‘MTSU On the Record’ considers historic recording studios for preservation

The preservation of buildings where cherished blues, soul, gospel and country songs were recorded was the subject of a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Charlie Dahan, a professor of recording industry at MTSU, first aired Aug. 9 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

Dr. Charles Dahan, professor, Department of Recording Industry — Dr. Charlie Dahan

Gina K. Logue, MTSU News and Media Relations specialist — Gina K. Logue

You can listen to their conversation via the SoundCloud link below.

“Don’t Lose Your Good Thing: The Preservation, Interpretation and Community Engagement of Historic Recorded Music Spaces” is the title of Dahan’s doctoral dissertation in public history.

In it, Dahan makes the case for the historic preservation of recording studios where some of America’s greatest music has been committed to acetate or vinyl.

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee (Photo courtesy of Charlie Dahan) — The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tenn., the focus of a neighborhood and community development project called Soulsville USA, is shown in this file photo. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Dahan)

Tim White's mural at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia (Photo courtesy of Charlie Dahan) — Tim White’s mural at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tenn./Va., is shown in this photo. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Dahan)

These include King Records in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana.

Dahan said the Stax Records studio in Memphis, which was torn down but replaced with an interactive museum that keeps the heritage of artists like Rufus Thomas, Joe Tex and Booker T. and the MGs alive, is a model for similar sites to replicate.

“They also made a music academy and awarded scholarships to local young men and women to learn how to play an instrument,” Dahan said of the Soulsville Foundation, which operates the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. “They also built a charter school to educate the local community, and they did a lot of outreach to the neighborhood.”

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.