Ardent Studios in Memphis is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and providing a reminder of the city's place in the history of recorded music.

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reported on the anniversary, to be celebrated Monday with an invitation-only open house. While many music producers in Memphis are well past their heyday and now seem like relics in a museum, Ardent has kept up and continues to thrive with many popular titles.

"I don't know whether the fact that somebody has been in the music business in Memphis for 40 years is a testament to their success or their tenacity -- or to their hard-headedness and stubbornness," says Ardent founder John Fry, 61.

Some of Ardent's greatest hits include Isaac Hayes' "Hot Buttered Soul," R.E.M.'s "Green," B.B. King's "Blues Summit" and the soundtrack to "Hustle & Flow."