Buddah Records

Buddah Records

Buddah Records was an influential American record label founded in New York City in 1967. Emerging from Kama Sutra Records, the company became particularly important during the late 1960s and 1970s, first helping popularise bubblegum pop before expanding into folk, soul, R&B and other styles.

The driving force behind the creation of Buddah Records was record executive Art Kass, then head of Kama Sutra Records. Dissatisfied with Kama Sutra’s distribution arrangement with MGM, Kass established the new label with business partners Artie Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg. Kass subsequently recruited Neil Bogart to run operations. Bogart became one of the label’s most important executives before later founding Casablanca Records, where he would achieve enormous success during the disco era.

The label’s early identity was strongly connected with producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, whose infectious, deliberately accessible records helped establish the bubblegum-pop phenomenon. The Lemon Pipers provided Buddah with its first US number-one single when Green Tambourine topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.

Buddah Records and Its Famous Artists

Among the artists most closely associated with Buddah Records were The Lemon Pipers, Ohio Express and 1910 Fruitgum Company. The latter scored major hits including Simon Says, 1, 2, 3, Red Light and Indian Giver.

However, Buddah was far more diverse than its bubblegum reputation suggests. Its catalogue included Melanie, whose recordings included Candles in the Rain, experimental rock pioneer Captain Beefheart, and soul stars Gladys Knight & the Pips. Other artists connected directly or through labels distributed by Buddah included Curtis Mayfield, The Isley Brothers, Bill Withers, The Five Stairsteps, The Impressions, The Trammps and Andrea True Connection.

The company also distributed independent labels including Curtom, T-Neck, Sussex, Hot Wax and Charisma, greatly extending its musical reach.

Although the original label eventually disappeared, Buddah Records occupies an important place in American popular-music history. From colourful bubblegum singles to sophisticated soul, folk and experimental recordings, its remarkably varied catalogue captures a period when the boundaries of popular music were changing rapidly.