Katiana Giacona and Larry Clinton/Sausalito Historical Society
Sausalito’s legendary recording studio, originally called the Record Plant, started as an office complex for contractors at Marinship, Sausalito’s WWII shipyard.
A new book from Arcadia Images of America captures historic vignettes and photos of the studio’s illustrious history. The author, Katiana Giacona, is uniquely qualified to tell this story; she’s a local DJ who led tours of the remarkable studio for AirBnB in the previous decade.
Here are some lightly edited excerpts from her Introduction:
The Record Plant was both a music recording studio and luxury resort, nestled in a sheltered location, where some of the most famous musicians recorded some of the most iconic albums of all time. It was operated as a top-of-the-line music recording facility that had a relaxed vibe and an ambiance that catered to the creative needs of musical artists at the time and had a reputation for being a hot spot for sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.
The original Record Plant was a popular music recording studio in New York City that opened in 1968. The second studio was built in Los Angeles in 1969 and was known as Record Plant West. The third Record Plant studio officially opened in Sausalito in 1972. This third location was referred to as the ‘artist’s living room’ by Record Plant founders Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone.
The studio’s beginning success in the 1970s was launched by a collaboration with San Francisco-based progressive radio station KSAN 95 FM. Legendary studio manager and DJ Tom “Big Daddy” Donahue presented Live at the Record Plant, in-studio broadcast concerts. Known at the time as Bay Area’s rockin’ 1970s free-form radio station that played funk, jazz, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll, KSAN gave airplay to some of the most iconic bands of that era.
The angled redwood planking is typical for buildings along the Sausalito waterfront. The location was hard to find, making it a secret haven for celebrity musicians. Musicians who recorded at the studio were often housed on the property in suites, custom-renovated for the tastes of the artists and in nearby guesthouses in the hills of Sausalito and Mill Valley.
After Gary Kellgren passed away, Chris Stone sold the building to a young music fan named Laurie Necochea; she, along with Steve Malcom, managed the studio in the early 1980s, renaming it The Plant. Stanley Jacox took over in 1984, but shortly after, federal government agents seized the studio when Jacox was arrested on drug-manufacturing charges.
It was nicknamed “Club Fed” for a while until engineer Bob Sky from Skyelabs Remote Recording purchased it in 1986, doing remote recordings and broadcasts from The Plant. The famous mobile recording truck “Rover” was used to record “live” in concert settings all over the country for such artists as Peter Frampton, Aaron Neville, Grace Slick, Miles Davis, and Bobby McFerrin. A few years later, engineer producer Arne Frager from Los Angeles partnered and then took over operations fully in 1993 officially as the Plant Recording Studios until the studios closed in 2008.
The building closed as a recording studio in 2008 when the digital music revolution severely impacted the music industry and sent it into recession due to the rise of digital media such as Napster and Pro Tools and the rise of in-home studios, which presented cheaper means to record, play, store, and distribute music. The Plant Studios managed to survive and continued to attract internationally known acts until 2008. In 2011, half of the building became a coworking, yoga, and spa facility called Harmonia Wellness & Social Club. It was a work-and-play space with a thriving local community. The spa closed during the pandemic in 2020. Since then, building restorations have been initiated.
One of the new owners, Jim Rees, told Marinscope that “2022 Bridgeway,” as they have renamed the property, will soon be “re-opening for recording and events with plans for streaming, immersive audio, podcasting and video programming. The good vibrations still harnessed within the hallowed walls exude its former glory from the 70’s to the 80’s creating a unique vibe that can’t be duplicated.”
Katiana’s book is available at Sausalito Books by the Bay and online at salgiancona.com. On Aug. 13, from 1-3 p.m., Katiana will present a book reading with music from the Studio at Sausalito Center for the Arts, 750 Bridgeway.
Anne says
I’m surprised you couldn’t manage to post a photo of it.
Alison says
The Record Plant is such an important part of Sausalito history. It’s wonderful that a book has been written about it’s rich history.