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If you’re planning a trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, and American music history is your vibe, be sure to add the RCA Studio B Tour to your ticket. This tour begins at the Hall of Fame, but a short bus ride takes you to where some of our most beloved artists recorded their now-iconic songs. Even if you don’t know a lot about these artists of yesteryear, the tour is worthwhile and informative. It was a highlight of our Nashville trip.
The Tour Begins
We booked our tour before we left home for Nashville. It’s easy to select your entrance ticket and any add-ons on the website. For the RCA Studio B Tour, you do need to select a tour time when you purchase your tickets.
We picked a late-morning time with plans to see the rest of the Hall of Fame after the tour. That may be backwards from how many people do it, but I thought maybe we wouldn’t feel rushed if we did the tour first; we could then browse the Hall of Fame museum exhibits at our leisure.
We parked in the lot across the street for a fee. We sometimes look for street parking at a better price, but this lot is pretty convenient. We checked in with our electronic tickets and browsed the gift shop before it was time to meet for the tour.
When our tour time approached, we headed to the designated tour meeting place where our guide checked us in. He gave us some tour background and trivia before it was time to board the bus. Our bus was an Old Town Trolley, but these particular buses are only for the RCA Studio B Tour. Boarding for Old Town Trolley city tours is at another location.
Arriving at RCA Studio B
It isn’t long before you arrive at the studio on the famous Music Row in Nashville.
You may be curious about the “B” part of the name. RCA had studio space in another location in Nashville. Elvis was signed in 1955, and before long, Elvis’s popularity, along with the success of some of RCA’s country music performers, caused executives to consider opening a Nashville office and a true
In the beginning, the operation, known then as RCA Victor Studio, was small with Chet Atkins as the director and a handful of necessary staff. In 1964, another building was added next door to house the necessary offices and Studio A, a larger recording studio. The older studio became Studio B.
Studio B, along with all of RCA’s recording studios in Nashville, closed its doors in 1977. It then became open for tours through the Country Music Hall of Fame. The studio was donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992.
Elvis recorded extensively in Studio B, but many other big names recorded there as well, including Dolly Parton, who recorded ” I Will Always Love You.” Roy Orbison recorded “Only the Lonely” at the studio. Chaley Pride, Willie Nelson, the Everly Brothers, Rosemary Clooney…the list seems never-ending!
After hopping off the bus, we entered the studio and found ourselves in the lobby surrounded by amazing artifacts from days gone by.
Our guide continued his storytelling of the famous recording artists who made music history here.
RCA Studio B, under producer Chet Atkins’s influence, sought to change the sound of country music to make it more mainstream. Many arrangements included the addition of string instrumentation and rich background vocals that hadn’t been present in country music previously. These changes became known as the Nashville Sound.
Though she didn’t record at RCA, Patsy Cline provides the most notable examples of the sound. Her songs, including “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces” are perfect case studies of what the Nashville Sound became. Her producer, Owen Bradley, and Chet Atkins are known as the creators of this sound.
As the storytelling wound down in the lobby, our guide asked the group to choose a song to play us into the second portion of the tour. Our group selected “All I Have to Do is Dream” by the Everly Brothers.
Our group shuffled down the hallway to the recording studio. Rows of chairs are set up in this room, so we took our seats while the tour guide explained what we were seeing.
A drum set sits in the back of the room near the doorway.
Beyond the glass window at the front of the room, you can see the control room.
And of course, you can’t miss the RCA Studio B Steinway, played by many over the years, but probably most notably Elvis.
At the end of the tour, you are given the opportunity to take a picture sitting on the piano bench.
The last part of the tour is pretty special. Our guide told us the story about how Elvis ended up recording “Are You Lonely Tonight” in the dark because he was trying to get the right mood. He even explained how you can hear Elvis hit his head on the microphone, and the sound remains on the recording. You can listen closely for it at the end of the song.
So what did we do at the end of the tour? Why, we listened to Elvis sing that very song. In the dark.
After a few more pictures and a little more exploration around the room, it was time to board the bus back to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Tours come through regularly, so they are efficient with getting people in and out.
The Wrap-Up
This tour was a lot of fun, even though we are far from experts in country music and Elvis. It’s fascinating to hear the backstories of such icons and their songs that have been woven into the fabric of American popular culture. If you have the time, this is a nice add-on to the museum ticket. This tour is a unique thing to do in Nashville that will make your visit even more memorable.
Source:
“About Studio B – Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 17 June 2025, www.countrymusichalloffame.org/experiences/studio-b/about-studio-b. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
