Tucked away in a pastoral setting sits the Secret Sound Studio, a state-of-the-art mixing and tracking environment located on fifty-three bucolic and secluded acres in the heart of Williamson County.
Meet Chas and Melanie Sandford – owners of the studio and local power couple and creative entrepreneurs.
Chas and Melanie are music industry phenomenons. As a multi-platinum producer, writer, and artist, Chas has earned 12 ASCAP’s “Most Performed Songs” awards. Chas is best known for his iconic hits, including John Waite’s “Missing You,” Stevie Nicks’ “Talk to Me,” and Chicago’s “What Kind of Man Would I Be.” His songs have been recorded by artists such as Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Brooks & Dunn, Alison Krauss, Rick Springfield, Sammy Hagar, and others.
In the role of producer and engineer extraordinaire, Chas has worked with Chicago, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dan Hill, Don Johnson and others. While working in California, Chas opened one of the first-ever professional home recording studios, a pioneering move that would become the norm.
Secret Sound is a Dolby Certified 9.1.4 music studio. It is one of Nashville’s top independent studios and is available for producers and artists to use for their own projects. Some of the many artists to work with or in Secret Sound with Chas include the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Chicago, Def Leppard, Dolly Parton, Joe Cocker, John Berry, Keith Urban, KISS, Madonna, Queen, Richard Marx, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, Suzy Bogguss, Tim McGraw, Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Travis Tritt, Trisha Yearwood and Willie Nelson…. To name a few!
Melanie is no stranger to the music business either. She is a singer-songwriter who won Best Female Songwriter in 2015; her sultry voice was featured on her latest album, “Wonderland,” which was produced, mixed, and engineered by her husband, Chas.
In addition to music, Melanie is a hugely popular holistic nutritionist. She specializes in medicinal plants of herbal immersion. Melanie’s genuinely fun and quirky style has helped her build an Instagram audience of over 1 million followers. Check her out at
@mellysandford.
