Despite the record’s success, Phillips ran short of cash and, in November 1955, sold Elvis’ contract to RCA for $35,000 — worth $300,000 now — the most ever paid for any artist to that point.

On This Day: Sam Phillips, Record Exec Who Discovered Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Born in 1923. Tuesday marked Phillips’ birthday as he was born in Florence, Ala., on Jan. 5, 1923. His importance to the early times of rockabilly and rock music may be forgotten at times, yet his contributions are noteworthy.

After auditioning for Sam Phillips, singing mostly gospel songs, Phillips told him to “go home and sin, then come back with a song I can sell.” Cash eventually won over Phillips with new songs delivered in his early frenetic style.

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.

rock and roll

Phillips, who denied that before Presley he had said he could make a million dollars if he could find a white man who sang black rhythms with a black feel — an oft-reported statement. ”That quote is an injustice both to the whites and the blacks,” Mr. Phillips said in an interview with The New York Times in 1978.

Memorial Park Funeral Home & Cemetery, Memphis, TN

Deceased (1923–2003)

Sun Records was a record label based in Memphis, Tennessee starting operations on March 27, 1952. Phillips didn’t call Elvis until Peer Music of Nashville sent Sun Records a demo recording of a ballad called ‘Without You’. Phillips decided to allow Elvis to record the new ballad.

There are many important players in Elvis Presley’s life story, but one of the most important is Sam Phillips. At Sun Studio in Memphis, Sam discovered and helped launch the careers of not just Elvis, but Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Howlin’ Wolf and more.

On January 28, 2021, Sun Records was acquired by Primary Wave for $30 million….

Through Sun, Phillips discovered such recording talent as Howlin’ Wolf, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. The height of his success culminated in his launching of Elvis Presley’s career in 1954.

Blues had a huge influence on mainstream American popular music in the 1950s with the enthusiastic playing styles of popular musicians like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, departed from the melancholy aspects of blues and influenced Rock and roll music.

The first emergence was fueled by multiple factors: competitive economic circumstances, up-and-coming local musical talent in conjunction with the independent labels and studio owners, and the commercially viable musical interest and curiosity of consumers in these local artists.

In the 1950s, people enjoyed going to local dance establishments, movie theaters and skating rinks or simply gathering around their television sets while the children played nearby. Many people of this decade lived in the suburbs of the post-war housing boom and found their entertainment close to home.