
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.