Radio Bits and Bytes: The Age of Aquarius and a famous false ending from a studio on Industrial Road

As I chronicle the history of Las Vegas radio stations and their facilities, mention should be made of a little-known recording studio which was housed in the same building complex which was home of the studios of KLUC AM/FM in the 1960s and 1970s:  The Industrial Arts Building on Industrial road.  KLUC was on the second floor, while below on the ground floor United Recording Studios.

What makes this particular studio significant is that some of the giants in the industry recorded tracks there:  names like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.  Elvis Presley’s last number one single would be mixed down in this studio.  And the man who owned it was legendary recording engineer Billy Porter.

Industrial Arts Building ca. 1963. The now long-gone Stardust Drive-In screen is visible in front.

There was nothing to indicate a recording facility existed in this building, it appeared to be just another store located on the first floor with the small sign painted on the window, “United Recording Studios.”  Plus one would think it was odd locating a recording facility next to railroad tracks.  In recalling the recording of the Fifth Dimension’s “Aquarius” producer “Bones” Howe described it as “that horrid studio where you had to stop recording when the train went by.”¹ But, the studios were right next to the Strip.  Artists could easily get to the unassuming location from their hotels to recording sessions.

A good friend of mine at Las Vegas High School was Gerry Porter, who’s father was legendary recording engineer Billy R. Porter.  In one week of 1960, his recordings accounted for 15 of Billboard Magazine’s “Top 100,” a feat no one has ever matched.  Gerry had a key to the place, and showed me the studios — complete with a “real” reverb chamber–a room with a very high ceiling, speakers, and a microphone.  And yes, you could clearly hear the rumble of Union Pacific trains rolling by behind the building.

In a letter Billy Porter tells the story how he came to Vegas:

“I left Nashville in 1966, and purchased United Recording Studio in Las Vegas. In August, 1969 Elvis came to Las Vegas, where he was to appear at the International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton). Elvis’ producer, Felton Jarvis, booked time at my studio on August 7, 1969, and brought in an 8-track tape (all 8 tracks full) and asked me to overdub the horns, after which he would take the “new tape” to another studio in Nashville or Memphis, and do the finished mix. I convinced Felton to let me mix the 8-track tape and overdub the horns at the same time for a finished master. This isn’t a normal process, since the producers want to experiment with different mixes, and the overdub/mix I created would not allow this flexibility. I did two overdubs: one for the stereo master and one for the monaural master. The horns played their parts twice: once for the stereo version, and once for the monaural version. “Suspicious Minds” was the last No. 1 record I recorded for Elvis, and the first I’d done for him since recording “Good Luck Charm” in 1962.”

“As a result of my Las Vegas involvement with Elvis, and his request for me to redesign the sound system at the International Hotel, I became Elvis’ Sound Engineer on his live performances from the beginning of 1970 until his death in 1977. The last “performance” l recorded for Elvis was his funeral service in Memphis in 1977.” ²

Billy Porter

Billy’s last recording session would take place in United Recording in Las Vegas.  Much like the soft-spoken engineer, the small unassuming studio would be the location where many legends would record.  It is in these studios Billy engineered the famous false ending to Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds.”  The next time you hear the Fifth Dimension’s “Age of Aquarius” know that the vocals and final mix-down were done in that little storefront studio next to the railroad tracks in Las Vegas.

A thanks to Gerry Porter for showing me around his dad’s recording studio when we were in high school.  Billy was often called “the nicest engineer to work with in the business”  I can personally attest to that from meeting him many times at his home.

¹http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb06/articles/classictracks.htm

² http://www.elvis-collectors.com/porter.html