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The Birth of Rock 'N' Roll Is Found at Sam Phillips's Sun Records (2016)

53 points by divbzero 3y ago

thisisauserid 3y ago
Chuck Berry recorded Roll Over Beethoven in 1956 with Chess Records. We'd have been fine without Elvis and Sun Records.
- Avshalom 3y ago
  And Chuck credited a lot of his sound to Sister Rosetta Tharpe
  - soylentcola 3y ago
    In a weird coincidence, I just watched a video of her performing "Didn't it Rain?" a few days ago. Had heard of her but hadn't heard her until then.
- davidgerard 3y ago
  One of my favourite podcasts is A History Of Rock Music In Five Hundred Songs https://500songs.com https://500songs.com - it emphasises over and over, with played examples, that there isn't a clear first anything. Sun did get three or four episodes, though - it was extremely important.
  - criddell 3y ago
    I also like Alan Cross’ Ongoing History of New Music. He’s been making episodes since 1993.
    - blakesterz 3y ago
      I can't agree more, The Ongoing History of New Music is required listening for anyone who likes music. This show (and podcast) are amazing.
    - soylentcola 3y ago
      Thanks for the rec! Hadn't heard of this one but just queued up several episodes. Sounds like something I'd definitely enjoy.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- greenie_beans 3y ago
  that ignores all the black artists that sam phillips recorded before elvis.
  - wackycat 3y ago
    > Phillips regretted bailing on black music. Sun artist Rufus Thomas recalled, “Me and Sam Phillips, we were tighter than the nuts on the Brooklyn Bridge, but when Elvis and Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash came along, no more blacks did he pick up at all.” The article did address this a bit, but I still agree with the spirit of this comment thread that too often when the beginning of rock 'n' roll is discussed the absolutely critical role black artists played in creating it is ignored/dismissed.
- enobrev 3y ago
  My biggest peeve when I visited Memphis. My wife went to Graceland, which I was excited to avoid. A couple buddies and I went to Sun Records for a tour. So many black rock pioneers recorded there and they got about 10 minutes of lip service. The whole rest of the hour was dedicated to Elvis. I left a bit early when I realized they were sticking with Elvis the whole time. Now, the Lorraine Motel - that is a tour I feel like everyone should experience.
  - ghotli 3y ago
    Agreed and I want to highlight this comment. Skip everything else and go straight to the Lorraine Motel / National Civil Rights Museum. It's basically the opposite of a waste of time. For those that don't know this is where MLK was murdered and is now a museum / memorial.
  - greenie_beans 3y ago
    the lorraine is excellent. the end where he got shot was so powerful.
Cthulhu_ 3y ago
> Sam Phillips opened Sun Records in a tiny rented storefront on Union Avenue in Memphis in 1952 with the slogan, “We Record Anything-Anywhere-Anytime.” For a few dollars, anyone could walk in and make an acetate dub of their choice, usually a song or a special message for a loved one. Do places like this still exist? I can imagine there would be a market for a small storefront in a mall or wherever where people can rent a studio and do a recording or live stream with rented "pro" gear like lights, cameras and microphones. The only risk to the person renting it out would be hygiene and damaged or stolen property, but nothing an entry gateway, ID requirement, a deposit and payment method registration wouldn't deter I'm sure. It could also have tiers, like a "free" / open photo area at the front for random instagram passers-by, a cheap tier for teenagers, and a pro tier for people that want to rent the facilities for a few hours.
- blueblueue 3y ago
  The barrier of entry is much lower than back then, so there probably just isn’t that much demand. These days you can record a whole album at home on your phone or computer and that can already sound very professional. Some places like you describe do exist though (e.g. here in Berlin [1]), but I wouldn’t consider them cheap and the one I linked to is geared more to rehearsal than recording. You can rent equipment and rooms per hour. Another thing that comes to mind is the recording booth at Third man records [2], although it is more of a retro novelty. [1] https://noisy-rooms.com/en https://noisy-rooms.com/en [2] https://youtu.be/vlFysAciLrU?si=tfEwE85oP1knRgwG https://youtu.be/vlFysAciLrU?si=tfEwE85oP1knRgwG
- causality0 3y ago
  People building and renting out home studios is actually quite popular and I know more than one person who does it, though I have doubts they're actually making much money.
- joering2 3y ago
  > storefront in a mall rent for "storefront in a mall" > any revenue you would make even if your door never closed 24/7
- leejoramo 3y ago
georgesimon 3y ago
More on Phillips and Elvis: https://500songs.com/podcast/thats-all-right-mama-by-elvis-presley/ https://500songs.com/podcast/thats-all-right-mama-by-elvis-p... Notably this is episode 19 of that podcast / book, indicating the "Birth of Rock 'N' Roll" goes much further back.
gelli 3y ago
A friend of mine was recording an album in Sun Studio in 2013. You can have a look on how it looks inside in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j846mh7YrxQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j846mh7YrxQ (starting at 13:27)
- JKCalhoun 3y ago
  That was fun.
AlbertCory 3y ago
> After Phillips’s first few unsuccessful attempts to get black music heard by the world, B. B. King urged him to call nineteen-year-old Ike Turner, a bandleader in nearby Clarksdale, Mississippi. "B.B." stood for, in some stories, "Beale Street Blues Boy" I was lucky enough to host Greil Marcus (first name rhymes with "real" not "dial") at Google, and he's written very extensively on the power of the raw blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wBlXAzv0Fg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wBlXAzv0Fg I'm pretty sure if you woke up Greil in the middle of the night and asked him to speak for two hours about Sun Records, he could do it.
hondo77 3y ago
Even though Rock Around the Clock was released two months before That's All Right was recorded?
- blacksqr 3y ago
  I will go out on a limb and state my considered opinion that both Rock Around the Clock and That's All Right are western swing. Their main significance is that they perfected the genre and made improvements impossible. So Elvis had to invent rock 'n' roll with his next single, Good Rockin' Tonight.

