history3

"I have always been interested in recording and every time I have been around the studios I try to learn as much as I can. After the Fallen Stars split up, I began to take an even more serious interest in recording. I forfeited my entire retirement annuity from teaching and purchased a Tascam recording mixing console (32 channel in, 8 buss out) which was the same one I had seen at Maggard's Studio in Big Stone Gap. I built a tiny recording studio in the back room of my home on Guest River, near Norton, VA in 1982."

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(photo by Paul Hughes)

Shortly after that Ron engineered his first complete album, recorded on a 4-channel Teac A-3340S and mixed down on a Tascam 35-2B half track. The sound was good, and the clients, Carter Boyd and The Sunny Valley Gospel Singers, were very satisfied. They even later returned for two more albums.

Some of the first cuts on the Glenn Smith album, not produced until the nineties, were recorded at this time. Ron's first professional recording project consisted of a jingle and several radio spots for airing on local radio stations for Jim Robinson who was running for VA House of Delegates (He won).

The word got out that HOMESTEAD RECORDING STUDIO was a reasonable and good quality place for local groups to record their singles, albums and demos. Here are just a few of the over 60 recording projects done in the studio:

There's fine music on most of the albums, singles and demos recorded in the studio, some of which Ron produced, and several were completed with the help of musicians and musician friends. Many area musicians other than those already mentioned in this history have been recorded either in the studio or as Ron set up and mixed sound for them during a live concert performance. Among them are Alvin Wright, Marion Sumner, Phillip Sexton, Otis Lyle, Junior Blankenship and the Edwards Ridge Grass, Jackie Wright, The Payroll Boys, Jim Hurt, Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Lisa Roberson, Regina Brown, Gary Sanders, Randy Wyatt, Susan Spaulding, Susan Lachman, Paul Hopkins, David Hopkins, Lucian Priode's High School Band, Dave Tipton's High School Band, Buddy Stewart, Danny Collier, Ralph Stanley, Glass Alley, Tim Rose, Chris Henson and many others.

Ron has also produced radio and TV spots with or for Jim Robinson, Gerald Balliles, Rick Boucher, Ted Bolling, Edgar Mullins, Danny Ball, Connie Clark, Marty Large, Kenneth Asbury, Joe Smiddy, Trig Dotson, Trula Qualls, Ford Quillen, George Cridlin, Tim Morgan, Morgan-McClure Chevrolet, the old Virginia Supply, Black Diamond Savings Bank (now FNB), Double Kwik Markets, CVC (now UVA-Wise), and others.

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The first 100 of these were donated to UVA-Wise for sale to raise money for the Glenn C. Smith Music Scholarship fund.

As we look back over the years, probably one of the best projects to be completed here was the Glenn C. Smith recording featuring Glenn with supporting musicians Greg Edwards, Richie Kennedy, Ron Swindall, Mark Wooten, Sutton Rigg, Jimmy Baird, Jimmy Stallard, Tuck Robinson, Terry Collier and Kenny Duncan. This is available on CD or cassette tape.

In 1989, when Ron's family moved to Powell Valley, the studio was also moved and enlarged. A new 32 channel Tascam mixing console was installed along with two synchronized 8-track Tascam digital recorders, which with the existing 16 track analog machine brought the capabilities to 32 tracks. Today, recordings are made to and from all of these as well as the use of a Prosonus interface with N-Track, Cubase and Cakewalk software for recording, mixing and processing on the computer.

One of the recent project recordings was by Aaron Lee and Seventh Scent. It is a mod mixture of metal and rap. Interesting. Another recent product is a bluegrass album that was produced with Banjo player, J.D. Collier, released in the late fall of 2006, and includes Ron on guitar and bass with Billy Baker on fiddle. The latest is a very fine CD of Ron's original writings and recordings called "ROOTS".

Current work in the studio is remodeling, updating and upgrading equipment, and archiving old tapes in order to salvage and duplicate or make CDs for sale by FALLEN STARS RECORDS. Ron is already beginning to work on another personal album.

As far as work with bands in the 90s and 00s, the only significant musical ventures by Ron has been a couple of re-union concerts with the VIRGINIANS and a couple of concerts with cousin, Ron Short. Ron still performs alone, mostly small local concerts, ie. a concert on the lawn of SW VA museum this summer, 2008.

Let us hear from you. We are interested in knowing what you think of our site and how we might be able to help you with your project. Also, we are very interested in pictures and history of other local musicians and bands that you would like posted on our site..