Eric Records

Eric Records is an American record company founded in 1968 by Bill Buster in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The label was created to bring previously successful popular songs back to the market in their original versions, preserving the recordings as they had been heard on radio rather than presenting newly recorded reinterpretations. Its early catalog drew on established pop and oldies material, including recordings by the Paris Sisters such as “I Love How You Love Me” and “He Knows I Love Him Too Much.” The company’s reissue strategy combined familiar chart successes with less widely remembered recordings. Most of its releases were drawn from popular music associated with the period from the 1950s through the 1970s, with an emphasis on songs that had achieved strong chart performance or retained recognition among oldies listeners. The catalog was not limited exclusively to major number-one hits: Eric Records also issued recordings with more modest chart histories, including Jerry Butler’s “For Your Precious Love,” which reached number 99 on the Billboard pop chart. In 1974, Eric Records moved its operations from Philadelphia to New Jersey. The relocation marked an organizational change during a period when the American record market was still centered heavily on vinyl singles and albums. As consumer formats changed in the late twentieth century, the company adapted its catalog and production approach. When compact discs displaced vinyl records as a dominant consumer format during the early 1990s, Eric Records shifted its production to compact discs in 1996. The label became associated with themed compilation programs designed for collectors and listeners seeking recordings that were either difficult to find or representative of particular strands of mid-century popular music. Its compilation families have included Big Band Releases, Complete Hits, Hard to Find 45s On CD, Hard to Find Instrumentals, Hard to Find Jukebox Classics, and Teen Time. The Hard to Find Jukebox Classics series was issued through Hit Parade Records. These programs positioned Eric Records less as a conventional contemporary artist label and more as a specialist catalog and archival reissue business. Eric Records’ continuing identity rests on the preservation, repackaging, and circulation of historical recordings. Its business has connected the original singles market of the 1960s and 1970s with later collector-oriented compact-disc publishing. Rather than being defined by a single performer or genre, the label’s catalog spans pop oldies, teen-oriented material, instrumentals, big-band recordings, and jukebox favorites. Publicly available reference material identifies Eric Records as continuing its work through compact-disc compilations, although detailed information about its current corporate structure, ownership, headquarters, and recent release schedule is not established in the supplied sources.

Eric Records was established in 1968 by Bill Buster in Philadelphia. Its founding purpose was to re-release successful popular songs in their original recorded form, making familiar radio material available again to the oldies market. One of its early examples involved the Paris Sisters, whose recordings “I Love How You Love Me” and “He Knows I Love Him Too Much” were brought back to market. The label subsequently developed a catalog that combined well-known hits with less prominent recordings from earlier decades. The company’s repertoire was concentrated largely in popular music from the 1950s through the 1970s. Although many of the songs had been major chart successes, Eric Records also reissued material with more limited chart performance. Jerry Butler’s “For Your Precious Love,” for example, was included despite reaching number 99 on the Billboard pop chart. This approach reflected the label’s interest in documenting and circulating a broad oldies repertoire rather than limiting its releases to only the most commercially dominant songs. In 1974, Eric Records relocated from Philadelphia to New Jersey. The company continued to operate within the traditional singles and vinyl environment for much of the following period. As compact discs began replacing vinyl records in the consumer market during the early 1990s, the label adapted its production model. By 1996, Eric Records had switched production to compact discs. The company’s later catalog was organized through several compilation lines. These included Big Band Releases, Complete Hits, Hard to Find 45s On CD, Hard to Find Instrumentals, and Teen Time. Hard to Find Jukebox Classics was associated with Hit Parade Records. The titles and series indicate a collector-oriented editorial strategy: Eric Records emphasized recordings that were historically recognizable, difficult to locate, or representative of specific listening contexts such as jukeboxes, teenage pop, instrumental music, and big-band repertoire. Eric Records is described as continuing its activities through compact-disc compilations. Its historical importance lies primarily in catalog preservation and reissue publishing rather than in the development of a contemporary artist roster. The available reference material does not establish a detailed current ownership structure, a named present-day executive team, a precise headquarters location, or a complete modern discography.

• 1996

  Production switched to compact discs

  [1]Eric Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The company transitioned its production to compact discs as the format displaced vinyl in the consumer market.

• 1974

  Operations relocated to New Jersey

  [1]Eric Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Eric Records moved its operations from Philadelphia to New Jersey.

• 1968

  Eric Records founded in Philadelphia

  [1]Eric Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Bill Buster founded Eric Records in Philadelphia to reissue successful popular songs in their original versions.

• 1968

  Early Paris Sisters reissues

  [1]Eric Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label brought recordings by the Paris Sisters, including “I Love How You Love Me” and “He Knows I Love Him Too Much,” back to market.

A specialist American catalog label focused on preserving and reissuing historically significant popular recordings, especially oldies, radio favorites, rare 45s, instrumentals, and jukebox material.

• Compilation series

  Big Band Releases

  A compilation line centered on big-band repertoire within Eric Records’ broader historical reissue catalog. The series reflects the label’s interest in organizing older popular recordings by musical context and listener interest rather than presenting only individual single reissues.

• Compilation series

  Complete Hits

  A compilation program built around the collected or substantially complete hit output associated with selected performers or catalog subjects. It fits Eric Records’ emphasis on making historical popular music available in convenient reissue packages.

• Compact-disc compilation series

  Hard to Find 45s On CD

  A collector-oriented compact-disc series focused on recordings originally associated with hard-to-find 45 rpm singles. The line translated the appeal of rare or difficult-to-locate singles into the CD format adopted by Eric Records in the mid-1990s.

• Instrumental compilation series

  Hard to Find Instrumentals

  A series devoted to instrumental recordings that may have been overlooked in mainstream reissue programs. It illustrates the label’s archival approach and its attention to specialist collector interests within popular music history.

• Jukebox compilation series

  Hard to Find Jukebox Classics

  A compilation line focused on jukebox-associated recordings and collector favorites. The series was issued via Hit Parade Records and complements Eric Records’ broader effort to preserve familiar but sometimes difficult-to-source popular recordings.

• Compilation series

  Teen Time

  A themed series presenting music connected with teenage pop and youth-oriented listening culture. It belongs to the label’s broader collection of historical pop and oldies compilations.

• 1996

  Migration from vinyl production to compact discsGeneration change

  Background

  Compact discs were replacing vinyl records as the leading consumer format for recorded music during the early 1990s.

  Action taken

  Eric Records switched its production to compact discs.

  Aftermath

  The company continued its catalog-reissue activities through compact-disc compilations.

  Source

1. 1Eric Recordsen.wikipedia.org