Famed Fantasy Studios In Berkeley Set To Close

BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, perhaps best known as where the El Cerrito band Creedence Clearwater Revival made music in the early 1970s, is set to close in September.

An email sent out Friday, signed by seven Fantasy employees, said the building hosting the studios is being sold, and that Fantasy's run that started in 1949 will end with the sale. Its last day in business will be Sept. 15.

Many musicians - a stylistically varied group, ranging from CCR to Journey and Santana to Tony Bennett, Counting Crows and Green Day -- made recordings there. Fantasy was first a mostly comedy label, and later primarily a jazz label before CCR released its first album on Fantasy Records in 1968.

According to a biography on Fantasy's website, it was CCR's huge success that allowed Fantasy to build its Berkeley studio in 1971. Before that, it had operated out of a building at 30th and Peralta Streets in Oakland.

Fantasy Studios is also a well-known post-production center for movies, TV and video. "Toy Story," "Good Will Hunting," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Psycho" were among the movies to have some production work done at Fantasy.

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