The Record Plant, Sausalito 1972 – 2009 | Credits on 5 of Top 50 Best-Selling Albums All-Time.
Historic Nor – Cal Recording Studio
Prince / Sly Stone / Fleetwood Mac / Rick James / Santana Van Morrison / Stevie Wonder / Whitney Houston / Heart Metallica / Bob Marley / Grateful Dead / Jefferson Starship
Legendary Location… 2200 Bridgeway, Sausalito Est. 1972
California U.S.A. 1970’s Sausalito Music Factory opens as “Record Plant” The unassuming, redwood clad building just north of San Francisco, Sausalito on Oct 29, 1972. California at 2200 Bridgeway in Sausalito, opened in the early 1970’s 1973 - Bob Marley & The as Sausalito Recording before becoming the Record Plant in the fall of Wailers record LIVE album at Record Plant. 1972. The Record Plant, Sausalito was the third in a chain of Record Plant studios operating in Los Angeles and New York. “The Plant,” as 1976-Fleetwood Mac record Rumours album. 10th best- it was later known, would become the location of some of the most selling album all-time. successful & popular recordings in music history. 1978 - Prince records his first album, For You. The grand opening was celebrated with the first in a tradition of th 1980’s Rick James records “Super annual Halloween parties on Sunday, October 29 , 1972. Attendees, Freak” at the Record Plant including John Lennon & Yoko Ono dressed as trees, were treated to in December, 1980. the laid back vibe of the studio situated near the bay in the industrial John Fogerty and Huey part of Sausalito, ten minutes from bustling San Francisco. Lewis & the News cut #1 albums at the Plant. Record Plant, Sausalito was designed to give artists a place to relax 1990’s Metallica, Santana, Mariah during the recording process while logistically not having the pressures Carey & Dave Matthews and scrutiny of studios in Los Angeles and New York. The location Band record #1 Albums. includes credits on numerous Gold and Platinum records including 5 2000’s Officially closes 2009. of the top 50 best-selling albums of all-time.
SEE: A PLACE OF HISTORY Page 2
Site of KSAN San Francisco “Live at the Record Plant” broadcasts. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1977) Linda Ronstadt (1973) Bob Marley & The Wailers (1973) Peter Frampton (1975) Steely Dan (1974) Warren Zevon (1978) Jimmy Buffett (1974) Steve Miller Band (1973) Montrose (1973) Pablo Cruise (1974) Elvin Bishop (1973) Link Wray (1974) UFO (1975) Bonnie Raitt (1973) Rory Gallagher (1975) Ry Cooder (1974)
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A Place of History Historic Multi-Platinum & Grammy-Winning Recordings
After the release of Fleetwood Mac’s, Rumours album (recorded in part at the Record Plant in 1976), the Northern California “retreat studio” was a secret no more. Rumours became the 10th biggest-selling album of all-time and ushered in a period of unprecedented production at the Record Plant for new and established artists wanting something different. A young artist from Minnesota named Prince Rogers Nelson Notable Recording & Performing recorded his first album at the Plant in 1978, playing nearly every Artists at Record Plant, Sausalito instrument and signing every part. Stevie Wonder recorded Songs in the Tower of Power - Blood Sweat & Tears Key of Life (1974-76) and Rick James wrote many of his biggest hits America - Buddy Miles - Heart - Journey during his literal residency at the Record Plant in the late 1970’s and Van Morrison – The Grateful Dead – Huey Lewis & The News – Luther Vandross early 1980’s. Deftones - Joe Satriani – Little Feat – John Hiatt - Mark Knopfler - Sly and the Family 2200 Bridgeway has also been a resource for Bay Area recording Stone - Elvin Bishop - Stephen Stills - Bill artists, including Huey Lewis and the News (Marin Co.) who recorded Wyman - Patti Smith - Jimmy Cliff - Cold Blood - Sons of Champlin - Boz Scaggs Sports and Fore! at the Plant, and the East Bay’s John Fogerty (El Melissa Manchester Three Dog Night Cerito), whose Centerfield album recorded in 1984 at the studio Randy Newman - Jerry Garcia & Merl solidified his solo career. In the late 1990’s, Bay Area rockers Metallica Saunders - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch Third Eye Blind - Nils Lofgren - Marshall had the ceiling of Studio A raised to 30 feet during the recording of Tucker Band - The Tubes - Michael Bolton their albums Load and Reload in an effort to capture a bigger drum Kenny G – John Lee Hooker - Neal Schon Monophonics – Savoy Brown - Mariah Carey sound. A wide roster of artists recorded at the Record Plant until this DJ Shadow - Jerry Harrison - Booker T. Jones musically historic location officially closed its doors in 2009. Kronos Quartet – Metallica - Dave Matthews Band - Kris Kristofferson - Stevie Wonder
The Future of The Record Plant
A wide roster of artists recorded at the Record Plant until this musically historic location officially closed its doors in 2009. The nearly fifty-year-old site has carried on operating as multiple businesses, mostly unchanged, but has yet to be considered for California Historical Landmark status.
As of 2020, Fleetwood Mac producer, Ken Caillat, Historic Nor-Cal Music Studio with Frank Pollifrone and Kevin Bartram formed the
View a docu-short (5min) YouTube video Marin Music Project in an attempt to save the building featuring an interview with 3x Grammy-winning producer at 2200 Bridgeway and ultimately preserve and promote & Record Plant recording artist Narada Michael Walden. the music history that is… The Record Plant, Sausalito.
…Stay Tuned in 2020. “We all knew that working at the (Record) Plant, you were working at a place of history.” 2 [email protected]
Lorem Ipsum Dolor For Your ConsiderationSpring 2016
This docu-short (5:20 TRT) profiles the legendary recording studio Record Plant, Sausalito located in Marin County, California. The former studio site at 2200 Bridgeway holds credits on dozens of gold & platinum recordings including five of the top 50 best-selling albums of all-time.
The short features commentary from 3x Grammy Award-winner, Record Plant recording artist and Marin County resident, Narada Michael Walden. Walden’s work as drummer on the Rick James album Street Songs and producing Grammy-winning records for Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston at the Record Plant are just part of this legendary locations rich history. “We all knew that working at the (Record) Plant, you were working at a place of history,” says Walden. “Because of the artists that had worked there; Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Prince’s first album… Fleetwood Mac.” “We could sell this (Fleetwood Mac) Rumour’s album everyday if we had enough copies,” says Darin Chace, longtime Manager of Marin County’s oldest record store, Watts Music, Novato, established in 1979. “We’ve sold a lot of records made at the Record Plant in our forty-plus years... It’s a legendary place.”
A diverse group of artists from Sly Stone and Bob Marley to Van Morrison and Metallica recorded successful projects at the Record Plant, Sausalito until this historically significant location officially closed its doors in 2009.
Record Plant, Sausalito – Historic Nor-Cal Music Studio - is produced & narrated by George Thelen of Marin County, California, and is included as part of the non-profit Music Origins Project in partnership with NYU Music Industry Essentials program.
George Thelen has worked on award-winning media & educational projects for outlets including The History Channel, Encyclopedia.com, PBS and ABC. His professional and volunteer media work has been acknowledged by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, California Council for the Promotion of History, Marin County (CA) International Film Festival and Marin History Museum. Thelen is a Historian (emphasizing Technology use for Non-profits) and a credentialed educator focusing on music, history and the media arts. George holds a BA in Broadcast & Electronic Communications from San Francisco State University and is a professional member and district advocate of the Recording Academy (Grammy’s) San Francisco, California chapter.
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