Music Producer Sam Phillips, who discovered and help jump-start the careers of such people as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, and others, died today at the age of 80. He is credited with helping to usher in the era of rock and roll, and heavily influencing pop music through the artists he uncovered.

In 1952 he started his own production company, Sun Records, which he used to help talented artists launch their careers. One of his talents was his ability to understand how to effectively fuse blues, country and rhythm to produce stunning sounds groundbreaking for the time.

Because of the range of popular and well known singers and musicians he promoted, as well as the fact that their music still is widely popular today (most prominently the work of Presley), he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

He was once quoted as saying, "I have one real gift and that gift is to look another person in the eye and be able to tell if he has anything to contribute, and if he does, I have the additional gift to free him from whatever is restraining him."

His memory will live on in the works of the artists he helped to create as future generations discover their work.