Blackbird Studios Dishing Out the Hits

What do Bon Jovi, Brad Paisley and the White Stripes all have in common? Besides having albums occupying the top three spots on Billboard's Album Chart, all three recorded their albums at Nashville's Blackbird Studios--well maybe that's a little stretch, because Brad Paisley really just had his album mixed there and recorded at the Castle. The Blackbird Studio, owned by John and Martina McBride, has seen a diverse crowd of artists from different genres enter it's doors over the last few years making Nashville truly live up to its name of Music City USA.

Blackbird is located in the section of Nashville called Berry Hill, which is a mixed-use area. Berry Hill is home to some other music studios, restaurants, clothing retail shops, antique shops, and even residential units. So many people think the music business (i.e. studios) is contained to Music Row, but that obviously is not the case. It is neat to see musicians' tour buses parked on the side streets of Berry Hill, because you just don't think of the area as a music hotspot--unless you are aware of the "off the beaten path" studios. If you're a music fan, then the next time you are in Nashville, you should check out Berry Hill for yourself. Like I said earlier, there are some good places to eat--some neat shops--and you may just see one of your favorite country stars grabbing a sandwich at one of those places before going into the studio.

On a side note for the true country fans--the cemetary (Woodlawn Memorial Park) where a lot of the country legends are buried (such as Marty Robbins) is just down the street (Thompson Ln--which is also Briley Parkway)from Berry Hill.