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Sun sound
The Times obit on record great Sam Phillips includes some interesting words from the great also late Robert Palmer on the Phillips sound. It was identifiable: "..A back-slap echo effect, furious ... acoustic rhytm guitar ... cutting electric leads based on both blues and country music models, slapped string base, vocal with heavy vibrato .. punch rhytmic delivery that often verged on stuttering, and sometimes pounding drums, barrelhouse piano and a rasping saxophone."
Certainly the original black artists of Sun [Rufus Thomas with Tiger Man, Junior Parker with Mystery Train, Wolf with anything he touched] largeley invented this sound. But, with Elvis especially, Phillips had the patience of a great producer, to probe, recreate, and create. And his quest for something different very rarely in the great days led to useless novelty. Stenorian and stage-dominatining in documetaries in later years he was very articulate in describing his big dig in the motherlode.
Related
Sam Phillips, Who Discovered Elvis Presley, Dies at 80 -NYT, Aug 1, 2003
Sam Phillips, in memorium -NPR, Aug 1, 2003 [audio]
Memphis Shaken over Phillips -NYT, Aug 1, 2003 |
"If you're not doing something different,
you're not doing anything." -Sam Phillips
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