In the 1970s, Capricorn Sound Studios was synonymous with Southern rock.
From The Allman Brothers to Wet Willie, Elvin Bishop to the Marshall Tucker Band, hordes of artists recorded at the building in downtown Macon.
And for its 50th anniversary, the studio will be reborn.
Fueled by a $2 million boost from the Peyton Anderson Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Mercer University plans to re-open Capricorn Sound Studios by the end of the year with a fully restored historic recording studio, as well as a larger studio that can be utilized for orchestral recordings, film scorings and live performances.
The original studio was purchased by the late Phil Walden – the impresario behind Capricorn Records and a Mercer alumnus – along with his brother Alan Walden and Otis Redding, in 1967. The studio opened two years later when The Allman Brothers Band became rooted in Macon.
Plans that included Mercer’s involvement have been in discussion since at least 2015. The Peyton Anderson Foundation made previous grants to purchase the building out of foreclosure and stabilize it after the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed the building on its “Places in Peril” list in 2010.
Along with the studio space, the newly named Mercer Music at Capricorn will encompass a 20,000-square-foot complex that will spotlight artifacts and exhibits of Capricorn and Macon’s music history and a 24/7 “music incubator” – 13 rehearsal rooms available to musicians to facilitate the development of musical talent.
Mercer University plans to celebrate the studio’s re-opening with live music and tours of the new facility on Dec. 3.
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More about Capricorn Studios and Macon’s music history
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