Johnny Reid Restores Legendary Nashville Studio

By David Farrell

Multiple Juno and CCMA award winner Johnny Reid has completed a $US2.2M renovation on Soultrain Sound Studios, a 3K square-foot complex in Nashville that he purchased from the late Randy Scruggs several years back.

Albums made in Scruggs Sound Studio include Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1989 album Will The Circle Be Unbroken Volumes 2 & 3, which Scruggs produced and featured Bruce Hornsby, John Hiatt, Rosanne Cash, Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, John Denver, Emmylou Harris and more, as well as Keith Whitley—A Tribute Album.

Reid purchased the studio in 2018, prior to Scruggs’ passing and has renovated the studio’s interior, adding state of the art recording equipment, a “b” studio and vintage equipment to the 3,000-square-foot space.

“I made Randy Scruggs a promise that his building would one day make music once again. I’ve kept my promise and look forward to continuing its tradition,” Reid told Music Row news recently.

Multiple CCMA and Juno Award-winning Canadian artist Johnny Reid has been living in Nashville for the past 20 years.

Joining him in the new venture are mix engineer Justin Cortelyou and producer/engineer Tawgs Salter.

Cortelyou, a longtime Bob Ezrin studio associate, has accrued credits working on projects with Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, U2, Andrea Bocelli, Taylor Swift. Aerosmith, Shania Twain, Ke$ha and Kiss.

Salter has worked with artists ranging from Walk Off the Earth, Josh Groban, Serena Ryder, Hunter Hayes, Lights and Scott Helman to Andrea Bocelli, Dear Rouge, Mother Mother, Alan Doyle, Joe Cocker, and USS.

– Billboard magazine has published a more comprehensive story about Reid’s new venture.