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Babs Richardson dedicated her life to promoting Georgia’s musicians and the State’s music industry. For 17 years, she was Executive Director of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the organization that presents the annual GRAMMY® Awards. As co-owner of Mastersound Studios, one of Atlanta’s premier recording facilities for over two decades, she supervised daily operations, administered publishing interests and provided artistic, personal and professional guidance for many of the studio’s clients.

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Dec. 1, 1928, Babs graduated from the Piedmon City’s Queens College with a major in Commercial Arts and a minor in Languages. In 1954, she married Bob Richardson, an aspiring recording engineer who had been a District Sales Manager for Columbia Records. The couple built a studio in the basement of their Charlotte home in 1958 and soon began recording regional artists, having some success with The Delacardos’ “On the Beach” in 1962. After Bob met the publishing mogul Bill Lowery in Atlanta, he and Babs relocated there in 1963. Bob and Bill soon became partners in the original Mastersound studio, an old schoolhouse that had been converted into a recording facility in suburban North Atlanta.

As Babs began learning about the publishing business from Bill Lowery, her husband tracked hits for performers associated with the Lowery Music Group, among them Billy Joe Royal (“Down in the Boondocks,” 1965) and The Classics IV (“Spooky,” “Stormy,” 1967).

In 1966, Bob cut The Swingin’ Medallions’ Beach Music smash, “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love,” published by the Richardson’s publishing concern, Lyresong Music, Inc., administered by Babs.

In 1972, Bob and Babs bought out their interest in the Lowery enterprise and, having purchased the Mastersound name, they opened their own state-of-the-art studio in Midtown Atlanta. To design the room, the couple hired Tom Hidley and George Augspurger, who had created L.A.’s innovative Westlake Studio. Always receptive to the new, Mastersound eventually became one of the first Quadraphonic studios in American Their engineer, Joe Neil, was encouraged to modify a video synchronizer to lock together two 24-track machines, creating the possibility of 48-track analog recording. Always on the cutting edge, Mastersound used an early custom console designed by inventor Jeep Harned, the future owner of MCI. Later, the Richardson installed one of the frst Solid State Logic (SSL) consoles in America.

Mastersound became the studio of choice for many prominent artists over the next two decades, among them James Brown, Peabo Bryson, Issac Hayes, Lobo, Prince, Sheila E. and Dionne Warwick. (In 1988, Pink Floyd camped out a Mastersound, working a 36-hour marathon on live album versions of “On the Turning Away” and “Run.”) The Richardson’s studio also became the first in Atlanta to offer post-production technology for film. In 1973, Dueling Banjos, the Deliverance motion picture soundtrack, was cut at Mastersound and rose to the top of the Billboard charts. Many episodes of the TV series, Dukes of Hazzard, were shot at Mastersound, and Babs was instrumental in guiding the career of John Schneider (“Bo Duke”).

Babs initially presided over Mastersound’s business affairs and publishing interests, but her responsibilities expanded as the extent of the studio’s ambition unfolded. She wrote liner notes for artists such as Tamika Jones, Bohannon, Jim Stafford and pianist Mac Frampton, for whom Babs created album artwork. She also wrote lyrics for commercial jingles. A gifted pianist, Babs had a keen ear for talent; she discovered gospel giants Troy Raney & The Soul Searchers, who the Richardsons signed to a recording and publishing contract. Outside of her office, she hung an antique sign that said, “Confessions Daily.” Babs counseled many established and developing artists on their personal and professional problems, helping them to overcome adversity and realize their dreams.

Babs followed in the footsteps of Mary Tallent as the Executive Director of the Atlanta chapter of NARS. She championed the organization and encouraged people to join. She was instrumental in creating Georgia Music Week and was active in Grammy in the Schools and Georgia State University’s Commercial Music Program. Along with Bill Lowery, Babs was on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority that eventually selected Macon as the location of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In addition to handing Grammy Awards to many regional artists, she presented a birthday cake to Ray Charles while thousands sang “Georgia on My Mind” at his 1985 Stone Mountain concert.

Babs Richardson died on Nov. 5, 2006, at the age of 77. Her husband, Bob Richardson, was also inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1987.

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