AMERICAN MASTERS: GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT: THE LEGACY OF SUN RECORDS (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series that explores the lives and achievements of America's most celebrated native-born and adopted artists and performers. This documentary profiles influential independent record company Sun Records, founded by Sam Phillips, which helped many blues and rock 'n' roll artists achieve fame in the 1950s. The program begins as Phillips discusses the important cultural influence of music and other artists, including Scotty Moore and Billy Lee Riley comment on the label's enduring legacy. Sonny Burgess notes that no artist has achieved the distinct "Sun sound" since the '50s. Phillips explains that he wanted to reach both black and white audiences with music, as the radio could not be segregated like everything else, and blacks had few opportunities to record. He opened Sun Records on January 3, 1950 at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, willing to record anyone and everyone, and several artists including B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, made albums in his studio. He notes the importance of a "spiritual connection" between people through Sun-made music, explaining why the blues are the best for expressing emotions, and Rufus Thomas performs "Bearcat" live. By 1954, Sun had achieved some success, but Phillips sought to find a distinct sound with which to unite the races, and on July 5, nineteen-year-old Elvis Presley did just that with his up-tempo version of Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right" (also called "That's All Right, Mama"). Guitarist Moore and bassist Bill Black comment on their memories of that fateful recording session, with Phillips adding that he knew right away that it was a hit.
In 2000, famed Atlantic Records producer Ahmet Ertegun decided to create a Sun tribute album, featuring current artists performing classic Sun hits. In New York, Paul McCartney teams up with Presley drummer DJ Fontana and records a cover of "That's All Right." Phillips and the others chat and joke about their memories of Presley and his infamous hairstyle, and it is explained that more artists came to Sun after hearing of Presley's great success. Carl Perkins arrived in 1955 with his band, and Phillips comments on his talent and unusual musical style. The band Ben Folds Five then records Perkins' song "Honey Don't." In Memphis, Riley, Burgess and others talk about the contributing factors of the recording booth's acoustic and the lack of time pressures on the artists, also noting that Phillips preferred an "experimental," imperfect sound. Phillips explains that Presley's rock 'n' roll was appealing to "emotionally starved" fans, and Fontana recalls being accused of playing "the devil's music." Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits comments on the "dangerous element" of rock 'n' roll, and he records a cover of Warren Smith's "Rock 'n' Roll Ruby." Thomas, drummer W.S. Holland and others gather to debate the "birth date" of rock 'n' roll, with Thomas asserting that it was born before the 1950s, and that Memphis' legacy is in the blues, not rock.
Johnny Cash arrived at Sun in 1955, and Phillips told him to "go home and sin" before recording a song. Phillips comments on Cash's noteworthy writing skills and ability to communicate emotions through his lyrics, and the band Live records a cover of "I Walk the Line," noting Cash's "directness and simplicity." Sun was in financial trouble by autumn 1955, and Phillips eventually made the touch decision to sell Presley's contract to RCA for $35,000. Ertegun admits that he offered $25,000 and was outbid, having bought Ray Charles' contract for only $3,000. Other artists flocked to Sun, including Roy Orbison, Carl Mann and Burgess, who performs "Ain't Got A Thing" live. In London, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin chat with Ertegun and then record a cover of Burgess' song "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It." In 1957, Perkins and Cash signed with Columbia Records, though Billy Lee Riley was determined to have the "Sun sound," like in his song "Red Hot," which he performs live with friends. They talk about their fond memories of their three years at Sun, then performing "Flying Saucer Rock and Roll" with Ace Cannon on saxophone and Jerry "Smoochie" Smith on keyboards. In Paris, Ertegun meets with French singer Johnny Hallyday, who records a cover of "Blue Suede Shoes," and at Abbey Road Studios, Italian singer Zucchero records "Who Will the Next Fool Be" with Knopfler. The artists discuss the influence of the Sun days on current music, and in Los Angeles, the band Third Eye Blind records a cover of Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry."
In Detroit, the band Howling Diablos performs a cover of "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee" with Kid Rock, then chatting about the close relationship between alcohol and music, noting that the Sun generation was the beginning of the "rock 'n' roll rebellion." A number of artists gather at Burgess' home in Newport, Arkansas, discussing their own early drinking habits and how it affected their music. They agree that they "broke all the rules" at Sun, and Kern Kennedy comments on their general lack of formal music training. Riley, however, admits that while he respects Phillips, he feels that he was tossed aside and his records ignored in favor of Jerry Lee Lewis and his single "Great Balls of Fire." Lewis arrived from Louisiana in 1957, and Phillips discusses his wild and impressive rock 'n' roll piano style. Sitting down with the Sun artists, Phillips refers to himself as a "person of philosophy," and Riley confronts him directly about feeling "overlooked" in favor of Lewis. Charlie Rich was the last notable artist to record at Sun at the end of the decade, and Phillips comments on his "contagious" sound, saying that he invoked a feeling that superseded categorization. Matchbox 20 front man Rob Thomas meets with Phillips and Lewis, and they record a cover of Rich's "Lonely Weekends." By 1960, rock 'n' roll was highly popular and Sun was unable to compete with bigger record labels, and Phillips explains why he opted to bow out of the business. The others note that Sun has remained famous and influential despite operating for less than a decade, and at the fiftieth anniversary reunion, a number of artists including Rayburn Anthony, Johnny Bragg and Carl Mann reconnect and jam together as Phillips declares that he prefers a "perfectly imperfect" style of music. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: November 28, 2001 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:74488
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Music - History
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1986-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Verna Harrah … Executive Producer
- Susan Lacy … Executive Producer
- Julie Sacks … Supervising Producer
- Brandon Rosser … Producer
- Bruce Sinofsky … Producer, Director
- Phil Carson … Co-Producer
- Amy Nickin … Associate Producer
- Dan Griffin … Associate Producer
- Prudence Glass … Series Producer
- Thomas Wagner … Theme Music by
- Rayburn Anthony
- Ben Folds Five
- Bill Black
- Johnny Bragg
- Sonny Burgess
- Ace Cannon
- Johnny Cash
- Ray Charles
- Arthur Crudup
- Ahmet Ertegun
- DJ Fontana
- Mark Knopfler
- Johnny Hallyday
- W.S. Holland
- Howlin' Wolf
- Howling Diablos
- Kern Kennedy
- Kid Rock
- Led Zeppelin
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Live
- Carl Mann
- Matchbox 20
- Roy Orbison
- Jimmy Page
- Sam Phillips
- Robert Plant
- Elvis Presley
- Scotty Moore
- Charlie Rich
- Billy Lee Riley
- Rufus Thomas
- Paul McCartney
- Carl Perkins
- Dire Straits
- Jerry "Smoochie" Smith
- Warren Smith
- Third Eye Blind
- Rob Thomas
- Zucchero