Last summer, I drove 13 hours west to Memphis, Tennessee with my dad, mom, and grandma. The goal was to visit the "cradle of rock," also known as the Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll, Sun Studio. I did not have any great expectations, as the trip was improvised with no real itinerary.
When I got there, I was thrilled to see the Sun Studio building was largely untouched from renovations. It had been over 60 years since Sun Studio first opened its doors.
I entered the building and the first room I saw was a bar, serving soda and snacks for those waiting for the next tour to begin. The walls were covered in memorabilia; there were pictures and vinyl records of all the Sun Studio alumni. I remember being overwhelmed by it all; the talent honed in this small building was unbelievable.
I waited a bit before the guided tour began. The first thing we did was walk up the stairs to the museum room. I took a quick snapshot of the room before anyone else got there.
Moving my eyes from left to right, I was first drawn to the picture of the founder and mastermind of Sun Studio: Sam Phillips.
The tour began with the guide taking us through the chronological history of the building. It began with the first rock 'n' roll record ever produced: "Rocket 88." The song was played on overhead speakers and it was overwhelming to be listening to it in the same location where it all began.
I saw Sam Phillips' equipment and was surprised; some of the greatest music of the 20th century was recorded on this simple setup!
After about 30 minutes in the upstairs museum, the guide took us downstairs to the actual studio room. There were two connecting rooms and the first was the receptionist's office. It looked like a snapshot from 1955. In the back of my mind, I was waiting for a tap on the shoulder. "May I help you?", the receptionist would ask me, just as she did to the young Elvis Presley.
I made my way to the next room, to where it all began. The floors were weathered, and the sound panels on the walls were cracked, but the vibe of the room had not aged a day. The modest studio felt like it was frozen in time. The tour guide talked about the revolutionary music produced in this small room.
Elvis' first songs, "That's All Right," "Blue Moon," and one of my favorites, "Mystery Train" were recorded here. Johnny Cash recorded some of his best hits, like "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk the Line." The guide played segments from their music, and I could feel the ghosts of the music giants in the room.
The guide also played unedited audio from an impromptu jam session, featuring four rock 'n' roll legends, now called the "Million Dollar Quartet." I took a photo in the exact location of the recording.
Before the tour ended, the guide brought out a "holy grail" of rock history: the original microphone Elvis and Cash recorded on. He placed it on a taped "X" on the floor, and explained it was the mark where they stood as they sung their first songs. He recalled several years ago, while giving a tour, a man from the back of the crowd walked to the "X" and kissed it. The man was legendary songwriter Bob Dylan, expressing his reverence for the artists and the studio.
That was the conclusion of the hour tour, and I enjoyed every second of it. I stayed back for a few minutes to snap some pictures, and to take in the aura of the studio room.
Listen to some of the rock 'n' roll classics I mentioned at this Spotify link or YouTube link!
