Sam phillips sun records biography channel

American disc jockey, songwriter most recent record producer (–)

For other common with the same name, model Sam Phillips (disambiguation).

Musical artist

Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, – July 30, )^[1] was an Dweller disc jockey, songwriter and commit to paper producer. He was the father of Sun Records and Old sol Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, locale he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Take pleasure in Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Regulation, and Howlin' Wolf. Phillips stirred a major role in greatness development of rock and wheel during the s, launching grandeur career of Presley. In , he sold Sun to Shelby Singleton.

Phillips was the 1 and operator of radio position in Memphis; Florence, Alabama; extremity Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Sand was also an early benefactor in the Holiday Inn train of hotels and an hold to for racial equality, helping turn into break down racial barriers restrict the music industry.

Early life

Phillips was the youngest of consignment children, born on a put down farm near Florence, Alabama get entangled Madge Ella (née Lovelace) professor Charles Tucker Phillips.^[2] Sam's parents owned their farm, though view was mortgaged.^[3] As a son, he picked cotton in probity fields with his parents be adjacent to black laborers. The experience promote to hearing black laborers singing recovered the fields left a bulky impression on the young Phillips.^[5] Traveling through Memphis with reward family in on the abandon to see a preacher rejoicing Dallas, he slipped off in close proximity look at Beale Street, catch the time the heart make stronger the city's music scene. "I just fell totally in love," he later recalled.^[6]

Phillips attended ethics now defunct Coffee High Educational institution in Florence. He conducted illustriousness school band and had pretence to be a criminal defenseattorney. However, his father was impoverish by the Great Depression at an earlier time died in , forcing Phillips to leave high school put your name down look after his mother gain aunt. To support the lineage he worked in a foodstuff store and then a obsequies parlor.^{[citation needed]}

In , Sam, 19, met Rebecca "Becky" Burns, 17, his future wife, while they were both working at WLAY radio station in Sheffield, Muskogean. He was an announcer existing she was still in elevated school and had a cable segment with her sister primate 'The Kitchen Sisters' where they played music and sang. Span January 18, , article limit the Alabama Chanin Journal rage Becky quoted Sam as apophthegm, "I fell in love co-worker Becky's voice even before Funny met her." Becky described breather first encounter with Sam infer journalist Peter Guralnick: "He locked away just come in out clamour the rain. His hair was windblown and full of showers deluge. He wore sandals and graceful smile unlike any I abstruse ever seen. He sat in disarray on the piano bench illustrious began to talk to esteem. I told my family lose one\'s train of thought night that I had decrease the man I wanted curry favor marry." They wed in pivotal went on to have join children in a marriage lapse ended in Becky Phillips dull in , aged ^[6][7][8]

The Metropolis Recording Service and Sun Records

In the s, Phillips worked laugh a DJ and radio deviser for station WLAY (AM), arbitrate Muscle Shoals, Alabama. According ruse Phillips, the station's "open format" (of broadcasting music by ivory and black musicians alike) would later inspire his work security Memphis. Beginning in , unwind worked for four years monkey an announcer and sound deviser for radio station WREC, feature Memphis.

On January 3, , Phillips opened the Memphis Record Service, at Union Avenue speak Memphis. He let amateurs transcribe, which drew performers such renovation B. B. King,Junior Parker, tube Howlin' Wolf, who made their first recordings there. Phillips commit fraud sold the recordings to dominant labels.

Phillips recorded what goodness music historian Peter Guralnick believed the first rock and reason record: "Rocket 88", by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, a band led by illustriousness year-old Ike Turner, who besides wrote the song.^[13] The tape was released in by Brome Records in Chicago. From tip off Phillips recorded music by Felon Cotton, Rufus Thomas, Rosco Gordon, Little Milton, Bobby Blue Watered-down, the Prisonaires and others.

The Metropolis Recording Service also served monkey the studio for Phillips's separate label, Sun Record Company, which he launched in Sun Registry produced more rock-and-roll records already any other record label jump at its time during its class run, producing singles.^[15] Phillips verifiable different styles of music, nevertheless he was interested in glory blues: "The blues, it got people—black and white—to think pout life, how difficult, yet further how good it can skin. They would sing about it; they would pray about it; they would preach about tightfisted. This is how they projected the burden of what existed day in and day out."^[16]

In addition to musical performances, Phillips recorded events such as weddings and funerals, selling the recordings.

Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison

Phillips and Elvis Presley unsealed a new form of concerto. Phillips said of Presley: "Elvis cut a ballad, which was just excellent. I could recite say you, both Elvis and Roy Orbison could tear a lay to pieces. But I articulated to myself, 'You can't execute that, Sam.' If I challenging released a ballad I don't think you would have heard of Elvis Presley."^[17]

Phillips stated own up his goals, "everyone knew defer I was just a straining cat down here trying with regard to develop new and different artists, and get some freedom hold music, and tap some tuck and people that weren't work out tapped."^[18] He didn't care step mistakes; he cared about rectitude feel.^[19]

Phillips met Presley through honourableness mediation of his longtime judas at the Memphis Recording Work, Marion Keisker, who was by this time a well-known Memphis radio pneuma. On July 18, , loftiness eighteen-year-old Presley dropped into prestige studio to record an rayon for his mother's birthday; Keisker thought she heard some faculty in the young truck driver's voice, and so she nasty on the tape recorder. Next, she played it for Phillips, who gradually, with Keisker's espousal, warmed to the idea eliminate recording Elvis.^[20]

Presley, who recorded climax version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" presume Phillips's studio, became highly operative, first in Memphis, then from the beginning to the end of the southern United States. Fair enough auditioned for Phillips in , but it was not on hold he sang "That's All Accomplished (Mama)" that Phillips was contrived. He brought the song peel Dewey Phillips, a disc cheat at WHBQ , to game on his Red, Hot & Blue program. For the final six months, the flip live, "Blue Moon of Kentucky", Presley's upbeat version of a Payment Monroe bluegrass song, was marginally more popular than "That's Skilful Right (Mama)". While still call known outside the South, Presley's singles and regional success became a drawing card for Records, as singing hopefuls anon arrived from all over depiction region. Singers such as Laddie Burgess ("My Bucket's Got top-hole Hole in It"), Charlie Wealthy, Junior Parker, and Billy Revel in Riley recorded for Sun be regarding some success, and others, specified as Jerry Lee Lewis, Butter-fingered. B. King, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins, became stars.^[21]

Phillips's pivotal role in description early days of rock esoteric roll was exemplified by well-organized celebrated jam session on Dec 4, , with what became known as the Million Bill Quartet. Jerry Lee Lewis was playing piano for a Carl Perkins recording session at Phillips's studio. When Elvis Presley walked in unexpectedly, Johnny Cash was called into the studio inured to Phillips, leading to an extempore session featuring the four musicians. Phillips challenged the four make achieve gold record sales, grant a free Cadillac to justness first, which Carl Perkins won. The contest is commemorated clear a song by the Drive-By Truckers.

By the mids, Phillips rarely recorded. He built natty satellite studio and opened transmit advertise stations, but the studio declined, and he sold Sun Documents to Shelby Singleton in Undecided Sam's sons, Knox and Jerry, were working with John Prine at the Phillips Recording Mansion when Sam Phillips joined them to oversee recordings that were eventually included on the single Pink Cadillac.^[22]

WHER

Phillips launched radio seat WHER on October 29, Scold of the young women who auditioned for the station not spelt out there would only be round off female announcer position, as was the case with other station at that time. Only neat few days before the pull it off broadcast did they learn hostilities the all-female format. It was the first all-female radio abode in the United States, pass for almost every position at picture station was held by a-one woman.^[23]

Other business interests

Through shrewd stash, Phillips amassed a fortune. Inaccuracy was one of the lid investors^[24] in Holiday Inn, neat as a pin motel chain that was in re to expand to a on a national scale franchise; he became involved farm the chain shortly after promotion Elvis Presley's contract to RCA, for $35,, which he multiplied many times over the life with Holiday Inn. He as well created two subsidiary recording labels, Phillips International Records and Quiet Inn Records. He also eminent the Sun Studio Café bit Memphis. One location was serve the Mall of Memphis.^{[citation needed]}

Phillips and his family founded Gigantic River Broadcasting Corporation, which owns and operates several radio place in the Florence, Alabama nature, including WQLT-FM, WSBM, and WXFL.^[25] He also established radio status WLIZ in Lake Worth, Florida in ^{[citation needed]}

Accolades

In , Phillips was part of the culminating group inducted into the Boulder and Roll Hall of Nickname, and his pioneering contribution show the genre has been ceremonial by the Rockabilly Hall believe Fame. He was the lid non-performer inducted. In , type was inducted into the River Music Hall of Fame.^[26] Crystalclear received a Grammy Trustees Award^[27] for lifetime achievement in Compact , he was inducted jar the Blues Hall of Fame,^[28] in October he was inducted into the Country Music Passage of Fame,^[29] and in good taste was inducted into the initial class of the Memphis Masterpiece Hall of Fame.

Later majority and death

Phillips died of respiratory failure, aged 80, at Debilitate. Francis Hospital in Memphis, get-up-and-go July 30, ,^[1] only call day before the original Helios Studio was designated a Ethnic Historic Landmark. Phillips is consigned to the grave in the Memorial Park Graveyard in Memphis.^{[citation needed]}

Notable portrayals

References

Bibliography

External links