Sun Studio, Where Music History Was Made

Above, Sun Studio. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today, I was in rock 'n roll music heaven when I took the tour of Sam Phillips' Sun Studio in Memphis.

The shuttle from the Graceland bus terminal wasn't operating today and I wasn't about to drive The Beast to Sun Studio. So I took a taxi over.

Above, the store and soda fountain. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the soda fountain and the "Million Dollar Quartet". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Sun Studio building is quite narrow. It is triangular in shape, but when inside, it isn't noticeable. Upon entry, there is a gift shop with a soda fountain counter.

Above, the outside of the building from a differnt angle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The tours are held every hour at the half hour. Our tour guide was Tiffany. She was quite informative.

First, we headed upstairs to see display cases of various kinds of recording equipment along with a timeline of history of Sun Records. The room was once the radio broadcast station of Dewey Phillips.

Above, the building from another angle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Sun Records was most notable for launching the careers of Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, The Howlin' Wolf, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and many others.

After looking at the displays upstairs we were then brought down to the actual recording studio where Elvis recorded "That's All Right Mama".

There were "Xs" on the floor where Elvis, Scotty Moore and Bill Black stood while recording.

The Sun Studio is still a recording studio. They conduct tours during the day and hold recording sessions at night. Some current recording stars record there.

Above, my souvenirs.

For souvenirs, I picked up a hat and a CD of the complete recordings of the "Million Dollar Quartet's" jam session. Elvis Presley, then under contract with RCA at the time, stopped in one night to visit friends and he was joined by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis (the only living member), Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. They ended up jamming that night and the full recording of the session was released only ten years ago.

A visit to Sun Studio is a must for music history buffs!

Photos from the tour:

Above, the display room and Dewey Phillips' broadcast booth. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the broadcast desk of D.J. Dewey Phillips. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, one of the many recording machines on display. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the office of Marion Keisker, the woman who discovered Elvis. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the recording studio that made Elvis a star. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a fuller view of the recording studio. The "Xs" mark where Elvis and the band stood. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Sam Phillips' control booth. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Tiffany, our tour guide. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the acoustic ceiling of the studio. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a vocal microphone dating back to the 1950s. The
 "X" marks where Elvis stood. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For more photos of Sun Studio, go here.