Yes, and you should. Among all the music-history experiences available in Nashville, the RCA Studio B tour consistently produces the strongest reactions from visitors, including people who had no idea what they were walking into.
What RCA Studio B Is
Built in 1957 at 17th Avenue South on Music Row, Studio B operated as RCA Records’ Nashville recording facility for 20 years. During that period, it became the physical birthplace of the Nashville Sound, the polished, string-laden country-pop hybrid engineered by Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley that saved country music from being swallowed by rock and roll.
The numbers make the case for why this room matters: more than 35,000 recordings were made here, including over 260 songs by Elvis Presley alone. Roy Orbison recorded “Only the Lonely” in this room. Dolly Parton tracked “I Will Always Love You” here. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, and the Everly Brothers all worked in this studio during its commercial run.
In 1977, RCA closed the studio. The Country Music Hall of Fame acquired the building in the 1970s and has operated it ever since as a working museum and teaching facility. It was designated a National Treasure in 2015, which also did not stop the demolition of surrounding buildings.
How the Tour Works
Tours depart from the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is 1.5 miles away. Transportation is included, you board a shuttle outside the museum. Without that shuttle arrangement, you would never find the building; it sits among other modest structures on Music Row with no dramatic exterior signage announcing itself.
Tour hours run Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (hourly), and Friday through Sunday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. Group size is limited, which makes the experience feel personal rather than processed.
The tour itself runs one hour. You stand in the actual recording room, not behind glass, not watching a video. The original recording console is still in place. The original Steinway piano (still in tune and playable) is still there. The “sweet spot” where vocals were recorded is marked and you stand in it. One of the tour’s signature moments is listening to a recording made in that room while the lights dim, Elvis recorded “Are You Lonesome Tonight” in the dark because he couldn’t find the right mood in bright light, and guides use this story to recreate something approximating that experience.
Tours are add-on tickets to the Country Music Hall of Fame combo. Booking through the museum’s website or third-party operators (Viator, GetYourGuide) at prices typically ranging from $30-$50 for the combo depending on the package. The studio tours sell out, particularly weekend afternoon slots. Book in advance.
Whether It’s Worth It
The tour gets unusually emotional responses for a recording studio. People who are not Elvis fans, not country fans, and who came to Nashville for the honky-tonks report that this was their most affecting experience. The reason is that the room is real. No reconstruction, no replica. The acoustic tile on the ceiling is the same tile present when Elvis recorded here in 1961. The scale of what happened in a room this small becomes very present when you’re standing in it.
The tour guides (Ron is frequently mentioned by name in visitor reviews as having an encyclopedic knowledge of music history) treat the space with the weight it deserves. This isn’t a themed experience or a museum diorama. It’s the actual room.
If you visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, add Studio B. The combo ticket is the logical choice, and the shuttle makes logistics simple. Plan for Studio B first, then the museum, guides are good at framing the museum experience around what you see at the studio.
Sources
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, studiob.org
- Visit Nashville, visitmusiccity.com
- US News Travel, travel.usnews.com
- Viator/TripAdvisor visitor reviews