Star-studded lineup salutes Sam Phillips

There was no more appropriate way for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to kick off the opening weekend of the new exhibit “Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll: The Cosmic Genius of Sam Phillips” than by throwing a tribute concert featuring some of the greatest music Phillips produced.

Hosted by radio personalities The Kitchen Sisters, Saturday afternoon’s 90-minute show, titled “Get Rhythm” after the Johnny Cash record of the same name, featured a stacked lineup ranging from Sun-era greats like W.S. Holland and J.M. Van Eaton to contemporary artists Chuck Mead and Charles Esten, all backed by a stellar house band led by Colin Linden.

The CMA Theater doesn’t have the floor space for dancing, but audience members tapped their toes and drummed their fingers on the chair armrests as the musicians onstage delivered blues, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll classics.

The Secret Sisters paid tribute to the Miller Sisters, a lesser-known, largely-overlooked Sun Records act, with a lovely version of “There’s No Right Way to Do Me Wrong” and The Valentines’ take on “Just Walking in the Rain,” a 1953 single by incarcerated R&B group The Prisonaires, was one of the day’s highlights. But it was Sonny Burgess, who recorded for Sun Records 60 years ago, who stole the show with his fiery performance of rockabilly tunes “We Wanna Boogie” and “Red Headed Woman,” which earned the 84-year-old entertainer a well-deserved standing ovation.

Before the encore, during which all of the afternoon’s musicians tore through “Mystery Train,” The Kitchen Sisters gave Phillips the last word, playing an audio clip in which the legendary producer proclaimed that, in his opinion, “God’s best creation was sound.” Based on the performances in the theater that afternoon, it’s hard to argue with that statement.