CMHoF To Celebrate New Exhibit For Memphis King Sam Phillips

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHoF) will unveil a new exhibit, Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll: The Cosmic Genius of Sam Phillips, on Friday, August 28, 2015.

The in-depth look at the late Sam Phillips (1923-2003) and the social and cultural impact of the music he created after founding Sun Records in Memphis will run through June 2016. Phillips may be best known for introducing the world to Johnny Cash, Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Rufus Thomas, and Ike Turner.

The 10-month exhibit will celebrate its opening with two weekends of special programing (Aug. 29 and Sept. 5).

On Saturday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. the museum will host the concert Get Rhythm: A Tribute to Sam Phillips with Sonny Burgess, Mark Collie, Luther Dickinson, Eric Heatherly, W. S. “Fluke” Holland, Chuck Mead, Jerry Phillips, Charlie Rich Jr., the Secret Sisters, Billy Swan, Marvell Thomas, the Valentines and J. M. Van Eaton. The house band will include Colin Linden (guitar, bandleader), Dave Roe (bass), Kevin McKendree (piano) and Gary Graig (drums). Prior to the concert, an 11 a.m. panel–Go, Cat, Go: Sam Phillips–will be hosted in the Studio by Peter Guralnick, co-curator of the exhibit and author of a forthcoming Phillips biography. The Saturday panel will feature four musicians who worked closely with Phillips including Burgess, Van Eaton, Holland, and Phillips’ son Jerry.

On Saturday, Sept. 5, at 1:30 p.m., Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Dickey Lee will be featured in the museum’s songwriter series, Poets and Prophets. Lee released his earliest singles on Phillips’ Sun label before working with “Cowboy” Jack Clement, who published his first hit, “She Thinks I Still Care.” The program will feature a brief performance and an extended interview illustrated with vintage photos, film clips, and recordings.

“Jack Clement once said ‘Elvis Presley was a star, but Sam Phillips was a superstar,’” shares Senior VP of Museum Services Carolyn Tate. “Unquestionably one of popular music’s most fascinating and significant figures, Phillips possessed ‘cosmic genius’ that created shockwaves still felt today.”

Additional events will be free for museum members ($45/individual; $100/friends and family). Attendees must have program passes to guarantee admission.