James Albert Beck (August 11, 1916 – May 3, 1956) was an American country music talent agent, record promoter, recording studio owner, A&R engineer, record producer, and music publisher from
Dallas, Texas. Born in
Marshall, Texas, Beck is credited with discovering and, in 1950, being the first to record
Lefty Frizzell. He is also credited for introducing Frizzell and
Ray Price to Frank Jones (1926–2005) of
Columbia Records, which led to their first major recording contracts.
Marty Robbins recorded his first hit — "
I'll Go on Alone" — at Beck's studio. Beck's studio also recorded a few hits by
Carl Smith at his studio. Record labels and producers who recorded at Jim Beck Studios included
Decca (via
Paul Cohen),
Bullet,
King,
Imperial, and
Columbia Records.[1][2] Between 1954 and 1956,
Frankie Miller recorded a series of singles for
Columbia at Beck's studio.[3]
Jim Beck Studio
Beck built his second studio – the "Jim Beck Studio" – in 1950 at 1101 Ross Avenue in Dallas.[4][5] His first studio had been on Main Street in Dallas.[6][7][8][9][10][11]Norman Petty, who later built and ran his own recording studio, worked as a part-time recording engineer at the Jim Beck Studio.[10]
Jim Beck Studio recording artists and session musicians
Note † signifies artists who recorded or worked studio sessions at Jim Beck Studio (Partial Listing)[12]
Death
Jim Beck died on May 3, 1956, at
Baylor Hospital, after collapsing at his recording studio from accidentally inhaling
carbon tetrachloride fumes[13] while he and his assistant
Jimmy Rollins were cleaning recording equipment.[5]