Sun Studio was opened by Sam Phillips in January 1950. They lay claim to being the birthplace of rock & roll! Some of the most well-known artists recorded here in the 1950s, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
According to About.com:
In 1953, an 18 year old Elvis Presley walked into Memphis Recording Service with a cheap guitar and a dream. Nervously, he sang a demo song, failing to impress Sam Phillips. Elvis continued to hang around the studio, however, and in 1954, Sam Phillips asked him to sing again, backed by a band made up of Scotty Moore and Bill Black. After hours of recording and nothing to show for it, Elvis began playing around with an old blues song, “That’s Alright, Mama.” The rest, is of course, history.
Sun Studio is located in its original location, on 706 Union Avenue. Not only is it a recording studio, but a popular tourist attraction as well. Sun Studio is open seven days a week, and tours begin every hour on the half hour, with the last tour beginning at 5:30 p.m. Children under 12 are free, but those children 5 and under are not permitted on the tour.
I took my mom here this past February when she was here for a visit. As a teenager, she loved watching and listening to Elvis Presley! She told me that she enjoyed Sun Studio nearly as much as she enjoyed Graceland. The tour guide was fabulous and very knowledgeable about the great artists that walked through the Sun Studio doors. The last stop of the tour is in the actual recording studio. You may even take a picture standing in front of one of the microphones used by Elvis himself!
This tour is a definite must-see!
