House of Blues Studios founder Gary Belz is taking a historical approach to music-making today. “Stax and Sun Records were short-term forces in the industry, but they’ve retained their shine and relevance,” he says. “I want to foster a village like that: where creative people work together, compete with each other and make their music better.”
In 1998, Belz bought East Iris Studios in Berry Hill, a city within spitting distance of downtown Nashville, and, four years ago, got serious about his unorthodox approach to the HOB compound. With four studios and five cottages for writing and preproduction, Belz is creating a kind of artists’ colony among the wildly colorful, Scott Guion-painted buildings and attracting the likes of Robert Plant, B.o.B, Elton John, Matchbox 20, Johnny Mathis and Jill Scott to work there. In fact, Scott was so impressed that she bought a house in the area. Belz understands. “The lawyers and accountants have pushed the creatives off Music Row,” he says. “The vibe here is very loving and laidback.”
-Holly Gleason