"There's Rhythm in the air around Memphis, there always has been. I don't know what it is … but it's magic."
Carl Perkins
In 1953 Elvis Presley walked into the Sun Studio in Memphis and was asked "Who do you sound like?"
His reply? "I don't sound like nobody."
He was right. What Elvis bellowed into the Sun Studio microphone that day was a different kind of sound -- one that was raw, unruly and with a rebel-without-a-cause type edge and attitude. Although influenced by Southern Gospel music, Elvis had a sound of his own. It was the beginning of a musical revolution that would change the landscape of music, radio, TV – and an entire culture – forever.
But it didn't stop with Elvis. It is the same studio where legends like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins recorded songs that would catapult their careers and turn them into musical legends. Sun Studio still stands today as a museum and one of Memphis' most famous rock 'n' roll attractions.
The Memphis Rock 'n' Roll Legacy
Sun Studio and the aforementioned legendary musical icons are just a few of the many glories of the Memphis rock 'n' roll legacy. From the Gibson Beale Street Showcase Factory, where America's most famous guitars are crafted, to the Rock n' Soul Museum which features the impact of the Memphis music scene in full capacity with audio tours and memorabilia, the spirit of rock and roll lives on in Memphis.
Today, rock and roll still fills every nook and cranny of the city, and Memphis remains a hot-bed for musical talent, concerts and rock and roll festivals. Mention musical Memphians such as Justin Timberlake and Saliva, iconic institutions such as Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis and all-out rock 'n' roll parties like the Beale Street Music Festival, and it's clear to see - Memphis is the daddy and the momma, of rock 'n' roll. And it's hard to forget it, when thousands of fans travel to Memphis from all around the world each year for Elvis Week.
Discover the true attitude of rock in Memphis. Rhythm, Rhymes, the strummed strings of a Gibson guitar, the sounds that made Jerry Lee Lewis harass a piano, and the sound that turned Elvis's hips "sinful" - the rock, and the roll, is right here in Memphis; all you have to do is open your ears and let the music guide you.