Buddah Records
| Buddha Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parent company | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | Art Kass Artie Ripp Hy Mizrahi Phil Steinberg |
| Status | inactive/defunct |
| Distributor(s) | Legacy Recordings (re-issues) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York, New York |
Buddah Records (now known as Buddha Records) was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding. Buddah handled a variety of music genres, including bubblegum pop (the Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Company), folk-rock (Melanie), experimental music (Captain Beefheart),[1] and soul (Gladys Knight and the Pips).
In addition to the Buddah imprint, the company distributed many other independent labels, including Kama Sutra Records (after Kama Sutra cut their distribution ties with MGM in 1969), Curtom Records (Curtis Mayfield), T-Neck Records (the Isley Brothers), Charisma Records (Genesis, Monty Python), Sussex Records (Bill Withers), Hot Wax Records (Holland-Dozier-Holland post-Motown productions) and smaller subsidiaries.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
Kama Sutra Records helped bolster MGM Records' profits during 1965 and 1966, primarily due to the success of Kama Sutra's flagship artists The Lovin' Spoonful. Kama Sutra's head, Art Kass ultimately grew dissatisfied with his distribution deal with MGM and started Buddah Records in 1967, with his Kama Sutra partners, Artie Ripp, Hy Mizrahi, Phil Steinberg, and (allegedly)[3] Italian mobster Sonny Franzese.
Kass brought in 24-year-old Neil Bogart to oversee Buddah's daily operations. Bogart had been an MGM General Manager in the early sixties before taking a VP/Sales Director position at Cameo-Parkway Records. Bogart would quickly enlist Cameo-Parkway producers, Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, the Ohio Express (a band signed to Kasenetz's and Katz's Super K Productions firm), and the Five Stairsteps into the new label. Buddah's first single was "Yes, We Have No Bananas"/"The Audition" by the Mulberry Fruit Band (BDA 1); the label's first album was Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (BDM-1001/BDS-5001).
Buddah Records initially made its mark as a "bubblegum pop" music label as that music genre's success peaked in 1968-69, with Kasenetz's and Katz's bands Ohio Express, the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus regularly placing Buddah on the map. However, it was The Lemon Pipers who gave Buddah its first #1 hit with "Green Tambourine," produced by Paul Leka, in February 1968.
The New York-area visual aids company, Viewlex purchased a controlling interest in Buddah in 1968 with Ripp, Steinberg and Mizrahi departing the company at this time, leaving Kass and Bogart at the helm.[4]
As bubblegum music's popularity declined at the turn of the decade, Buddah branched out in various musical directions, including gospel, folk-country and R&B. Bogart, a master promoter, would go to great lengths to generate hit singles for "top 40" radio airplay,[5] and got results; music industry historian Bob Hyde has estimated that, during their heyday, Buddah and its associated labels charted over 100 singles, with about one in five singles issued by the company charting (vs. the ratio of one chart hit to 20 singles released that most "major labels" experienced in that time period).[2] Hit singles released by Buddah and its associated labels during 1969-73 included:
- Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge's "The Worst That Could Happen" (1969)
- The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" (1969)
- The Edwin Hawkins Singers' "Oh Happy Day" (1969)
- Melanie's "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" and "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma" (1970)
- The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child" (1970)
- The Jaggerz' "The Rapper" (written by and featuring a young Donnie Iris)[6] (1970)
- Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" (1970)
- 100 Proof (Aged in Soul)'s "Somebody's Been Sleeping in My Bed" (1970)
- Brewer & Shipley's "One Toke Over the Line" (1970)
- Ocean's "Put Your Hand in the Hand" (1971)
- Honey Cone's "Want Ads" (1971)
- Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Lean on Me" (1972) and "Use Me" (1972)
- Gallery's "Nice to Be With You" (1972)
- Curtis Mayfield's "Super Fly" and "Freddie's Dead" (1972)
- Gunhill Road's "Back When My Hair Was Short" (1973)
- Charlie Daniels' "Uneasy Rider" (1973)
- Stories' "Brother Louie" (1973)
While Buddah primarily focused on singles, several of its album releases, including Brewer & Shipley's Tarkio (1970), Bill Withers' Still Bill (1972), and most notably Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly (1972), also charted well during this period.
Neil Bogart left Buddah Records in 1973 to start Casablanca Records. Soon after Bogart's departure, Gladys Knight & The Pips would emerge as Buddah's biggest success. Previously signed to Motown, Knight and the Pips would release their biggest hits, including "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me," for Buddah.
Jazz session drummer Norman Connors became Buddah's musical director in 1976 and helped to foster the label's move toward R&B and disco (e.g., the Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More" (1976) and Chic's "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" (1977), the latter hit the charts on its subsequent re-issue by Atlantic Records). Viewlex declared bankruptcy in 1976 and Art Kass purchased Buddah back from them, but the resulting debt[4] resulted in a substantial decline in the number of new releases. Arista Records took over distribution of Buddah from 1978 to 1983, with several artists including Norman Connors and Phyllis Hyman switching to Arista.
