Sam Phillips

Hard to explain, isn't it?! (I mean, the dearth of posts). I think many listeners just never realized the influence of this man and instead are wrapped up in what's "new," or passed off as new. We have short attention spans. I'll bet more people know the name of the man (Bob Johnson) who brought Dylan to prominence, but not the man who did the same for Elvis and a host of others mentioned above by Rec. I don't mean to "diss" Johnson in any way.

Otherwise, perhaps the lack of response has something to do with celebrities passing away almost daily these last few months. It's like, "oh no, not another one!"

Alex, I should have mentioned Hammond, too! Bob Johnson was the producer of:

Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde On Blonde
John Wesley Harding
Nashville Skyline
Self Portrait
and co-producer of New Morning.

These are arguably some of the greatest recordings in Dylan's canon, and in the minds of some, in rock history. So, I attribute their success, in part (maybe in large part) to Bob Johnson. I think if Highway 61 had been a flop, Dylan would have been a footnote in rock history.

Alex,
Since you asked, here's some of his work! There's a link to an interview with him at the end of this post.

Simon & Garfunkel:
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme
Sounds of Silence
Bookends

Leonard Cohen:
Songs From a Room
Songs of Love and Hate

Johnny Cash:
At Folsom Prison
At San Quentin

Others:
The Byrds
Marty Robbins
Patti Page
Willie Nelson
Dan Hicks
New Riders of the Purple Sage

http://www.mixonline.com/ar/audio_bob_johnston

They do all come around to each other, don't they?! What you wrote, Alex, just shows the extent of Phillips' influence. Pull on almost any string (S&G, Cash, Dylan, Johnston...) and it all comes back to Sam. Great post.