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ICHIBAN RECORDS

PROFILE

Ichiban Records, Inc., founded in Atlanta, Georgia (USA) in 1985.

The company’s original aim and intention was to specialize in all forms of Black American Music – from Blues to Gospel, from Urban Contemporary to Jazz, from Rhythm and Blues to Rap. That goal has remained constant and today Ichiban represents many music genres; Urban, Soul, Rap, Alternative, Dance and Jazz.

Ichiban has become a magnet for some of the finest producers, talent and business minds in the record industry by way of its distributed labels division. Currently, Ichiban is the exclusive distributor for nearly 35 labels.

Koke, Moke and Noke Music (BMI) is Ichiban’s music publishing division is a part of the Ichiban Publishing Corporation.

ICHIBAN RECORDS HISTORY

While the music industry boasts numerous high profile independent labels, not many have achieved the accomplishments of Ichiban Records—Atlanta’s Quiet Giant.

Established in 1985 by partners, John E. Abbey and Nina K. Easton, Ichiban has grown to become one of the leading independent and one of the most diversified companies in the record business. The company has literally lived up to its name, which is “number one” in Japanese. Easton and Abbey have a combined 46 years in the music business, which they’ve used to establish a cutting-edge company that promotes excellence and professionalism while maintaining a family atmosphere.

John Abbey, a native of England, has turned his passion for Black American Music into far more that a hobby. In London, in 1966, Abbey founded the magazine Blues & Soul. He laughs when he recalls that “…nobody thought that we’d survive.” Of course, the publication has enjoyed success for more than 25 years, and continues to be Britain’s first and last word on Black American Music. Abbey expanded his endeavors to include booking and managing tours through Europe and Asia. It was while touring with the Reddings in Scandinavia that Abbey met future partner Nina Easton. Finnish native, Easton was the Director of PR and Promotion for CBS Records in Scandinavia, the Reddings’ label at the time. Both ended up settling in Atlanta, Georgia by the mid-1980’s, and John continued his overseas tours, while Nina was a freelance journalist for European music magazines.

To hear Easton and Abbey tell the story, one might think the company formed itself. Abbey had developed close working relationships after touring the world with many of these artists. Established Soul and R&B artists like William Bell, Clarence Carter and Curtis Mayfield had no deals at the time, and suggested that Abbey and Easton start a label for their recordings. “Each of these talented artists could easily have gotten record deals elsewhere,” John explains, “but everything just fell into place.” In Ichiban’s first year, an album by each of these artists was released: Curtis Mayfield’s, We Come In Peace, Clarence Carter’s Messin’ With My Mind and William Bell’s Passion. All three of these artists continue to be affiliated with Ichiban today. The label distributes Mayfields’s Curtom label, which has made a number of early Curtis Mayfield and Impressions recordings available for the first time on compact disc. Clarence Carter has enjoyed success not only with his famous single “Strokin’,” but also with his seven albums for Ichiban.

With such a solid core of artists Ichiban Records definitely got off on the right foot, but there was the matter of what to call the Company. “I was on tour with James Brown, and we needed a name for the label,” John recounts. “Everywhere we went, he was referred to as ‘Ichiban Soul Brother’which is ‘Number One Soul Brother’. So we had a name, and we were on our way.” The first incarnation of the Ichiban logo was the Japanese characters drawn in a hotel lobby by one of Abbey’s friends, Pete Barakan, who is now an established television personality in Japan.

John and Nina started Ichiban Records in their home and garage. With such a modest beginning, they never imagined that their other business endeavors would take a back seat to the new record label. One employee who did radio promotion made up the early Ichiban staff. Their house was halfway down a hill, and after a hard southern rain, it was not uncommon to wade through two inches of water in the garage to fill an order. It wasn’t until the neighborhood politely commented on the frequent stops made by UPS and Federal Express trucks, that Nina and John realized the business needed its own offices. “We must have been crazy, we were shipping a gold record from our house,” Nina says, referring to “Strokin’.” “On the rare occasions when we had to meet with someone, we met in a restaurant. I don’t think anyone even know we were doing this out of our home.”

In 1988, Ichiban officially had its first offices in Marietta, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. With the company’s steady growth and consistent knack for finding a hit, they soon outgrew the space and moved once again in 1992.

In 1994, Ichiban was nominated for Label of the Year by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM). Though they didn’t take the title home, it was no small feat being recognized as one of the fastest growing record companies in America. “We have indeed come a long way from the garage,” says Easton. The company’s roster has grown to 40 artists, who record for the label’s imprints Ichiban Records, Ichiban Blues, WRAP records, Soul Classics, Wild Dog Blues, Naked Language Records, Sky Records, Techno 404 and Ichiban International. The operation includes 25 independent distributed labels, and an in-house international division. Ichiban boasts 63 Billboard chart albums; which range from artists like Blues Boy Willie and Tyrone Davis to MC Breed, Clarence Carter and Deadeye Dick.

The impressive Ichiban catalog now includes titles in Jazz, Rap, R&B, Alternative and Pop music. The foundation of R&B and Blues is what Easton refers to as the roots of all music and is closest to their hearts. The company’s foray into Rap music was a logical next step, along with the success of other Black Music ventures, in the Soul, blues, R&B and Gospel genres.

Though Ichiban has often been considered a mini-major, it still faces the challenges of other independents. Its ability to overcome these challenges, however, is what separates them from the rest. “We have to be totally creative and develop alternate means of getting exposure, “ Easton says. “If we can’t get our videos played on MTV, we might take out an ad on MTV instead. Some people say there’s only so many things you can do to break a record, but you’d be amazed what you come up with when you’re forced to.”

To attain chart activity in so many formats, is unusual for an indie, and demonstrates Ichiban’s ability to move quickly and effectively in its promotion and marketing activities.

In 2001, Ichiban Records joined the DM Records label group and will continue to release great American Black Music.