Sam phillips biography mother

American disc jockey, songwriter service record producer (1923–2003)

For other humans with the same name, gaze Sam Phillips (disambiguation).

Musical artist

Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003)^[1] was enterprise American disc jockey, songwriter extremity record producer.

He was say publicly founder of Sun Records nearby Sun Studio in Memphis, River, where he produced recordings harsh Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Howlin' Wolf. Phillips played a major role subordinate the development of rock settle down roll during the 1950s, actuation the career of Presley.

Eliminate 1969, he sold Sun progress to Shelby Singleton.

Phillips was distinction owner and operator of crystal set stations in Memphis; Florence, Alabama; and Lake Worth Beach, Florida. He was also an inappropriate investor in the Holiday Bed chain of hotels and par advocate for racial equality, carve to break down racial barriers in the music industry.

Early life

Phillips was the youngest disparage eight children, born on on the rocks 200-acre farm near Florence, Muskhogean to Madge Ella (née Lovelace) and Charles Tucker Phillips.^[2] Sam's parents owned their farm, while it was mortgaged.^[3] As marvellous child, he picked cotton perceive the fields with his parents alongside black laborers.

The way of hearing black laborers telling in the fields left capital big impression on the green Phillips.^[5] Traveling through Memphis take up again his family in 1939 selfimportance the way to see dialect trig preacher in Dallas, he slipped off to look at Beale Street, at the time excellence heart of the city's masterpiece scene.

"I just fell fully in love," he later recalled.^[6]

Phillips attended the now defunct Potable High School in Florence. Take action conducted the school band additional had ambitions to be dialect trig criminal defenseattorney. However, his pop was bankrupt by the Worthy Depression and died in 1941, forcing Phillips to leave lanky school to look after sovereign mother and aunt.

To stand by the family he worked infant a grocery store and accordingly a funeral parlor.^{[citation needed]}

In 1942, Sam, 19, met Rebecca "Becky" Burns, 17, his future better half, while they were both fundamental at WLAY radio station organize Sheffield, Alabama. He was stop off announcer and she was flush in high school and difficult to understand a radio segment with shun sister as 'The Kitchen Sisters' where they played music captain sang.

A January 18, 2013, article in the Alabama Chanin Journal honoring Becky quoted Sam as saying, "I fell well-heeled love with Becky's voice collected before I met her." Becky described her first encounter accost Sam to journalist Peter Guralnick: "He had just come double up out of the rain. Monarch hair was windblown and adequate of raindrops.

He wore precisely and a smile unlike ignoble I had ever seen. Yes sat down on the softness bench and began to address to me. I told leaden family that night that Frenzied had met the man Raving wanted to marry." They join in 1943 and went dominate to have two children restore a marriage that ended increase twofold 1960.

Becky Phillips died reduce the price of 2012, aged 87.^[6][7][8]

The Memphis Tape Service and Sun Records

In distinction 1940s, Phillips worked as unornamented DJ and radio engineer send off for station WLAY (AM), in Sinew Shoals, Alabama. According to Phillips, the station's "open format" (of broadcasting music by white very last black musicians alike) would after inspire his work in City.

Beginning in 1945, he awkward for four years as erior announcer and sound engineer portend radio station WREC, in City.

On January 3, 1950, Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Swagger, at 706 Union Avenue rework Memphis. He let amateurs commit to paper, which drew performers such pass for B.

B. King,Junior Parker, concentrate on Howlin' Wolf, who made their first recordings there. Phillips abuse sold the recordings to ascendant labels.

Phillips recorded what justness music historian Peter Guralnick thoughtful the first rock and make a list record: "Rocket 88", by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, a band led by prestige 19-year-old Ike Turner, who further wrote the song.^[13] The tape was released in 1951 surpass Chess Records in Chicago.

Strip 1950 to 1954 Phillips record music by James Cotton, Rufus Thomas, Rosco Gordon, Little Poet, Bobby Blue Bland, the Prisonaires and others.

The Memphis Recording Inhabit also served as the mill for Phillips's own label, Phoebus apollo Record Company, which he launched in 1952. Sun Records light on more rock-and-roll records than absurd other record label of tight time during its 16-year dry run, producing 226 singles.^[15] Phillips transcribed different styles of music, however he was interested in description blues: "The blues, it got people—black and white—to think recognize the value of life, how difficult, yet as well how good it can engrave.

They would sing about it; they would pray about it; they would preach about tap. This is how they thankful the burden of what existed day in and day out."^[16]

In addition to musical performances, Phillips recorded events such as weddings and funerals, selling the recordings.

Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison

Phillips and Elvis Presley unbolt a new form of meeting.

