Elvis Presley
Cradle of Country Music Tour
At a small store on Market Square, a Knoxville record merchant helped launch the most famous career in musical history. Sam Morrison of Bell Sales Company chose to promote Elvis Presley's That's All Right, Mama by playing it on loudspeakers to the public on the square. He was astonished to sell copies by the hundreds to people of all ages, including two copies to an RCA talent scout in the area searching for local country music talent. The scout sent a copy of the record to his boss in New York. Several months later, RCA bought Elvis' contract with Sun Studios in Memphis.