Phillips International Album Discography

In October, 1957, Sam Phillips of Sun Records established a subsidiary label called "Phillips International". Actually, according to the logo on the record label, it was more formally "Sam C. Phillips International Corp.", but the label has always been called just "Phillips International." It was co-located with Sun Records, originally at 706 Union Street in Memphis. It operated until 1963.

Phillips International released 71 singles and eight albums. The first single release was numbered 3516, "You Passed Me By"/"Please Convince Me" by Buddy Blake. It was the fourth single, "Raunchy" [Phillips International 3519], by saxophonist and Sun house band leader Bill Justis, that put the label on the map, reaching #2 nationally in late 1957. Justis' followup single in March, 1958, "College Man" [Phillips International 3522], only reached #42 and four additional singles all failed to chart.

In fact, nothing much was happening in the way of chart success until Carl Mann hit with "Mona Lisa" [Phillips International 3539] in June of 1959, eventually reaching #25. Mann's followup offering, "Pretend" [Phillips International 3546], reached #57 in late fall, but again additional singles failed. Carl Mann played piano in Carl Perkins' band for a time in the early 1960s, and much later [1976] placed another song on the charts, a remake of the Platters "Twilight Time" which reached #100 on the country charts.

Several months after Carl Mann's last Phillips International success, in the spring of 1960, Charlie Rich reached #22 with his first chart hit, "Lonely Weekends" [Phillips International 3552], but that proved to be the last charter for the label. Rich's success as a country artist was still several years away; in the late 1960s he became known as "The Silver Fox" and had a number of big country and crossover hits for Epic.

One of the last singles issued on Phillips International was by future country star David Houston, "Sherry's Lips"/"Miss Brown" [Phillips International 3583] in 1963. The label folded before it could benefit from over 60 country hits Houston compiled starting later that same year when he signed with Epic.

The eight albums included one each by the three hitmakers (Justis, Mann and Rich), as well as an eclectic variety of jazz, pop, country gospel, and R&B. All eight of the albums were issued in mono. None of their records were issued in stereo until much later, on various vinyl compilations and CDs. The only hit to be reissued in stereo is "Lonely Weekends," which sounds like it was pieced together from underdubs and song fragments rather than being recorded on a stereo machine.

The stereo on the Sunnyvale compilation on Carl Mann is interesting, since it gives us some idea of the tape machines being used at various times. Apparently, the old studio at 708 Union Street had stereo recorders very late, if at all. "Blueberry Hill" was recorded in stereo on October 16, 1959, while "Kansas City" and "South of the Border" were recorded four days earlier in mono. Songs from early 1960, while Sun was still at Union Street, regularly show up in mono. Sun apparently started using stereo machines more regularly when they moved to 639 Madison Avenue in mid-1960.

The Phillips International Label was a blue world map with a waving red, white and blue banner across the top with "SAM C. PHILLIPS INTERNATIONAL CORP." on it, the "Phillips" was in blue above the banner. The two "L's" in Phillips were made up of two musical notes (tied sixteenth notes, to be specific, or, since this was supposed to be an international company, tied semiquavers if you're from the UK). The printing on the label was red. At the bottom of the label is "NEW YORK MEMPHIS HOLLYWOOD U.S.A." in blue. Catalogue prefixes on the cover varied from "LP" for the first LP, to "PLP" for the next four, and "PILP" for the last three, although the prefixes on the labels were often just "LP."

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Phillips International Records, which is currently inactive. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1997, 1999, 2009 by Mike Callahan.

