by Dan Price
Musical moments in history. We've heard the stories of Hendrix playing the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock and The Beatles' final concert on the top of the Apple Records building. These were filmed events that are forever a part of the musical zeitgeist. But on December 4, 1956, some of the biggest names in 50's rock and roll stumbled their way into Sun Records for a jam session that would become the stuff of pop folklore. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins… The Million Dollar Quartet.
On that cold Tuesday, pure chance struck Sun Records like a lightning bolt when these future legends played together. Carl Perkins, fresh off the success of Blue Suede Shoes (You thought it was originally an Elvis tune, didn't you? I know I did.), was at Sun Records with his band, putting some new material on wax, including an overhauled version of the old blues song, Matchbox. The owner of Sun Records, Sam Phillips, called in Jerry Lee Lewis, unknown outside of Memphis, to lay down some piano over the Perkin's rockabilly act.
In the early afternoon, the future king himself, Elvis Presley, along with his girlfriend at the time, stopped by to say hi to Sam Phillips. Elvis, whose contract was recently bought up by RCA but was discovered by Sam, stopped in to see his old friend and mentor. At that time, Elvis was already a massive star with five number 1 singles and had even brought his magic to the Ed Sullivan Show.
When Elvis heard the Perkins' session from the control room, he decided to make his way into the studio to jam with the band. As things progressed, another Sun recording artist with hits on the country charts, Johnny Cash, stopped by the studio and joined in on the jam session. When the future Man in Black arrived, it became clear to Sam Phillips to leave those tapes running and capture the moment. And aren't we thankful for that? Between leaving the tapes rolling and Sam's call to the local newspaper to get a photographer over to get shots of these giants of popular music, there was genius happening in that studio. They played, laughed, and I'm sure they knew something magical was happening.
That must have been some night in Memphis.
When I think of moments like this, I get jealous that I was not there to witness the thunderbolt of these four pillars of 1950's rock and roll crashing together. Imagine being in that room. The energy. The vibe. The excitement. It's enough to make your head spin in the best way possible.
This September, we experience that energy, vibe, and excitement with "One Night in Memphis" at The Eisemann Center in Richardson. "One Night in Memphis" features over 90 minutes of pure rockabilly, country, gospel, and rock and roll in a very authentic and energetic presentation featuring nationally known talent.
"One Night in Memphis" was created and directed by John Mueller from the highly acclaimed show "Winter Dance Party" and has been met with the same accolades and audience standing ovations.
Hear Mueller as Carl Perkins performing hits like "Blue Suede Shoes," with the same bravado the rockabilly legend performed his hits. Blair Carman is pitch perfect as Jerry Lee Lewis, playing that wild piano and singing songs such as "Great Balls of Fire"! Shawn Barker will step up to the mic with a great baritone and say those famous words, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" and regale us with "I Walk the Line" and more. And The King Himself, played by Brandon Bennet, will dazzle us with his moves as he belts out "Hound Dog".
Witness a fantastic tribute performance featuring an acclaimed cast with an uncanny sound, look and feel of the original legends they tribute. The production also features an authentic and energetic rockabilly backup band that will get your dance shoes moving. It's going to be a night in Richardson that you won't forget as you witness The Million Dollar Quartet in "One Night in Memphis"!
Live at The Eisemann Center
September 24th at 2:00PM
One Show Only!
2351 Performance Dr Richardson, TX 75082
Click QR CODE FOR TICKETS | Phone: 972.744.4650