Singer-songwriter Sykes tapped to head Ardent Studios
Memphis singer-songwriter Keith Sykes and Ardent Studios have a long, close association. For more than 40 years, Sykes has made records at the Midtown recording facility. But this past month Sykes returned to Ardent in a new role — that of chief manager.
“The first time I set foot in here was 1971 — the building had been open just a month or two,” recalled Sykes. “By 1977, Ardent was my home studio. Now, I’m back here in a different way, but it always feels like home.”
Confirmation of Sykes as Ardent’s new head comes some three years after the passing of studio founder John Fry in December 2014. His widow and Ardent owner, Betty Fry, says she is “pleased Keith Sykes has joined the legendary facility as (chief manager) to oversee operations” and notes her late husband was “good friends” with Sykes.
In the aftermath of John Fry’s passing, the Ardent company board, led by Betty Fry, handed day-to-day control of the studio business to Pat Scholes in 2015. A senior manager for technology at Ardent from 1983 to 2000, Scholes had been heavily involved in the company’s Christian music label before moving on to an executive position at AutoZone.
In summer 2016, Scholes — who was also a minority owner of Ardent — made a series of major organizational changes and staffing cuts. He parted ways with several longtime employees, including controller Elizabeth Montgomery Brown and studio manager Dan Russo. Scholes then installed his own pick, Ryan Wiley — an attorney and former Ardent producer’s assistant — as general manager. Scholes said the reorganization was a response to a changing business climate, one that continues to be increasingly difficult for higher-end, bigger-overhead studio complexes like Ardent.
As the label celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016, Ardent continued to do business, with artists like Julien Baker, Deer Tick and Low Cut Connie, as well hip-hop producer Carlos Broady, all bringing projects to the studio. Ultimately, however, the Scholes-led regime was unable to stabilize the company’s business to Betty Fry’s satisfaction.
In late 2017, Betty Fry decided to take a more-hands on approach. She quietly exercised her option to purchase the minority shares belonging to Scholes and three other partners — accounting for 35 percent stake in the studio — and became the 100 percent owner of Ardent (though the partners retain shares in the company’s music publishing side).
This winter, Fry parted ways with Wiley and, eventually, Keith Sykes accepted the newly created position of chief manager. Sykes — whose wife, Jerene, works as Betty Fry’s personal assistant — was reluctant at first. His own career as a songwriter and touring musician remains busy (Sykes has a cowrite on the new record from John Prine, and a couple songs in the Jimmy Buffett Broadway musical “Escape to Margaritaville”). “But I’d hear my wife and Betty talking about different things at Ardent,” says Sykes. “After a while I thought, ‘Well, I know how to do that’ or ‘I could help with that.’ Finally, I just said, 'OK, I’ll do it.’”
Sykes, who’s been on the job just over a month, says he’s enjoying his new position and learning as he goes. “I almost know what keys go to what doors,” he says, chuckling. “Really, we hope to get Ardent like Betty wants — spruced up and going again, and making a bigger reach out to an international clientele, as well as locally and nationally.”
The studio’s other key employees — including engineer/archivist Adam Hill and 31-year veteran Jody Stephens, who serves as vice president of production — remain on board. “I’m excited to have Keith here,” Stephens says of Sykes. “I’ve known Keith for decades, and he’s such an important part of Ardent’s history. It’s very cool having him here and working with him.
“Since (John Fry) passed, there have been several steps taken, and all have been positive steps, to keep the business steady,” adds Stephens. “But having Keith here certainly makes a lot of sense. He’s a musician and creative guy, and he’s got a really good sense of the direction the business needs to go in at this time.”
Sykes says Ardent — which has historically been a multi-dimensional company with active publishing, label and distribution interests — will continue to explore opportunities on most of those fronts, but will refocus on its recording business.
“Finding artists to produce or publish is still one of Ardent’s goals moving forward. We’ll be looking for talent and developing talent, though not doing a label necessarily. But the core of what we do is recording,” he says. “We’ve got what I believe is the best equipment in the area, we’ve got incredible facilities. The history is all here, the equipment is all here, and the engineers are fantastic. It’s important that we remind everyone of that.”
Sykes, who turns 70 this fall, admits his job is not just to reinvigorate Ardent’s current fortunes, but ultimately hand off the reins to someone who will steer the studio long-term.
“I’m going to have my eyes peeled out over the next few years,” he says, “for someone who can take over and carry a vision — really, John Fry’s vision for this studio — into the next 50 years.”