A Million Dollar Quartet brings out the heart of rock n' roll

The four musicians who met at Sun Records for an impromptu jam session never realized they were making musical history. They were just too busy showing off their musical chops and having fun.

It was Dec. 4, 1956 and rising stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were goofing around on a keyboard when the quick-witted Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records, began to roll tape.

In the blink of an eye it was over. Their individual and collective fame quickly eclipsed the humble jam. With lesser talents, the jam would have been buried in vaults collecting dust.

But this was a rare glimpse behind the scenes that showed the upcoming megastars enjoying a spontaneous moment without restrictions imposed by label, management or fans. Ironically, they never all played together again as a group.

For Sam Phillips, the tape was gold and he released a series of recordings under the name Million Dollar Quartet.

However, it needed the talents of stage and film director Floyd Mutrux and music historian/author Colin Eastcott to fashion the award-winning Million Dollar Quartet musical.

The Citadel Theatre officially opens its version on Thursday night helmed under director Ted Dykstra.

Raised in St. Albert, now a Toronto resident, Dykstra co-created the internationally acclaimed Two Pianos Four Hands and was the main driving force behind Evangeline.

Area audiences still remember his burning performance as Cale Blackwell in the Citadel’s 2008 production of Fire, a musical based on the life of Jerry Lee Lewis.

Although Phillips stated he wanted “to capture the moment” as a souvenir for posterity, the savvy entrepreneur was simply looking at the company’s bottom line.

“Carl was recording an album and he had brought in Jerry Lee Lewis on it. He invited Elvis and he wanted to re-sign Johnny to a contract. His (Johnny) was about up. In reality, both Johnny and Carl were both leaving to join Columbia. And he had just sold Elvis to RCA for $40,000. That would be about a million dollars today,” said Dykstra.

Although Phillips had a knack for discovering new talent, Sun Records had limited capabilities. It was a two-person operation that lacked the cross-country distribution network of larger corporations and had limited resources to grow its talent.

“It was like the dot-com bubble. People that grew the fastest were the ones that knew where they were going,” Dykstra said.

He adds that in the 1950s, the recording industry had no template.

“Music business was so new. After the war it was a very prosperous time. People were ready to discover new things and take risks.”

Interestingly enough, the original recording is less than stellar, he notes.

“There’s lots of chatter. Lots of half songs. Really, Sam turned on the tape recorder while the guys were noodling. It was like a kitchen party.”

One of the major reasons Dykstra accepted the Citadel contract was to work once more with the company’s five-star production team. He rattles off the names of music director Bob Foster, head of music at the Charlottetown Festival with a list of credits that would make any actor blush, set and costume designer Cory Sincennes, and lighting designer Michael Walton.

“They’re such a great team. You don’t often get the opportunity to craft things at this level outside the Shaw.”

Dykstra reveals his exacting nature in selecting the best talent. Both he and Foster took “three-quarters of a year” to cast the show holding auditions from coast-to-coast.

“They had to have so many skills.”

The singers are Greg Gale (Johnny Cash), Christo Graham (Jerry Lee Lewis), Kale Penny (Carl Perkins) and Texas actor Christopher Frodinal as Elvis.

Edmonton’s own Ryan Parker landed the role of Sam Phillips while Vanessa Sears plays Dyanne, Elvis’ girlfriend.

“We have come up with a definitive cast and show. This show can hold its own in New York and I’m very excited to present these four guys.”