In Dream Studios, we profile the legendary places where music is made. Today, Sun Studio.
Musicians love a studio. Why? It's where they escape from the world, to capture the music they want to share with that world. There’s also the addictive challenge – to use the recording technology to make something fantastic, music that wows the fans.
Memphis, Tenn., is the home of Sun Studio. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service with an associated label called the Sun Record Company. In 1987 it reopened as Sun Studio.
Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service in 1950. Three years later, Elvis Presley walked in the door and a legendary career was launched soon after. But Presley wasn’t the only budding star to make music at Sun Studio. In those early days of the 1950s, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others, also recorded there.
By 1960, Phillips decided to modernize and moved to another location. Not until the mid-1980s was the original space restored as a studio. Since then, some of the artists who first recorded at Sun Studio have returned. The studio has also drawn such notable stars as U2 and Maroon 5.
U2 at Sun Studio
Few studios in the world offer more mojo than Sun Studio. It’s even been declared a historic monument.
Video tour of studio
Studio Name: Sun Studio.
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Facilities: Basic – one room and a control room.
Gear: Some vintage mics but mostly more recent equipment.
Who has recorded there: Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, U2 and Maroon 5, to name a few.
Vibe: Vintage lo-fi, with a room that’s got a special sound.
Mojo: Mojo to spare, especially if you love early rock 'n' roll or country.
Bonus feature: You can visit Graceland and deepen the Elvis factor or make the trip to Nashville for a visit.