May 13, 2026
This is the outside of legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee–the place where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, and others recorded back in the ’50s.
This was Sam Phillips’ first sign: “Memphis Recording Service.” He had a slogan: “Anything-Anywhere-Anytime.” He recoded weddings, bar mitzvahs, speeches, parties, and, well, anything, with his portable Ampex 600 tape recorder.
This was the tape machine where Sam’s magic happened. It is an Ampex 350 tape recording console with mono mixer and it used 1/4″ tape. Sam actually used two tape machines to get that classic slapback sound by running a second tape machine slightly delayed and recorded back into the first machine. It was brilliant and sounded amazing!
This is how Sam’s radio station studio looked like.
This is BB King’s chair that he sat in during recordings at Sun Studio. In the background is the Ampex 350 tape machine.
This is a closeup view of the radio station studio, similar to what Sam Phillips used when he was a DJ.
This is the infamous “Elvis microphone,” so-called because Elvis used this style of microphone a lot in his live concerts and in the studio back in the ’50s. It is a Shure 55S Unidyne microphone.
This seat/stool is just outside the main door at Sun Studio. Don’t you just love that Sun Studio logo?
This is the large plaque commemorating the exact location where Johnny Cash first performed in public. Back then it was a Methodist Church. Today it is a Baptist Tabernacle.
This is the backside of that plaque.
Johnny Cash was a television salesman before he was a successful musician. He sold exactly one TV while he worked as a television salesman. This is an authentic Zenith TV just like the one Johnny Cash sold.
This is the Johnny Cash statue at the location of his first live performance in Memphis, Tennessee.
This is a closeup of the Johnny Cash statue.
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