Died On This Date (July 30, 2003) Sam Phillips / Legendary Record Producer
themusicsover Sam Phillips
January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003
As a producer, Sam Phillips was one of the key architects of early rock ‘n roll. What he helped create in his Sun Studios would become the foundation on which current popular music was built. Phillips opened his Memphis recording studio in 1950 to make records for his own label, Sun Records. One of his early recordings was Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88,” that many consider the first rock ‘n roll record ever. Other future legends he worked with were B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Rufus Thomas and Howlin’ Wolf, whom he considers his greatest discovery. Of course most consider his OTHER “discovery” to be his greatest – Elvis Presley. Phillips recorded some of the biggest early records by some of the greatest names in rock history. They included hits by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Ike Turner, and Roy Orbison. Sam Phillips died of respiratory failure at the age of 80.
John Aylesworth was a television writer and producer who’s biggest mark on popular music came with the hit country music infused program, Hee Haw. Aylesworth moved from Canada to the U.S. in the late ’50s and quickly found himself as a writer for the popular music program, Your Hit Parade. He went on to write for other music programs like Hullabaloo and specials for 
Ben Keith was a successful Nashville session player, producer, and singer-songwriter who is perhaps best remembered for his many collaborations with Neil Young. Keith first began making a name for himself in Nashville during the ’50s and ’60s when he played on numerous country and early rock ‘n roll hits. That list includes his steel guitar on 
Nicknamed “The Silver Fox,” Charlie Rich was a Grammy-winning country singer who had string of hits in the early ’70s. Although his career started back in the late ’50s, it wasn’t until 1973 that he scored his two huge country and pop chart-topping hits with “Behind Closed Doors,” and “The Most Beautiful Girl.” Perhaps the reason for his “late-blooming” was that the world wasn’t quite ready for his eclectic sound until someone came up with the genre, “countrypolitan,” and suddenly he fit right in. But Rich’s popularity was short-lived partly due to his erratic behavior and problems in his personal life, likely due to his excessive drinking. He floundered through the next couple of decades, trying, but never being able to get anything substantial going again. In July of 1995, Rich was traveling home from his son’s concert in Mississippi when he came down with a severe cough. After a doctor sent him on his way with antibiotics, Rich continued the drive home until he found a place for he and his wife to spend the night. Rich died in his sleep that night of what was later determined to be a blood clot in his lung. He was 62.