On March 23, 1956, one of the most iconic photographs in the history of rock and roll was taken. The photo, which came to be known as "The Million Dollar Quartet," featured four of the most influential musicians of the time: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
The impromptu jam session took place at Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Carl Perkins, who had recently recorded his hit song "Blue Suede Shoes," was in the studio that day for a recording session. He was joined by a young Jerry Lee Lewis, who was playing piano on the track.
As fate would have it, Johnny Cash stopped by the studio that afternoon, and Elvis Presley, who had recently left Sun Records for RCA Victor, also dropped in for a visit. The four musicians began an impromptu jam session, with Elvis on vocals, Perkins on guitar, Cash on guitar, and Lewis on piano.
The session was recorded by Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, who had the foresight to keep the tapes rolling. The recordings captured the four musicians singing a variety of gospel, country, and rock and roll songs, including "Peace in the Valley," "Down by the Riverside," and "I'm Going to Make It All the Way."
The photo of the four musicians gathered around the piano has since become one of the most famous images in music history. It captures a moment in time when four of the most influential musicians of their generation came together for a once-in-a-lifetime jam session.
Interestingly, the photo almost didn't happen. According to legend, Elvis was reluctant to pose for the photo, but Sam Phillips convinced him to do so by saying, "Elvis, get your ass up there on the piano. I want to take a picture of this."
The legacy of "The Million Dollar Quartet" has endured for decades. In 2006, a musical based on the jam session premiered on Broadway, and in 2010, a recording of the session was released as a double album. The photo and the recordings serve as a reminder of the incredible talent and musical legacy of these four legendary musicians.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
