The name Sun Records and the name Elvis Presley are two names that belong together. Robert Burnett once said the following: "Sun Records was the creation of Sam Phillips, who nurtured and cajoled his musicians into developing the Sun sound. In doing so he ensured a place in the history books as one of the discoverers of rock 'n' roll music."
Sam Phillips founded Sun Records in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, located at 706 Union Avenue. This recording studio only measured thirty by eighteen feet and was leased by Phillips for $150 per month. His main reason and goal for starting Sun Records was to record rhythm and blues singers along with country and western artists. Phillips began his career by working for several radio stations and being a record producer for his record label Phillips Records. When he began his career, working with a star like Evlis Presley was only a dream.
Sun records was looking for a very special type of voice. Phillips of Sun Records thought that he could make a million dollars if he could find a white singer with a Negro sound and a negro feeling. Sam Phillips searched hard to find that special person. The day came in 1954 when Elvis Presley cut his first record "That's All Right." This was the beginning of a career for Elvis Presley who later became known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll." It also was the beginning of the famous record company known as Sun Records.
Phillips once said the following: "I knew Elvis was going to be big, but I never knew he'd be that big!" If Phillips would have chosen a career other than the one he chose, the birth of rock 'n' roll would have been prolonged. Not only would have the birth of rock 'n' roll have been prolonged, the birth of "The King" would have never occurred. The recording technology of Sun Records and Sam Phillips left a lasting impact on the history of America.