The History of Sun Records
The recording label Sun Records was founded in 1952 by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee. It launched the music careers of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and many others. Always operating on a shoestring budget, Sun Records was sold to record producer Shelby Singleton in 1969 to become Sun International Corporation.
Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips, a native of Florence, Alabama, was a disc jockey in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, playing a mix of music from white and black artists, which was a rare format for any radio station, much less one broadcasting in the South. In 1950, at the age of 27, Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service. In 1952, Sun Records began operating out of the same building. Music was recorded not only by music bands but also for weddings and funerals. The Sun staff was small: Scotty Moore was studio manager and engineer. Charles Underwood worked as an engineer and Bill Fitzgerald was general manager.
Rhythm and Blues
From 1950 to 1954, Phillips focused his efforts on recording black artists, including B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf and James Cotton. Music historians now credit Phillips for recording the first rock song, "Rocket 88," by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston in 1951. With these early successes he attempted to move blues-style music, perceived by many to be only African-American music, into the mainstream.
Elvis
In 1953, a young Elvis Presley walked in to record two songs as a gift to his mother, Gladys. Phillips thought that Presley could sing ballads well and invited him back to record again. In July of 1954, Presley recorded Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)."
Stardom
Believing "That's All Right (Mama)" was a hit and the perfect crossover "black" song by a white artist to reach the white teen audience, Phillips promoted his new artist throughout the South with a series of engagements. The song was Presley's breakthrough hit and it helped to launch a new style of music that would be called rock and roll.
Financial Trouble
Elvis's success didn't necessarily translate into revenue. By 1955, Presley was a star and RCA Victor was interested. Phillips sold Presley's contract to RCA for $25,000. It was then the highest price paid for a recording artist. It served Presley well because RCA gave him national exposure and security. And it gave the struggling Sun Records a cash infusion.
Rockabilly
The success of Elvis pushed Phillips into a different direction as he abandoned the blues in favor rock and roll and rockabilly. Through the rest of the 1950s, he developed the careers of Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis. Sun recorded primarily singles with only 12 albums produced over 19 years.
Bad Luck
In the late 1950s Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were promising stars. Perkins recorded the hit "Blue Suede Shoes," but he was seriously injured in an auto accident and he never recovered his momentum. Lewis recorded "Whole Lotta Shakin'Goin' On." However, the scandal of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin derailed his career, compromising the success of Sun Records. In 1969, Phillips sold Sun to Shelby Singleton. Singleton re-released many of Sun's recordings under the Sun International label. He also leased singles and albums to other record companies.Outside business investments made Phillips a rich man. He was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and died in 2003.
