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I was recently reading up about Brother Records studio, which was located at 1454 5th Street in Santa Monica:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Studios

It seems The BBs opened the studio there in early 1974, but apparently just before that (as recent as the year before, in 1973), that same address was a porn theater called Venture Theater! Going to Newspapers.com and typing in the 1454 5th Street Santa Monica address shows a bunch of ads for the theater from '71-'73. I'm guessing the theater got shut down (that was common then), and then was soon converted into a studio.

Makes one wonder if the band knew of the building's history when they bought it! Fascinating, weird, but probably completely unsurprising considering the oddball history of this band.

Are there any other images of Brother Studios other than the lone image on Wikipedia? You can almost picture a low-key sleazy marquee sign that might have once hung above the front door.

(https://i.imgur.com/Hmv5GIe.jpg?s=sms)


(https://i.imgur.com/SgRrKH5.jpg)

I took the picture and got a fast tour! I was in BB Heaven!

That front reminds me of the documentary Sound City, about another well-patronised studio in LA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_City_(film)

That is so cool!

Do you recall what year you took that picture?

And also, I keep wondering if that car in the pic belonged to a BBs band member.

Totally.

I think there's a cool documentary to be made about The BBs in Santa Monica, pertaining to their time at Brother Studios. The fact that their studio was a porn theater just 6 months prior is a pretty bizarre curio. But I have a feeling there are lots of interesting stories about The BBs and that studio to be told. Pretty sure AGD has stories too if memory serves.

They apparently also recorded Still Cruisin' tracks in the late '80s at another studio in Santa Monica just a few blocks away.

It's time to talk to Ed Roach and Chris Kable for a documentary - So sad that we lost Trisha Campo a few years ago.

One of my employees then had previously been hostess at Belle-Vue restaurant and absolutely loved Dennis as one of their regulars. She was my mother's age and Dennis treated her wonderfully.

I used to run errands from work in that area all the time since it was near the parking structures for shopping in Santa Monica. The only car that caught my attention on occasion was Karen Lamm's seafoam green Mercedes convertible (It was a beautiful car). One day I saw her blonde hair caught in the wind and sunlight as she got out of the car. She was a striking sight, even to a woman. Sadly, she's not around to be interviewed either. Another employee of mine in Lucienne's (the Belle-Vue lady's) position was (and still is) an animal rescue activist. Karen was very generous to them. Everything is 6 degrees from someone. 

Wait, I think I saw a Rolls once right in front in the late afternoon. It may have been Kim Fowley's - memory fails. Chris would probably know.

A sort of reverse history was the Ivar offices. They became somewhat controversial public baths after the Beach Boys sold them. Sadly, AIDS hit some years later, so I suspect that was the end of that incarnation.

Whatever works for the space at the time, I guess.

Ed and Chris are some of the people who would have great stories.

Thanks for the recollections, Debbie.

I wonder if Denny started frequenting Chez Jay in Santa Monica (walking distance from both Brother Studios and Belle-Vue) during the time ('76-'77) that he was recording POB there. Yet I only seem to recall hearing stories about Denny going Chez Jay during Denny's last really rough year or 2 of his life, but I'm guessing that bar must have been known to him back then, a few years earlier.

The timing sounds highly likely for the POB recording time. I feel pretty certain that Denny would have known Chez Jay's at the same time as Belle-Vue. Pretty much everyone knew Chez Jay's at the time. It was really famous. I suspect Belle-Vue was more of a lunch/dinner place and Chez Jay after-hours. He was obviously with Karen at the time, well, off and on. I wish I could remember if it was Chris or Trisha who told me the story of Karen coming in and started going over calendars, when Karen marked off a future week starting with "move furniture, Dennis and Karen break up." Then Karen said, "You know Dennis and I never last more than 2 weeks." The woman had a sense of humor. I forget at what point he started being with Chris McVie. She also had quite a sense of humor. I think it was required with Dennis.

I believe it was Trisha who said that Dennis would call in saying he was in Malibu and that he'd be there in some impossibly short amount of time. He always made it as predicted. I don't know whether they cleared PCH so that he could rocket through? No one ever knew how he did it.

This is all so fascinating to me. I wish I’d been around back then.

If it was a convertible, it probably belonged to Dennis. He owned a Rolls/Bentley type car during that period. Dennis took someone I know to buy hot dogs at a corner spot on Pico (?) in WLA during a recording session break.
Kim Fowley never drove and never had a drivers license. I don't think he ever owned a car. He told me his inability to get a license had something to do with him having had polio.
Brother had a small parking lot in the back.

I don't remember much except that there was a Rolls there. I never went around to the back, because I was always just "Passing By." While Kim may not have owned a car, my friends who knew and were highly entertained by him knew that he lived and traveled in style, so who knows? Even in those days, people found him somewhat creepy with young women - particularly smarter young women who knew it wasn't worth it to have him make them "stars" (and he did have some success there). Happily for him, he didn't have to try to survive under today's standards. When he told Chris Kable about his arrival at Brother Studies, he told her to look for "someone who looks like Lurch," so that she'd know to let him in. She could confirm that.

