I recently visited Nashville to catch one of the eight Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit concerts at the Ryman Auditorium. We spent two full days in the city and were able to do the full Country Music Hall of Fame tour, which included visiting historic RCA Studio B.

Some of music’s most famous icons such as Elvis Presley, Everly Brothers, Dolly Parton, Charlie Pride, Roy Orbison, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins, and many other legendary artists, have recorded there. It is considered to be one of the most important recording studios of all time and I’m thankful to have had the chance to step inside those walls.

Below are some of the images I took throughout the weekend.
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Vinyl Tap Record Store & Bar

Bar Continental

This was a brand new listening bar located at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Broadway. Sean Brock is the owner ( the guy behind the turntables in the photos) and he is a world renowned chef. He’s been featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Sean currently owns and operates four restaurants in Nashville.

Country Music Hall of Fame

RCA Studio B

This historic recording studio has incredible vintage analog gear on display, a lot of which were custom made for the studio throughout the years. The tour guide was good, but the tour was more of an Elvis history lesson than a tour of the studio. I would have personally enjoyed learning more about the recording equipment used throughout the years, but I understand that a majority of visitors are there because of Elvis.

Original recording console.

This Steinway, nicknamed the “Elvis Steinway Piano” was considered to be Elvis’ favorite piano and hasn’t moved from this studio since opening in 1957.

The “x” on the floor marks the optimal location for vocals in the room and is where majority of the great singers stood during recording sessions

Carter Vintage Guitars

This was another spot that I discovered through YouTube and I’ve been watching their content for many years. Carter Vintage specializes in rare, vintage guitars that can range in price from $3,000 to $600,000. Guitar greats like Jason Isbell, Billy Strings, Laur Joamets, Marcus King, Miles Miller, and other amazing pickers have recorded songs using vintage items at their store.

Broadway/Downtown

Ryman Auditorium

Last time I saw Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit was at the Fox Theatre in Detroit back in 2019. Jason has released plenty of new music since then, so it was time to catch another show. Jason and his band do an eight night residency at the Ryman every year, so I thought he would be the perfect band to see as my first Ryman show. The Ryman is one of the most historic music venues in the world that’s still operating to this day and so many great musicians have played on that stage. I can say with confidence that this was one of the best sounding venues I have ever been to and I already can’t wait to go back.