Nestled on London’s famed Denmark Street, often dubbed “Tin Pan Alley,” the Regent Sounds recording studio holds a legendary place in music history. Between the 1960s and early 1980s, icons such as Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and the Rolling Stones laid down tracks within its walls. After decades of silence and being sealed off, this historic studio is now undergoing a multimillion-pound restoration, poised to become a premier destination celebrating rock, jazz, and blues heritage.
Remarkably, much of the studio’s original architecture-including its walls, floor tiles, and vintage recording gear-has been carefully preserved. Pete Townshend, guitarist and songwriter for The Who, once hailed Regent Sounds as “a monumental piece of rock music history.”
An extensive collection of artifacts has been rediscovered, with plans to showcase these treasures in exhibitions at the site. Denmark Street’s rich musical legacy as a hub for publishers, instrument retailers, and songwriters since the early 1900s will be brought vividly to life.
Among the highlights is the legendary 1949 Gibson guitar once owned by T-Bone Walker, an instrument credited with igniting the 1950s music revolution and influencing legends like Chuck Berry, BB King, and Keith Richards.
The Regent Sounds guitar shop, housed within the same historic 18th-century building, has been expanded to four times its original size. It now features soundproof booths where visitors can test instruments in a private setting.
While the guitar shop is set to reopen this Thursday following an investment nearing £6 million, restoration work on the studio itself is slated to begin soon, with completion expected within the next year.
Denmark Street’s guitar shop as seen in 2011.
Regent Sounds holds a special place in music lore; it was here in 1967 that the Beatles recorded “Fixing a Hole,” a standout track from their iconic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Paul McCartney once recounted a quirky encounter at the studio when a man claiming to be Jesus Christ appeared at the door. McCartney invited him in, saying, “If you promise to be quiet and sit in a corner, you’re welcome.” The band members were amused, asking, “Who’s this?” to which McCartney replied, “He’s Jesus Christ.” The moment ended with laughter and lightheartedness.
The Rolling Stones also made history at Regent Sounds, recording their breakthrough hit “Not Fade Away.” Keith Richards reminisced about their early sessions, noting, “We recorded on a two-track Revox in a room lined with egg cartons for soundproofing.”
Other influential groups such as The Kinks, Genesis, and the Eagles also utilized the studio, contributing to the soundtrack of a generation.
Patrick Racz, one of the studio’s current co-owners, describes Regent Sounds as “sacred ground” within London’s musical heritage. “Standing here, you’re walking in the footsteps of legends-this is where Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and Bowie created magic,” he said.
Racz, who amassed his fortune as an inventor, is behind the restoration project. He is known for creating the triflow tap, the world’s first faucet delivering hot, cold, and purified water, as well as pioneering the SmartFlash system for secure digital content distribution.
His investment also includes a partnership with Nikon to develop groundbreaking technology for authenticating musical instruments. This innovative system can capture instruments in extraordinary detail, promising to revolutionize how provenance is verified.
A star-studded event will mark the studio’s grand reopening, coinciding with the release of Tony Bacon’s new book, Electric Blues! T-Bone Walker and the Guitar That Started It All. Bacon envisions Regent Sounds becoming a pilgrimage site for rock enthusiasts worldwide.
“It’s an extraordinary place,” Bacon remarked. “Without T-Bone Walker’s brilliance and skill, the explosion of rock’n’roll from artists like the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix might never have happened. Regent Sounds is truly hallowed ground for music lovers.”
Racz added, “Every day, dozens of visitors from across the globe come to take photos outside the shop. It’s almost a rite of passage for fans.”
Crispin Weir, another co-owner, highlighted the studio’s unique appeal: “It was affordable but had exceptional acoustics. Most studios charged three or four times as much.”
Reflecting on the decline of traditional studios with the rise of home digital recording, Weir noted, “Nowadays, people appreciate the novelty and experience of recording in a studio again.”
Regent Sounds will return as an analogue studio, utilizing the original equipment favored by Hendrix and others-though the egg cartons that once lined the ceiling will not be reinstated. “There’s a special chemistry when musicians play together live that’s hard to replicate when recording parts separately,” Weir explained.
