Custom Records

Custom Records was an American budget-oriented record label associated with the Bihari Brothers and operated as a subsidiary of Modern Records. The label emerged in the mid-1960s, although an exact founding year is not established in the available references. By March 1965, Billboard described Custom as a new label that already had 31 albums in its catalogue, indicating that its launch involved a relatively substantial stock of releases rather than a slow build around a small number of new recordings. The label occupied a segment of the American LP market that emphasized accessible pricing and broad, quickly assembled catalogues. Custom releases were advertised at $1.98, positioning them above the 98- and 99-cent budget LPs then available. Saul Bihari recognized the importance of rack jobbers—specialist distributors and merchandisers that placed records in retail racks—for reaching buyers of this type of product. This distribution-oriented approach allowed the label to place inexpensive albums in a wide range of retail environments without depending exclusively on conventional record-store promotion. A significant part of Custom's catalogue consisted of reissues or repackaged material, including recordings that had previously appeared on the Bihari-owned Crown label. The label also relied on compilation, cover-version, and studio-musician projects. Its catalogue included material associated with artists such as Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, B.B. King, Jimmy McCracklin, Jimmy Smith, Jerry Cole, Don Lee, and Curley Williams. Some releases were presented in ways that could make the identity of the performers less immediately clear. For example, Your Cheatin' Heart and Other Hank Williams Favorites credited a singer named Johnny Williams, although the reference material identifies the performer as Curley Williams. Similarly, the album It's Happening by The Dave Clark Five and The Playbacks contained only two Dave Clark Five tracks, with the remaining material performed by The Playbacks, who appear to have been studio musicians. Custom also responded to contemporary musical fashions through exploitation-oriented titles. In 1967, it issued More Psychedellic Guitars, using the misspelled form of “psychedelic” in the title. The album appears to have repackaged earlier Jerry Cole material with newly styled titles intended to evoke the psychedelic-guitar trend. An earlier release, Psychedellic Guitars, followed a similar concept, while Are You Experienced by T. Swift & The Electric Bag pursued the same market opportunity more directly and also involved Jerry Cole. These releases illustrate Custom's practice of adapting existing recordings and presentation concepts to current commercial trends rather than functioning primarily as a developmental label for new artist careers. The available references do not establish a formal closure date. Billboard material from January 1978 still included a substantial Custom-related presence in a section congratulating Los Angeles label Laff Records on its tenth anniversary, suggesting that the company or its catalogue remained visible in the trade press at that time. No reliable evidence in the supplied sources confirms continued operation after that period, a current owner, or an active modern business. Custom Records is therefore best understood as a historical Bihari-associated budget label whose catalogue combined reissues, covers, compilations, and trend-driven repackaging.

Custom Records was created as a budget LP imprint within the Bihari Brothers' broader record-label operations and was a subsidiary of Modern Records. The available record does not give a precise founding date, but the label was operating by early 1965. Billboard characterized it as a new label with 31 LPs already in its catalogue, suggesting that Custom was launched with a substantial body of marketable product. Its pricing was set at $1.98 per album, above the sub-dollar budget LPs offered by some competitors but still aimed at value-conscious consumers. The label's commercial model depended heavily on catalogue exploitation and distribution. Saul Bihari understood the role of rack jobbers in moving low-priced albums into retail locations, and Custom was presented as a label suited to that channel. Rather than concentrating only on newly recorded material by developing artists, the company issued re-releases, cover versions, compilations, and albums assembled from recordings already available elsewhere in the Bihari system. Several Custom albums were reissues of material previously released by Crown Records. Custom's artist and repertoire strategy was broad. Its catalogue included recordings connected with established jazz, blues, and pop figures, including Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, B.B. King, Jimmy McCracklin, and Jimmy Smith, alongside projects associated with Jerry Cole, Don Lee, and Curley Williams. The label also used performer names and packaging that could make a release appear to offer a more direct connection to a famous artist than the recordings necessarily provided. Your Cheatin' Heart and Other Hank Williams Favorites, for example, credited Johnny Williams, identified in the available reference as Curley Williams. The album It's Happening by The Dave Clark Five and The Playbacks included only two Dave Clark Five tracks, with the balance attributed to The Playbacks, apparently a studio-musician group. Custom also adjusted its catalogue to contemporary genre trends. The psychedelic-music boom of the mid-1960s produced a number of titles designed to suggest psychedelic content. Psychedellic Guitars and the 1967 follow-up More Psychedellic Guitars used a misspelled version of the word “psychedelic” and appear to have repackaged earlier Jerry Cole recordings under new or modified titles. Are You Experienced by T. Swift & The Electric Bag likewise pursued the psychedelic market, with Jerry Cole again associated with the material. These albums demonstrate how Custom used familiar recordings, new packaging, and topical titles to create budget products aligned with changing consumer interest. The label's later corporate history is not fully documented in the supplied sources. A January 1978 Billboard reference indicates that Custom still appeared in trade-publication material at that time, in a section associated with Laff Records' tenth anniversary. However, there is no confirmed closure date, current website, publicly listed parent, or evidence of present-day operations. Custom Records is consequently documented as a historical American budget label connected to the Bihari Brothers and Modern Records, with its significance resting in its catalogue and its example of mid-century low-price record distribution and repackaging.

