Good Rockin' Tonight

The history of the record studio that birthed rock 'n' roll and launched the careers of some of America's legendary music stars.

Memphis, Tennessee. The early 1950s. The Mississippi rolls by, and there's a train in the night. Down on Beale Street there's hard-edged blues, on the outskirts of town they're pickin' hillbilly boogie.

At Sam Phillips' Sun Records studio on Union Avenue, there's something different going on. “Shake it, baby, shake it!” “Go, cat, go!” “We're gonna rock . . .”

This is where rock 'n' roll was born—the record company that launched Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. The label that brought the world, “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On,” “Breathless,” “I Walk the Line,” “Mystery Train,” “Baby, Let's Play House,” and “Good Rockin' Tonight.”

Good Rockin' Tonight is the history, in words and over 240 photographs, of Sam Phillips' legendary storefront studio, from the early days with primal blues artists like Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King to the long nights in the studio with Elvis and Jerry Lee. As colorful and energetic as the music itself, it's a one-of-a-kind book for anyone who wants to know where it all started.

“From Sun-rise to Sun-set, the last word on the first great rock 'n' roll record label.” —Rolling Stone

“The stories individually are wonderful, and collectively they form a lush composition of a significant slice of rock 'n' roll history. Numerous pictures, newspaper clippings, and other scrapbook paraphernalia complement the text, along with a Sun Records discography.” —Library Journal