Medical District in Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Elvis Presley and Sun Records
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Sun Records
Photographed by Ken Smith, May 12, 2012
1. Elvis Presley and Sun Records Marker
Front
In July 1954 Sun Records released Elvis Presley's first recording. That record, and Elvis' four that followed on the Sun label, changed popular music. Elvis developed an innovative and different sound combining blues, gospel, and country. That quality made Elvis a worldwide celebrity within two years. He went on to become one of the most famous and beloved entertainers in history. Sun Records introduced many well known people in all fields of music. Generations of musicians have been affected by those who recorded here and especially by the music Elvis Presley first sang at Sun Records.
Back
In the early 1950's Sun Records was a small recording studio located here at 706 Union. Owned and operated by Sam C. Phillips, Sun Records became nationally known for giving many local area artists, both black and white, their start in the recording industry. These included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, Howlin' Wolf and others.
Erected 1985 by Shelby County Historical Commission and the Elvis Presley International Memorial Foundation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music •
this page online
Location. 35° 8.35′ N, 90° 2.276′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in the Medical District. It is at the intersection of Union Avenue (U.S. 51/64) and Marshall Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Union Avenue. Situated in front of Sun Studios also known in its prime as the Memphis Recording Service. The building is identified by both names. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 706 Union Avenue, Memphis TN 38103, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The First Railroad in West Tennessee (approx. 0.2 miles away); N. B. Forrest Camp 215 Sons of Confederate Veterans (approx. 0.2 miles away); Nathan Bedford Forrest III, Airman (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Commercial Appeal / Publishing Locations (approx. 0.2 miles away); Memphis City Hospital (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lowenstein Mansion (approx. 0.3 miles away); Luke Edward Wright (approx. 0.3 miles away); Campbell Clinic (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Nathan Bedford Forrest
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, circa May 1998
2. Sun Records Marker
Also see . . .
1. Sun Studio website. (Submitted on April 2, 2009, by Mary Ellen Coghlan of Manahawkin, New Jersey.)
2. Sun Studio Offical Website. (Submitted on September 1, 2013, by Trevor Morris of Fond du lac, Wisconsin.)
3. Wikipedia entry for Sun Records. “Sun Records discovered and first recorded such influential musicians as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. Presleys recording contract was eventually sold to RCA Victor Records for $35,000 in 1955 to relieve Sun's financial difficulties. Before those records, Sun had concentrated mainly on African-American musicians because Phillips loved rhythm and blues and wanted to bring it to a white audience.” (Submitted on December 3, 2016.)
4. Wikipedia entry for The Million Dollar Quartet. “ Million Dollar Quartet is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title Million Dollar Quartet. The recording was first released in Europe in 1981 as The Million Dollar Quartet with 17 tracks. A few years
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, August 14, 1998
3. Sun Studio and Records Marker
Additional keywords. Sun Studios
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, circa May 1998
4. Stairs into the Museum
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, May 1998
5. Display in Studio Museum
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, August 14, 1998
6. Door to Studio
Front entrance door to Sun Studio also known as the Memphis Recording Service.
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, August 14, 1998
7. Inside the Studio
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, July 27, 2009
8. Memphis Recording Service
National Historic Landmark Marker
Photographed by Christopher Light, September 5, 2010
9. Elvis Presley and Sun Records / Sun Records Marker
Street side of the marker.
Photographed by Ken Smith, May 12, 2012
10. Sun Records
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 22, 2017
11. Elvis Presley
This 1976-88 portrait of Elvis Presley by R.W. Cowan hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
“Elvis Presley grew up in the musical melting pot of Memphis, where his emerging talent was heavily influenced by local strains of pop, country, rhythm and blues, and gospel. As a young truck driver in 1953, he paid four dollars to record a song for his mother's birthday. Sun Records then the label of such other young talents as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis soon signed him, and his first record, That's All Right, Mama, was an instant hit. By 1956, thanks in part to a series of sensational television appearances, he was crowned the king of rock and roll, with a string of recordings that included Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, and Hound Dog. Since his death, Presley has emerged as an iconic entertainment figure, and his Graceland mansion has become one of the nation's most-visited popular culture shrines." -- National Portrait Gallery
“Elvis Presley grew up in the musical melting pot of Memphis, where his emerging talent was heavily influenced by local strains of pop, country, rhythm and blues, and gospel. As a young truck driver in 1953, he paid four dollars to record a song for his mother's birthday. Sun Records then the label of such other young talents as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis soon signed him, and his first record, That's All Right, Mama, was an instant hit. By 1956, thanks in part to a series of sensational television appearances, he was crowned the king of rock and roll, with a string of recordings that included Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, and Hound Dog. Since his death, Presley has emerged as an iconic entertainment figure, and his Graceland mansion has become one of the nation's most-visited popular culture shrines." -- National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 1, 2009, by Mary Ellen Coghlan of Manahawkin, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 4,352 times since then and 87 times this year. Last updated on October 26, 2010, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. It was the Marker of the Week December 4, 2016. Photos: 1. submitted on May 20, 2012, by Ken Smith of Milan, Tennessee. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on April 1, 2009, by Mary Ellen Coghlan of Manahawkin, New Jersey. 8. submitted on August 2, 2009, by Mary Ellen Coghlan of Manahawkin, New Jersey. 9. submitted on November 2, 2010, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. 10. submitted on May 20, 2012, by Ken Smith of Milan, Tennessee. 11. submitted on July 24, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
