Caribou Ranch was arecording studio built by producerJames William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in theRocky Mountains nearNederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town ofCaribou. The studio was in operation until it was damaged in a fire in March 1985.[1] The ranch hosted some of the most prominent acts of the 1970s and 80s and was closely associated with the bandChicago, who recorded five consecutive albums there between 1973 and 1977.
In 1971, Guercio purchased Caribou Ranch, comprising more than 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of ranch property in the Rocky Mountains.[2] The next year,Joe Walsh andBill Szymczyk were starting work onBarnstorm at Walsh's home in Colorado when a mixer blew out on the first day. Szymczyk knew Guercio was building a new studio, visited the in-progressbarn conversion at the ranch, and concluded that it would work for their project. They used the new studio to finishBarnstorm. Szymczyk next madeRick Derringer'sAll American Boy and the hit single "Rock & Roll, Hoochie Koo" there.[3]
Elton John's 1974 albumCaribou was recorded at and named after the studio. John also recorded the single "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" there, along with its b-side, the John Lennon-penned "One Day (At A Time)," and the basic tracks and vocals for the single "Philadelphia Freedom" (the orchestral parts for which were overdubbed later). He also recorded his next two albums,Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy andRock of the Westies at Caribou Ranch.
Simultaneously in 1974The Beach Boys attempted to record new material for theirfirst studio album sinceHolland two years prior. The recordings were not very successful, but some songs such as "Good Timin'" and "Ding Dang" saw later release. Many other songs were demoed but have not yet seen official release. Beach Boys membersCarl Wilson andBruce Johnston sang backing vocals in support of Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" during this time.
The groupChicago, managed by Guercio, recorded five studio albums there:Chicago VI,Chicago VII,Chicago VIII,Chicago X, andChicago XI.Earth, Wind, & Fire recorded two of their albums there as well;[4] 1974'sOpen Our Eyes (Produced byMaurice White & Joe Wissert) and the 1975Grammy winningThat's the Way of the World (Produced by White and Charles Stepney).
In 1978, Guercio co-owned a club in theNorth American Soccer League called theColorado Caribous, which played their home games inMile High Stadium inDenver. The team performed badly both on the field and at the box office and lasted just one season before shifting toAtlanta. (The squad is best remembered today for their unusual uniforms, which included a strip of leather fringe across the chest.)
By the mid 1980s, it was rumored that business was slow for the studio and their rates had dropped. In March 1985Amy Grant, who had recorded four albums there, including herplatinum-certified mainstream breakthrough albumUnguarded, was about to fly out ofNashville to return to Caribou for work on her next project when word reached her that the studio was in flames.
The studio complex was shut down and never used again after the 1985 fire destroyed the control room and caused aboutUS$3 million in damage. According to the Nederland Fire Chief, while the fire department was doing overhaul on the fire to make sure it was out, a chain saw cutting through the studio wall damaged several Gold Record plaques that had been awarded to Guercio's group Chicago.
Guercio's interests had shifted away from music and on transactions in 1996 and 2001 he sold 2,180 acres (880 ha) of the ranch toBoulder County and the City ofBoulder, and another 1,489 acres (603 ha) were placed underconservation easement. A housing development by Guercio's Caribou Companies takes up much of the remaining land.[5]
In a 2008 interview with Denver PBS seriesStudio 12,[6] Guercio said the studio's control room was rebuilt after the fire.[a] Guercio added, however, that he has no plans to reopen the recording facility for business.
In 2009, theNeve 8016mixing console from the recording studio was refurbished by Vintage King Audio and purchased by Prime Studio in Austria.[7]
The remaining 1,600-acre (650 ha) property was sold to Indian Peaks Holdings LLC for $32.5 million.[8]
In January 2015, the remaining Rock 'n' Roll memorabilia was auctioned in Denver. Over $800,000 was raised from more than 1500 bidders.[9] Items sold included:[10]
In August of 2024 the ranch was listed for sale for $48.5 million. TheWall Street Journal linked theWalton family as the sellers.[16][17]
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Over 150 artists recorded at Caribou.[18] Notable acts included the following.
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39°59′50″N105°30′51″W / 39.9972°N 105.5143°W /39.9972; -105.5143