The Birthplace of Rock'n'Roll
SUN RECORDS Opened by rock-and-roll pioneer Sam Phillips on January 3, 1950
Originally called Memphis Recording Service.
In early 1952, B.B. King, Joe Hill Louis, Rufus Thomas, and Howlin' Wolf were the first to record at the studio.
In July 1953, eighteen-year-old Elvis Presley paid $3.98 at Memphis Recording Service to record: "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin."
Sun Records released Johnny Cash's debut single "Cry! Cry! Cry!" in June 1955.
An impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lew Lewis, later known as the "Million Dollar Quartet" took place on December 4, 1956.
In 1969, Sam Phillips sold for $1 million the entire Sun catalog of approximately 7,000 master recordings to Nashville producer/Mercury Records executive Shelby S. Singleton.
The building at 706 Union Avenue served several years as an auto-parts store, a barbershop, and a scuba shop.
In 1987, ten years after Presley died, it was converted back into a recording studio.
U2 began a four-day recording session at Sun Studios on November 29, 1987:
Def Leppard recorded an acoustic version of their hit "Tonight" in February 1993.
In 2003 it was officially recognized as a National Historic Landmark tourist attraction.