Samuel Cornelius Phillips was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Howlin' Wolf. Phillips played a major role in the development of rock and roll during the 1950s, launching the career of Presley. In 1969, he sold Sun to Shelby Singleton.
Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. Prior to that, Sun had concentrated mainly on African-American musicians because Phillips loved rhythm and blues and wanted to bring it to a white audience.
Carl Lee Perkins was an American singer-songwriter who recorded most notably at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 1954. Amongst his best-known songs are "Blue Suede Shoes", "Matchbox" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby".
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blues, leading to what is considered "classic" rock and roll. Some have also described it as a blend of bluegrass with rock and roll. The term "rockabilly" itself is a portmanteau of "rock" and "hillbilly", the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and electric blues.
"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock-and-roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and pop music of the time. Perkins' original version of the song appeared on the Cashbox Best Selling Singles list for 16 weeks and spent two weeks at the number two position.
Sun Studio is a recording studio opened by rock-and-roll pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label business. Reputedly the first rock and roll single, Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats' "Rocket 88" was recorded there in 1951 with song composer Ike Turner on keyboards, leading the studio to claim status as the birthplace of rock & roll. Blues and R&B artists like Howlin' Wolf, Junior Parker, Little Milton, B.B. King, James Cotton, Rufus Thomas, and Rosco Gordon recorded there in the early 1950s.
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1945 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, the Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley. "Blue Moon of Kentucky" is the official bluegrass song of Kentucky.
"Matchbox" is a song written and recorded by Carl Perkins and released in 1957. Blind Lemon Jefferson wrote and recorded a song entitled "Match Box Blues" in 1927, which is musically different but which contains some lyric phrases in common.
"So Wrong" is a song written by Carl Perkins, Danny Dill and Mel Tillis and popularized by country music artist Patsy Cline. The song was released as a single on Decca Records in 1962 by Patsy Cline.
"I Forgot to Remember to Forget" is a 1955 rockabilly and country song, first recorded by Elvis Presley written by Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers. It was Elvis' first charting hit and first no. 1 record nationally. The single was the fifth and final single released on Sun Records before Elvis moved to RCA Records.
"Let the Jukebox Keep On Playing" is a 1955 country song written by Carl Perkins. It was released on October 22, 1955 by Sun Records as a 78 and 45 single, 224, b/w "Gone, Gone, Gone". The song was a follow-up to "Turn Around", released on Flip.
"Glad All Over" is a 1957 song recorded by rock and roll and rockabilly artist Carl Perkins, "The Rockin' Guitar Man", at Sun Records in 1957. It was released as a 45 and 78 single, Sun 287, on January 6, 1958. It was written by Aaron Schroeder, Sid Tepper, and Roy Bennett.
"Lend Me Your Comb" is a 1957 song written by Kay Twomey, Fred Wise, and Ben Weisman. The song was first released by female singer Carol Hughes as the A-Side of her Roulette Records single R-4041, which was reviewed by Billboard magazine in their December 30, 1957 issue. Male singer Bernie Knee issued a version of the song as the A-side of his Columbia Records single 4–41090, which the website 45cat.com claims was issued December 23, 1957.
"Sure to Fall " is a 1955 song written by Carl Perkins, Bill Cantrell, and Quinton Claunch. It was recorded by Carl Perkins in December 1955 and was planned for release as the follow-up to "Blue Suede Shoes". Carl and Jay Perkins were on vocals. The song was not issued, however, as a single on the Sun Records label at that time. A test pressing was made. Sam Phillips circulated dubs or acetates to local radio stations of the proposed single. The Sun catalogue number was 235 backed with Perkins' song "Tennessee" on the B-side. The Sun master numbers assigned to the two sides were U 177 and U 178. Liner notes for the Rhino Records release of Carl Perkins' Original Sun Greatest Hits, however, listed the single as being issued at the time as 235DJ, available to disc jockeys only. The songs were released, however, on the 1957 Sun LP, Dance Album of Carl Perkins, 1225, re-released as Teen Beat; The Best of Carl Perkins in 1961. This album was also released in the UK on London as HA-S 2202, and is how the Beatles heard the songs. The song also appeared on Sun EP 115 released in 1961. Sun Records under Shelby Singleton did release a "Sure to Fall"/"Tennessee" single, Sun Golden Treasure Series, Sun 5, but it was in the late 1970s, when the Carl Perkins 45s were re-released.
"Boppin' the Blues" is a 1956 song written by Carl Perkins and Howard "Curley" Griffin and released as a single on Sun Records in May 1956. The single was released as a 45 and 78, Sun 243, backed with "All Mama's Children", a song co-written by Perkins with Sun labelmate Johnny Cash. The single reached no. 9 on the Billboard country and western chart, no. 47 on the Cashbox pop singles chart, and no. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single was also released in Canada on the Quality label as #1570. The record was reissued in 1984 on the Collectables label on the Back to Back Hit Series featuring Sun Records as 3090 and on the Sun Golden Treasure Series in 1979 as Sun 9.
"Dixie Fried" is a 1956 song written by Carl Perkins and Howard "Curley" Griffin and released as a single on Sun Records. The song was released as a 45 and 78 single, Sun 249, in August, 1956 backed with "I'm Sorry, I'm Not Sorry". The single reached no. 10 on the Billboard country and western chart in 1956. The single was also released in Canada on the Quality label as #1557. The record was reissued as a 45 single in 1979 on the Shelby Singleton-owned Sun Golden Treasure Series as Sun 10.
"Your True Love" is a 1957 song written by Carl Perkins and released as a single on Sun Records. The single was released as a 45 and 78 backed with "Matchbox" in February, 1957. The recording, Sun 261, reached no. 13 on the Billboard country and western chart and no. 67 on the Billboard pop singles chart that year. The song was recorded on Tuesday, December 4, 1956 when Elvis Presley made a surprise visit to Sun Studios at 706 Union in Memphis, Tennessee. Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis also participated in the impromptu jam session that day known as the Million Dollar Quartet. Jerry Lee Lewis also played piano on the recording.
"Birth of Rock and Roll" is a 1986 song written by Carl Perkins and Greg Perkins. The song was featured on the Class of '55 album which included performances with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis. "Birth of Rock and Roll" was released as a 7" single with a picture sleeve, 885 760-7, on the Smash/America label copyrighted by PolyGram Records produced by Chips Moman. The single reached No. 31 on the Billboard country chart and No. 44 on the Canadian country chart in 1986. The B side was "Rock and Roll (Fais-Do-Do)" which featured Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison. The theme of the song “Birth of Rock and Roll" is about how "Memphis gave birth to rock and roll" in the 1950s at Sun Records. A video of the song was also made featuring Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones as they drove to the historic Sun studios in Memphis, Tennessee in a white Cadillac convertible.
"Restless" is a 1968 song written by Carl Perkins and released as a single on Columbia Records.
"That's Right" is a 1957 rock and roll song written by Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. The song was released as a single on Sun Records by Carl Perkins in August, 1957.
