Amos Heilicher
November 12, 1917 – October 12, 2008
Amos Heilicher was a Minneapolis music industry icon whose impact was felt well beyond the Twin Cities. Heilicher was still in high school when jumped into the record business by purchasing five jukeboxes. Mercury Records soon came and asked him for help getting their latest singles into other area jukeboxes as well. After that, he brought on RCA and Columbia along with other labels, and quickly became one of the country’s leading jukebox record suppliers. Heilicher soon expanded his distribution, or “rack-jobbing,” to include drug stores, department stores, and eventually, such chains as Discount Records and Musicland. He also had his own label, Soma Records for many years, and has been credited for breaking such hits as the Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird” and Dave Dudley’s “Six Days On The Road.” It has been said that at one time, Heilicher had a hand in 10% of all records sold in the U.S. In fact, in 1970, Esquire magazine included Heilicher in a list of the music industry’s most powerful people that also included Berry Gordy and Mick Jagger. In 1977, Heilicher sold his music business and spent his last decades working in real estate and raising money for various nonprofits. Amos Heilicher was 90 when he passed away on October 12, 2008.