Fairview Studios

Keith Herd (born 1936){{cite web|url=http://www.frontroommasters.org/History.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726070413/http://www.frontroommasters.org/History.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=26 July 2011 |title=History of Fairview |publisher=Front Room Masters |date= |accessdate=3 December 2012}} hailed from Holmpton, East Riding of Yorkshire, the son of a farmer. Inspired by the music of Bill Haley and Tommy Steele, Herd formed his own outfit The Keith Herd Quartet and in 1962, recorded a demo of them in his own home in Willerby. Their then vocalist, Dave Tenney, was signed to a recording contract by Dick James, although their collective musical ambitions faded. Tenney later sang part of the novelty song, "Star Trekkin'", by The Firm which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in 1987.{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 200}} Herd continued playing music locally and worked for a local music shop as a service engineer. A move in 1965 to a house named Fairview in Willerby, proved the catalyst to turn towards recording music as a career. Beginning in one of his two front rooms in the house, Herd initially recorded mainly local acts. He noted "at the time I started there were no studios in Leeds or Sheffield – even up to 1978 there still wasn’t a professional studio in Sheffield". One of the earliest recordings at Fairview was undertaken by Johnny Small and The Little People, a group which featured both Herd and Rick Kemp.{{cite web|url=http://britishmusicarchive.com/L/139-the-little-people/songs |title=The Little People |publisher=Britishmusicarchive.com |date= |accessdate=3 December 2012}}

Herd also worked for a while with his eventual lifelong friend, Basil Kirchin, on early experimental pieces.

Initially charging £2.00 per hour, despite his limited equipment and experience he taped many hours of material that was issued in 2008 on the compilation album, Front Room Masters – Fairview Studios 1966–1973. Herd still played semi-professionally until 1973, when he decided to concentrate all his efforts into the recording studio. Converting a barn in his back garden, the present day version of the studio was born.

Numerous varied musical acts utilised the premises down the years, with Roy Neave and John Spence joining as sound engineers. John Spence started in 1981 and has been the studio's chief engineer for the last 25 years, guiding the studio through its 50th anniversary in 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.johnspencerecording.co.uk|title=John Spence|publisher=Johnspencerrecording.co.uk|accessdate=5 October 2014}} More recently, the Herd family moved to North Cave and run Fairview Duplication from that location.{{cite web |last=Widd |first=Dean |url=http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Beatles-8217-s-8216-Humber-beat-8217/story-11973201-detail/story.html |title=Keith Herd, creator of Fairview recording studio, Willerby, talks about Humber-beat |publisher=This is Hull and East Riding |date=30 January 2009 |accessdate=3 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204014617/http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Beatles-8217-s-8216-Humber-beat-8217/story-11973201-detail/story.html |archive-date=4 February 2013 |url-status=dead }}

Other notable musicians who have recorded music at Fairview include Barbara Dickson, Marty Wilde, Maddy Prior, The Glitter Band, The Beautiful South, Computerman, Shed Seven, XIII, Dumpvalve,{{cite web|url=http://www.disphobic.com/hosted/dumpvalve/about-music-recording.htm |title=Dumpvalve World – About – Music – Recording Info |publisher=Disphobic.com |date= |access-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927083411/http://www.disphobic.com/hosted/dumpvalve/about-music-recording.htm |archive-date=27 September 2013 |df=dmy }} Lithium Joe,{{cite web|url=http://joesolomusic.bandcamp.com/album/smalltown-ep |title=Smalltown EP | Joe Solo |publisher=Joesolomusic.bandcamp.com |date=1 June 1996 |accessdate=3 December 2012}} Cannon and Ball, Kingmaker, The Farm, Bruce Foxton, Bill Nelson{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8613531 |title=Bill Nelson – Practice of Everyday Life: Celebrating 40 Years of Recordings CD Album |publisher=Cduniverse.com |date= |accessdate=3 December 2012}} John Parr

• List of British recording studios

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.fairviewrecording.co.uk/ Official website]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB9j_mS3F7Y Video recording at Fairview Studios (April 2012)]
• [http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/display.php?irn=49151&SearchSubmit_x=1&accessionnumber=&keywords=events&keywordsorig=&placeorig=&titleorig=&sorton=title&Sender=Contact&Page=19 Museum exhibit of the vinyl record and cover of the original cast recording of Wilberforce. Recorded at Fairview Recording Studio, Hull]

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Category:Recording studios in England

Category:Buildings and structures in the East Riding of Yorkshire

Category:Mass media companies established in 1966

Category:1966 establishments in England