Sam Phillips Talks About Elvis Presley

Interview - 1992. Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 -- July 30, 2003), better known as Sam Phillips, was an American record producer who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s. He was a producer, label owner, and talent scout throughout the '40s and '50s. He is most notably attributed with the discoveries of Howlin Wolf, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, and is associated with several other noteworthy rhythm and blues and rock and roll stars of the period.Phillips and Elvis Presley opened a new form of music. Phillips said of Elvis: "Elvis cut a ballad, which was just excellent. I could tell you, both Elvis and Roy Orbison could tear a ballad to pieces. But I said to myself, 'You can't do that, Sam.' If I had released a ballad I don't think you would have heard of Elvis Presley.Although much has been written about Phillips' goals, he can be seen stating the following: "Everyone knew that I was just a struggling cat down here trying to develop new and different artists, and get some freedom in music, and tap some resources and people that weren't being tapped."Elvis Presley, who recorded his version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" at Phillips' studio, met that goal, and became highly successful, first in Memphis, then throughout the southern United States. He auditioned for Phillips in 1954, but it was not until he sang "That's Alright (Mama)" that Phillips was impressed. For the first six months, the flip side, "Blue Moon of Kentucky", his upbeat version of a Bill Monroe bluegrass song, was slightly more popular than "That's All Right (Mama)." While still not known outside the South, Presley's singles and regional success became a drawing card for Sun Records, as singing hopefuls soon arrived from all over the region. Singers such as Sonny Burgess ("My Bucket's Got A Hole In It"), Charlie Rich, Junior Parker, and Billy Lee Riley recorded for Sun with some success, while others such as Jerry Lee Lewis, BB King, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins would become superstars. Despite this popular regional acclaim, by mid 1955 Sam Phillips' studio experienced financial difficulties, and he sold Presley's contract in November of that year; RCA Records' offer of $35,000 beat out Atlantic Records' offer of $25,000. Through the sale of Presley's contract, he was able to boost the distribution of Perkins' song "Blue Suede Shoes", and it became Sun Records' first national hit.

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[Meteor62x2]

So glad he took a chance on Elvis. The world would not have been the same.

[pinkmilestone]

From interview: I get him as he interprets Elvis as "The King of Rock & Roll !!!"

[Suva1987]

He was brave when he startet producing Elvis's music at that time. Sam revolutionized the music taste in the 1950s.

[LORRIEVIVALASVEGAS]

Fabulous! **********

Lov`n ELVIS!!

[JaSamfan1982]

I loved this thanks for posting it

[jcraigb]

Like Sam Phillips said head and shoulders above everybody else even today no one else can say that ELVIS THE BEST EVER