Sun Studio was opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. Originally called the Memphis Recording Service, what is arguably the first rock ‘n’ roll single, Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats’ “Rocket 88″, was recorded there in 1951 featuring composer Ike Turner on keyboards. In the early 50s, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Parker, B.B. King, and Rufus Thomas all passed through its doors. By the mid-late 50s it became the legendary home to seminal rock, country and rockabilly artists such as Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis. On the strength of this talent, the studio quickly outgrew its original location and opened Phillips Recording in 1959. Sam Phillips sold Sun in 1969, and no recording took place within the building again until almost twenty years later with the Class of ‘55 sessions reuniting Sun legacy artists Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. In 1987 the original building housing the Sun Records label was reopened as “Sun Studio”, a recording business as well as museum. The functioning studio has attracted many major acts, including U2, who used its facilities to record segments of Rattle and Hum. The Sun Record Company, Memphis Recording Service was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 31, 2003.

Carl Perkins - “Blue Suede Shoes”, 1956
Elvis Presley - “That Alright, Mama”
Johnny Cash - “I Walk the Line”
Roy Orbison - “Only the Lonely”, 1960
Jerry Lee Lewis - “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”, 1957

Official Website
The Sun Records Story
Sun Records at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
National Historic Landmark Information