20th Century · Tennessee
Sun Studio
Sun Studio's storefront exterior. — Chris Brown
Why Sun Studio Matters
A cramped storefront studio where a handful of sessions recorded by Sam Phillips helped invent rock and roll, launching Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis within a few short years of each other.
By the Numbers
Founding
- Opened
- 1950, by Sam Phillips as the Memphis Recording Service
History
- Early rock record
- 'Rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, recorded 1951
- Elvis's start
- Recorded his first commercial single, 'That's All Right,' in 1954
- Million Dollar Quartet
- Impromptu 1956 session with Presley, Cash, Lewis, and Perkins
- Reopening
- Closed as a full-time label in the late 1960s, reopened in 1985 as studio and museum
Culture
- Other artists
- Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf
Today
- Status
- Still an active recording studio, used by contemporary artists including U2
Timeline
- 1950Sam Phillips opens the Memphis Recording Service
- 1951Records 'Rocket 88,' often cited as an early rock and roll record
- 1954Elvis Presley records 'That's All Right,' his first commercial single
- 1956The 'Million Dollar Quartet' session brings together Presley, Cash, Lewis, and Perkins
- 1985The studio reopens as both a working studio and a museum
Complete History
Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service in 1950 with the slogan 'We Record Anything - Anywhere - Anytime,' recording everything from weddings to local blues and R&B musicians that larger labels ignored. In 1951, Phillips recorded Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats performing 'Rocket 88,' a raucous, distorted single that music historians frequently cite as one of the first rock and roll records.
In 1954, a young truck driver named Elvis Presley walked into the studio and eventually recorded 'That's All Right' with Phillips, a session now regarded as Presley's breakthrough and one of the founding moments of rock and roll as a genre. Phillips's small label, Sun Records, went on to record Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and blues artists including B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, assembling an extraordinary run of talent from a single storefront studio.
On December 4, 1956, an unplanned jam session brought Presley, Cash, Lewis, and Perkins together in the studio at once, later released as recordings of the 'Million Dollar Quartet.' The studio's run as a full-time label wound down by the late 1960s, but it reopened in 1985 as both a museum with daily tours and a working recording studio, still used today by contemporary artists including U2.
Historic Images
Interesting Facts
- Elvis Presley made his first commercial recording, 'That's All Right,' at Sun Studio in 1954.
- The studio's 1951 recording of 'Rocket 88' is often cited as one of the first rock and roll records.
- Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, B.B. King, and Howlin' Wolf all recorded at Sun Studio.
- A legendary 1956 jam session brought together Presley, Cash, Lewis, and Perkins as the 'Million Dollar Quartet.'
- Sun Studio is still a working recording studio today, used by contemporary artists including U2.
Visiting Today
- Hours
- Daily tours on the hour; check website for current schedule
- Admission
- Paid guided tour (required to see the studio)
- Best time to visit
- Morning tours tend to be less crowded
- Nearby
- Beale Street, Graceland, National Civil Rights Museum
The tour includes a chance to hold some of the original microphones used by Elvis and other Sun artists
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Elvis Presley really start his career here?
Yes. Elvis made his first commercial recordings at Sun Studio in 1954, including 'That's All Right,' widely regarded as his breakthrough single.
What was the 'Million Dollar Quartet'?
An impromptu December 1956 jam session at Sun Studio that brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, later released as a recording.
Why is Sun Studio called the birthplace of rock and roll?
Its 1951 recording of 'Rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats is frequently cited by music historians as one of the first rock and roll records, and the studio went on to launch several of the genre's founding artists.
Is Sun Studio still an active recording studio?
Yes. It operates as both a museum with daily tours and a working studio, still used by contemporary musicians including U2.
