As promised, this post is your opportunity to share a little of what you experienced at Sun Studios on March 25th. If I may start the discussion, I couldn't help but kick myself because I've been working at Union campus, right across the street from Sun Studios, for almost five years. Not once in those five years did I stop in and nose around. I took pictures of the exterior, but...that's not the same.
Mostly I was impressed by the crowd, the energy of our bubbly little tour guide, and the sheer volume of memorabilia that they have there--covering every inch of space, it seems. I was also reminded of my brother, who is now a country session musician (and guitar virtuoso) who, in the eighties, belonged to a band called "The Beat Cowboys." See, back then when most of you were still either very young or not even a glimmer yet, there was an upsurge of popularity in 'rockabilly' music, mostly spearheaded by a little trio called The Stray Cats. They were awesome. Headed by Brian Setzer, they brought back the jumping, jiving, and wailing sounds of the 1950s with an eighties flair. The 'teddy boy' was back in fashion, as were baggy pants and oversized jackets, piled-high hair, and crepe-soled shoes; only, more tattoos this time 'round. Bands emerged like the Del Fuegos, the Del Lords, Beat Rodeo...basically anything with "beat" or "del" in the name took off in those days. Even today there are rockabilly descendants in the Hillbilly Hellcats, The Chop Tops, Jackslacks, Hotrod Lincoln, and countless others.
The Stray Cats (www.metrolyrics.com)
Not to get too far afield, but I think it is important to think about the impact that the Memphis sound--and the rockabilly artists of the 1950s had on Memphis, the nation, and even the globe. Since the eighties saw the comeback of rockabilly (which, incidentally was a portmanteau word for "hillbilly rock," the genre took off in different, sometimes dark, sometimes unheard of directions. Acts like the Cramps and The Meteors spread the sound from the U.S. to Britain and a new substratum was born, "psychobilly." There is also "punkabilly," and its sound--and style has turned up in California and even Mexico, becoming a phenomenon unto itself. Punkabilly and psychobilly both draw from not only the Memphis rockabilly sound of the 1950s, but also from Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and the cheesy science fiction films, horror films, and the dragrace, diner, and bowling alley scenes of that era as well.
A modern day "Rockabilly Chick." (www.thebestofhairstylesandtattoos.com)
If you thought Mexico only had mariachi music, think again: there is a conspicuous and fun retro-fifties rockabilly scene there, as evidenced by estas mujeres bonitas asi:
The clothing styles of that era still retains its popularity among men as well as women, who don the Betty Page hairstyles (jet black with blunt bangs over red, red lips), stacked heels, tight skirts, and now, tattoos. Many celebrities sport the "victory rolls" and "pompadour" hairstyles of the fifties, such as Gwen Stefani, Janelle Monae, and burlesque star Dita Von Teese. If you'd like to sample the generic musical prodigy of the Elvis Rockabilly era, take a listen below to The Meteors' "Psycho for Your Love."
Question: What similarities do you hear between their sound and the samples you heard at Sun? What consistencies do you hear in the music, and the titles of the bands? What attitudes and moods do they convey?
Okay, it's your turn now. Let me hear about some of the things that stood out to you most during our tour of Sun Studios. How did you feel as you stepped into that crowded front room? Was there an infectious sense of Memphis pride? Maybe just a little?
Sun Studios
ReplyDeleteAnother Memphis Historic site I had never visited. I Love this class and our Trek, being forced to take time out, and see the city, which I probably would not have done unless a relative came to town and begged me to go.
I Love rock and roll, country music, jazz and especially the blues, the music and songs back then told a story or answer one: like “You Aint Nothin but a Hound Dog. Love me Tender, etc. etc. etc. I Love Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny Cash, Muddy Water, B. B. King and the list go on and on.
It was great to see the overflow of tourist interest in our fair city, the home of the Blues, Rock –n- Roll and the beginning of man with a vision. It was also interesting to see that Sun Studio is still alive in production. But I wonder, does the label still exist or do you just get a demo made there?
I got my picture playing the guitar Elvis used, standing in his spot, singing on his mic, I just didn’t have on my BLUE SUEDE SHOES.
FUN! FUN! FUN! @ SUN STUDIOS.
I’m Ready for the next one!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the tour! I wish I'd gotten a pic of you with the microphone. That would have been adorable! Next time remember your blue suede shoes:)
DeleteIn all my years of living in Memphis I have never been to the Sun Studios. Once I walked into Sun Studios I was a little bit overwhelmed. The front parlor was so crowded I felt like I might have a panic attack. I think it was more of a mindset though because I did not except that small building to be filled with people. However, once I got my ticket and was the first one in line I calmed down. I loved the little room we stood in before the tour that was filled with famous records that tourist could purchase along with other souvenirs. The room also played great music and displayed many pictures of famous artist that I can only assume recorded at Sun Studios.
ReplyDeleteWhen the tour began I loved the grace period where I was one of the first few in the room and got to look around freely. The display of old record players and radio room was like being transported back in time. The old radio room look like it was part of a movie set. The room was also in a way set up like a timeline, from which it began as Memphis Recording Service founded by Sam Phillips to what it is today Sun Studios. The timeline also pointed out major recording artist that either became famous at the studio or just signed with the studio. Examples of some artist were Ike Turner, B.B. King, and of course Elvis. Our energetic tour guide played us clips of music recorded at the studio and I believe Brenda and I were the only ones that danced a little.