PHILLIPS INTERNATIONAL ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY

Cover	Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] Contents
	Phillips International 1950 Series:
	LP 1950 - Cloud 9: Far Out Tunes By Bill Justis and His Orchestra - Bill Justis & His Orchestra [1959] Raunchy/Cloud 9/Rollin'/The Stinger/College Man/Flea Circus//Flip Flop And Bop/Cattywampus/The Snuggle/Scroungie/Wild Rice/Moosejaw
	PLP 1955 - The Martini Set - Graham Forbes and the Trio [1959] All Of You/Nobody Else But Me/Lady Is A Tramp/Wait ‘Til You See Her/Love/From This Moment On//Love For Sale/Will You Still Be Mine/My Romance/Jericho/Autumn In New York/Adios
	PLP 1960 - Like, Mann: Carl Mann Sings - Carl Mann [1960] South Of The Border/The Wayward Wind/Walkin' And Thinkin'/Mona Lisa/I Can't Forget You/If I Ever Needed You//I Ain't Got No Home/I'm Bluer Than Anyone Can Be/Island Of Love/Pretend/Baby I Don't Care/I'm Coming Home
	PLP 1965 - Chuck Foster at Hotel Peabody Overlooking "Old Man River" - Chuck Foster [1961] Oh You Beautiful Doll/Woodchopper's Ball/Cimarron/La Borrachita/Oh/Slow Poke Medley: Slow Poke-Just One More Chance//Patricia/South/Corn Ball Medley: Dark Town Strutter's Ball-Margie-Alexander's Ragtime Band- When My Baby Smiles At Me/Begin The Beguine/Josephine/Moritat (Mack The Knife)
	PLP 1970 - Lonely Weekends with Charlie Rich - Charlie Rich [1960] Lonely Weekends/School Days/Whirlwind/Stay/C.C. Rider/Come Back//Gonna Be Waitin'/Apple Blossom Time/Breakup/That's How Much I Love You/Rebound/Juanita
	PILP 1975 - Hey Boss Man! - Frank Frost with the Night Hawks [1961] Everything's Alright/Lucky To Be Living/Jelly Roll King/Baby You're So Kind/Gonna Make You Mine/Now Twist//Big Boss Man/Jack's Jump/So Tired Living By Myself/Now What You Gonna Do/Pocket Full of Shells/Just Come On Home
	PILP 1980 - Eddie Bond Sings Greatest Country Gospel Hits - Eddie Bond [1961] Most Of All I Want To See Jesus/Where Could I Go But To The Lord/Satisfied/When They Ring Those Golden Bells/If We Never Meet Again/Will I Be Lost Or Will I Be Saved//Just A Closer Walk With Thee/Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Savior/I Saw The Light/Letter To God/Precious Memories/Hallelujah Way
	PILP 1985 - Rhythm/Blues Party - Frank Ballard with the Phillip Reynolds Band [1962] Is There Anybody Here/Do Wa Diddi/Just Leave It With Me Baby/After Hours/Drown In My Own Tears/Something In My Mind//Do You Really Love Me/I Just Can't Help It/If That's The Way It Is/Rollin' In/Trouble Down The Road/You Gotta Learn To Rock And Roll
	RELATED LPs:
	Sun/Sunnyvale/GRT 9330-902 (US) - The Sun Story, Vol. 2: The Story of the Legendary Sun Label of Memphis, Tennessee - Charlie Rich [1977] (Also issued in 1977 as Sun Spotlight SPO-126 in Holland.) Lonely Weekends/Sittin' & Thinkin'/Gentle as a Lamb/Midnight Blues/Goodbye Mary Ann/Breakup//C.C. Rider/Rebound/My Baby Done Left Me/Big Man/That's How Much I Love You/Baby I Need You
	Sun/Sunnyvale/GRT 9330-906 (US) - The Sun Story, Vol. 6: The Story of the Legendary Sun Label of Memphis, Tennessee - Carl Mann [1977] (Also issued in 1977 as Sun Spotlight SPO-131 in Holland.) Mona Lisa (E, rec. 1959)/Too Young (E, rec. August 24, 1959)/Kansas City (E, rec. October 12, 1959)/Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes (S, rec. August 3, 1960)/Baby I Don't Care (S, basic track recorded 1959 is rechanneled, with group vocal overdub from 1960 in stereo)/Blueberry Hill (S, rec. October 16, 1959)//Ubangi Stomp (S, rec. August 3, 1960)/South Of The Border (S, basic track recorded October 12, 1959 is rechanneled, with overdubs from 1960 in stereo)/Crazy Fool (E, rec. 1960)/Pretend (E, rec. September 15, 1959)/Mexicali Rose (E, rec. 1959)/Rockin' Love (E, rec. August 24, 1959)

Thanks to Bernd Kratochwil.



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