Saturday, I found myself at Sun Studios. While I’ve been to the store in Nashville, visiting the Memphis site was a dream come true. I stood in the room where Elvis first recorded. Where Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and countless others came to record and be discovered.
There is so much more to the story. Marion Keisker was the first woman in Memphis to have a radio show. Her story is incredible, but she is often referred to as Sam Phillips secretary. She is just as important to the story, even if she is often overlooked.
Speaking of Sam Phillips…He is a complicated man. However, he knew what he wanted…a sound that was different than what everyone else was recording. While the music was already there, he enabled it to be shared with many more. It spread from a regional sound to the national and international marketplace.
Even more incredible was this site could have been lost to history. Sam outgrew the facility and moved to another location in 1959. The building stood empty, except as a storage site, for 25 years. It was used, at one time, as radiator storage. Thankfully, Memphis came to its senses and saved this building. Now, you too can visit the room where so much history was made. The same sound tiles are still there. If you listen closely, you might hear their story, as well. If only they could really talk!
Memphis has a lot to offer. You can have a really good time and probably drink as much as you can hold. However, there is more to the story. If you have the chance to travel to this city, don’t miss out on learning about this part of early rock and roll history!
Bill at Sun Studios in front of the Million Dollar
Quartet photo. This photo was probably not
an accident, but encouraged by Sam Phillips.
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