Sam Phillips – The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Sam Phillips fell in love with the miracle of sound and the unifying power of music. Moving to Memphis, Tennessee, he embraced the beauty of the blues with his early recordings of Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, and other delta artists. In 1951, the maverick producer cut the first “Rock ‘N’ Roll record, “Rocket 88”. Three years later he revolutionized American music with his discovery of the dynamic Elvis Presley. His credo was passionate conviction, originality, and individuality in the extreme. His Sun Record label unleashed the earth shaking rule-breaking sounds of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich. “Rock ‘N’ Roll is the freedom of the rhythm of the soul.” He once said, “And I was looking for that little piece of soul magic.” (Text by Terry Pace.)