You sound like you may know more than me about Kim. You could probably offer more info.

Debbie - I've often been curious - do you know were any BBs members living near that Santa Monica area at the time? Or maybe Malibu? I guess Denny was living on his boat in the Marina, but how about the other guys? I'd assume they'd want to have their studio somewhat nearby where they lived, but I wonder how this specific place got chosen as their studio.

Also, speaking of this time period and the band being in/near beach towns in LA, this just surfaced from newspapers.com, an LA Times classified ad from Nov. 1976 listing a former Beach Boys home in Manhattan Beach (doesn't say which BBs member):

(https://i.imgur.com/he0uZ5a.jpg)

Both Mike Love and Al Jardine lived in Manhattan Beach at one time. On the other hand, it could be investment property.

And Carl rented a place in Malibu for a while in the '70s.

Fascinating thread, y'all!

Two things I can confirm. Kim Fowley definitely had a Rolls Royce. He had a driver. He came to my apartment in Century City in 1979 to inquire about my band The Point after he'd heard our demo tape. Came in a Rolls. He also produced Helen Reddy sessions at Brother and told me Dennis treated him wonderfully during that time.

Dennis knew about Chez Jays long before the POB sessions. Jay told me stories about Dennis being in there in the late '60's, maybe even earlier. I'm thinking he said he met Dennis around the time the TAMI Show was being filmed nearby at the Santa Monica Civic. Some of them came over to Chez Jays while that shoot was in progress. That was 1964.

While on our honeymoon, we visited the SM studio. We were let in and then told that none of the BB were around. Anyway, I was there, inside. Part of honeymoon history. Early December 1976. Ate at the English Pub just east of the studio. They were playing darts big-time.

A lot of people here seem to have known Kim Fowley. I'd be interested to hear if any of them have a take on the Jackie Fox/Runaways controversy from a few years ago.

I had been to Brother a few times starting in late '77. Soon after your run in with Kim he sought out my project, By that time his lifestyle was back to down and dirty. He lived off Hayworth, north of Sunset, in a regular 2 bedroom apt. He had no car.  Jo Jo Clark, a wanna be John Fogerty/Tony Joe White,  was his driver.
Kim was not good with money. At all. Ralph Peer II bailed him out regularly. I did, too, once, a few years later, by offering him my barren laundry room to stay in.  At the time you met him, he may have been riding high on Kiss money. The Helen Reddy advance wasn't too shabby, either.

The other project Kim & Earle did at Brother was The Quick (Great Buildings, Danny Wilde, The Rembrandts), for Mercury.

Kim told me Bruce stories. He also had stuff to say about Murry and Van Dyke Parks. None of it bad, really, it's just he had certain peculiar attitudes about people in his past.

For all I know the Rolls he arrived in when I met him could have been borrowed or rented. Just wanted to confirm that the one Debbie saw at Brother could have been his. Possible. In 79 Kim was working with Stiv Bators and recording his post Runaways girl group the Orchids. He had us come down to Kitchen Sync Studio and pitched us on writing songs for Stiv. Never worked out, but it was an interesting chapter in my life. I interviewed him in 99 for my Dennis book and he clearly remembered our band and the demo tape. He also shared about his history with Dennis , Bruce and the other Beach Boys. Liked Dennis a lot. Said this about Bruce "He knows how to join a Country Club."

John, my apologies for not suggesting you as someone who would know these things, and thanks for the info. Ironically, I wasn't especially involved at the time because I was very busy with, and loved my job at - yes - Bruce's country club - no kidding. I did house-sit at Dennis's home that he shared with Shawn at around that time near Zuma Beach in West Malibu. That was after he lived at Venice Beach (I think). I was never there. I was on Harmony once when Dennis caught me leaving an event where I had just left Brian because he had become impossible to deal with. Dennis yelled across the street to me, "Hey, Debbie, if I can get Brian to come with me to the boat, will you come take care of him?" As po'd as I obviously was, I said yes. Dennis gave me the directions to the boat where Brian had finally quieted down in the aft cabin. Dennis and friends were having a quiet party in the forward cabin while Brian and I just fell asleep - thank heavens. I got up the next morning and went to work. Such was life then.

Debbie thanks for sharing that story. Must have been so interesting being close to the Wilsons back then. I met Dennis in 78 and Brian in 79 and there were no other people like them. Child like spiritual souls. And Carl. It's almost like a holy trinity for me. Kim Fowley might be on the other end of that spectrum. But he was also really interesting. Hilarious that you worked at Bruce's Country Club. I almost fell over reading that!

"Child like spiritual souls" is a beautiful way to describe them. Having never met either Dennis or Carl(and not even born until two years after Dennis died), there is no doubt in my mind that there is no better way to describe them.  :)

Yes indeed. Have not been blessed to meet Brian but met Dennis and Karen mid-70's and Carl numerous times. Actually had a snack and adult beverage with him once under the tent before a show in Wichita around 1990-91. A show without Mike. Baseball night game.

