Show Notes: Land of the rising Sun
Both the Mississippi Blues Trail and "The Million Dollar Quartet" demonstrate what can be done with primary sources, and the deep appreciation for the region's cultural contributions
The Mississippi Blues Trail and the Million Dollar Quartet jukebox musical are intertwined in a few ways. First, and most obvious, without the evolution of the blues as a music form up and down the Mississippi River then there would be little encouragement for Sam Phillips to open his Memphis Recording Services, create the Sun Records label, and by 1956 have a lineup of musical talent worth at least one million dollars.
Then of course is the Elvis Presley connection. Although Phillips had published several blues singers, most of whom were African American from nearby Mississippi, the social and political climate of the 1950s told him that he needed a white singer with similar talents to appeal to a wide audience. Presley, originally from Tupelo, Mississippi, (a heavily-trafficked stop on the blues highway) fit the bill, and the middle of the decade saw him become the face, voice, and hips of rock n roll.
Finally, there is the timing of both of today’s topics. While sites significant to the development of the blues have had history markers placed near them for decades, an actual Mississippi Blues commission and official tourist trail was created in 2006. The Million Dollar Quartet musical premiered (in Daytona Beach, Florida) the same year. After all, December 4th marked the 50th anniversary of when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis—each at a pivotal moment in their respective rock n roll careers—collected at Sun Records in Memphis for a historic jam session.
Therefore, this two-tiered episode is less about the 1950s, or Sun Records or the blues, and more about the early 21st century and a desire by the creative forces behind the two subjects to secure for all time these important cultural milestones. To help me in this analysis are Erin Scott and Daniel Durston. Erin is a documentarian, podcaster and Mississippi blues expert. Daniel is a musician, actor, playwright, reality star, and most notably a stellar Elvis Presley tribute artist. I couldn’t ask for a better team to unpack these two intersecting primary sources, the Mississippi Blues Trail and the Million Dollar Quartet musical.