SUN STUDIO - Memphis

Keeping with the music theme, we decided to visit the last of the remaining Memphis music museums.  We saw cars with license plates from exotic places such as Ohio and Pennsylvania in addition to the usual Mississippi and Tennessee. This boded well for me, maybe tourists knew something about this place that we did not (or perhaps being tourists, were visiting the tourist traps). Tours take place on the half hour, so we hustled down there for the next available tour, not knowing if we were going to see refreshing material or more redundancies. The website guaranteed an hour tour so seemed like a good bet.

Sun Studio is housed in the original home of the recording studio owned by the legendary Sam Phillips. I saw Sam, back in ’99, in the waiting room of an East Memphis endodontist. I had just finished with a root canal and I figure he was the next patient judging by the miserable look on his face. He looked so tortured that I didn’t even say hi to him, let’s face it I didn’t feel much better than him except I was totally numbed up. The building, a National Historic Landmark, is in no way shape or form designed/ or renovated for people who need easily accessible elevators and bathrooms.

Sam Phillips opened Sun in the early 1950’s. He was looking to discover a new genera of music. Along the way he discovered many great artists and lots of great music. He also was sued for copyright infringement. Our tour was guided by a perky young woman. You are never left to your own devices here or have to do any heavy duty reading. After walking up a steep flight of steps, you arrive in a tiny room with antique recording devices, tons of photos, and memorabilia; not unlike my parents’ basement. However, we did get to watch an uncensored video of Elvis’s first TV appearance. Then we trooped down a flight of steps to the actual recording studio.

The tour of Sun Studio really just encompasses two small rooms jammed with old stuff that together would fit inside of a basketball court. What brings this museum alive is the tour guide, who pointed out special items of interest and shared cute antidotes.

The recording studio is still in use and has many real instruments on the floor that are off limits. The tour continued with more recordings of Sun Studio artists. At the conclusion of the tour, our perky guide tactlessly asked for tips.

Recommendation: Depends on your musical taste. Rock and Soul is the most comprehensive music museum in Memphis.

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