Group Effort Studios

04/07/2025

Cat Campbell & the $2 Pistols embarking on a new project with Johnny Fink in the producer’s chair.

12/03/2025

Video capture day today!

19/06/2024

A productive & fun Jim Pelz session yesterday featuring Aaron Jacobs, Jason Smart, and my old “Crazy Fingers” buddy Jim Connerly.

13/06/2024

Hi all!

I just wanted to clear up some mis-information that has been circulating about Group Effort Studio being inducted into the Northern Kentucky Legends Hall of Fame tonight. Its really no biggie, but I’ve been receiving emails about this so I though I should say something.

Blondie, The Doobie Brothers, and Exile did do work at the studio, but not while it was Group Effort. Their work was done 2 years before we moved into that space.

Here is the corrected bio that I sent out so we wouldn’t mis-lead people:

Dan Murphy started the studio in 1976 in the basement of a house that was in the path of the Ronald Reagan Highway. People donated drums, keyboards and time to help him put things together, hence the name Group Effort.

Dan met another musician named Wayne Hartman and the 2 of them kept the studio working around the clock. That partnership continued as we added Jeffrey Seeman and incorporated the business, moving the studio to Kentucky into the old Forum Recording building in 1983.

A few years later we added Bill Gwynne to the staff and in 1989 we added Jeff Monroe. We had interns over the years from NKU and UC to lend us a hand.

Studio projects consisted of: Thousands of artists, cruise ship shows, audio for video games, on hold phone messages, audio books, theme park shows, forensic audio clean up for law enforcement, band demos, NPR programs, commercials, music for movies, and video layback.

Some of the notable people that have recorded at Group Effort are: Peter Frampton, Sheldon Reynolds (Earth, Wind and Fire), Ric Wake (producer of Taylor Dayne, Mariah Carey, J-Lo etc.), Paul Barrere (Little Feat), and Mike Reid (composer of “I Can’t Make You Love Me”).

Our studio mission was to treat musicians with respect and approach their projects as if they were our own. No judgement and no pressure. The more relaxed the vibe is, the better the outcome.

Dan retired at the beginning of 2018 and Jeff Monroe has kept the studio alive and kickin’.

Thanks much,

Dan Murphy

12/06/2024

Tomorrow evening Group Effort Studios will be inducted into the “Northern KY Music Legends Hall of Fame”. This is quite an honor for the studio and for all the engineers that have participated over the years. It will be great to have founding members Dan Murphy, Wayne Hartman, and previous co-owner Bill Gwynne along to celebrate this honor. Over the years the others have either moved on, moved away, or retired. This being the seventh year that I’ve been operating/responsible for the studio (and my 35th year @ GESS), I must give a shout out to not only my previous business partners, but also current engineers Loren Turner and Rick Andress who help keep the studio steadily moving forward. The biggest Thank You however, goes out to all the artists who continue to use the studio as part of their creative vision, a true testament to what Dan & Wayne started some 45+ years ago! It truly has been a “Group Effort”! THANK YOU 🙏 ❤️

21/05/2024

A nice review of a fine album. Congrats to my friends Anne & Steve! Totally enjoyed working on this record.

Defined by a beautiful melancholy - a hallmark of expansive and expressive genres like Folk, Bluegrass, and American - Stick & Bindle take their time in letting Lore & Laments unwind.

18/05/2024

The studio has been pretty busy the last couple months. Lots of original music, musical theater recording, lots of editing and mixing, tape and ADAT transfers, and recorded some podcasts too.

07/05/2024

Fun session recently with Jim Pelz and crew laying down rhythm tracks for some of Jim’s new songs. Scott Carnder on bass and Nick Hach on the kit.