Strawberry Studios Forever

How did a major recording studio, which attracted some of the biggest names in music, end up being based in a humble town seven miles outside Manchester? During the 1970s Stockport’s Strawberry Studios became a by-word for musical excellence in an era when ephemeral pop morphed into serious rock and it was all the dream of one man. Typical of his generation, Peter Tattersall had joined bands during the 60s beat boom and worked in many humdrum jobs to fund his love of music but he found none of them fulfilling until he was co-opted as a sound engineer. Peter soon spotted a gap in the market: to find fame and fortune northern musicians had to decamp to London where all the major recording studios, manned by stern, clock-watching fellows in lab coats, were based. What if someone built a great recording studio in the north? What if that studio was open and welcoming and the musos could take their time? Alongside former Mindbenders guitarist Eric Stewart and hit songwriter Graham Gouldman, Peter started to build his dream. To test the studio’s equipment Eric co-opted friends Kevin Godley and Lol Creme and one thing led to another and 10cc were born. The band would transform Manchester music with chart-topping success on their own terms and reinvest the profits in their own studio. As its fame grew, sceptical music journalists who ventured north to write about whippets and cloth caps were stunned to discover cutting edge recording facilities, a warm welcome and a relaxed atmosphere. In time the likes of Paul McCartney, Neil Sedaka, Joy Division and The Smiths would all record there alongside chart-topping novelty acts but the ethos of the studios never changed. Peter’s crucial role in the development of Manchester music cannot be overstated and has long been acknowledged by the likes of Tony Wilson and the more famous artists he recorded but his vision has now come full circle with modern day artists recording whole albums in their bedrooms at their own pace, to their own rules. Strawberry was the first step along that road.

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