Big Star — Ardent Studios, Memphis

Ardent Studios at 2000 Madison Avenue in Midtown Memphis was where Big Star recorded their three albums — #1 Record (1972), Radio City (1974), and Third/Sister Lovers (recorded 1974-75, released 1978) — the trilogy that makes them arguably the most influential cult band in American rock. Alex Chilton (former Box Tops singer), Chris Bell, Andy Hummel, and Jody Stephens created power pop of breathtaking melodic beauty that sold almost nothing on release but went on to influence R.E.M., the Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith, Wilco, and virtually every indie rock band that followed.

Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry in 1966 and became Memphis's premier rock recording facility, distinct from the city's soul and blues studios. Big Star's relationship with Ardent was total — Fry co-produced their albums and the studio was effectively their home. Chris Bell's death in a car accident in 1978, Alex Chilton's subsequent decades of deliberate obscurity, and the commercial failure of records that critics now rank among the greatest ever made give Big Star's story a tragic arc that has only deepened their cult status.

Ardent Studios continues to operate at 2000 Madison Avenue and remains a working recording facility. The studio has also hosted sessions by ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, the Replacements, and R.E.M. Alex Chilton died on March 17, 2010, in New Orleans, one day before Big Star were scheduled to be inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.