On May 13, 2026, I had the opportunity to visit Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Wow! The tour there was fantastic! As the tour guide took us around and talked about Sam Phillips and his dream, my mind was going crazy! Standing in those rooms with all the vintage gear that was used to record such world-changing records was astounding. I couldn’t believe it. Hearing the stories of those legendary recording sessions got me to thinking and dreaming. More about that later in a separate post.
I knew Sun Studio was famous but I had no idea of all the backstories and history of that place. So many creative events and people made Sun Studio a happening place that shaped what would become known as Rock n’ Roll. Sam Phillips started out with a simple plan: to record anybody, anywhere. He recorded bar mitzvahs, weddings, parties, anything of any interest at all. He packed his portable reel-to-reel tape machine, went to the location, and just recorded it. Then, he eventually started his own music recording studio. He had been a DJ for quite some time but had a dream to record on his own. And he did!
Walking into the studio at Sun Studio was humbling and almost sacred for me. As the tour guide spoke about the instruments and the microphones and the room, my mind pictured the music legends back in the day being in that very room and recording music history one amazing song after the other!
Toward the end of the tour, our guide picked up on the fact that I am a huge Johnny Cash fan. He told me about a Johnny Cash statue in Memphis, which marks the location of his first public performance. I drove through the city in search of it. I got to the spot and saw a big historical plaque indicating the event but I did not see a statue. I remembered that I had not taken a picture of the TV in Sun Studio that was one of the exact types that Johnny Cash sold–he sold exactly one of them! So, I went back to Sun Studio and asked our guide if I could take that picture. He let me and I told him that I couldn’t find the Johnny Cash statue. He assured me that it was still there. So, I went back and found the statue of Johnny. It was there, right in front of me the whole time, I just didn’t see it! Funny how some things are right under our nose without us even being aware.
What a trip and what a tour!
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