Season 263 Sun Record Artists

lelouden

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This week is inspired by the CMTs new miniseries “Sun Records” that began airing this week. This is not a promotion to the miniseries but rather a promotion of the music.



It occurred to me that I don’t know enough about the recording artists from Sun Records. That had me feeling that I would like to hear more of the artists of the “Million Dollar Quartet” and the Others that influenced the Sun Sound that has reached across race and infused gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, and western swing creating a whole new sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yobNQbRo6zc.

Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by Sam Phillips in Memphis Tennessee, 1952. Sun gained the reputation throughout Memphis as a label that treated local artists with respect and honesty. Phillips provided a non-critical, spontaneous environment that invited creativity and vision. (Sounds like the seasons.)

Sam Phillips discovered Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. The "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Presley, Lewis, Perkins, and Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios. You can read about the sessions here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Dollar_Quartet

This weeks challenge is to bring music written or recorded by the “MDQ” or, them as individuals from any time in their carriers. You are also invited and encouraged to cover any of the other artists http://www.sunrecords.com/artists featured in the miniseries, or anyone recorded by Sun Records. Please list in your intro post who the artist is you are covering.

Song writers may bring songs about the MDQ, Sam Phillips, Sun Records or in the spirit of this weeks theme.

*Unlimited songs
*All newly recorded this week
*Season starts Sunday Feb. 26th at 00:01 Hawaii time and ends the
following Sunday March 5th at 11:59:59 pm.
*Announce or list in the video Season 263
*List the artist in your post

Prizes will include the Million Dollar Quartet 50th Anniversary Special Edition or $30 toward something from the Sun Records store (music, apparel, hats, mugs etc.) http://store.sunrecords.com

Several winners will be chosen from the hat.

Everyone likes encouragement. Your comment might help someone enormously. Each comment contributes the positive vibe of the Seasons, and strengthens the aloha spirit of the challenges.

MDQ Ukulele Playlist

SR Other Artist Playlist

263 Originals
 
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Wonderful theme, Linda! So many great artists played for Sam Phillips.
 
Wow. When I volunteered to take this week, I had planned on doing the Million Dollar Quartet. I didn't know about the miniseries. It was just one of the themes I had come up with.
 
Wow. When I volunteered to take this week, I had planned on doing the Million Dollar Quartet. I didn't know about the miniseries. It was just one of the themes I had come up with.

Thats funny. I had an alternate theme in mind that I thought you would come up with. You not knowing about the miniseries and having the same plan is an odd coincidence.

Thank you linda and Rick!
 
Thats funny. I had an alternate theme in mind that I thought you would come up with. You not knowing about the miniseries and having the same plan is an odd coincidence.

Thank you linda and Rick!

So what was the other theme that you thought I might do?
 
This is going to be a fun Season Linda. You mentioned you wish to learn about Sun Recording Artists. This Leads me to a question. Sam Phillips started The Memphis Recording Service, Sun Studio and eventually Sun Records. Are the artists he recorded at his studios before he started the record company considered eligible for the Season. Sam considered Elvis his second greatest discovery. Howling Wolf he considered his greatest discovery. He indeed recorded Howling Wolf at his studios but HW's recordings were then brokered to larger record companies. I think the same applies to BB King. Decision please?
 
This is going to be a fun Season Linda. You mentioned you wish to learn about Sun Recording Artists. This Leads me to a question. Sam Phillips started The Memphis Recording Service, Sun Studio and eventually Sun Records. Are the artists he recorded at his studios before he started the record company considered eligible for the Season. Sam considered Elvis his second greatest discovery. Howling Wolf he considered his greatest discovery. He indeed recorded Howling Wolf at his studios but HW's recordings were then brokered to larger record companies. I think the same applies to BB King. Decision please?

Not sure what your question is here Tommy. If your asking about artists that where with SP while the studio had some name changes then yes those artist apply. You going to have to look up the artist you are considering and use your own good judgement. On quick look BBK has a greatest album done by Sun and HW Best Of The Sun Records Sessions is under the Sun label.
 
It is also interesting to note that Elvis was only with Sun for a short period.

Phillips sold Presley's contract to RCA Victor for $40,000; it was, at the time, the highest sum ever paid for a recording contract. Sun had permission to keep pressing the singles until January 1, 1956, and RCA released Presley's first five singles nationally on their label. In January 1956, Presley began recording for RCA, recording "Heartbreak Hotel" as his first single. He would return to Sun studios regularly over the next few months, visiting with Phillips and meeting many of his new artists.

Although Presley would never officially record with Sun again, he was caught on tape during an impromptu jamming session on December 4, 1956. Presley had arrived during a Carl Perkins recording session, which also featured a young Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, and a new artist named Johnny Cash watching on. During a break in recording, Presley sat at the piano and began to sing along with Perkins, Lewis and Cash. Phillips kept his tape recorder running, and, seeing an opportunity to promote another of his new acts, he arranged for a reporter to cover the event. The recordings would eventually be known as "The Million Dollar Quartet".
 
While this foray seems educational...may I suggest a starting point for our accomplished and illustrious host? This record is full of very wonderful but lesser known recordings from sun...I thought it might be right in your wheelhouse. Sun.jpg
 
I love me the Million Dollar boys...but my god...
Just listen. And then listen to all the others. Not a bad one in the bunch.
 
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Thank you TCK. According to questionable Wiki, Sun had 16 women. Ive done a few searches and its hard to know who those women are.

In 1969, Mercury Records label producer Shelby Singleton purchased the Sun label from Phillips. Singleton merged his operations into Sun International Corporation, which re-released and re-packaged compilations of Sun's early artists in the early 1970s.

Sun Entertainment also includes SSS International Records, Plantation Records, Amazon Records, Red Bird Records, Blue Cat Records among other labels the company acquired over the years.

On the Memphis Belles album there are more that 16 women included. Its very confusing to know if some of them are from other recording labels purchased by Sun Entertainment.

Again in the situation, if you want to cover some of these women you'll need to do some homework. This week may prove to be an education for many of us.

Im going to apply the honor system and believe anything you folks bring me :)
 
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D'oh! I was hoping this would be an excuse to do a song by the Sam Phillips who used to be married to T-Bone Burnett:


 
Jim, thanks for the entertainment. You might have slipped that in under the honor code ;-)
 
Hi Linda! Intriguing theme ... especially for those who, like me, know nothing about Sun Records; or perhaps I'm the only one! Slightly confused (not unusual for me) ... are we allowed to have a go at any songs recorded by artists who have been with Sun Records, or is it only the songs that they recorded WHILST they were at Sun Records that count? Illumination please! x
 
Hi Linda! Intriguing theme ... especially for those who, like me, know nothing about Sun Records; or perhaps I'm the only one! Slightly confused (not unusual for me) ... are we allowed to have a go at any songs recorded by artists who have been with Sun Records, or is it only the songs that they recorded WHILST they were at Sun Records that count? Illumination please! x

Too many rules aka too many cooks. I think the honour rule applies as per post above.
 
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