Photo Credit: Sun Records
In celebration of Sam Phillips’ 103 birthday, Sun Records is honoring its legendary founder by taking prices backward instead of pushing them higher. Starting January 5 and continuing for a week, throwback pricing will be available on select vinyl titles.
The promotion will see these vinyl on offer for prices closer to what fans paid in 1952 for a new vinyl—also coincidentally the year Phillips opened Sun Records in Memphis. “At a time when nearly everything else feels more expensive, the label is giving fans a rare break from modern pricing by briefly returning to its roots,” Sun Records tells Digital Music News.
The campaign will feature over 30 CD and vinyl releases from the Sun catalog, including iconic recordings from artists including Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and more. Sun Records says the throwback pricing seek is a nod to the era when Phillips’ belief in raw talent, risk-taking, and new voices helped reshape popular music in America.
Phillips believed music should be for the people. Marking his birthday by returning to 1952 prices is Sun Records’ way of acknowledging their founders’ legacy and honoring the foundation he built and the audience that has kept the music alive. The weeklong campaign reflects Sun Receords’ ongoing evolution as a label while returning to its roots, using Phillips’ birthday as a moment to reconnect with audiences with where Sun began and why it mattered—both then and now.
Sun Records was established in 1952 by Sam Phillips and is renowned for discovering music legends including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The label moved to Nashville in 1969 where it continued cultivating acclaimed artists including Jeannie C. Riley, The Dixie Cups, Linda Martell, and many others.
As a member of the newly formed Sun Label Group under Primary Wave, Sun Records continues to foster musical innovation while honoring its rich history of shaping American music culture.
