Sam Phillips 1923-2003: A Blues Legacy

 Sam Phillips, the man who founded Sun Records and played a large role in ushering in the rock 'n' roll era died July 31st in Memphis. He was 80. As the numerous obituaries make clear he will be most remembered for his rockabilly stars such as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich and particularly Elvis Presley. Before any of those gentlemen ever walked through the door Sam Phillips' place in history was already assured, thanks to the hundreds of powerful blues recordings he produced in the early '50s. Many of these recordings have become blues classics. It's this blues legacy that we will be discussing in this article.

The Early Years

 Phillips worked as a radio announcer and engineer throughout the '40s and decided to start a recording studio. He opened the Memphis Recording Service in January, 1950 at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis. With the motto "We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime", Phillips earned his bread and butter recording weddings, funerals, and other private functions. When Phillips started recording artists for commercial release he started with blues artists.

 A disc jockey on WHBQ named Dewey Phillips came to Sam with the proposal to form a record label to record the many blues singers in and around Memphis. Dewey Phillips would run the label and Sam Phillips would record the music. The name of the record label was "It's The Phillips." The first and only record issued was "Boogie in the Park"/"Gotta Let You Go" (It's The Phillips 9001/2) by Joe Hill Louis in August, 1950.

The Modern Records Connection

 After this unsuccessful start Phillips' began recording and leasing masters to larger independent labels such as Chess and Modern. He developed contacts with Saul and Jules Bihari who owned Modern Records in Los Angeles. The Biharis had started a subsidiary called RPM Records for music with a down home feel. During this period he recorded important early sides by B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Junior Parker, Walter Horton, James Cotton and many others which came out on Modern's RPM imprint. In 1950 Jules Bihari signed B.B. King to a contract and placed him with Phillips. Phillips recorded King from mid-1950 until June 1951. In the spring of 1951 Phillips recorded a demo session with Chester Burnett a.k.a Howlin' Wolf. Phillips sent dubs to Modern and Chess with a number of sides issued on RPM before eventually selling Wolf's contract to Chess.

 In 1951 he cut "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston backed by Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, a record often cited as the first rock 'n' roll record. Phillips leased the song to Chess records, where it was issued under the name "Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats." It became one of the biggest R&B hits of 1951. In 1952, increasingly frustrated by his relationships with the larger independents, he started a new label called Sun Records.

Sun Records: 1952-1954

 The first record on Sun was to be number 174 by "Little Walter" Horton and Jack Kelly titled "Blues in My Condition" (billed as by "Jackie Boy and Little Walter") but the record was not issued commercially. Sun 175 by Johnny London titled "Drivin' Slow" was the first record to appear in record stores. A local disc jockey on WDIA named Rufus Thomas had the first hit on Sun with "Bear Cat" (Sun 181) which was an answer record to Big Mama Thorton's popular R&B hit "Hound Dog". The success of "Bear Cat" and the follow-up "Tiger Man" (Sun 188) enabled Phillips to get national distribution deals.

 Prior to recording Elvis in 1952 the early Sun years were devoted almost exclusively to tough electric blues. Among the important artists recorded during this period include the first sides by Little Milton (1953), Pinetop Perkins (1953) and James Cotton (1954). Junior Parker was another important artist (he cut one prior side for Modern in 1952) cutting classics like "Feelin' Good" and "Mystery Train (1954) a song that Elvis would cut a year later. Rosco Gordon was another important artist whose "Bootin'" was a number one R&B hit in 1952. The song was leased to both RPM and Chess.

 Sun also recorded fine sides during this period by the following: Doctor Ross, Honeyboy Edwards, Billy (The Kid) Emerson, Willie Nix, Big Walter Horton, Earl Hooker, Pat Hare, Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm, Mose Vinson and others. Phillips never released that many sides by one artist. Much of the material that has been reissued in later years was never issued and the Sun vaults were found to be loaded with unissued sides. It wasn't that these sides weren't worthy for release, quite the contrary, but Phillips' was running essentially a one man operation and didn't have the time or capital to release everything he wanted to.

Sun Records: 1954-1962

 With the recording of Elvis in 1954, Phillips' focus changed almost exclusively to white artists. Phillips worked tirelessly promoting Elvis. He produced, engineered, and marketed Elvis Presley which took all his attention. After Phillips sold Elvis' contract to RCA in 1955 he essentially abandoned blues and concentrated on this new music, called rockabilly. His attention was focused on artists like Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich.

 Phillips didn't entirely give up on blues recording and the following artists cut singles for the label during this period: Billy (The Kid) Emerson, Sammy Lewis with Willie Johnson, Little Milton, Eddie Snow and Rosco Gordon. He cut two blues LP's for his Phillips International subsidiary (formed in 1957) in 1962 by Frank Frost with the Night Hawks and Frank Ballard & the Phillips Reynolds Band.

 In 1969 Phillips sold the Sun catalog to Shelby Singleton, and the Sun legacy would be preserved by a flood of reissues that continues to the present. He has barely been involved in recording or the music business since. Phillips spent much of his time since operating radio station WLVS in Memphis and others in Alabama, which he owned.

Recommended Listening

Sun Records: The Blues Years 1950-1958 (Charly): This 8-CD, 202 track collection is the ultimate look at Sun's blues activities. A lavish box set with numerous unreleased tracks and a comprehensive 60 page booklet.

Howlin' Wolf: Howlin' Wolf Rides Again (Flair): Collects the bulk of the Memphis recordings from 1951 and 1952. Features classic such as "Moaning at Midnight", "I'm the Wolf " and "House Rockin' Boogie."

B.B. King: The Modern recordings 1950-1951 (Ace): 2-CD set collecting King's formative sides produced by Phillips for the RPM label.

Rosco Gordon: I'm Gonna Shake It (Varese Sarabande): This 22 track collection gathers the bulk of Gordon's recordings produced by Phillips plus many unreleased items.

Ike Turner & The Kings Of Rhythm: The Sun Sessions (Varese Sarabande): 20 great cuts by Ike and his Kings of Rhythm backing fine singers like Johnny O'Neal, Bonnie Turner, Billy "The Kid" Emerson and Tommy Hodge.

Little Milton: Anthology 1953-1961 (Varese Sarabande): 27 songs collecting the bulk of Milton's Sun sessions plus his 1958-1961 stay at Bobbin Records.

Mystery Train (Rounder): Collects everything Junior and his band, the Blue Flames, recorded at Sun Records between 1952 to 1954 including the original version of "Mystery Train. This set also contains James Cotton's earliest sides plus unbelievably tough, distorted sides from guitarist Pat Hare.

Sun Records: 25 Blues Classics (Varese Sarabande): Culls 25 of Sun's finest sides. Includes all-time classics like Rufus Thomas' "Bear Cat", Junior Parker's "Mystery Train", James Cotton's "Cotton Crop Blues", Pat Hare's " I’m Gonna Murder My Baby" and many more.

Sun Records: 25 More Blues Classics
(Varese Sarabande): Digging a little deeper than the previous volume with tracks by Doctor Ross, Rufus Thomas, Junior Parker, Hot Shot Love, Big Walter Horton and others.

Sun Records: 25 Rare Blues Classics (Varese Sarabande): 25 rarities from the Sun vaults. Includes gems by Joe Hill Louis, Earl Hooker, Honeyboy Edwards, Frank Frost and others.

(Jeff Harris)