Texas Pages

From the Nov. 28, 2004 editions of The Dallas Morning News:

By BILL LODGE
Garland Bureau

Willie Nelson already had an entourage 30 years ago, having written
such hits as "Crazy" for Patsy Cline, "Hello Walls" for Faron Young
and "Pretty Paper" for Roy Orbison.

But he lacked a blockbuster hit that would make him an
international star as a singer.

He recorded that hit in a Garland studio, Glen Pace's Autumn Sound,
in January 1975. It was "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," which
became the No. 1 country hit that year and reached No. 21 on the
pop charts.

Three decades later, the west Garland landmark remains in operation
as Paul Osborn's Audio Dallas Recording Studio, where K-Ci & JoJo
recorded "Crazy," which became a multiplatinum hit after landing on
the soundtrack for Save the Last Dance.

You might say this is the little studio that could. And still does.

"It's amazing. There are people who'll get on a plane and fly past
500 studios to get to this one," said Mr. Osborn, whose building
sits at 3810 Cavalier Drive amid warehouses and other low-profile
commercial enterprises.

"We've done probably seven gold records," Mr. Osborn said. "I think
five of them went on to be platinum. "It has a different sound.
They really appreciate the sound of our room."

Mr. Pace, contacted at Starplex Sound near Nashville, Tenn., was a
musician and bandleader and operated a sound studio in North
Hollywood before building the Garland studio in late 1974.

He recalled that executives at Columbia Records had refused to
allow Mr. Nelson to record Red Headed Stranger, which includes
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," unless he added a studio orchestra.

Mr. Nelson said his eight-member band provided enough sound for the
album he wanted and approached Mr. Pace.

"We had the first 24-track, Los Angeles-type studio in Texas," Mr.
Pace said. "And we did three platinum albums with Willie.

"Willie's a great guy," Mr. Pace said. "He's truly an icon in this
business. There ain't any more Willies, and there ain't any more
guitars that sound like that."

Mr. Nelson has used the same acoustic guitar for decades and has
scratched a second hole in its body with his pick.

Mr. Osborn, a Heath resident, now operates the 24-track mixing
console Mr. Pace installed.

Listening to established backup singer Charlie Shearer working on
his own album with guitarist Jerry Matheny, Mr. Osborn occasionally
adjusted some of the hundreds of knobs and slides on the console
while making a confession.

"This right here has to be the best job in the world," Mr. Osborn
said. "I get a free concert, just for me, before anyone else hears
it. And when the day is over, they pay me money."

A successful recording sometimes dribbles out in small, slow
increments, he explained. And sometimes it floods a sound studio,
hour after hour, days at a time.

"It's like a butterfly net, trying to catch magic," Mr. Osborn
said. "Sometimes we catch it now, and sometimes we catch it later.

"You hear people talk about the magic in a studio. It exists. It
happens. I've heard it here."

Sound engineer Byron Parks has worked at the studio since the days
when Mr. Pace owned it.

"Byron came with the building," Mr. Osborn joked. "His dad hired me
before Paul could say yea or nay," Mr. Parks laughed. "So, I did
come with the building."

"I'll brag on these guys anytime," said Parke Mainz, a Dallas
firefighter who dropped by to record a track for an album he is
working on with HotHouse, a band that plays local events.

Gold and platinum discs line the studio walls, but Mr. Osborn said
he is especially proud of a little gold award in his office. It was
given to him by the jazz band at Garland High School.

Each year, he said, the studio is opened to high school bands that
want to record a song "at cost."

South Garland High has accepted that offer in past years, Mr.
Osborn said, as have schools in Plano, Highland Park and Grapevine.

The 1977 graduate of Dallas' Spruce High School pointed at the gold
award from Garland High.

"This came from the kids," Mr. Osborn said. "It's bigger than any
platinum. We're trying to keep the kids interested in music. It
goes beyond graduation."