Along with her then partner Chas Evans, a professional drummer and percussionist, Claudette formed Studio 95, which, strangely enough got its name from its location at 95, Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth and it soon gained a reputation of excellence for its tuition. Chas taught drums and bass and Claudette was responsible for the tuition of guitar, keyboards and vocals. However Claudette, who as a songwriter had always been interested in recording, purchased a Teac 2 track reel to reel shortly followed by a 4 track and mixing desk. The business quickly expanded in this direction, so in 1983 she purchased a property in Boscombe, converting the outbuilding with help from friends into a professional 8 track recording Studio, later to expand to 16 tracks.
The Studio quickly expanding especially when Tony Davidson joined as Musical Director and following the production of many ‘click’ tracks for Song and Dance Productions and their touring theatre Shows, Claudette and Tony started to record custom made backing tracks. Such was the novelty of the idea, that South Today featured them, take a look.
At Studio 95 many cash-strapped solos and combos recorded their demos and along with her contacts at the local Radio station, 2CR the Band Bash was born. The facility was also disable friendly and thanks to the help from so many volunteers, who adapted the control room, Freedom Fighter recorded and rehearsed there and money raised from their gigs and Album and Tape sales, funded other young disabled persons, giving them the opportunity to learn an instrument.
At the especially adapted premises in Boscombe the Studio grew from strength to strength becoming a hub for new, up and coming Bands with Claudette keeping abreast with the changing technology of the recording industry, investing in new equipment, sequencers, samplers and programmable drum machines as well as going to 8 track 1/2″ audio tape recording.
Among the local 80’s artists and groups who used Studio 95’s improving facilities were:
Danze Frakcha: Nick McAvoy (vocals/saxophone) Tony Lucas (guitar) Gavin Underhill (synth) Nick Hamper (bass) Chris Veals (“Simmons” drums) Plim (percussion) recorded ‘We Can Wish’ in April 1984.
Idiom Tribe: Tim McAuliffe (vocal) John Webb (guitars) Martin Burden a.k.a. Budge Magraw (bass) John Small (drums) Nick McAvoy (saxophone) recorded ‘Turn the Tables’ in 1984
Nick Waugh (vocals/acoustic guitar/percussion) recorded ‘In Retrospect’ recorded 1984
Bellaphon:Jayne Bennett (vocal) Brett Green (guitars) Phil Millward (bass) Steve (drums) recorded ‘Bellaphon’ in the summer of ’84
Liam King: Nick McAvoy (vocals/programming) Nick Hamper (bass)*. AN Others (guitar/keyboards) recorded ‘Under the Pressure of Love’ in 1983
In 1984 the Studio teamed up with Solent Records, based on the Isle of Wight, run by John Waterman and saw Sydney Harbour record a single ‘My Friend Sid’ and ‘The Troupadour’ on the Solent label, two more artists to record tracks that year were Clifford Martin with ‘ The Honolulu Sun’ and Adrien Munden ‘The Making of an Independent’, both released on their own Cliffhanger record label.
With the coming of digital and computer recording Claudette sold the Studio, moving to Westbourne in 1989 to concentrate on teaching, backing tracks and recording solo artistes and a change of name to STAR Services. Read on………