Cherokee Studios is a recording studio in Hollywood, Los Angeles, founded by brothers Dee, Joe and Bruce Robb. Its origins go back to the early 1970s, when the brothers converted a barn on their ranch in Chatsworth into a recording facility. In January 1975, Cherokee moved into the former MGM Records studios at 751 N Fairfax Avenue, where it developed into one of Los Angeles’ major recording complexes. The Fairfax facility contained five studios and became particularly associated with its custom Trident A-Range consoles. Beatles producer George Martin later described Cherokee as “the best studio in America”.
Alice Cooper had a substantial recording history at Cherokee stretching from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. “Lace and Whiskey” (1977) was recorded across several studios in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, with Cherokee among the facilities used. The following album, “From the Inside” (1978), also included sessions at Cherokee alongside Davlen Sound Studios, Hollywood Sound Recorders, Kendun Recorders, Studio 55 and Sound City. Both albums therefore form part of Cherokee’s Alice Cooper history, although neither was made exclusively at the studio.
The connection became considerably stronger with “Flush the Fashion” (1980), which was recorded entirely at Cherokee with producer Roy Thomas Baker. The album included “Clones (We’re All)”, “Talk Talk”, “Pain” and “Nuclear Infected” and marked Cooper’s move towards a leaner sound influenced by new wave and post-punk. Around the same period, Cooper also recorded a new version of “Road Rats” at Cherokee for the 1980 film Roadie, produced and engineered by Todd Rundgren.
Cooper returned to Cherokee for “Zipper Catches Skin” (1982). Most of the album was recorded there, including “Zorro’s Ascent”, “I Like Girls”, “No Baloney Homosapiens” and “I’m Alive (That Was the Day My Dead Pet Returned to Save My Life)”. The exception was “I Am the Future”, which was recorded separately at Jennifudy Studios. Cooper co-produced the Cherokee sessions with bassist Erik Scott. Taken together, “Lace and Whiskey”, “From the Inside”, “Flush the Fashion” and “Zipper Catches Skin” give Alice Cooper one of the more substantial multi-album connections to Cherokee among the hard rock artists who worked there.
Cherokee has an extensive history with hard rock and heavy metal, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s. Mötley Crüe recorded and mixed their breakthrough album “Shout at the Devil” (1983) there, including “Looks That Kill”, “Too Young to Fall in Love” and the title track. The band returned to Cherokee during the making of “Theatre of Pain” (1985). Dokken followed with “Tooth and Nail” (1984), recorded at Cherokee between April and August and featuring “Into the Fire”, “Just Got Lucky” and “Alone Again”.
W.A.S.P. also has an early connection with Cherokee. Before recording their 1984 debut album at Record Plant, the band recorded “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)” at Cherokee Studios. The song was originally intended as an early single but was rejected by Capitol because of its explicit title and lyrics, eventually appearing independently in Europe. Although the main W.A.S.P. album was recorded elsewhere, the Cherokee session produced one of the band’s most notorious and enduring songs.
KISS also worked at Cherokee during the late 1980s. “Hot in the Shade” (1989) was recorded at The Fortress in Hollywood but mixed in its entirety at Cherokee Studios by Dave Wittman. The album included “Hide Your Heart”, “Rise to It” and the hit ballad “Forever”, giving Cherokee a direct connection to one of the band’s major late-1980s releases.
Individual KISS members had further ties to the studio. Gene Simmons used Cherokee for overdubs and guest performances during the making of his 1978 solo album, with many of the Los Angeles-based musicians and backing singers recorded there after the main sessions at The Manor in England. Peter Criss later used Cherokee while making “Cat #1” (1994) with his band Criss, with drum sessions recorded at the studio. Ace Frehley also appeared on several tracks on the album.
Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force also made extensive use of Cherokee during the 1980s. “Marching Out” (1985) was recorded at Cherokee and Skyline Studios, while much of “Odyssey” (1988) was recorded and mixed at Cherokee. The latter featured Joe Lynn Turner on vocals and included “Rising Force”, “Heaven Tonight” and “Dreaming (Tell Me)”.
The second half of the 1980s brought an especially strong run of hard rock and metal recordings. Armored Saint used Cherokee alongside Sound City, Ocean Way and Lion Share while making “Raising Fear” (1987), the band’s final studio album with guitarist Dave Prichard. Swiss hard rock band Krokus worked there on “Change of Address” (1986), which was recorded at Artisan Sound Recorders and mixed at Cherokee.
Kix recorded parts of their commercially successful “Blow My Fuse” (1988) at Cherokee alongside Conway Studios. Suicidal Tendencies recorded “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” (1988) there, an album that pushed the band further from hardcore punk towards crossover thrash and included “Trip at the Brain”, “Pledge Your Allegiance” and the title track. Vinnie Vincent Invasion recorded and mixed their second and final album, “All Systems Go” (1988), at Cherokee, including “Love Kills” and “That Time of Year”. Stryper also used the studio, together with several other Los Angeles facilities, during the recording of “In God We Trust” (1988).
German thrash metal band Kreator came to Los Angeles while making “Extreme Aggression” (1989). The album was primarily recorded and mixed at Music Grinder, but additional sessions took place at E.Q. Sound and Cherokee Studios. Released during Kreator’s growing international breakthrough, it included “Betrayer”, “Some Pain Will Last” and the title track.
Cherokee remained closely connected to heavier music during the 1990s. Anthrax used the studio while making “Sound of White Noise” (1993), their first album with former Armored Saint singer John Bush. Drums and bass were recorded at A&M Studios and rhythm guitars at Eldorado, while Bush’s vocals and Dan Spitz’s lead guitars were recorded at Cherokee. Motörhead subsequently recorded the entire “Sacrifice” album there in 1994. Released the following year, it became the final Motörhead studio album with guitarist Würzel and the last recorded by the band as a four-piece.
Other heavy artists who worked at Cherokee involved bands such as Bleeding Through and Queens of the Stone Age. Pink Floyd also used Cherokee during the lengthy production of “The Wall” (1979), which moved between several studios in Los Angeles, New York and Europe.
Cherokee’s rock history also extends beyond original recording sessions. The Who’s “My Generation” material was originally recorded in London during the 1960s, but the recordings were later remixed at Cherokee for the expanded stereo Deluxe Edition released in 2002. The studio therefore became part of the later history of one of rock’s most influential early albums without having hosted the original sessions.
Van Halen also has a connection with Cherokee that predates the famous Fairfax Avenue studios. The band made early recordings at the Robb brothers’ original ranch studio in Chatsworth during the 1970s, before Cherokee moved to Hollywood. These sessions belong to the earliest phase of both Van Halen and Cherokee and should be distinguished from the recordings later made at the Fairfax complex.
The historic Cherokee Studios at 751 N Fairfax Avenue closed on 31 August 2007 and the building was subsequently demolished. The Cherokee name later returned at 5241 Melrose Avenue under Bruce Robb, retaining historic equipment and continuing the studio’s recording tradition. The present Cherokee is therefore a continuation of the business, but not the building where albums such as “Shout at the Devil”, “Tooth and Nail”, “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today”, “All Systems Go” and “Sacrifice” were recorded.
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