Our Sun Studio Tour
Are you looking for a museum tour that leaves a memorable impression? Well, if you love music, we know just the place. Head over to Memphis, Tennessee to see the birthplace of rock’n’roll. We did—and our Sun Studio tour was totally awesome!
The golden-orange brick building sits at the intersection of Union and Marshall Avenues. A huge guitar hanging from the pole is your 1st clue you have arrived. The recognizable Sun Studio logo is easily seen down the street.
The original recording studio is in the one-story building.
Parking is behind the Studio, accessed via Monroe Avenue. We missed that detail and ended up parking a few blocks down on Marshall and walked back. No big deal since it was a Saturday. There was very little traffic.
Entrance is at the corner of the building, near the large guitar on the pole. Head inside and enjoy a 3-part memory filled tour.
Location:
7006 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
Contact:
(901) 521-0664
Hours:
10 AM - 5:15 PM, Sun-Thu
10 AM - 6:15 PM, Fri-Sat
*Tours start once per hour, at the bottom of each hour.
Fees:
$15 Adults
$13 Students
$10 Child 5-11
*No children under 5 permitted
Website:
SunStudio.com
The place to pick up Sun Studio memorabilia, get your ticket, and sip a soda while waiting for your tour to begin.
Part 1 - Gift Shop and Cafe
The 1st part begins in the gift shop and “café” where you purchase tour tickets and get a tour time. We were already excited before walking through the door but, it began to build on entering.
Cubicles, on the left, filled with Sun Studio t-shirts, jackets, and such catch your eye when you walk in.
But, to the right, is where Elvis Presley fans in particular get a little giddy. There, you’ll see a huge—and famous—photo of Elvis with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis nearly covering the old brick wall.
Round retro chrome stools welcome visitors to sit at the old wooden soda counter. Here you can sip a soda, coffee, tea, or water while you wait. We spent our time looking at old records and photographs on the wall.
Each counter seat has a famous musician's name stitched in gold.
Wall display in the 1st floor Cafe and Gift Shop.
One small section of display case located on the 2nd floor Sun Studio Museum.
Part 2 - 2nd Floor Museum
Part 2 begins when your tour time arrives. A guide takes your group up a narrow flight of stairs lined with framed photos and records of artists who recorded at Sun.
On the second floor is a room filled with jaw-dropping memorabilia. Glass wall-to-wall exhibit cases reach the ceiling.
It is here you begin to understand just how big this little studio was in music history. We marveled at old photos, original vinyl records, equipment, and clothing of past musicians who have left their mark.
Along with Elvis Presley, this included B.B. King, and other blues greats like Howling Wolf, Johnny London, and Rufus Thomas.
TOP L: Actual desk and equipment DJ Dewey Phillips used at WHBQ Radio. BOTTOM L: If the Dewey didn't like the record 1st time he played it, he smashed it on the corner of the desk. R: Original glass lobby doors from WHBQ Radio Station.
WHBQ Radio Station
One floor to ceiling exhibit houses original WHBQ radio station equipment, including the original lobby doors.
It was at this desk disc jockey, Dewey Phillips, introduced Elvis to Memphis airwaves. Dewey was not only first to play Elvis’ 1st record, he was also the first to interview Presley on-air.
Phillips’ approval of a song was key to artists' success. The DJ promoted the ones he liked—and smashed the ones he didn’t so he would never play it again.
Close-up of some historic documents and memorabilia on display.
Sam Phillips dreamed of recording Blues music. Two of the Blues artists he recorded pictured with Elvis are Junior Parker and Bobby Blue Bland.
Tour Guides
The tour guide’s knowledge left us amazed. His passion for the music history on display was obvious and only served to further increase our excitement.
After the guide finished, we had time to look around and take photographs. Toe-tapping-sing-along sounds of music created by Sun Studio artists played in the background.
From here, your guide takes you down another narrow flight of stairs, also covered with framed memorabilia from the greats.
