Even Non-Legends Like Me Can Record at Sun Studio

Even Non-Legends Like Me Can Record at Sun Studio

(Note: In honor of Elvis week, I'm going to spend Monday of day next week living like the king. Think of this as sort of a preview.)

Memphis' Sun Studio launched the recording careers of many music legends. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, etc. all got their start recording in Sun's famous one-room studio. And now, you can add my name to the list - not the legends list, mind you, but to the list of people who have recorded at Sun.

Behind the Mic at Sun Studio, Memphis, Tenn.

In addition to being a museum, Sun Studio, which opened in 1950, is still an active recording studio. They've got a recording engineer on staff, and musicians the world over have come to cut records in that hallowed room.

On Monday night, I took my two ukuleles to Sun to record a few tracks with their engineer, Matt Ross-Spang. Matt's a former Sun tour guide and a musician (he plays with El Dorado and the Ruckus and the Bluff City Backsliders). He's also a super friendly guy - he made the recording experience so much more comfortable than it might have been.

Because face it - recording yourself playing something is hugely awkward. For me, it was the fact that it was my first time ever being recorded. I was also playing an original song on an instrument that I'm only mediocre at playing. I'm kind of terrified of singing in front of people.  And I was sitting on Sam Phillips' desk. With no shoes on.

On the desk at Sun Studio, Memphis, Tenn.

I was sitting on the desk because Matt decided he wanted to record me in the small office at the front of the building. It has a nice echo, and it seemed (at least to me) like a little bit less pressure than recording in that room.

As for what got recorded, I brought an original song with me, as well as my army of ukulele-inappropriate covers ("I'm on a Boat", "Ignition Remix"). We started with the original, a song that - despite now being a real song that was recorded in a real studio - has no name. Take a listen to it, and tell me if you can think of a decent name for it.

After much ukulele tuning and screwing up and re-recording, Matt and I finally got a take that we were happy with. Then, he recorded me playing "I'm on a Boat". In retrospect, we should have started with that - it's way less intimidating to play someone else's silly song about boats than your own song about...well, you.

Matt Ross-Spang at Sun Studio, Memphis, Tenn.

Once the recording was done, Matt went into mix master genius mode and adjusted the tracks so that they sounded great. This meant listening to the tracks a bunch, which is admittedly a little weird when it's just you and a cute recording engineer and your weird voice playing loudly through the speakers. The finished songs still have that nice acoustic echo, and you can tell when I almost start laughing, but they've got a way-better-than-bedroom quality to them.

If you'd like to see video of other bands playing in Sun's hallowed recording studio, there's tons of video up on the Sun Sessions page. If you'd like to tour the studio and museum, it's open daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Go there:

Sun Studio

706 Union Ave
Memphis, Tennessee 38103

(901) 521-0664

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Andy Bowenkamp
hey Matt, looking good at the Studer Console!!   Andy 
January 23, 2012 1:37pm
Margo Roby
Hi - I found you while trying to find some information about recording at Sun Studios. May I ask roughly what you had to pay? Or, is there a place that has that info? I checked Sun's site and couldn't find anything. Thank you. Margo Roby
October 19, 2012 11:14am
David Reeder
I heard that it's possible to record something as a tourist at Sun during Elvis week. If so, is it like karaoke with the words and music and what's the cost? Never had the courage but kinda on my bucket list. (am 64 yr old) Thanks for reading this.
March 24, 2013 7:28pm
CCSN Memories …
[…] one more thing about Sun Studio. If you’d like you can book studio time there and record your own project. While many of the biggest names in music seek out the unique sound of the Sun Studio, so can […]
January 3, 2015 10:59am
JOHN RAYMOND REDHEAD
DEAR HOLLY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTERESTING ARTICLE ABOUT SUN STUDIOS. I HAVE BEEN A FANATIC ABOUT ELVIS FOR MANY YEARS I AM GOING TO VEGAS THEN ONTO MEMPHIS IN JANUARY, 2017, AND IT WOULD BE MY WISH TO RECORD CERTAIN SONGS BY ELVIS. THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. I WILL BE 74 ON 10TH JANUARY, 2 DAYS AFTER THE KINGS 82ND.
December 1, 2016 1:50pm
Melissa Fisher
Iam trying to plan a special birthday for my husband. I want to bring him and a few friends that he plays with and record them, it has been a life long dream of his. How do I get information on doing that?
April 19, 2017 6:39pm
Holly Whitfield
Melissa, I'd contact Sun Studio directly: https://www.sunstudio.com/contact/
April 20, 2017 7:45am
John Neff
Watch for new country sensation Amelia Presley to record her new song, "Burn for Me" at Sun very soon.
July 21, 2017 2:01am
Barb Pace
l am just wondering if after hours l can come & record a song onto disc l am not a professional if l can what would be the cost
November 29, 2019 7:09pm
Holly Whitfield
Hi Barb! Contact Sun Studio directly for more information, but I did find this: https://www.sunstudio.com/record. It says rates start at $200/hour with a five-hour minimum.
December 16, 2019 12:44pm