Ten years ago, Jack White gave music one of its most iconic guitar riffs in “Seven Nation Army”. Cut to 2013, and despite the breakup of The White Stripes, he’s still giving great contributions to the music world – only slightly differently.
As reported by Billboard, Jack White’s label and vinyl manufacturer, Third Man Records, has announced a new partnership with the iconic Sun Records, and together they will be reissuing the label’s impressive back catalogue of classic and highly influential American music.
Founded by Sam Philips in the bustling town of Memphis, Tennessee in 1952, Sun Records were driven to record anything that was moving people’s feet at the time. As such, they recorded all things country, rock and roll, gospel, bluegrass, rockabilly and rhythm and blues – or, in their own words, “In one form or another, Sun recorded them all.”
The most glorified achievements on the Sun’s expansive list include discovering and recording the likes of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Conway Twitty – which, thanks to White, we can now hope to see brought back to the 21st century on shiny new vinyl.
For now, the first wave of releases to come out of the new Third Man Records/Sun partnership will be three early singles, from Rufus Thomas (1953’s “Bear Cat” b/w “Walking In The Rain”), The Prisonaires (1953’s “Baby Please” b/w “Just Walkin’ In The Rain”) and Johnny Cash (1956’s “Get Rhythm” b/w “I Walk The Line”).
Third Man Records are renowned for creating visually unique records, and the reissues from this special collaboration will be receiving the same treatment. All records will be encased in the Sun’s traditional eye-catching yellow sleeve, complete with the rooster logo, whilst 150 copies of these first three iconic resurrections will be produced on a striking yellow-and-black drip vinyl which White has appropriately dubbed “sun-ray vinyl.”
It’s a smart move that capitalises on the new vinyl revival movement. The vintage format is back in high demand, signalled by this year’s Record Store Day breaking the record for the largest number of weekly vinyl sales since sales tracking began in 1991.
For those wanting to get their paws on these exclusive reissues, pre-orders are available now from the store’s website, with an official release date for May 21st.
In what is the vinyl equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, 50 lucky pre-orders will receive the special yellow vinyl instead of the standard black. Alternatively, vinyl enthusiasts can always head over to the States and pick one up at one of Third Man’s infamous Rolling Record Stores in Memphis, Louisville, and Indianapolis, on May 28, 29 and 30 respectively.
These three releases are apparently only just the beginning, with Sun Records reps saying: “This will be an ongoing partnership between Sun and Third Man and future releases are already in the works.” For those who have been waiting for that Elvis or Orbison record to complete their collection, you’d better dust off that reserved shelf space because it could be just around the corner.
