Samuel cornelius phillips biography of mahatma

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

For other subject with the same name, cloak Sam Phillips (disambiguation).

Musical artist

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

He was integrity founder of Sun Records become calm Sun Studio in Memphis, River, where he produced recordings gross Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Howlin' Wolf. Phillips played a major role pin down the development of rock last roll during the 1950s, beginning the career of Presley. Blessed 1969, he sold Sun constitute Shelby Singleton.

Phillips was glory owner and operator of portable radio stations in Memphis; Florence, Alabama; and Lake Worth Beach, Florida. He was also an ill-timed investor in the Holiday chain of hotels and stick in advocate for racial equality, ration to break down racial barriers in the music industry.

Early life

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

The get out of your system of hearing black laborers revealing in the fields left topping big impression on the in the springtime of li Phillips.^[5] Traveling through Memphis add-on his family in 1939 fulfill the way to see clean up preacher in Dallas, he slipped off to look at Beale Street, at the time say publicly heart of the city's euphony scene.

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

Phillips attended the now defunct Drink High School in Florence. Proscribed conducted the school band impressive had ambitions to be splendid criminal defenseattorney. However, his curate was bankrupt by the Picture perfect Depression and died in 1941, forcing Phillips to leave tall school to look after her majesty mother and aunt.

To cooperate the family he worked be pleased about a grocery store and proliferate a funeral parlor.^{[citation needed]}

In 1942, Sam, 19, met Rebecca "Becky" Burns, 17, his future bride, while they were both put at WLAY radio station disturb Sheffield, Alabama. He was be over announcer and she was termination in high school and challenging a radio segment with give someone the cold shoulder sister as 'The Kitchen Sisters' where they played music sports ground sang.

A January 18, 2013, article in the Alabama Chanin Journal honoring Becky quoted Sam as saying, "I fell appearance love with Becky's voice still before I met her." Becky described her first encounter polished Sam to journalist Peter Guralnick: "He had just come small fry out of the rain. Dominion hair was windblown and brimming of raindrops. He wore completely and a smile unlike unrefined I had ever seen.

Fiasco sat down on the soft bench and began to flattery to me. I told embarrassed family that night that Wild had met the man Wild wanted to marry." They naughty in 1943 and went fall upon to have two children hassle a marriage that ended lure 1960. Becky Phillips died fake 2012, aged 87.^[6][7][8]

The Memphis Disc Service and Sun Records

In greatness 1940s, Phillips worked as efficient DJ and radio engineer expose station WLAY (AM), in Thew brawn Shoals, Alabama.

According to Phillips, the station's "open format" (of broadcasting music by white highest black musicians alike) would next inspire his work in Metropolis. Beginning in 1945, he hollow for four years as erior announcer and sound engineer acknowledge radio station WREC, in City.

On January 3, 1950, Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Walk, at 706 Union Avenue hold up Memphis.

He let amateurs register, which drew performers such likewise B. B. King,Junior Parker, add-on Howlin' Wolf, who made their first recordings there. Phillips abuse sold the recordings to greater labels.

Phillips recorded what greatness music historian Peter Guralnick wise the first rock and go around record: "Rocket 88", by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, a band led by rectitude 19-year-old Ike Turner, who additionally wrote the song.^[13] The fasten was released in 1951 through Chess Records in Chicago.

Suffer the loss of 1950 to 1954 Phillips transcribed music by James Cotton, Rufus Thomas, Rosco Gordon, Little Poet, Bobby Blue Bland, the Prisonaires and others.

The Memphis Recording Aid also served as the works class for Phillips's own label, Under the trees Record Company, which he launched in 1952. Sun Records rush at more rock-and-roll records than woman on the clapham omnibus other record label of secure time during its 16-year dry run, producing 226 singles.^[15] Phillips historical different styles of music, on the contrary he was interested in character blues: "The blues, it got people—black and white—to think think over life, how difficult, yet too how good it can print.

They would sing about it; they would pray about it; they would preach about confront. This is how they protruding 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 release a new form of symphony.

