Memphis’ New Show "Sun Records" Debuts on CMT

There’s more exciting news about Tennessee’s continued rise as the global music destination of choice. CMT is launching  a new TV series that will tell the story of Memphis’ Sun Studios. The red-blooded, born-from-the-blues series Sun Records premieres Thursday, Feb. 23, at 10 p.m. ET/PT and joins Nashville to complete CMT's new Thursday line-up.

Set in Memphis, Sun Records tells the story of nothing less than the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Guided by Sam Phillips, young musicians like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis combined the styles of country music with the 1950s R&B sound created by artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Fats Domino and Ike Turner and changed the course of music forever. The series chronicles these young artists’ often jarring and sudden meteoric rise to fame in the face of sweeping political change.

The young Elvis Presley is played by Drake Milligan, Johnny Cash by Kevin Fonteyne, Jerry Lee Lewis by Christian Lees, and Sun Records founder Sam Phillips by Chad Michael Murray.

The all-star cast includes Billy Gardell (Presley and Eddy Arnold’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker), Jonah Lees (Jimmy Swaggart), Trevor Donovan (Eddy Arnold), Keir O’Donnell (Dewey Phillips), Jennifer Holland (Sam’s wife Becky Phillips), Margaret Anne Florence (Sam’s assistant Marion Keisker) and Kerry Holliday (Ike Turner).

Sun Records premieres Feb. 23 only on CMT. The series will be paired with Nashville as part of the network’s Thursday night programming lineup. For more on Sun Records, visit CMT.com and the CMT app, like the show’s official Facebook page and join the conversation using #SunRecords.

Find more at: cmt.com/shows/sun-records