53 points by divbzero 3y ago

thisisauserid 3y ago

Chuck Berry recorded Roll Over Beethoven in 1956 with Chess Records. We'd have been fine without Elvis and Sun Records.

Avshalom 3y ago
And Chuck credited a lot of his sound to Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- soylentcola 3y ago
  In a weird coincidence, I just watched a video of her performing "Didn't it Rain?" a few days ago. Had heard of her but hadn't heard her until then.
davidgerard 3y ago
One of my favourite podcasts is A History Of Rock Music In Five Hundred Songs https://500songs.com https://500songs.com - it emphasises over and over, with played examples, that there isn't a clear first anything. Sun did get three or four episodes, though - it was extremely important.
- criddell 3y ago
  I also like Alan Cross’ Ongoing History of New Music. He’s been making episodes since 1993.
  - blakesterz 3y ago
    I can't agree more, The Ongoing History of New Music is required listening for anyone who likes music. This show (and podcast) are amazing.
  - soylentcola 3y ago
    Thanks for the rec! Hadn't heard of this one but just queued up several episodes. Sounds like something I'd definitely enjoy.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
greenie_beans 3y ago
that ignores all the black artists that sam phillips recorded before elvis.
- wackycat 3y ago
  > Phillips regretted bailing on black music. Sun artist Rufus Thomas recalled, “Me and Sam Phillips, we were tighter than the nuts on the Brooklyn Bridge, but when Elvis and Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash came along, no more blacks did he pick up at all.” The article did address this a bit, but I still agree with the spirit of this comment thread that too often when the beginning of rock 'n' roll is discussed the absolutely critical role black artists played in creating it is ignored/dismissed.
enobrev 3y ago
My biggest peeve when I visited Memphis. My wife went to Graceland, which I was excited to avoid. A couple buddies and I went to Sun Records for a tour. So many black rock pioneers recorded there and they got about 10 minutes of lip service. The whole rest of the hour was dedicated to Elvis. I left a bit early when I realized they were sticking with Elvis the whole time. Now, the Lorraine Motel - that is a tour I feel like everyone should experience.
- ghotli 3y ago
  Agreed and I want to highlight this comment. Skip everything else and go straight to the Lorraine Motel / National Civil Rights Museum. It's basically the opposite of a waste of time. For those that don't know this is where MLK was murdered and is now a museum / memorial.
- greenie_beans 3y ago
  the lorraine is excellent. the end where he got shot was so powerful.

