Elvis Presley and Sun Records
Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee
Marker Inscription
Elvis Presley and Sun Records In July 1954 Sun Records released Elvis Presley's first recording. That record, and Elvis' four that followed on the Sun label, changed popular music. Elvis developed an innovative and different sound combining blues, gospel, and country. That quality made Elvis a worldwide celebrity within two years. He went on to become one of the most famous and beloved entertainers in history. Sun Records introduced many well known people in all fields of music. Generations of musicians have been affected by those who recorded here and especially by the music Elvis Presley first sang at Sun Records. Sun Records In the early 1950's Sun Records was a small recording studio located here at 706 Union. Owned and operated by Sam C. Phillips, Sun Records became nationally known for giving many local area artists, both black and white, their start in the recording industry. These included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, Howlin' Wolf and others.
Erected by Elvis Presley International Memorial Foundation
The Story
At a small studio at 706 Union, Sam Phillips ran Sun Records, recording local artists both Black and white in the early 1950s. In July 1954 Sun released Elvis Presley's first record, fusing blues, gospel, and country into a sound that within two years made him a global celebrity. The same studio launched Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, and Howlin' Wolf, seeding rock and roll's family tree.
Why it matters
This modest storefront is a birthplace of rock and roll, where Black and white musical traditions merged into a new American sound.
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Related people
- · Elvis Presley
- · Sam Phillips
- · Johnny Cash
- · Jerry Lee Lewis
- · B.B. King
- · Howlin' Wolf
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Nat D. Williams broke a color barrier in 1948 as the first Black radio announcer in Memphis, taking the microphone at station WDIA. A city schoolteacher by day, he co-founded the Cotton Makers Jubilee, wrote for the Memphis World, and from 1935 ran the legendary Amateur Night on Beale Street at the old Palace Theater. Through the airwaves and the footlights he helped launch a generation of Memphis performers.
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WMC Radio Station
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