Phil Carson

Phil Carsonis an English former record label owner and London-based Senior Vice President ofAtlantic Recordsfrom 1968 to 1985. He is known for his association with several rock bands, includingLed Zeppelin,Yes,AC/DC,andTwisted Sister.

Born in London, he was playing bass guitar in a school band eventually being tapped to play bass forDusty Springfield.Gravitating toward the business side of music, Carson started at Swedish record label Olga Records.Nesuhi Ertegunhired Carson to run Atlantic in the UK. He cites the Ertegun brothers as mentors, particularly Ahmet, eventually co-producing theHoney Drippersalbum withAhmet Ertegun.

Carson spent a great deal of time on the road with bands under his purview, most notablyLed Zeppelin.He is one of only a handful of people to have jammed onstage with them and the only person to appear onstage with both Led Zeppelin andAC/DC.Carson’s deep connection to AC/DC can be underscored by the fact that he is the only record executive thanked by name on original pressings of “Back in Black”and “For Those About to Rock”.

After leaving Atlantic records, he started a management company with clients who have includedJimmy Page,Robert Plant,Paul Rodgers,Yes,Motorhead,Bonham,Asia,Foreigner,Ben E. King,Bad Company,and others. This is where Carson assembledThe Firm,the super group featuring Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers.

Carson moved to the US in 1989 to run JVC’s Victory Music. He then headed up the music department atThe Shooting Galleryan independent film studio. Here Carson curated the soundtrack for some award-winning films.Carson was also the responsible for the reformation of the progressive rock bandEmerson, Lake & Palmerin 1991, which had been disbanded since 1979. Since the early 1990s, Carson has kept a few clients in his management roster including Foreigner andDee Snider.