Label Guide: Curtom
Curtom Records was started by Curtis Mayfield of The Impressions along with Impressions manager Eddie Thomas in 1968. The label's name is a combination of Mayfield's first name (Curtis) and Thomas' surname (Thomas). Curtom was located in Chicago's old RCA studio, acquired by Mayfield for cutting demos. Most of the acts on Curtom's roster were either produced by Mayfield himself, or heavily influenced by his style.
Due to the decline in popularity of soul music, the label went through various changes of distribution from several labels - first by Buddah Records, then by Warner Bros., RSO Records, and finally Arista Records, before closing for good in 1980. The Curtom master tapes are now owned by the Warner Music Group and The Mayfield Family, with the exception of Curtis's replacement in the Impressions, Leroy Hutson, who owns the rights to his Curtom back catalog.
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1. Label Variation
first Curtom Label (1968 - 1972)
The first Curtom label shows a '1650 Broadway, N.Y.C.' address at the bottom rim, distributed by Buddah Records.
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2. Label Variation
second Curtom Label (1972 - 1973)
The address changed to '810 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10019', and the Shiva logo appears at the beginning of this address.
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3. Label Variation
third Curtom Label (1973)
The address writing was changed to '810 7th Ave., N.Y.C.', and the Shiva logo appears between the words 'Buddah' and 'Records'. All of the first three label designs were for the Buddah distribution years.
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4. Label Variation
fourth Curtom Label (1973 - 1978)
In 1973, Curtom changed distribution to Warner Bros. and the label design was changed to this more colourful artwork with the words "WE'RE A WINNER" missing from the logo.