Ardent Studios September 21st thru October 1996

Robert Cray Going For The Stax Sound

I'm at the airport, waiting on a midnight flight to Memphis, Tennessee. Something is wrong. I'm all alone. None of my crew buddies are here to go with me. No Mahlin, no Bob, no Steve, no Gary, no Stan. This is scary, and definitely not fun without these guys.

What started out as no fun, ended up being great. I was met at the Memphis airport by Phil Baker, owner of the Talbot Heirs Guesthouse. We ate breakfast at a really famous restaurant, one that Elvis ate at, but I can't remember the name of it. I was just so impressed that the owner of a hotel had picked me up and taken me to breakfast, and that he was such a nice guy. Folks, if you're ever in Memphis, The Talbot Heirs Guesthouse is the place to stay. It's across the street from the Peabody, you know quack, quack. The Guesthouse IS NOT a "rehab hotel". They are right downtown, the rooms have kitchenettes, and Phil and Jamie Baker are excellent hosts.

My other home away from home for the next couple of days is at Ardent Studios. The first day there is devoted to getting everything set up and some rhythm tracks recorded. One of the greatest things was when Wayne Jackson, from the REAL MEMPHIS HORNS, came by to say Hi. The next day, Andrew Love, the other member of the REAL MEMPHIS HORNS, stopped in. I sure miss listening to these guys.

I spent part of my time there, taking pictures of all of our damaged equipment cases. Now, these were all in "flight cases". Do the airlines call them this so that they will know which ones to destroy? That's just one person's thought since my luggage never seems to get this kind of damage. They just lose it!

I spent time with the guys at Ardent Studios. It provides a very different sound than Studio D in Sausalito, which is where the last album was recorded. This was evident by listening back to the first recorded rhythm tracks. Ardent has a rich history of recording hit albums. I even ended up with a bottle of their special sauce and a couple of CD's by Alex Chilton (formerly of the Box Tops). Thanks to the guys in the Tech Department for helping me splice a tape loop for the Roland Space Echo, listen for this sound on the album.
Bye, once again. I'm headed home to do some more fishing.