Amazing Grace and Leon Russell: Located in the Pearl District of Tulsa, OK, The Church Studio is a legendary facility originally launched by singer/songwriter Leon Russell in 1972 as a creative hotbed for his own recording activities and a home for Shelter Records, the label he started with partner Denny Cordell. Located in a converted church building, the studio is known as the heart of the Tulsa Sound, a mix of blues, blues rock, country, rock, and swamp pop vibes pioneered by Russell, J.J. Cale, Roger Tillison, and Elvin Bishop. During Russell’s time there, the sanctuary became a dynamic destination for classic sessions by the iconic likes of Kansas, Dr. John, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Buffett, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Charlie Wilson/The Gap Band and Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, first with Mudcrutch and then the Heartbreakers, among many others. After Russell sold the studio, he continued to record there; others who tracked at the facility were Freddy Fender, Roy Clark and Hanson. The building’s history extends back to 1915, when Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, built by its own congregation, was one of the earliest churches built in Tulsa. Having survived the infamous race riots of 1921, it was known as the First United Brethren Church for several decades, then the First Church of God. The Church Studio was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2017.
Recent Restoration: There were several owners after Russell, but when entrepreneur and fourth generation Oklahoman Teresa Knox first walked through the Church Studio, she was immediately struck by the different woods used for construction, including oak and cedar. She and her husband Ivan Acosta purchased the historic building sight unseen in 2016 after seeing its dilapidated condition, taking an interest in saving it from further decay. They and their team worked diligently over the next six years to develop it into a non-profit recording studio, engineering school, event space, museum and tourist destination. Opening the studio in 2022, their goal is to create a sustainable business model to keep it running for 100 years in the spirit of what Russell created in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Being caretakers of his legacy is of the utmost importance to Knox and Acosta as they continue to establish as collaborative space and entertainment network. In August 2025, Knox released her book Sanctuary of Sound: The Church Studio Story.
World Class Recording Studio: Unlike many other historic studio “museums,” The Church Studio is a state-of-the-art facility boasting top of the line analog and digital gear. Knox says, “Our clients love the warmth of the analog sound and wood surroundings. There’s a sense of belonging and feeling protected when they work here. They feel like they’re part of something bigger.” Even some of the items on their extensive gear list have powerful musical history behind them, starting with the Neve 8068, a grand piano that belonged to Dan Fogelberg and Jamie Oldaker’s classic drum kit. The Church Studio won its first GRAMMY in 2025 for Taj Mahal’s Swingin’ Live At The Church in Tulsa.
Contact The Church Studio 918-894-2965
