his most impactful work came when he began producing recording sessions for some of the biggest names in country music. Bradley, along with a handful of other trailblazing producers, created the so-called Nashville Sound that permeated the country music world throughout the 1950s and ’60s.

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Bradley began playing piano as a child before learning multiple other instruments. By the time he was 15, he was working as a professional musician. He joined WSM, the radio station that broadcasts the Grand Ole Opry, at the age of 20. There, he worked as an arranger and musician. A few years later, he became the station’s musical director. Two years later, in 1947, he joined the Decca Records team and helped the label establish its presence in Nashville.

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Later, he established Bradley Barn Studios, also known as the Quonset Hut Studio or Studio B. It was the first recording studio on what is now called Music Row. The studio did more than give Nashville-based artists a place to record high-quality audio. It also helped establish Music City as a recording hub for country and rockabilly artists.

Owen Bradley and the Nashville Sound

Producers Owen Bradley, Chet Atkins, Steve Sholes, and Bob Ferguson are hailed as the architects of the Nashville Sound. The recording style centered on putting the singer’s voice at the top of the mix. Then, they backed the singer with bass, drums, piano, and guitar, much like other recordings. However, Bradley and his compatriots smoothed the perceived rough edges of honky tonk music, replacing fiddles with string sections and adding backing vocals from groups like the Jordanaires. The resulting music sounded more like pop than country and, therefore, was accessible to a wider population of listeners.

Someone once asked Atkins to describe the Nashville Sound. He shook his pocket, making the change in it jingle. “It sounds like money,” he said.

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Bradley did his best work with female vocalists. He produced several hits with Kitty Wells and is the man behind all of Patsy Cline’s most popular releases. Additionally, he produced Brenda Lee’s sessions, bringing her numerous top 10 hits on the Hot 100. He also worked with country icon Loretta Lynn.

In short, if you enjoy country music from major artists of the 1950s and ’60s, there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed Owen Bradley’s work.

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