Window to the recording booth where Sam worked his magic.
Part 3 - Sun Recording Studio
At the bottom of the stairs, you head into the 1-story building. It is actually the original recording studio Sam Philips opened in 1950. But, before we move into the recording part of studio, here’s a little history about the 1st room.
The first room is an office where secretary, Marion Keisker played an important role. She greeted Elvis Presley in 1953 when he first came to the studio to record “My Happiness” for his mother. Marion made an extra copy for Sam Phillips but, he wasn’t at all impressed.
A year later, Elvis returned to audition for a singing job. Nervous during the audition and not doing so well (during which Sam walked out), Elvis began dancing around the room singing a fast version of “That’s All Right.”
Sam heard it—and found the sound he was looking for.
1956 Silvertone model 1382L guitar – called the “thin twin” Jimmy Reed Sunburst
Bass used during recording sessions.
Instruments and equipment used back in the day line the room's perimeter.
Spellbound from Stories
Enter the recording studio and feel like you stepped back into an important era in music history.
The studio, lined with equipment from the era, looks like it did in the 1950’s. Framed and unframed prints hang on the acoustic tile walls along with vinyl LP records.
The tour guide held us spellbound with stories of who played there, songs they sang, and where they stood.
A big blue ‘X’ marks the spot where Elvis would stand. There’s an indention in the original vinyl floor tile where the upright bass stood.
Our tour guide played a few recording session outtakes as he told stories of events that became history.
(FYI…the studio is still a working recording studio, operating after tours are over.)
Four of the big names that recorded at Sun Studio and the piano where Elvis was sitting in the photo.
Drum set donated by U2 drummer, Larry Mullen, Jr. U2 also recorded at Sun Studio.
Feel the History During Your Sun Studio Tour
If you want to spend 45+ minutes immersed in music history—not just seeing a video or reading about it—take a trip to Memphis.
Feel history when you hold the microphone used by your favorite singers. Stand where they stood. See the place where rock’n’roll pioneer, Sam Phillips, blended music styles that rocked the world.
Our Sun Studio tour was awesome. The feeling is exciting, real, and leaves a lasting impression
We posed with the microphone used in the 1950's by the artists who recorded at Sun. (It's the one Elvis used.) Sam Phillips donated it to the Studio with one condition—that it not be hidden behind a glass case. He wanted the public to be able to handle it.
It all began with Sam Phillips' company, the Memphis Recording Service, and a dream.
About Sam Phillips
Meet Sam Phillips, a self-taught producer and former radio engineer who opened Memphis Recording Service in January 1950. Two years later, it became Sun Studio, both a recording studio and a record label.
Sam had a dream. He wanted to discover a new sound—one that combined the best of blues with country and gospel. His studio’s slogan of “We record anything-anywhere-anytime” helped open the doors to making his dream a reality.
He bent rules and blended musical styles during recording sessions. Amps cranked up loud adding echo, helped create the “new” sound. Sam found and record local R&B artists whose songs, incidentally, became #1 rhythm-and-blues hits.
But it was a teenage boy who danced around the room singing “That’s All Right” that created the sound Sam Phillips was looking for. It was then rock’n’roll was born.
Sun Studio ran its course in the 1950’s. After few years after Elvis left, Sam moved the studio to a new location. Sun Records changed hands in 1969 after releasing its last single and Sam retired from public appearances.
Known as the father of rock’n’roll, Sam Phillips died in 2003.
Wanting more ideas on relaxing, playing or learning?
Check out our "Things to Do" page for other Worthy Detour stops.
The record smashing is pretty wild haha. I wonder how often he had 2nd thoughts about what he threw on the ground. The studio looks really cool though. I’m learning more about recording equipment and some of that looks like it would be really interesting to toy around with haha!
They said he was pretty sure about it but I wondered about the choices too. People he promoted went on to be top artists. You would love this tour since you love music and recording. Looks complicated to me!