Sun Studio
(Memphis,
Tennessee)
Excerpts from Beth:
 What
do Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Bono have in common?
They've all recorded at the legendary Sun Studio, of course.
This tiny building in Memphis houses the hallowed ground
of many famous recording artists and still operates as a studio
in the evenings! The tour begins with a fantastic montage
of artifacts, video, and audio recordings to get the flavor
of the early days of the recording studio. . . the tour guides
are carefully dressed to reflect the times, and our guide
presented her wealth of information with a Southern twang.
The tour moves along to the original front office (where
Elvis would check in for his appointments) and then to the
studio itself. As a modern studio, it houses the latest audio/recording
equipment and instruments, but the pictures on the walls took
us back in time. Audio clips also offered a glimpse into the
fun moments at the studio--imagine Elvis cracking up laughing
in the middle of one of his takes because Carl Perkins was
making funny faces through the front window. Well, it's been
immortalized on tape.
 An
"X" on the floor in electrical tape marks the spot
where Elvis stood, so Roadchick B found it perfectly appropriate
to play "Elvis Fanatic" and kiss the spot (while
trying not to envision 1000's of other Elvis fans who have
kissed the same spot). The front entrance is a gift shop (of
course) and also a whimsical soda fountain. We made a last-minute
decision to take this tour and it turned out to be one of
the favorites of Memphis.
This tour is highly recommended for music fans, Elvis fans,
and fans of the 1950's alike--it has a little something for
everyone. The Roadchix would like to salute Sam Phillips,
the dreamer, schemer and founder of Sun Studio's and Sun Records.
He passed away shortly after our visit in 2003 at the age
of 80.
http://www.sunstudio.com
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From
the World's Largest Guitar to Graceland to Jack Daniel's, it's all
in here.
Get your t-shirts, mugs, license plate covers and bumper stickers
for all your roadtrip needs.