Jul 31, 2003 • 1 min read

Sun Records founder Sam Phillips dies aged 80

Sam Phillips, who founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952 and helped launch Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and others, has died aged 80 in a Memphis hospital.

The man responsible for discovering Elvis Presley and helping to introduce rock'n'roll to the world, Sam Phillips, has died aged 80, at St Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Starting out as a radio station engineer and later as a disc jockey, in 1952 Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis helping to launch the careers of Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty and Charlie Rich.

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