Sun Studio Story Coming To Dubai's QE2

Above, Sun Studio in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If it wasn't for a little storefront recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, we probably would have rock 'n roll today.

The Sun Studio story cries out to be told and Dubai's QE2 is telling it.

According to The National:

If rock ‘n’ roll has a spiritual home, it’s at 706 Union ­Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee – the address of an unassuming, ­garage-sized recording studio where Jerry Lee Lewis ­conjured Great Balls of Fire, Carl Perkins polished his Blue Suede Shoes, Johnny Cash walked the line and Elvis Presley hopped on board the Mystery Train. 

Legend has it that rock’s fuse was lit one day in 1954, when a 19-year-old Presley spontaneously broke into a rendition of bluesman Arthur Crudup’s That’s All Right at the shoebox Sun Studio, and handed founder Sam Phillips a hit record. Within a year pop music would be changed forever – and Elvis would be the world’s first rock star. 

It’s surprising that the Sun ­­Records story was not ­serialised until 2017, by American television channel CMT. The tale of how a small, independent label created the ­latter-20th century’s ­greatest cultural movement appeared on the small screen but it deserves to be told more widely and on a grander stage. 

Dubai’s QE2 will provide that opportunity in this country, with Sun Records: Where Rock n’ Roll Was Born, an authorised ­musical tribute to the Sun Studio story, playing from Wednesday until Friday. “It’s enough to say that ­without Sam Phillips and Sun Records, there would not be rock ‘n’ roll,” says Pete Tobit, who ­produces the show.

To read more, go here. 

The Nation: "Japan's Rebirth Is Vital To The Rest of The World"

Above, salarymen waiting for their shinkansen train at a Kyoto Station smoking area. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Nation posted an interesting editorial on Japan, "Japan's Rebirth Is Vital To The Rest of The World."

Part of the editorial reads as follows:

One year after the triple disasters of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, Japan and its people have done a remarkable job in keeping the country great. Of course, there are still lots of challenges ahead before Japan can once again achieve the success it used to enjoy. But suffice to say, today's Japan is much more resilient, flexible and open.

In the years after the Second World War, Japan rose to its feet rapidly, with the assistance of the US. During that period the Japanese people endured all kinds of hardships, but they seldom complained as they rebuilt their war-shattered economy and landscape. Within two decades after the war, Japan's economy was one of the largest in the world. That success continued until very recently. As the world's third largest economy, whatever happens to Japan's economic health will have a direct impact on many countries. For those in Southeast Asia, the stakes are even higher because Japan's economic ties to this part of world remain vital in stimulating development and growth.

Visitors going to Japan after the quake and tsunami will find the country is much more open than before. The government has realised that Japan has a lot of friends overseas. The outpouring of assistance and sympathy in the aftermath of the tragedies encouraged the government and people to increase engagement with the outside world.

To read the full editorial, go here.