Dan Telfer: When the AV Club travels, we always make time to visit pop culture landmarks. If something memorable happened in the world of film, TV, books, or music we want to go there. We’re not just tourists, we’re pop pilgrims. Few cities can claim as many important record labels and recording studios as Memphis, Tennessee. This is home to such studios as Goldwax, Hi, and Stax which define the Memphis soul of the 1960s and 1970s. Right now we’re in Marion Keisker’s office in Sun Studio, a studio that was home to the earliest recordings of people like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and BB King. I'm Dan Telfer and I am with Cora Pitt, one of the tour guides here at Sun Studios. Can you tell us a little bit about this room and walks us around? Cora Pitt: Yes. Sam Philips, the recording engineer here, had this room from 1950 to 1960. At that time, the cool music around Memphis was blues. It was happening on Beale Street, nobody in town was really out recording it. He knew that if he could find a white boy that could sound like a black guy he’d make his million. And Elvis Presley came along and he was right about that. So July 5th 1954 was when Elvis Presley came on in and made the legendary recording “That’s All Right Mama” which led him to stardom. Scotty Moore, who was the guitar player, stood over here on this X. He’s the lead guitarist. And then Bill Black, the upright base player, stood right there [inaudible 1:40] for his base stand. This is an original of Shure 55 vocal mike Sam used in the studio. And before he passed away in 2003 he gave us one in all of the tours and they’d take pictures with it and we told them Elvis Presley sang into it. So it’s the oldest microphone and we let people lick and kiss the thing if they really want to. They're that die-hard of an Elvis fan. But this piano Jerry Lee used to record with. He put his cigar out right here to make his mark – Jerry Lee Lewis. The most famous rock band in the world came in 1988 and recorded three songs for the Ruttle and Hum record and so we have Larry Mullen’s drum kit. Eric Friedl: Part of the genius, whatever, thing about Sun Studio is that this is the same room – it's unbelievable, when you actually walk in and this is the same room, it's not re-created. The whole Sun sound is just raw, kind of guys getting together, banging on things. Sam Philips is just a crazy guy with some ideas. A bunch of crazy musicians that were doing whatever they wanted to do. Dan Telfer: What recordings here do you really love? Eric Friedl: There’s a track by Carl Perkins called “Her Love Rubbed Off” and it's just him sounding drunk in the studio – I don’t know if he is – but it's amazing. It's just him kind of mumbling and guitar comes in and out and that’s just one of the best things that ever came out of here, I think. Cora Pitt: Bob Dylan came in one day and there was a tour going on in here. He came right over there and kissed the Elvis X and then he walked out. The tour guide runs after him and stops him in the streets. “Mr. Dylan, I'm a huge fan,” and Dylan turns to him and he’s like “Well son, we all have our heroes.” And then he just walked right off – Dylan. End.

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