Sun Studio

Sun Studio is a working recording studio and music museum at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis. Its small rooms hold the story of artists who recorded here, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and B.B. King. A guided tour takes you into the original recording room, where the Million Dollar Quartet jammed in 1956, and shows memorabilia such as the microphone Elvis used to record his first song. Audio clips bring early recording sessions into the visit.

Inside the original recording room

The guided tour takes you through Sun Studio’s compact premises and into the original recording room. In December 1956, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash gathered there for an impromptu session known as the Million Dollar Quartet. Standing in the room connects the studio’s small scale with the music made inside it.

The tour also includes audio demonstrations, with clips from historic sessions played through speakers. You can see memorabilia from the studio’s early days, including the microphone Elvis used when recording his first song in 1954.

Artists and early recordings

Sun Studio opened in 1950, founded by Sam Phillips, who had previously worked as a radio DJ. The studio became a starting point for musicians including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, B.B. King, Roy Orbison and Howlin’ Wolf. Its history reaches across blues, gospel, country, rock and soul.

The guide’s stories explain the people and recordings tied to the building. Among them is Marion Keisker, who made the first recording of Elvis singing. A replica of the DJ booth where Phillips played records for local listeners is also part of the displays.