CMT is set to premiere a new music drama Thursday night called Sun Records, centering on rock 'n' roll music during the civil rights movement.

Sun Records is an eight-episode limited series debuting tonight on CMT that focuses on the titular famous record label. The label was the first to record many music legends including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

"Guided by Sam Phillips, young musicians like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis combined the styles of hillbilly country with the 1950s R&B sound created by artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Fats Domino and Ike Turner, and changed the course of music forever," says CMT. "The series chronicles these young artists' often jarring and sudden meteoric rise to fame in the face of sweeping political change and social unrest."

Chad Michael Murray stars as Sun Records founder Phillips, leading a cast that includes Drake Milligan as Presley, Kevin Fonteyne as Cash, Christian Lees as Lewis, Billy Gardell as Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker, Jonah Lee as Jimmy Swaggart, Trevor Donovan as Eddy Arnold, Keir O'Donnell as Dewey Phillips, Jennifer Holland as Phillips' wife Becky Phillips, Margaret Anne Florence as Phillips' assistant Marion Keisker and Kerry Holliday as Ike Turner.

Sun Records is set to premiere Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CMT, right after a new episode of Nashville, making for a perfect two-hour scripted music drama block. If you cannot watch the premiere on CMT but still wish to watch it live, SlingTV has CMT among its live stream channels. Sign up for a free trial and be sure to add "Comedy Plus Extra" to access CMT.

To live tweet and follow along with others watching the premiere of Sun Records, use hashtag #SunRecords on Twitter.

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CMT, Elvis presley, Live stream