Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios

Recording and mastering studio located in Los Angeles, California (USA), owned by founder . The studio was known as [b]Motown Recording Studios[/b] between 1974 and 1980 and as [b]Hitsville Recording Studios[/b] between 1980 and 1986. However, releases often credit both interchangeably.

[b]For the original Motown 'Hitsville' studio in Detroit, please see .[/b]

[u]Name variations[/u]
- Motown/Hitsville U.S.A.
- Motown Recording Studios
- Motown Recording Studio, West Hollywood, CA
- Hitsville West Studios
- Hitsville Recording Studios.
- Hitsville

[u]History[/u]
Built as , a recording and mixing studio, the facility was acquired circa September 1971 by 's and named [l=MoWest Studios], coinciding with the launch of the [l=MoWest] record label. In 1974, the label was shuttered and the studio renamed [b]Motown Recording Studios[/b]. This completed the move from Detroit to Los Angeles.

Originally a two-story state-of-the-art studio complex, it boasted an atrium and an [i]al fresco[/i] conference room on the roof. Gordy even moved parts of Motown’s famous Detroit studio A (a.k.a, “the Snake Pit”) to Los Angeles in hopes of recreating the Detroit studio's classic sound. was the studio's managing director. By 1979, the facility had expanded to 4 studios, named "Sunset", "Sunrise", "Twilight" (for mastering), and "Dawn".

Around 1980, the studio name was changed to [b]Hitsville Recording Studios[/b]. Gordy sold the studio in 1988, coinciding with the sale of Motown to [l=MCA Records]. The studio was then renamed [l=Signet Sound Studios]. Mastering engineer [a=John Matousek] subsequently bought all the mastering equipment and kept operating the Twilight studio until 1992/3, renting the space from first Signet and later [l=Soundworks West]. He afterwards founded [l=Masterworks, Los Angeles], where the mastering gear was installed.

[u]Engineers[/u]

Chief: [a=Cal Harris].
Mastering: [a=Jack Andrews], [a=John Matousek], [a=Michele Stone].
Recording: [a=Art Stewart], [a=Russ Terrana], [a=Glen Jordan], [a=Michael Johnson (4)], [a=Bob Robitaille], [a=James Green (35)], [a=James Johnson (36)], [a=Ginny Pallante].