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" Record label linked to Memphis history. "
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By Heather Gates
Although Icehouse Records has existed for only two years, it has been living in the mind of Johnny Phillips for a lifetime. As president, Phillips, 49, heads the burgeoning independent blues label amid a weak music industry, one that he claims is in the worst situation ever, and likely won't get better anytime soon. Despite such a grim prognosis, the Icehouse label is thriving because, as one fan said, "They're putting out a product that's better and better." And these days, one can hardly peruse a review page or blues "hits" chart without coming across the Icehouse name at least once. Named after an old ice house once located Downtown near the Spaghetti Warehouse, Icehouse releases a little bit of anything blues, including "new" blues, Delta blues and, according to Phillips, "some Southern rock with a blues feel." His label, however, does showcase real, authentic blues. And Phillips and the Icehouse group like to stay away from covers, preferring instead to go with lesser-known titles written by the artist. "'Sweet Home Chicago' can only be recorded so many ways," he said. They cut most of the songs from scratch, but occasionally will lease masters from other distributors. "But everything we do, we mix, master or over-dub here. We 'funkify' it with the Memphis sound," Phillips said. Not only does the label release a variety of blues - under such artists as Blind Mississippi Morris, Mark May & the Agitators, and Tony Sarno & the Screamin' Blue Demons - but it's also one of three other independents run by Phillips and his 40-member staff. The other independent labels are: Basix, a "pop" music label; Top 50, which has produced mega-hits like "Boom I Got Your Boyfriend," by M.C. Luscious; Brutal, a street-rap label; and Tremor, an alternative-music label. Phillips, along with his younger siblings, Kathy and Skip, also preside over Select-O-Hits, which distributes about 600 other labels primarily around the South and 25 labels worldwide. In addition, they own three music publishing companies, including most of its copyrighted material. "We're building equity interest in the company," Phillips said. The larger labels like Basix and the stable profits from Select-O-Hits and music publishing "finance our love of the blues," Phillips said. Today, the Phillips clan and staff operates from an inauspicious location in a small, quiet business complex off U.S. 40 and Whitten Road in the Bartlett area. They moved to their current location six years ago, after a nearly 30-year reign at Chelsea Avenue and Danny Thomas Boulevard, where Phillips's mother and father, Lucille and Tom, and Uncle Sam (Sam Phillips that is) started the business in the old Sun Studio warehouse. At age 12, Phillips himself started working after school at Select-O-Hits. He remembers the "regulars" such as Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins popping in to grab a few of their newly released recordings before they went out on tour. As a boy, he never thought much about being related to the legendary owner of Sun Studio. "When I was little, I used to swim and grill out at Uncle Sam's and Aunt Becky's house," he said. He never was all that impressed either when Jerry Lee Lewis' tour bus was parked out in front of Uncle Sam's and Aunt Becky's. In fact, he smiles upon remembering that he used to play Cowboys and Indians on it. It wasn't until the early '70s, after he had gotten out of the service, that he started to realize what a legend his Uncle Sam was in the music business. "I would talk with people who either knew him or knew his reputation," he said. "And it was then that I discovered how much of an impact he made on music." If current trends continue for Icehouse, the younger Phillips will make his mark in the music business as well. He admits that along the way, "it's not going to be easy; were not going to be rich." And the weak music market shows no sign of improving in the near future, which means Phillips and his staff probably will continue to make adjustments. "We'll have to be more selective in what we put out. We've released 20 CDs in the last two years - that's almost one every month - but we won't be able to do the same. We'll probably have to cut back to six (releases) a year," Phillips said. But his goal is simply to make enough money to keep putting out blues. And to Phillips, that's enough. After all, music, most notably the blues, truly has been his lifetime endeavor. "I grew up in the business. It's what I know."
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