SUN RECORDS

In the Spring of 1952, Sam Phillips took the bold step of launching his own record label. He'd been in business as an independent producer for a couple of years, and he'd recorded the biggest R&B hit of 1951, Jackie Brenston's Rocket 88, so he knew his commercial instinct was good and he was pretty sure he was in the right place. But could he make Sun succeed when the casualty rate among independent labels was already very high? At first, the answer seemed to be "No." There were one or two Sun releases before the label was folded for almost a year. But slowly the hits began coming… Rufus Thomas, the Prisonaires, Junior Parker, and then of course Elvis Presley. The floodgates opened, and in came Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, Carl Mann, Billy Riley, Warren Smith, and many others. Popular music would never be the same.

There has been no shortage of Sun reissues since the catalogue was sold in 1969, but only Bear Family has consistently maintained the very highest standard. These are the ones you need. Best sound…best photos…best notes…best packaging. Best!

 

When we say 'Original Master,' we mean original master. We don't mean alternate take, undubbed version, overdubbed version, or re-recording. Our consultants have access to all the original Sun singles, EPs, and LPs, and we painstakingly make A/B comparisons to find the original versions.

 

When we say 'Transferred from first generation tapes,' it means that we've sifted through many, many reels to find that often elusive first generation tape. Then we digitally copy it, and carefully remove some of the tape hiss with noise reduction technology to bring the sound into the sharpest possible focus.

 

When we say 'Newly Researched Biography and Unpublished Photos,' we mean comprehensive, formidably well researched essays with new information and insights. Every set contains previously unpublished photos and memorabilia.