Herzog Studio

When Cincinnati Was Music City USA
The Story of E.T. Herzog's Recording Studio

Although the E.T. Herzog Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, was of historical significance for American popular music, especially for country music, its history is still largely unheard today. Scholars and books seem to know about its importance but many fail to explore the studio's history and to stress out its relevance.

The studio was operated by Earl Theodore "Bucky" Herzog, (born on January 26, 1908) who had worked as a full-time engineer at Cincinnati's radio station WLW. The station was very powerful, broadcasting with 500,000 watts out of the city. WLW hosted the Boone County Jamboree, starting in 1938, and the Midwestern Hayride, starting in 1945, two immensely successful country music radio (and later also TV) shows. The station managed to built up a big roster of local and national country music performers that both appeared on the aforementioned shows and during daily programming.

Herzog recognized that many country music stars passed through Cincinnati to stop at WLW and other stations to promote their act and records. His conclusion was that a recording studio might be profitable, therefore he quit his job at WLW, although he still would work part-time for the station until 1966, and built his own studio in his home in 1945. It was shortly after the war and recording equipment was hard to come by but Herzog managed to obtain it. He enjoyed important help from his brother Charles and business partner Henry Weiss to get the studio running.

Billboard June 8, 1946

The venture proved to be successful and the same year, Herzog rented space in a brick building at 811 Race Street, opening officially in early 1946. This became the place where historic recording sessions would take place. Nashville would become Music City, USA, but at that time, it was not. Cincinnati, on the other hand, had King Records, a Opry-rival in form of the Midwestern Hayride, and Herzog's studio plus WLW's talented roster of musicians.

In fact, Herzog drew many of its studio and recording musicians from the cast of the Midwestern Hayride, most notable Jerry Byrd on steel guitar, Louis Innis on rhythm guitar, Zeke Turner on lead guitar, and Tommy Jackson on fiddle. Known as the "Pleasant Valley Boys", this group was pretty busy around Cincinnati in those years. Apart from recording sessions at Herzog's, the band did countless live appearances, radio & TV broadcasts as well as serving as the house band for the Hayride. The core of the band had performed as Red Foley's Cumberland Valley Boys but split with Foley after paying discrepancies in 1948 and moved to WLW.

Soon, the facility's reputation spread and record producers started booking it. Syd Nathan, owner of King, would use it frequently during his early days as he had not built a studio on his own at that time. Bullmoose Jackson's "The Honeydripper" was recorded at Herzog's for example. The Delmore Brothers recorded their influential country boogies there, Grandpa Jones, Ramblin' Tommy Scott, and several other King recording artists went to Herzog, too. However, Nathan was not an easy person to work with and his behavior would ruin sessions too often, so Herzog rejected to work with him anymore.

Nonetheless, Herzog's studio was pretty busy and every major label, from Columbia and RCA-Victor to Mercury and MGM, would book time there for recording. Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs cut their original version of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" at Herzog and artists like Moon Mullican, Patti Page, and Red Foley, among others, recorded there as well.

Billboard May 17, 1947

The studio did so well that Herzog was even able to set up his own in-house label called Radio Artist Records. Most of the recorded artists came from WLW and the discs were only limited sales-wise. Though, the label can be regarded as an important medium that preserved local Cincinnati music. Herzog eventually sold the label to Lou Epstein, Jimmie Skinner's manager.

Probably the most iconic session at Herzog's took place in December 1948, when Nashville publisher Fred Rose brought a young Hank Williams into the studio. Williams cut "Lovesick Blues", a song much disliked by Rose and unusual in its arrangement, but it became the singer's breakthrough hit. The next year, Williams returned to Cincinnati and laid down another session, which produced more iconic songs like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" or "My Bucket's Got a Hole In It".

In the early 1950s, the studio's success waned due to different factors. Nashville now had its own studios, therefore the labels' artists could record there. Syd Nathan had built his own studio in Cincinnati by then as well, so Herzog had a rival now. In addition, WLW reduced its roster of live performers - many of them had recorded at Herzog. The Pleasant Valley Boys were one of those acts that left and went back to Nashville. Moreover, Charles Herzog, who had been of invaluable assistance for his brother, passed away in 1951. There were a few sessions recorded in 1952 but the studio pretty much became dormant afterwards. Herzog sold the studio in the early 1950s and its new owners relocated it to Mount Adams. However, it had been closed down by 1955.

Billboard March 31, 1992

Bucky Herzog opened Audiocraft Recordings in Cincinnati but never achieved the same success like he did with his studio on Race Street. He passed away on December 6, 1986. In 2009, a marker was erected in front of the building and although the original equipment was gone, the room was used for concerts and exhibitions. In the past years, the Herzog rooms housed the Cincinnati USA Heritage Foundation, which organized those exhibits and concerts. Among the few people who cared about the history of the Herzog studio were Cincinnati music expert Randy McNutt, Elliot Ruther, and Brian Powers.

Sources
• The "Pre-Nashville A Team" at Cincinnati's Herzog Studios (Zero to 180)
• Courtney Phenicie: Breaking News from Herzog Music (Cinci Music)
• Discogs
• Rick Bird: Herzog Is Hallowed Ground (City Beat)
• Randy McNutt: Herzog Recording - The Hit Room (Home of the Hits blog)
• Herzog Music - Hank Williams' 70th at Herzog
• Fred Bartenstein, Curtis W. Ellison: "Industrial Strength Bluegrass" (University of Illinois Press), 2021
• Jon Hartley Fox: "King of the Queen City" (University of Illinois Press), 2009, page 54