Memphis, Tennessee, is a city rich with music, culture and history. One of its most historic tourist destinations is Sun Studio. During the 1950s, Sun Records founder Sam Phillips became a music recording industry pioneer by combining the sounds of country, R&B, western swing, gospel and blues, ushering in the mainstream popularity of rock-and-roll and rockabilly music.
Though one of Memphis’ most iconic tourist destinations is listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Sun Studio is still a fully operational recording studio, actively recording at night after daily touring ends.
Sun Studio’s location at 706 Union Avenue was opened by Phillips in Memphis in 1950 as the “Memphis Recording Service.” This location would also serve as the studio for his own label, Sun Records, which he created in 1952. Phillips, who had been a radio DJ in the 1940s in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, attributed this time in “open format” (broadcasting music from both black and white performers) radio as the inspiration for his later recording work.
Phillips was known for being patient, encouraging and receptive to anyone who wanted to play for him. Unlike many of the larger contemporary labels, Phillips offered a judgement-free and spontaneous environment conducive to the creativity of the individual artist. Phillips believed that recordings should be made based on feeling rather than technical perfection.
During these early days of rock and roll in the 1950s, Phillips was responsible for recording and producing acts such as B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Harold Jenkins (Conway Twitty) and most notably, Elvis Presley.
In 1959 the demands of the recording volume prompted Phillips to move the studio out of the original Memphis Recording Service location and into a newer, larger studio space. By the mid 1960s, Phillips had lost much of his desire for recording and production and returned to radio. After minimal success in the 1960s, the Sun Records label was sold in 1969 to Shelby Singleton, later consolidated into Mercury Records and moved to Nashville.
The original Sun Studio location remained unused until 1985 when Chips Moman produced the “Class of ‘55” sessions there. This album by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins, all of whom had recorded with Phillips in the 1950s, was a tribute to both Elvis Presley and the early days of rock and roll at Sun Studio.
Sun Studio’s original Union Avenue location was officially reopened as a recording studio and tourist attraction in 1987. Since its reopening, many acts, including U2, Def Leppard, Ringo Starr, John Mellencamp, Chris Isaak and Bonnie Raitt, have recorded there.
Since 2014 significant progress has been made toward restoring the studio with specs and equipment used by Phillips in the early days of the Memphis Recording Service. The magic of the studio is experienced in the form of a 45-minute tour through the hallowed halls of this legendary piece of music history conducted by knowledgeable and passionate tour guides, many of whom are aspiring musicians themselves.
Visitors see classic instruments, memorabilia and photos from the early Sun Studio days. Guests enjoy hearing little-known stories about early recordings by artists like B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf and Ike Turner; walking in the footsteps of their favorite artists; and posing for a photo with Elvis’s microphone. Tourgoers will hear the voices of musicians that still haunt the studio as they listen to outtakes from recording sessions and feel the energy of the music created there.
After daytime tourist operations close down, the studio is available to recording artists at the charge of $200 per hour.
Sun Studio is located within a mile of both Beale Street and the Peabody Hotel at the original Sam Phillips’ original 706 Union Avenue building. It is open every day but Christmas and Thanksgiving from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with tours beginning at the bottom half of every hour and special hours on New Year’s Day and Christmas Eve.
Admission for adults is $14 with discounts for students, military and AAA. Admission is free for children ages 5-11. Tickets can be purchased on location in person. Groups of 20 or more should contact John Schorr via email at [email protected]. Children under 5 are not allowed on the guided tour.
During operation hours, a complimentary shuttle runs between the studio and the Rock ‘n’ Soul museum just off Beale Street. Parking is free on the street and in the lot behind the studio. Because of the National Historic Landmark designation, the studio has not been renovated and only half of the tour is wheelchair accessible. For any further questions call 800-441-6249 or visit sunstudios.com.
© Benjamin Johnson for Country Reunion Music