Owen Bradley facts for kids

William Owen Bradley (born October 21, 1915 – died January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer. He helped create the famous Nashville sound in country music during the 1950s and 60s. He worked with other music legends like Chet Atkins to shape this new sound.

Owen Bradley grew up in Westmoreland, Tennessee. He started playing piano when he was young. As a teenager, he played in local clubs. At age 20, he joined WSM (AM) radio. There, he worked as a music arranger and musician. By 1942, he became the station's music director. He also led a popular dance band.

In 1947, Bradley started working for Decca Records. He became the vice president of Decca's Nashville office in 1958. This was when the Nashville sound really began. This new style mixed country music with pop elements. Bradley's own Quonset Hut Studio became a key place for this sound. It helped Nashville become a major music city. Bradley produced records for stars like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. He helped them become very successful.

Later, Bradley sold his first studio. He then opened Bradley's Barn, another recording studio. Many artists recorded there until it burned down in 1980. Owen Bradley was honored for his work in 1974. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In his later years, he still worked on special projects. This included k.d. lang's "Shadowland" album.

Bradley's contributions to music are still remembered. A public park in Nashville is named after him. His work helped shape the Nashville sound. He influenced many musicians for generations.

Early Music Career

Owen Bradley was born in Westmoreland, Tennessee. He learned to play piano when he was very young. As a teenager, he played in local nightclubs. At age 20, he got a job at WSM-AM radio. He worked there as a music arranger and musician.

In 1942, he became the station's music director. He also led a popular dance band. This band played at many parties in the city. That same year, he helped write Roy Acuff's hit song "Night Train to Memphis." He kept his band going until 1964. But his work as a producer soon became much more famous.

In 1947, Bradley started working for Decca Records. He was a music arranger and songwriter. He worked with producer Paul Cohen. They recorded famous artists like Ernest Tubb and Kitty Wells. Bradley learned a lot from Cohen. He soon began producing records on his own. In 1958, he became the vice president of Decca's Nashville division. This is when he started creating the "Nashville sound."

The Nashville Sound

For a long time, country music was seen as simple. It was mostly popular in the South. In the late 1950s, Nashville wanted to become a major music center. Owen Bradley helped make this happen. Part of the Nashville sound began in a Quonset hut. This was a special building next to a house he owned.

This place became known as Quonset Hut Studio. Many people call it the birthplace of modern country music. This new style often mixed with pop music. Bradley worked with a group of talented musicians. They were known as Nashville's "A-Team." Their success led other record labels to open studios nearby. This area became known as Music Row.

Bradley and his team made country music more polished. They added refined lyrics and pop music styles. This new sound was later called 'countrypolitan'. They used light, easy listening piano sounds. They also added lush string sections. Steel guitars and smooth backing vocals completed the mix.

Owen Bradley once said about the Nashville sound: "We've cut out the fiddle and steel guitar. We've added choruses to country music. But it has to keep changing to stay fresh."

Making Music Stars

Owen Bradley's Quonset Hut Studio console

The singers Bradley produced became very popular. Artists like Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, and Loretta Lynn became household names. Even rock and roll singers like Buddy Holly recorded with Bradley.

Bradley often tried to update older country artists. He helped some artists change their style successfully. For example, Jim Reeves blended his style with the new sounds. However, not every artist found success with these changes. Bradley also released some instrumental songs himself. One of his minor hits was "Big Guitar" in 1958.

In the late 1950s, Bradley produced a radio and TV show. It was called Country Style, USA. This show helped the US Army recruit new members.

Bradley's Barn Studio

In 1961, Bradley sold The Quonset Hut Studio. He bought a farm near Nashville in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. He turned a barn into a recording studio. He named it Bradley's Barn. In just a few years, Bradley's Barn became a very popular place to record country music.

The band The Beau Brummels even named their 1968 album Bradley's Barn. The studio burned down in 1980. But Bradley rebuilt it in the same spot within a few years.

Later Years and Awards

Owen Bradley was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974. He produced records for many other Hall of Fame members. He stopped producing full-time in the early 1980s. But he still worked on special projects.

Canadian artist k.d. lang chose Bradley to produce her famous 1988 album, Shadowland. At the time of his death, he was working on an album for Mandy Barnett. She was known for playing Patsy Cline in a stage play.

Owen Bradley's final studio

Bradley's work with Patsy Cline was especially famous. He produced her hits like "Crazy" and "I Fall to Pieces". These songs are still considered classics today. His work with Cline and Loretta Lynn is what he is best known for. When movies were made about them, Bradley directed their soundtracks. These movies were Coal Miner's Daughter and Sweet Dreams.

In 1997, a small public park in Nashville was named after Owen Bradley. It has a bronze statue of him playing a piano. Owen Bradley Park is at the start of Music Row. A road in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, is also named after him. This is where Bradley's Barn once stood.

Bradley's son, Jerry, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019. His brother Harold was inducted in 2006. Owen Bradley was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019.

Images for kids

• 

  Owen Bradley's Quonset Hut Studio console

• 

  Owen Bradley's final studio