Million Dollar Quartet -Sides

SAM PHILLIPS

Every one of my boys started right here, and we’ve been blessed

this past year. Blessed with success beyond our wildest imaginings. Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.

(PHILLIPS crosses downstage...lights begin to dim on QUARTET who exit in the dark)

And my name is Samuel Cornelius Phillips. Pretty big name for a

little red dirt Alabama country boy, huh? This is mah company. Sun Records. See, I was a radio man. Come to Memphis right after the war...and prob’ly could’a been a big wheel here. But there’s a cussedness ‘bout me. It’s hard as hell to work for someone else.

And another thing, I didn’t just wanna PLAY the tunes, I wanted to RECORD ‘em. So, first of 1950 I threw the cards in the air, and started Sun Records. Now don’t be thinkin’ I just fell in the luck bucket findin’ these kids. It ain’t that easy. There were a LOTTA years when dee-jays wouldn’t play none a’my records. 

Back then, I’d PAY ‘em, and they still wouldn’t play ‘em. If I hadn’t had faith in what I was doin’, I’d a’ given up a long time ago. Now, you might’a heard that I had to sell ol’ Elvis to RCA, so he ain’t on Sun Records anymore. Well, RCA called again...and who do you think they wanna buy now?

(PHILLIPS invites AUDIENCE to guess)

Me! Yeah, offering a LOT of money to fold Sun Records into RCA. Move up to New York City...work exclusively with Elvis again. I been stallin’ ‘em, but they’re lowerin’ the boom on me. They want an answer--by close of business tonight.