• 1978

  Custom appeared in later Billboard trade coverage

  [1]Custom Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Custom was still represented in a January Billboard issue, although the reference does not establish whether it remained actively issuing new records.

• 1967

  More Psychedellic Guitars was released

  [1]Custom Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Custom issued a psychedelic-themed Jerry Cole-related release that appears to have retitled or repackaged earlier recordings.

• 1965

  Billboard reported a 31-LP catalogue

  [1]Custom Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Billboard described Custom as a new label with 31 albums already available and announced a $1.98 price point supported by rack-jobber distribution.

• Custom Records was established as a Modern Records subsidiary

  [1]Custom Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Bihari Brothers formed Custom Records as a subsidiary of Modern Records before March 1965. The exact year is not established in the available reference.

An accessible-price American LP label focused on broad catalogue coverage, reissues, covers, compilations, and commercially styled releases responding to current musical trends.

• Cover album

  Your Cheatin' Heart and Other Hank Williams Favorites

  A Custom album built around songs associated with Hank Williams. The release credited a singer named Johnny Williams, while the available reference identifies the performer as Curley Williams. It illustrates the label's use of cover material and presentation connected to a better-known artist.

• Compilation and cover album · 1964

  It's Happening

  An album credited to The Dave Clark Five and The Playbacks. The reference states that only two tracks were by The Dave Clark Five, with the rest performed by The Playbacks, who appear to have been studio musicians. The album was also issued on Crown.

• Trend-oriented guitar album

  Psychedellic Guitars

  A psychedelic-themed Custom release associated with Jerry Cole. The available material indicates that it appears to have used earlier recordings with presentation designed to connect them to the psychedelic-guitar trend, rather than representing a wholly new psychedelic recording project.

• Trend-oriented guitar album · 1967

  More Psychedellic Guitars

  A 1967 Custom album whose title used the label's characteristic misspelling of “psychedelic.” Its track titles included “Another Trip,” “Really Got It Bad,” “Out Of Touch,” “The Letdown,” “Psychedelic A-Go-Go,” “Flower Power,” “Sit-In,” “Lost In Space,” and “Psychedelic Venture.” The album appears to have repackaged earlier Jerry Cole material.

• Psychedelic exploitation album

  Are You Experienced

  An album credited to T. Swift & The Electric Bag that used a title associated with the psychedelic era. The available reference places Jerry Cole among the musicians connected with the project and describes it as a more psychedelic example of Custom's trend-oriented output.

• 1967

  Custom released psychedelic-themed catalogue productsProduct launch

  Background

  Psychedelic music and related visual and marketing themes were prominent in the contemporary record market.

  Action taken

  The label issued More Psychedellic Guitars and related releases using topical titles and material associated with Jerry Cole, including recordings that appear to have been repackaged from earlier projects.

  Aftermath

  The releases extended Custom's practice of adapting existing catalogue material to current musical fashions. No reliable sales outcome is provided.

  Source

• 1965

  Custom adopted a rack-jobber-led budget distribution strategyStrategy

  Background

  The label entered a market populated by very low-priced LPs and needed a retail method capable of placing a large catalogue in front of value-oriented buyers.

  Action taken

  Custom priced its albums at $1.98 and emphasized rack jobbers as a route to retail placement. It also relied on reissues, covers, and catalogue material to support a sizeable initial offering.

  Aftermath

  The strategy gave Custom a broad budget catalogue by 1965, although the available sources do not quantify sales or establish its long-term commercial performance.

  Album list price. $1.98 (1965)

  Source

1. 1Custom Recordsen.wikipedia.org