John Fry in Soundcheck Magazine

Ardent Studios founder John Fry was recently interviewed by Andy Pareti of Soundcheck Magazine for an article entitled “Company You Keep: Ardent Music.” From the article:

What do Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Isaac Hayes, and B.B. King have in common? Well, apart from being members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they have all at one time made use of the legendary Ardent Studios, Memphis’ own independent success story more than five decades in the making. Founded by a teenage John Fry along with two friends (one of which, Fred Smith, went on to found FedEx), Ardent Music fast became a recording and mixing haven for the greatest names in music. Since the 1960s, pivotal artists such as R.E.M., Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Replacements were compelled to use the studio, while recent clients such as the White Stripes, Cat Power and M.I.A. have proven that the facilities’ allure has only grown with age.

Now 64, Fry looks back on the days when Ardent was pressing 45s in his parents’ garage, when a fortunate connection with Stax Records catapulted the studio’s reputation to new heights, and when a couple of local boys named Alex Chilton and Chris Bell formed a rock band called Big Star and become Ardent’s most interesting success story. Here, he shares some of the experiences – equal parts fate, luck, and savvy – that built Ardent up to become one of those unlikely underdog stories that make you smile.

For more, check out the article on Soundcheck Magazine’s Web site.