Sun Records

Besides being the home of some of the greatest blues, country, and R&B ever recorded, Memphis mover-and-shaker Sam Phillips' Sun Records was the birthplace of rock 'n' roll as we know it. Not only did Sun launch Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88," a high-flying R&B burner masterminded by Ike Turner that many consider the first rock 'n' roll record, but the label also unleashed the Big Bang of the rock era, Elvis Presley's electrified — and electrifying — '54 reinvention of bluesman Big Boy Crudup's "That's All Right." Once the genie was out of the bottle, Sun documented every step of the rockin' revolution, from piano-pounding wildman Jerry Lee Lewis' boogie-woogie-goes-ballistic "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" to the country-twang + R&B-bang equation of rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins' Memphis milestone "Blue Suede Shoes."

In Next Steps, the Sun rises on gritty blues growlers and boppin' country kings.

The earth-shaking impact of Sun Records' landmark rock 'n' roll recordings sometimes overshadows the label's rich legacy of country, blues, and R&B, which packs a powerful punch all its own. Johnny Cash's girl-chasing 1958 travelogue "Big River" came down just on the country side of rockabilly, as Memphis showed Nashville a new way to move. Howlin' Wolf's original Sun version of his Chess Records hit "How Many More Years" proved that you didn't have to go to Chicago to cut a classic, fire-breathing electric-blues stomp. And '70s countrypolitan king Charlie Rich's R&B roots can be heard in all their glory on his slow-rolling, soul-slathered "Who Will The Next Fool Be," cut at the Nashville studio Sam Phillips opened in '61.

In Deep Cuts, follow the Sun story through rockabilly space cadets and killer axemen.

From Elvis Presley to Roy Orbison, a jaw-dropping crew of American music's masters got their start at Sun Records. But the label's regal roster is also full of less famous names whose contributions to the Sun story were just as striking. Rockabilly firecracker Billy Lee Riley took the Memphis sound into outer space with his 1957 hit "Flyin' Saucers Rockin' Roll," featuring some peerless piano work from Jerry Lee Lewis. Blues guitar man Pat Hare's deliciously dirty-sounding axe cuts dangerously through "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby," made all the more chilling by the fact that, years later, Hare did, indeed, go to prison for murdering his real-life girlfriend. Then there's "Harmonica" Frank Floyd, who perfected a pioneering blend of blues and folk in the '30s — by the time he cut "Rockin' Chair Daddy" for Sun, the rock 'n' roll revolution for which he'd blazed the trail was already underway.

Elvis Presley. Jerry Lee Lewis. Johnny Cash. Carl Perkins. These and many more icons of American music started their journey in Sam Phillips' little studio at Memphis' 706 Union Ave. From "I Walk the Line" to "Great Balls of Fire," some of the most enduring country, R&B, and rock 'n' roll tunes of all time came to life at within those walls back in the '50s. Of course, Phillips' label was the source of plenty more Southern sensations before and after that magical period, including unforgettable tracks from B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, Charlie Rich, and countless other awe-inspiring artists. But for as many different types of music as the label unleashed, there's still an undeniable "Sun sound." Whether it's a burning blues classic, a stomping R&B tune, or a rampaging rockabilly cut, every one of these tracks has a raw, rough-edged, very real feel that's rooted in something deep and true. So how do you sum up such a stellar history? Funny you should ask — we've assembled the ultimate anthology for Sun worshippers right here.