while i was in the car on the way to work this fine morning, i found out on radio 4 that history was made 50 years ago today in this unassuming red-bricked building.

Sun Studio, Memphis, TN

a young man and his two friends were recording tunes and the studio owner, sam phillips, told them to start packing their instruments as he wasn’t exactly impressed with the ballad-y tunes they were playing. just as his two friends were calling it a day, the young started singing that’s all right, a blues number, and sam phillips just told them to stop packing and start recording. after 3 to 4 takes, history was made.

Sam Phillips and Elvisthat young man was elvis aaron presley. his two friends were scotty moore and bill black.

50 years ago today, rock & roll and what we all know as pop(ular) music was born in a room at sun studio in memphis, tennessee. many legends the like of jerry lee lewis, b.b. king and howlin’ wolf have recorded their material here. if elvis had gone home that night, music as we know it today will de different. there would have been no beatlemania, no chart-topping hits on the airwaves, hendrix wouldn’t have burnt his strat at monterey, no mtv (yikes!), kurt kobain wouldn’t have unleashed the sound of a pissed off generation, and yanni would have been the mainstay of music today (*evil grin*). as far as i am concerned, i’d probably hadn’t had bought cashload of cd’s and guitars.

i believe a reunion extravaganza will be held at the studio and radio stations worldwide are gonna do a broadcast of that seminal elvis track sometime later today. to quote neil young, i’d say “keep on rocking in the free world”!