 Sun
Studio is a recording studio opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips at
706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee on January 3, 1950. It was originally
called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same
building with the Sun Records label business. Reputedly the first rock
and roll single, Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats' "Rocket 88" was
recorded there in 1951 with song composer Ike Turner on keyboards, leading
the studio to claim status as the birthplace of rock and roll. Blues
and R&B artists like Howlin' Wolf, Junior Parker, Little Milton,
B.B. King, James Cotton, Rufus Thomas, and Rosco Gordon recorded there
in the early 1950s.
Rock and roll, country music, and rockabilly artists, including Johnny
Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Feathers, Ray
Harris, Warren Smith, Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis, recorded there
throughout the mid to late 1950s until the studio outgrew its Union
Avenue location. Sam Phillips opened the larger Sam C. Phillips Recording
Studio, better known as Phillips Recording, in 1959 to take the place
of the older facility. Since Sam had invested in the Holiday Inn Hotel
chain earlier, he also recorded artists starting in 1963 on the label
Holiday Inn Records for Kemmons Wilson. In 1957, Bill
Justis recorded his Grammy Hall of Fame song "Raunchy" for Sam Phillips
and worked as a musical director at Sun Records.
In 1969, Sam Phillips sold the label to Shelby Singleton, and there
was no recording-related or label-related activity again in the building
until the September 1985 Class of '55 recording sessions with
Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, produced
by Chips Moman.
In 1987, the original building housing the Sun Records label and Memphis
Recording Service was reopened by Gary Hardy as "Sun Studio," a recording
label and tourist attraction that has attracted many notable artists,
such as U2, Def Leppard, Bonnie Raitt, and Ringo Starr.
In 2005, Brian Setzer (of Stray Cats fame) released his "Rockabilly
Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute To Sun Records" album, recorded at Sun and featuring
various Sun Records songs, some hits and some obscure. In 2007, Canadian
rockabilly band the Kingmakers recorded a selection of originals and
classics such as Elvis Presley's "That's All Right" at Sun Studio, released
as their first CD "Live at SUN Studio". In May 2009, Canadian blues
artist JW-Jones recorded with blues legend Hubert Sumlin, Larry Taylor
and Richard Innes for his 2010 release at the studio. In July 2009,
John Mellencamp recorded nine songs for his album No Better than
This at the studio. Wes Paul and his group the Wes Paul Band are
recording their album at Sun this forthcoming May. In 2011, Chris Isaak
released "Beyond the Sun", a collection of songs recorded at Sun Studio,
most of which are cover versions of songs originally released on Sun
Records. |
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