May 11 - Music in Memphis

May 11
We explored a little bit of the music world today with a factory tour of the Gibson Guitar factory and then a tour of Sun Studios after lunch at the Blue Plate Café. The Gibson factory in Memphis is one of three. We saw how sixty-five employees are responsible for turning out 45 perfect guitars daily. Our guide explained the whole process as we watched the employees in action. If at any time the guitar is deemed not perfect, it goes to the scrap pile. There are no seconds at Gibson’s. Luckily only 4% end up getting cut up as scrap lumber. It is very labor intensive. Some is done by computer but most is done by hand. The guitars we saw being made go for $2,000 to $5,000.

Gibson Guitar Factory

We had a music loven’ enthusiastic guide at Sun Studios, the birth place of rock’n’roll! A young guy named Sam Phillips started out recoding anything and everything someone wanted recorded with portable equipment in 1950 right here in Memphis. His dream was to have a recording studio and record the music he loved, the blues, that he was hearing on Beale Street. He opened Sun Studios right here in this building and did just that for four years. Nashville was playing Country on the radio on WSM while Memphis was playing the “Blues” on WDIA. For the first time a huge white audience was listening to the Blues; a big part of the audience being teenagers. In 1954, Elvis walked into the studio to see if he could record a song for his mother. He talked Marion, the front lady of the studio, into letting him record a song for $4.00. She asked him who he sounded like and he replied, “I don’t sound like nobody.” Marion liked it and passed it on but Sam wasn’t impressed.

Marion, first to recognize Elvis' talent.

Elvis kept coming back and charming Marion for a year before Marion finally talked Sam into listening to him again. Sam set him up with two musicians for a recoding session. He still couldn’t see what Marion saw in this nervous skinny country kid. He sent Elvis out to take a break. When he came back in he started kidding around with the musicians. He was dancing all around and singing in a soft relaxed voice when Sam came out. “Start Over!,” Sam yelled and the recording began with Elvis singing “That’s All Right” like no Blues song Sam had ever heard. “It had all the power and honesty of the Blues mixed with the wildness and exuberance of an all night party.” Sam marked the floor with three X’s to show where the two musicians plus Elvis were standing. Sam sent it over to the DJ at WDIA. He played it and it immediately got raves. One day he played it 14 times in a row! Rock N Roll was born! The rest is history. Sam signed Elvis to a 3 year contract but ended up releasing him to RCA and Elvis began recording in Studio B in Nashville after 18 months so Elvis could get nationwide promotion. Sam ended up recoding Johnny Cash, Sam Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. One of the stories I loved was these three recoding when Elvis stopped by to chat. The four of them ended up in a jam session. Sam recoded it but it couldn’t be released since Elvis was with RCA. After Elvis’ death it was released and now there is a musical called the “Million Dollar Quartet.” It has been playing in Chicago for years. We would love to get tickets to see it when we are there in June!

Picture of the "Million Dollar Quartet"

Sam in his recording studio.

Sam eventually moved the studio. This very studio is now open again looking exactly as it was left. It is an icon and recording artists are still coming here today to pay homage and record here. Ringo called it Ground Zero. Bob Dylan came through the door, kissed the X on the floor that marks the place Elvis first stood when he recorded and walked out. Anyone can rent the studio for $150 an hour and record their music. They also have a karaoke recoding price of $30.00! The three X’s are still on the floor along with the mike that Elvis and all those to follow in those early years used. We got to stand on the X and hold the microphone! Between the Grand Ole Opry, Studio B, Graceland, and Sun Studios we have really had a fabulous “music tour.”

Here I am holding the very mike that Elvis, Johnny Cash and
Jerry Lee Luis held! See the X on the floor marking where Elvis stood!

Rock N Roll is Born!