January 5, 1923
Sun Records founder Sam Phillips was born in Florence. Considered by many to be a founder of rock ‘n’ roll music, Phillips began his career as the radio host of a religious music program in Muscle Shoals. He later founded the Memphis Recording Studio and Sun Records, where he launched the careers of artists such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. Phillips is the only person to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Music producer Sam Phillips poses before Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, which he founded in 1952. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame)
Music producer Sam Phillips, left, is seen with singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. The two collaborated during the 1950s, early in Cash’s career. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame)
Music Producer and Florence native Sam Phillips, left, is seen with “The King” Elvis Presley at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, during the 1950s. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame)
Sun Records Studio, Memphis, 2007. (Egghead06, Wikipedia)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
