About

A history of Sun Street Recording Studios

Sun Street Studios opened its doors in 1988 but the origins of the studio can be traced back as far as 1980 when owner/engineer Ken Ralph started to record live gigs and performances of local artists from the town of Tuam on a small tape recorder.

In 1983, he recorded the soundtrack and audio for award-winning independent Irish film "The Bed is Rough", produced by the Tuam Film Society.

Later on in the mid 80s, Ken started to invite local bands and singers into his house on Sun Street in Tuam to record songs on his 4-track tape recorder. One of these new local acts called themselves "The Saw Doctors" and their fast-growing back catalogue of songs soon meant the studio had to migrate from the bedroom to a larger building at the back of Ken's house.

Sun Street Studios opened for commercial use in 1988 after that move to the outhouse. One of the studio's first clients was up-and-coming reggae act "Too Much for the Whiteman".

As the wealth of talented musicians in the area grew, so did the demand for recording. From his trusted 4-track recorder, Ken met the demand by moving to an 8-track, then to a 16-track and eventually to a 24-track analog recorder.

In 1997, soon after finishing working with The Saw Doctors on their 'Songs from Sun Street' album which was named in honour of the studio, and right before the recording of Máirtín O'Connor's seminal 'The Road West' album, the studio went completely digital.

In 2004, Sun Street Studios moved into a purpose-built, state-of-the-art premises next to the old studio and Ken moved from desk to screen in 2007 as the installation of a new suite of Apple Mac computers supported a more efficient and modern mixing process.

In 2010, Ken went through the archives at Sun Street Studios to release a 3-disk, 50-track CD showcasing 50 local songwriters from Tuam known as "Songs From The Broken Wheel". For his work on this record and for his contribution to music in the region, Ken received a special award from Tuam Town Council.

During a very vibrant time for original music in Tuam in Galway, Sun Street Studios was instrumental in nurturing the wave of musical talent that hit the local scene.