Fascinating info, Jon. Thanks for chiming in. It makes sense to think of Denny (and maybe some of the others) going over to Chez Jays during The TAMI Show, since it's located literally walking distance from The Santa Monica Civic Center, where The TAMI Show was filmed.

And my understanding is that The TAMI Show was shot on 2 separate (possibly consecutive?) evenings, with the best performances from both shows edited together into 1 film. My mom was in the TAMI audience after a TAMI audience recruiter dropped by Santa Monica High School to get students for their audience, but unfortunately she doesn't recall any of those details - James Brown and Mick Jagger's swagger being the main things that stick in her memory all these years later. Funny enough, to bring back the Kim Fowley discussion, my mom was briefly roommates at UCLA in 1965 or 1966 with Kim Fowley's sister, Gretchen. Back then, it seemed one could just randomly witness or be tangentially connected to all sorts of LA music scene happenings purely by chance.

The only possible hitch with that idea of Denny visiting Chez Jay during TAMI is that Denny was still 19 (almost 20) when TAMI was filmed, and although he wasn't yet of legal drinking age, I have a feeling that they weren't exactly ID-ing slightly underage celeb rock stars with a bouncer at the door, the way many/most establishments might today. And that's just a guess, mind you - I actually have no idea, if in 1964, the band members were ID'd and turned away from bars before they were 21 - hard to say how things worked back in those days. Denny wasn't legal drinking age until Dec. 4, 1965, and Carl not until December 21, 1967, which was many, many years into their fame. Obviously those legal technicalities didn't stop them from underage drinking in general, I just wonder if they sometimes had ID-related obstacles at bars here and there.

If Denny indeed came to Chez Jay during TAMI's filming, it's crazy to think of him possibly being there in a striped shirt. It's remarkable that this timeline would make Chez Jay a place that Denny frequented for nearly 20 years.

Interesting about your mom and your sister! It's amazing how so many things are connected as you said. L.A. is still that way, everyone is somehow in the business, and if they aren't, their family or friends are.

I think Jay was saying the TAMI cast came over to eat, not drink. Remember Chez Jay's is a restaurant, they serve lunch too, and back then one of the few food places that was so close to the Civic.

Good point, Jon! I was not thinking about food. I've got to visit Chez Jay again. So happy to patronize that spot.

If there's ever a BBs Locations bus tour that winds up happening, the former Brother Studios location, Chez Jay, Belle-Vue, and Santa Monica Civic all need to be stops on the Santa Monica portion of the tour.

Side note: another restaurant/diner (nearby to where where TAMI was filmed, and near where Brother Records was located) was called Penguin Coffee Shop in Santa Monica.  It opened in 1959 and closed in 1991 and became a dental office (maybe Al would have opened up shop there  :lol), but fortunately the building's architecture and its original signage were kept intact. Anyway, I mention it because I'd be surprised if the band *didn't* eat there at some point... and luckily the place has a new lease on life and has recently reopened as a diner (a Mel's Diner, but with the original Penguin sign).

(https://i.postimg.cc/7hwfTrYc/Brother-studio.jpg)

That is SO cool. Fascinating on many levels. Was this a rate card you acquired there in person?

A few notes:

- Did those rates include an engineer? Was there a house engineer(s), and if so, who?
- How many people had keys to the place?
- Gotta love the days before area codes were obligatorily listed in phone numbers.
- Sundays are only a $5 surcharge over Saturdays! Gotta pay just a lil extra to drag the engineer away from that Sweet Sunday Kinda Love at home, I suppose  :lol

The Wilson brothers did all have that quality - well-put, as usual, Jon. Yes, it was actually a local beach club where I worked which is a type of country club and part of the same organizations, similar fees and admissions requirements. No golf course, but they had paddle tennis, so I'm sure Bruce got to wear his tennis whites if he was in the mood.  ;) I have so many stories from there that I can never tell because of confidentiality. I had a great boss and it was a wonderful place to work.

I can answer one or two of these questions. I posted a pic of my copy, in recent months on another board.

Yes, rates included an engineer. The primary engineers that were there in '77 were Earle Mankey, Tom Murphy, and John Hanlon
As for keys, Earle had them and it's likely Tom did, too. Can't say who else.

I acquired mine on the day I had a tiny l tape transfer job done there (Earle was the engineer). I still have the Brother Studios receipt. I'll post it if I find it.

Not long after Brother Studios, it became Unicorn Recording Studio, and this 1982 classified ad namedrops The BBs in as small font size as possible:

(https://i.imgur.com/Zn9jwjY.jpg)

Wow! Do you have it in hi-res quality?
I'm looking for a better quality Brother Studio logo
Thanks

Those rates seem rather expensive for what is the late 70s/early 80s.

Those book rates were in line with what other respected Hollywood studios were charging. They were not there for demo projects or spec deals; they were seeking projects with major label budgets. I would think that their block rates were fair - and negotiable.

Brother Studios was also there for the band, well, the Wilsons. They had a 'home studio' again.