Buddah's final release of new product came in mid-1983, with Michael Henderson's R&B hit "Fickle" (BDA 9007) and the accompanying album of the same name (BDS-6004). Art Kass subsequently sold the label to Essex Entertainment, who managed the Buddah catalog until 1993, when they sold it to BMG. Kass would form another label, Casino Records, in partnership with former New York Dolls manager Marty Thau and concert promoter Terrell Braly, but this venture was not successful.
Buddah, now known as Buddha Records (the correct spelling), was re-activated by BMG in September 1998 as a reissue label, subsequently reorganizing as BMG Heritage Records on January 1, 2002. The Buddah/Buddha catalogue is now owned by Sony Music Entertainment and managed by Legacy Recordings.
[edit] Buddah subsidiary/affiliated labels
Buddah distributed many labels during its history, including:
- the wholly owned subsidiary Kama Sutra Records, from 1969 (when Kama Sutra's distribution deal with MGM Records expired) to 1976.
- Curtom Records, founded and owned by Curtis Mayfield, from 1968 to 1974.
- Sussex Records, from 1971 to 1973.
- T-Neck Records, owned by The Isley Brothers, from 1969 to 1973.
- Charisma Records (The Famous Charisma Label), the U.K.-based label founded by Tony Stratton-Smith, distributed from 1971 to 1973. Buddah would adopt the font Charisma used on their "Mad Hatter" label to create a uniform branding for its key labels (i.e., Buddah, Kama Sutra and Charisma) in 1973, although Charisma's distribution deal with Buddah would end later that year.
- Hot Wax Records, owned by Motown songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland, from 1969 to 1973.
- Cobblestone Records, featuring jazz performers and musicians.
- Pavilion Records, a short-lived Gospel music imprint best known for its release of "Oh Happy Day" by The Edwin Hawkins Singers in 1969.
- Studio One Records, the Jamaican label founded by Coxsone Dodd. Buddah released various selections from Studio One's back catalog in 1978.
Other Buddah subsidiaries or associated labels included Radio Active Gold (for reissue singles), Team, Super K, Royal American, Symbolic, Eleuthera, Ember,Pace, Desert Moon, Pi Kappa, Skye, Southwind, Thomas, Harbour, National General, and Brut.
[edit] Buddah label design variations
- 1967—BUDDAH RECORDS in stylized black letters at the bottom. Singles were designated with green labels, albums with red labels
- 1968-1972—Multi-color "kaleidoscope" label with silhouette of a Shiva deity (not Buddha) at the bottom of the label between the words BUDDAH and RECORDS (same format for both singles and albums)
- 1972-1978—Maroon label with pink circle around outer edge, BUDDAH RECORDS at top of label in white letters (deliberately borrowing from the font used on Charisma Records' "Mad Hatter" label for a uniform branding). Singles feature the head of an actual Buddha statue at the top of the label, albums show the entire statue at the bottom. When Arista took over distribution in 1978, the Arista logo and disclaimer were added by stamp at the bottom, starting with this label format
- 1978-1983—Black label with multi-colored "B" logo at top in a box, BUDDAH in white letters under the "B" in a subsection of the box, Arista logo and disclaimer at the bottom (same format for singles and albums)
[edit] Buddah Records and associated labels artists
The following artists released at least one recording for Buddah Records, or for one of Buddah's subsidiaries/distributed labels as noted in parentheses:
[edit] Compilation discography w/Billboard chart peak positions
- Bubble Gum Music Is The Naked Truth (#105) -- Buddah BDS-5032—3/69
-
- Hits by 1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express, The Lemon Pipers, Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, and Shadows Of Knight
- Buddah's 360 Degree Dial-A-Hit—Buddah BDS-5039—1969
-
- Tracks from Buddah, Kama Sutra and Curtom artists
- The Amazing Mets (#197) -- Buddah 1969—11/69
-
- Songs by the 1969 World Series Champions New York Mets (take note of the appropriately issued label number)
- Dick Clark / 20 Years Of Rock & Roll (#27) -- Buddah BDS-5133—7/73
-
- 2-LP set of hits from 1953 to 1972. Original copies (with gatefold cover) include booklet and bonus 7" cardboard record "Inside Stories with Dick Clark" (reissues have none of the extras)
- The Buddah Box—Essex Entertainment 7060—1993
-
- 3-CD set of 45 tracks by various Buddah artists (1965–1984). Includes 27-page booklet with label history and photos
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Gillett, Charlie (1996). The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll ((2nd Ed.) ed.). New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press. p. 322. ISBN 0-306-80683-5.
- ^ a b "Hyde, Bob, The Kama Sutra/Buddah Records Story". Both Sides Now Publications. http://bsnpubs.com/buddah/buddahstory.html. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Dannen, Frederick (1990). Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business, Random House, ISBN 0-8129-1658-1, p. 164.
- ^ a b Dannen, p. 166.
- ^ Dannen, p. 165.
- ^ "The Rapper Songfacts". Songfacts. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=6847. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
