2024-01-17

Wednesday, January 17th, 2024

Friendship needs no words - it is solitude delivered from the anguish of loneliness.

— Dag Hammarskjöld

• @llsoftsecLlsoftsecbookBookLowlevel2024

MUS106 Lecture 4: Sun Records

• Sun Records is an independent record label founded by Sam Phillips
  • involved many famous rock stars
  • has a motto that encompassed all of rock’s influenced: “Gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, and western swing”
  • independent label
    • cons
      • less capital
      • less distribution of records
    • pros
      • more flexibility (less corporate)
      • more targeted audience
      • unique identity
• Sun Records super stars
  • Johnny Cash (1932-2003) is a gospel & country musician
    • Johnny Cash acted as an musical activist for disenfranchised African Americans etc in the country, especially during Vietnam War.
      • ”What Is Truth”, “Man in Black”
  • Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-) is a gospel & boogie woogie musician
    • Jerry Wee Lewis was born in rural Louisiana, inheriting evangelical roots.
    • Jerry is a prodigal pianist, as heard in “The Killer”
    • Other hits include “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”
  • Carl Perkins (1932-1998) was the first white country artist to cross-over to R&B
    • born a son of sharecroppers in Tennessee.
    • ”Blue Suede Shoes” (1956)
    • played in Grand Ole Opry
• Billboards track consumer interest along lines of race & class, and they ease & inform record labels’ business decisions.
  • Example billboards
    • Popular: self-explanatory
    • Country & Western: poor, rural, white consumers
    • Rhythm & Blues: Black consumers
  • Cross-over changes the way billboards work previously: it changed billboards from siloed consumer interest & musicality to a less contrained way to produce (for musicians) and find new music (for consumers). Musicians can make whatever genre of music they want and not be bounded by the billboard they were previously on.
    • e.g. Elvis Presley
• Elvis Presley (1935-77)
  • His late music career was deteriorated by massive external creative expectation.
  • Elvis was an underdog—he was born to a very poor family in Tupelo, MS, then moved to Memphis on the poor side of town.
  • Originally aspired to be country or gospel singer.
  • He joined Sun Records in 1954 and released 5 innovative singles (10 tracks) that didn’t break national charts, but was popular through live performances. He had to leave Sun Records since being an independent record, Sun Records could not financially support his performances.
  • ”That’s All Right” / “Blue Moon of Kentucky”
    • A-side: blues (by Arthur Crudup), but with a more country style than the original
    • B-side: bluegrass (by Bill Monroe), but much more uptempo than the original
    • an accidental production
  • Later signed a 52-week country with Lousiana Hayride (i.e. “Cradle of the Stars), a TV show