Synopses & Reviews
The author of the critically acclaimed Elvis Presley biography Last Train to Memphis brings us the life of Sam Phillips, the visionary genius who singlehandedly steered the revolutionary path of Sun Records.
The music that he shaped in his tiny Memphis studio with artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, introduced a sound that
had never been heard before. He brought forth a singular mix of black
and white voices passionately proclaiming the vitality of the American
vernacular tradition while at the same time declaring, once and for all,
a new, integrated musical day. With extensive interviews and
firsthand personal observations extending over a 25-year period with
Phillips, along with wide-ranging interviews with nearly all the legendary
Sun Records artists, Guralnick gives us an ardent, unrestrained
portrait of an American original as compelling in his own right as Mark
Twain, Walt Whitman, or Thomas Edison.
Review
"A
monumental biography of the larger-than-life loner who fought for the
acceptance of black music and discovered an extraordinary group of poor,
country-boy singers whose records would transform American popular
culture.... A wonderful story that brings us deep into that moment when
America made race music its own and gave rise to the rock sound now
heard around the world." Kirkus Reviews (starred
review)
Review
"Sam Phillips is an epic biography, at once sweeping and personal, in which the gifted writer Peter Guralnick captures the voice and life of a transformational figure in American music." Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins
Review
"When Elvis Presley stepped into a Memphis recording studio with producer Sam Phillips in 1954, they defined rock 'n' roll as we know it. Peter Guralnick already gave us Elvis's story in two landmark books. He now returns with a brilliant, intensely human look at Phillips, the endlessly fascinating figure who also recorded Johnny Cash, B.B King, Howlin' Wolf, and Jerry Lee Lewis. It's a bold, insightful work that tells us in novelistic detail about the obsessions and struggles of the man who presided over the uneasy birth of rock 'n' roll." Robert Hilburn, author of Johnny Cash
Review
"Peter
Guralnick isn't just a music writer or a biographer — he's one of the
essential chroniclers of American popular culture, and his work
illuminates some of the crucial components of our national identity:
race, religion, fame, and the big business of having fun, among others.
In this epic biography of Sam Phillips, Guralnick bears witness to the
birth of rock and roll and the cultural revolution it inspired. It's not
only an unforgettable portrait of an eccentric visionary, it's a
testament to the power of ordinary people to change the world with
nothing more than a beautiful idea and a handful of songs." Tom
Perrotta, author of The Leftovers
About the Author
Peter
Guralnick has written extensively on American music and musicians. His
books include the prize-winning Elvis Presley two-part biography Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love; an acclaimed trilogy on American roots music, Sweet Soul Music, Lost Highway and Feel Like Going Home; the biographical inquiry Searching for Robert Johnson; the novel Nighthawk Blues; and Dream Boogie, a
biography of Sam Cooke. He splits his time between Nashville and
Massachusetts.