We later went down to the recording studio itself, and low and behold I ended up standing in the very spot that Elvis would sing. The tour guide pointed out where I was standing and gave me a high five. I guess greatness is just drawn to greatness. I did take a great picture of the microphone that has been used by many artist, which I will most likely print and cherish forever. As for the tour as a whole, I am glad I finally went. It was informative but I felt like I knew a lot of the information being born and raised in Memphis. Will I return again? Probably not.
Why don't you want to go back? You might run into Ozzy...
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ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest pet peeves about born-and-raised Memphians is how little acknowledgement we give our city for its rich musical background. I do not feel like many Memphians realize our importance in the formation of many musical legends. Blues, R&B, and Elvis Presley are a part of who I am. So obviously our significance in musical history is one of the main reasons I am really proud to call Memphis my home town. Even with that, I had never been to Sun Studios before my trek for this class. I am really sad I did not get to make it with the group, but it was a fun trip with my dad nonetheless. Sun Studios felt like standing in a sort of time capsule of Memphis history. I loved being able to envision how it would have felt back like in the day when People like Elvis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash stood there. I learned about Sam Phillips, the founder, and about how it was originally named the Memphis Recording Service. It was cool to see the timeline of it origins. With that you could more clearly see how the music itself evolved and progressed throughout the years. At one point we got to stand where Elvis Presley would have stood when he recorded many of his hit songs. I loved seeing the records on the walls and the. The whole place felt like a preserved piece of history. It was really interesting to learn things about Memphis I never knew before. I think this trip made me connect a bit more with my home town at its roots. I know one thing is for sure, I will definitely go again!
ReplyDeleteWhen you go, let me know and we'll go together--I forgot to get a tee-shirt.
DeleteDespite having lived in Memphis all of my life, this was my first visit to Sun Studios. When I first walked in, I was shocked at how crowded the front entrance was, but the parking was even worse. Before the tour started, it was a unique experience to study the memorabilia on the walls. Once the tour started, our first stop was to a room upstairs that held a timeline of sorts of jazz music in Memphis. The timeline ended with Elvis Presley. The most interesting part about the timeline was learning about the Prisonaires. I enjoyed learning about how they made the best of their situation. Even though they were in prison, that did not stop them from making music. As a result of their wonderful music, all the Prisonaires received pardons from the governor. This stands out to me because instead of living up to stereotypes of men in prison, they broke through that and redeemed their life. I wish more of the people in prison today would be told about this group of men, I almost feel as though this could influence at least a few to turn their life around. After the historic stop upstairs, the tour guide led us back downstairs to the recording room. I enjoyed learning about Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and everyone else that was mentioned, but historic music is still not my cup of tea. It might be my desire to stay on the science spectrum of the world, or something else. However, I was still able to find something to enjoy about the tour of Sun Studios. It was neat to learn how now-famous people are still coming back to Sun Studios, perhaps wishing to become as famous as Elvis Presley. I wonder what impression Bruno Mars had of Memphis' own recording studio.
ReplyDeleteI thought the tour was great. A little shorter than expected, but it was still great. It was surprising seeing how crowed the place was, since I rarely see anybody outside the place. Probably because everybody is inside. It was my first time visiting Sun Studios and now I regret never going there. I love all kinds of music especially rock n roll, so it was great to hear about the history of all (if not most) of the artist who record albums there. Seeing their records and their instruments that is on display just made the overall experience better. The pictures of the artists made it easy for me to visualize on how the place was back then. I was amazed that there were people who would travel from another country just to visit here. Makes me believe on how good we have it here. People travel for hours or days just to see Sun Studio while we Memphians can just walk there. My favorite part of the tour was being able to interact with some of the equipment they have there like the microphone Elvis himself used. The tour guide was very energetic and knowledgeable about the place she works at. She probably really knowledgeable about the place because she done tours hundreds of time. After going on this class trek, I would defiantly revisit the place in the future.
ReplyDeleteOur trip to Sun Studio was a very interesting one. The first thing I noticed was that people were drinking old Coke bottles. The ones that you would see in the early nineteen-hundreds, that were made of glass. The walls in the waiting room were filled with pictures of famous people. Two that I remember were BB King and Elvis, of course. I enjoyed seeing some of the old technology in the museum. Also I thought it was cool how they played snippets of the songs while we were on the tour. It was a lot quicker than I expected, it felt like we were in and then out. It's pretty awesome that they still use the recording booth, as a recording booth. The highlight of the museum is that you could stand where Elvis stood when he made records and sing into his mic. I thought the ceiling was interesting leave built I've never seen a ceiling that was shaped like a "m" shape arc. I never knew that Sun Studio actually had musicians that were from prison. I thought it was pretty cool that the prisoners got pardoned and they were allowed to come and record songs at the studio. I never realized that Ike Turner at Sun studio. I didn't know that Elvis was 18 when he performed his first song for Sun Studio I didn't know that Elvis got rejected at first by the Sun studio owner. I didn't even know that Elvis started off singing a different type of song, than the kind that he's famous for. I found it interesting that the radio host Epson Studio decided that if I record wasn't rock and roll enough for him he was just smash it on air. Could you imagine if you had spent several years or months working on a song that you considered rock and roll and then this guy just smashes it on air cuz it's not rock and roll enough for him. That guy's radio show must have been a dream crusher to some people. I like how Sun Studio was very integrated they had white and black people in it, which was a very gutsy move considering what time period they lived in. Overall I enjoyed the trip to Sun Studio it was interesting I learned a lot that I didn't know about famous people, I got to see some old technology (which was really cool), and I heard some snippets of songs that I didn't even know existed. It was a good outing and I'm glad I got to enjoy it with you all. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.
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