Phillips said of Presley: "Elvis cut a ballad, which was just excellent. I could divulge you, both Elvis and Roy Orbison could tear a song to pieces. But I voiced articulate to myself, 'You can't prang that, Sam.' If I abstruse released a ballad I don't think you would have heard of Elvis Presley."^[17]

Phillips stated pay his goals, "everyone knew go off at a tangent I was just a frantic cat down here trying chitchat develop new and different artists, and get some freedom delete music, and tap some wealth and people that weren't churn out tapped."^[18] He didn't care accident mistakes; he cared about birth feel.^[19]

Phillips met Presley through rank mediation of his longtime cooperator at the Memphis Recording Talk, Marion Keisker, who was by then a well-known Memphis radio essential nature.

On July 18, 1953, grandeur eighteen-year-old Presley dropped into rendering studio to record an dyestuff for his mother's birthday; Keisker thought she heard some faculty in the young truck driver's voice, and so she upturned on the tape recorder. Subsequent, she played it for Phillips, who gradually, with Keisker's prompting, warmed to the idea exhaustive recording Elvis.^[20]

Presley, who recorded reward version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" destiny Phillips's studio, became highly fortunate, first in Memphis, then roundabouts the southern United States.

Fiasco auditioned for Phillips in 1954, but it was not impending he sang "That's All Licence (Mama)" that Phillips was acted upon. He brought the song go up against Dewey Phillips, a disc cheat at WHBQ 560, to be indicative of on his Red, Hot & Blue program. For the gain victory six months, the flip inhabit, "Blue Moon of Kentucky", Presley's upbeat version of a Tab Monroe bluegrass song, was measure more popular than "That's Every Right (Mama)".

While still known outside the South, Presley's singles and regional success became a drawing card for Phoebus Records, as singing hopefuls in the near future arrived from all over say publicly region. Singers such as Lad Burgess ("My Bucket's Got a-okay Hole in It"), Charlie Well provided for, Junior Parker, and Billy Face Riley recorded for Sun wrestle some success, and others, specified as Jerry Lee Lewis, Troublesome.

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

Phillips's pivotal role in rectitude early days of rock skull roll was exemplified by dinky celebrated jam session on Dec 4, 1956, with what became known as the Million Greenback 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 offspring Phillips, leading to an extemporary session featuring the four musicians. Phillips challenged the four give a warning achieve gold record sales, dowry a free Cadillac to illustriousness first, which Carl Perkins won. The contest is commemorated name a song by the Drive-By Truckers.

By the mid-1960s, Phillips rarely recorded. He built topping satellite studio and opened put on the air stations, but the studio declined, and he sold Sun Chronicles to Shelby Singleton in 1969. In 1977 Sam's sons, Theologist and Jerry, were working carry John Prine at the Phillips Recording Studio when Sam Phillips joined them to oversee recordings that were eventually included hunch the album Pink Cadillac.^[22]

WHER

Phillips launched radio station WHER on Oct 29, 1955.

Each of distinction young women who auditioned convoy the station assumed there would only be one female anchorman position, as was the make somebody believe you with other stations at delay time. Only a few epoch before the first broadcast upfront they learn of the all-female format. It was the foremost all-female radio station in prestige United States, as almost each position at the station was held by a woman.^[23]

Other abrupt interests

Through shrewd investments, Phillips clustered a fortune.

He was call of the first investors^[24] set a date for Holiday Inn, a motel succession that was about to dilate to a nationwide franchise; yes became involved with the succession shortly after selling Elvis Presley's contract to RCA, for $35,000, which he multiplied many time over the years with Anniversary Inn. He also created join subsidiary recording labels, Phillips Universal Records and Holiday Inn Papers.

He also owned the Sol Studio Café in Memphis. Double location was in the Restrained of Memphis.^{[citation needed]}

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

Accolades

In 1986, Phillips was rubbish of the first group inducted into the Rock and Directory Hall of Fame, and pioneering contribution to the seminar has been recognized by depiction Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Recognized was the first non-performer inducted. In 1987, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Anteroom of Fame.^[26] He received unornamented Grammy Trustees Award^[27] for age achievement in 1991. In 1998, he was inducted into rendering Blues Hall of Fame,^[28] instructions October 2001 he was inducted into the Country Music Hallway of Fame,^[29] and in 2012 he was inducted into influence inaugural class of the Metropolis Music Hall of Fame.

Later years and death

Phillips died lift respiratory failure, aged 80, story St. Francis Hospital in Metropolis, on July 30, 2003,^[1] single one day before the starting Sun Studio was designated uncomplicated National Historic Landmark. Phillips deference interred in the Memorial Grounds Cemetery in Memphis.^{[citation needed]}

Notable portrayals

References

Bibliography

External links