Cthulhu_ 3y ago

> Sam Phillips opened Sun Records in a tiny rented storefront on Union Avenue in Memphis in 1952 with the slogan, “We Record Anything-Anywhere-Anytime.” For a few dollars, anyone could walk in and make an acetate dub of their choice, usually a song or a special message for a loved one. Do places like this still exist? I can imagine there would be a market for a small storefront in a mall or wherever where people can rent a studio and do a recording or live stream with rented "pro" gear like lights, cameras and microphones. The only risk to the person renting it out would be hygiene and damaged or stolen property, but nothing an entry gateway, ID requirement, a deposit and payment method registration wouldn't deter I'm sure. It could also have tiers, like a "free" / open photo area at the front for random instagram passers-by, a cheap tier for teenagers, and a pro tier for people that want to rent the facilities for a few hours.

blueblueue 3y ago
The barrier of entry is much lower than back then, so there probably just isn’t that much demand. These days you can record a whole album at home on your phone or computer and that can already sound very professional. Some places like you describe do exist though (e.g. here in Berlin [1]), but I wouldn’t consider them cheap and the one I linked to is geared more to rehearsal than recording. You can rent equipment and rooms per hour. Another thing that comes to mind is the recording booth at Third man records [2], although it is more of a retro novelty. [1] https://noisy-rooms.com/en https://noisy-rooms.com/en [2] https://youtu.be/vlFysAciLrU?si=tfEwE85oP1knRgwG https://youtu.be/vlFysAciLrU?si=tfEwE85oP1knRgwG
causality0 3y ago
People building and renting out home studios is actually quite popular and I know more than one person who does it, though I have doubts they're actually making much money.
joering2 3y ago
> storefront in a mall rent for "storefront in a mall" > any revenue you would make even if your door never closed 24/7
leejoramo 3y ago

georgesimon 3y ago

More on Phillips and Elvis: https://500songs.com/podcast/thats-all-right-mama-by-elvis-presley/ https://500songs.com/podcast/thats-all-right-mama-by-elvis-p... Notably this is episode 19 of that podcast / book, indicating the "Birth of Rock 'N' Roll" goes much further back.

gelli 3y ago

A friend of mine was recording an album in Sun Studio in 2013. You can have a look on how it looks inside in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j846mh7YrxQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j846mh7YrxQ (starting at 13:27)

JKCalhoun 3y ago
That was fun.

AlbertCory 3y ago

> After Phillips’s first few unsuccessful attempts to get black music heard by the world, B. B. King urged him to call nineteen-year-old Ike Turner, a bandleader in nearby Clarksdale, Mississippi. "B.B." stood for, in some stories, "Beale Street Blues Boy" I was lucky enough to host Greil Marcus (first name rhymes with "real" not "dial") at Google, and he's written very extensively on the power of the raw blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wBlXAzv0Fg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wBlXAzv0Fg I'm pretty sure if you woke up Greil in the middle of the night and asked him to speak for two hours about Sun Records, he could do it.

hondo77 3y ago

Even though Rock Around the Clock was released two months before That's All Right was recorded?

blacksqr 3y ago
I will go out on a limb and state my considered opinion that both Rock Around the Clock and That's All Right are western swing. Their main significance is that they perfected the genre and made improvements impossible. So Elvis had to invent rock 'n' roll with his next single, Good Rockin' Tonight.