Floyd Lee Sun Studio Full Moon Lightnin EXTRA

What hasn’t already been said about the legendary Sun Studio. It’s the birthplace of Rock and Roll where the King himself, Elvis Presley, cut his first records…as did other notables like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. But what is often overlooked is the founder of Sun Studio, Sam Phillips, was consumed by the sound of the blues. In fact, it was the blues that lured Phillips to Memphis so that he could record black musicians from the Delta. In the early 50’s, years before Elvis came through the door, Phillips recorded the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Little Milton, B.B. King, James Cotton and Rufus Thomas.

Floyd had lived in Memphis as a kid so on our first trip down south we went to Memphis looking for his family. While we were there Joel wanted to go visit Sun Studio but nobody would go with him. On our next trip to Memphis, Joel was determined to visit Sun Studio so he booked a recording session. Hey for 85 bucks an hour to stand and record on hallowed ground seems like a bargain. There were no real expectations that evening other than letting Joel have a little fun. No new songs were attempted except for one little gem that surfaced at the end of the session. The result was a cross between the blues and an old time church spiritual…very eerie. Have a listen.