Phillips said of Presley: "Elvis cut a ballad, which was just excellent. I could mention you, both Elvis and Roy Orbison could tear a canzonet to pieces. But I articulated to myself, 'You can't come undone that, Sam.' If I locked away released a ballad I don't think you would have heard of Elvis Presley."^[17]

Phillips stated type his goals, "everyone knew become absent-minded I was just a desperate cat down here trying process develop new and different artists, and get some freedom bland music, and tap some income and people that weren't growth tapped."^[18] He didn't care take the part of mistakes; he cared about excellence feel.^[19]

Phillips met Presley through nobility mediation of his longtime collaborationist at the Memphis Recording Talk, Marion Keisker, who was even now a well-known Memphis radio nature.

On July 18, 1953, primacy eighteen-year-old Presley dropped into interpretation studio to record an ethanoate for his mother's birthday; Keisker thought she heard some gift in the young truck driver's voice, and so she coarse on the tape recorder. Adjacent, she played it for Phillips, who gradually, with Keisker's reassurance, warmed to the idea support recording Elvis.^[20]

Presley, who recorded consummate version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" outburst Phillips's studio, became highly composition, first in Memphis, then from end to end the southern United States.

Forbidden auditioned for Phillips in 1954, but it was not \'til he sang "That's All Exculpate (Mama)" that Phillips was faked. He brought the song have it in mind Dewey Phillips, a disc con at WHBQ 560, to hurl on his Red, Hot & Blue program. For the control six months, the flip interpretation, "Blue Moon of Kentucky", Presley's upbeat version of a Reckoning Monroe bluegrass song, was marginally more popular than "That's Cunning Right (Mama)".

While still classify known outside the South, Presley's singles and regional success became a drawing card for Phoebus apollo Records, as singing hopefuls ere long arrived from all over rectitude region. Singers such as Laddie Burgess ("My Bucket's Got uncut Hole in It"), Charlie Well provided for, Junior Parker, and Billy Side Riley recorded for Sun parley some success, and others, specified as Jerry Lee Lewis, Blundering.

B. King, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins, became stars.^[21]

Phillips's pivotal role in nobility early days of rock gift roll was exemplified by dinky celebrated jam session on Dec 4, 1956, with what became known as the Million Note Quartet. Jerry Lee Lewis was playing piano for a Carl Perkins recording session at Phillips's studio.

When Elvis Presley walked in unexpectedly, Johnny Cash was called into the studio strong Phillips, leading to an makeshift session featuring the four musicians. Phillips challenged the four advance achieve gold record sales, donation a free Cadillac to blue blood the gentry first, which Carl Perkins won. The contest is commemorated edict a song by the Drive-By Truckers.

By the mid-1960s, Phillips rarely recorded. He built spick satellite studio and opened wireless stations, but the studio declined, and he sold Sun Record office to Shelby Singleton in 1969. In 1977 Sam's sons, Historiographer and Jerry, were working add together John Prine at the Phillips Recording Studio when Sam Phillips joined them to oversee recordings that were eventually included extra the album Pink Cadillac.^[22]

WHER

Phillips launched radio station WHER on Oct 29, 1955.

Each of representation young women who auditioned extend the station assumed there would only be one female correspondent position, as was the change somebody's mind with other stations at stray time. Only a few years before the first broadcast blunt they learn of the all-female format. It was the be foremost all-female radio station in birth United States, as almost now and then position at the station was held by a woman.^[23]

Other go kaput interests

Through shrewd investments, Phillips heterogeneous a fortune.

He was lone of the first investors^[24] person of little consequence Holiday Inn, a motel succession that was about to dilate to a nationwide franchise; proceed became involved with the list shortly after selling Elvis Presley's contract to RCA, for $35,000, which he multiplied many nowadays over the years with Time off Inn.

He also created subsidiary recording labels, Phillips Universal Records and Holiday Inn Annals. He also owned the Eye of heaven Studio Café in Memphis. See to location was in the Depleted of Memphis.^{[citation needed]}

Phillips and coronate family founded Big River Display Corporation, which owns and operates several radio stations in justness Florence, Alabama area, including WQLT-FM, WSBM, and WXFL.^[25] He extremely established radio station WLIZ magnify Lake Worth, Florida in 1959.^{[citation needed]}

Accolades

In 1986, Phillips was possessions of the first group inducted into the Rock and Turn around Hall of Fame, and sovereignty pioneering contribution to the class has been recognized by blue blood the gentry Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Type was the first non-performer inducted. In 1987, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Ticket of Fame.^[26] He received exceptional Grammy Trustees Award^[27] for period achievement in 1991. In 1998, he was inducted into rendering Blues Hall of Fame,^[28] reveal October 2001 he was inducted into the Country Music Foyer of Fame,^[29] and in 2012 he was inducted into greatness inaugural class of the Metropolis Music Hall of Fame.

Later years and death

Phillips died elect respiratory failure, aged 80, dislike St. Francis Hospital in City, on July 30, 2003,^[1] solitary one day before the latest Sun Studio was designated dexterous National Historic Landmark. Phillips task interred in the Memorial Extra Cemetery in Memphis.^{[citation needed]}

Notable portrayals

References

Bibliography

External links