“This Quartet Could Sell A Million”
A photograph worth a million chords─Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash standing around a piano-playing Elvis Presley on December 4, 1956, in the nondescript one-room sound studio at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee─and the impromptu jam session that followed gave birth to the 2010 jukebox musical tribute Million Dollar Quartet and, coincidentally, rock and roll.
Four poor ambitious Southern boys, on fire with country, gospel, and rhythm and blues musical mega-talent coming out of their throats, piano, and guitars, sparked sweet serendipity.
During a once-in-a-lifetime winter afternoon, with these boys singing, playing, putting down riffs, putting away troubled lives and careers somewhat unsettled─for a while anyway─Million Dollar Quartet creates music—and theatre—magic!
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Official Site: www.rockhall.com
Johnny Cash
Inducted at: The 1992 Induction Ceremony
Official Site: www.johnnycash.com
Jerry Lee Lewis
Inducted at: The 1986 Induction Ceremony
Official Site: www.jerryleelewis.com
Carl Perkins
Inducted at: The 1987 Induction Ceremony
Official Site: www.rockhall.com/inductees/carl-perkins
Elvis Presley
Inducted at: The 1986 Induction Ceremony
Official Site: www.rockhall.com/inductees/elvis-presley
Sam Phillips
Inducted at: The 1986 Induction Ceremony
Official Site: www.rockhall.com/inductees/sam-phillips
Sun Record Company
Official Site: www.sunrecords.com
Further Reading:
Guralnick, P. Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.
Lewis, M.G., and M. Silver. Great Balls of Fire. New York: William Morrow, 1982.
Naylor, J., and S. Halliday. The Rockabilly Legends: They Called It Rockabilly Long Before It Was
Called Rock ‘n’ Roll. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2007.
Streissguth, M. Johnny Cash: The Biography. Cambridge: Da Capa, 2006.
BACKGROUND
Encore Celebrities
Celebrated musicians joining the cast for the performance encore have included rock and country performers Melissa Etheridge, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lesley Gore, and Ray Benson.
JAM SESSION
In an improvised music session, with no pre-planned arrangements or structure, the musicians jam together, and the music just happens.
JUKEBOX MUSICAL
A musical that uses pre-recorded popular songs as its score and creates a storyline (the musical’s book) based on the songs. Popular jukebox musicals include Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys, and Forever Plaid.
ROCKABILLY
Blending country with rhythm and blues, rockabilly music dates back to the early 1950s in the southern United States and led to the development of rock and roll. Rockabilly was popularized by the members of the Million Dollar Quartet, Bill Haley and the Comets, and Buddy Holly. Beginning in 1979, rockabilly enjoyed a revival, particularly through the band Stray Cats.
SUN RECORDS
Known as “The Father of Rock and Roll,” Sam Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 27, 1952. Creating a veritable treasure trove of American musical talent, the company discovered and first recorded the artists who make up the Million Dollar Quartet. The music of these four men and other Sun Records musicians helped lay the groundwork for late twentieth-century rock and roll and its icons, including the Beatles. Producing more rock and roll records than any other company at the time, Sun Records produced 226 singles from 1952-1968.
TONY® NOMINATIONS
The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, known informally as the Tony Awards, are given for outstanding achievement in live Broadway theatre. The Tonys are presented in early June each year by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League. Million Dollar Quartet was nominated for three Tonys: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.
Levi Kreis, who played Jerry Lee Lewis, won the award for Featured Actor. Million Dollar Quartet ran on Broadway from April 11, 2010-June 12, 2011, playing 34 previews and 489 performances.