Editing Modern Records

{{Short description|American record label (1945–1969)}}
{{about|the American record label active from the 1940s through the 1960s|the 1980s record label|Modern Records (1980)}}
{{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music -->
| name        = Modern Records
| image       = Jelly-Johnson-Modern.jpg
| image_size  = 200px
| parent      = Ace Records (UK)
| founded     ={{start date|1945}}
| founder     = <!-- name of founders, separate with commas or <br /> -->
| fate        = <!-- explain the reason of the closing-->
| defunct     = {{end date|1969}}
| status      = Defunct
| distributor = <!-- distributors, separate with commas or <br /> -->
| genre       = [[Jazz]], [[blues]], [[rhythm and blues]], [[rock and roll|rock]]
| country     = U.S.
| location    = [[Los Angeles]], California
| url         = <!-- such as "{{URL|www.atlanticrecords.com}}" -->
}}
'''Modern Records''' ('''Modern Music Records''' before 1947)<ref>{{cite book |year=2006 |title=Encyclopedia of the Blues, Volume 1 |publisher=Routledge|page=700 }}</ref> was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in [[Los Angeles]] by the [[Bihari brothers]]. Modern's artists included [[Hadda Brooks]], [[Etta James]], [[Joe Houston]], [[Little Richard]], [[Ike & Tina Turner]] and [[John Lee Hooker]]. The label released some of the most influential [[blues]] and [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] records of the 1940s and 1950s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/arts/music/joe-bihari-who-put-early-rb-on-record-dies-at-88.html|title=Joe Bihari, Who Put Early R&B on Record, Dies at 88|last=Yardley|first=William|date=December 11, 2013|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

==History==
In the beginning, Modern bought master recordings from other small labels, as with the purchase of 32 unreleased [[Gold Star Records]] [[master recordings]] by [[Lightnin' Hopkins]] and [[Lil' Son Jackson]] for $2,500 from Bill Quinn in 1951.<ref name="BBSep1951">{{cite magazine|title=Modern Buys 32 Hopkins, Jackson Masters for $2,500|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3UQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=september+1951+billboard+quinn+modern&pg=PA26|magazine=Billboard|page=26|date=September 29, 1951|access-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref> The Biharis also often used pseudonyms to give themselves writing credit on songs.<ref name=":0" /> Saul Bihari, for example, (whose middle name was Samuel) used the name Sam Ling as a songwriting pseudonym.  Having started as an R&B label, Modern was later one of the few R&B labels to routinely cover rhythm and blues hits on other labels, apparently in an attempt to broaden their appeal and reach the popular market.

In 1958, the Bihari brothers formed [[Kent Records]] and stopped issuing records on Modern.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=March 24, 1958|title=Kent Launches R-B Singles|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1958/Billboard%201958-03-23.pdf|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=3}}</ref> In 1964, the Modern imprint was revived and [[the Ikettes]] released a few successful singles in 1965,<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The Ikettes Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography|url=https://www.musicvf.com/The+Ikettes.art|access-date=2021-01-28|website=musicvf.com}}</ref> but the company went bankrupt a few years later and ceased operations. The catalog went with the management into Kent Records. This back catalog was eventually licensed to the UK label [[Ace Records (United Kingdom)|Ace Records]] in the 1980s and later sold outright during the 1990s. Ace Records of the U.K. now owns the master tapes.<ref name="gillett">{{cite book
| first=Charlie
| last=Gillett|author-link=Charlie Gillett
| year= 1996
| title= The Rise of Rock and Roll
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Da Capo Press
| location=New York
| pages= 85–86
| isbn= 0-306-80683-5}}</ref>

==Management and staff==
* Saul, Jules and Joe Bihari were the main people who ran the label. Their older brother Lester was only there sporadically.<ref name=King>{{cite book|title=The B.B. King Reader: 6 Decades of Commentary|editor1-last=Kostelanetz|editor1-first=Richard|editor1-link=Richard Kostelanetz|editor2-last=Reiswig|editor2-first=Jesse|url=https://archive.org/details/bbkingreader6dec00kost|url-access=registration|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gaD6PuSpq1IC&pg=PA7 7]|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2005|isbn=9780634099274}}</ref>
*[[Ike Turner]] was a talent scout and session musician for Modern Records in the 1950s.<ref name=":0" /> Artists Turner discovered for Modern include [[Bobby Bland|Bobby "Blue" Bland]], [[Howlin' Wolf]], and [[Rosco Gordon]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Takin' Back My Name: The Confessions of Ike Turner|last1=Turner|first1=Ike|last2=Cawthorne|first2=Nigel|date=1999|publisher=Virgin|isbn=9781852278502|location=London|language=en|oclc=43321298}}</ref> According to [[B.B. King]] and Joe Bihari, Turner introduced King to the Bihari brothers which led to his [[RPM Records (United States)|RPM]] releases.<ref name=King />
*[[Tony Hilder]] was an [[Artists and repertoire|A&R man]] for Modern Records in the late 1950s. Later he went on to form his own labels, first CT Records<ref>{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000005010|title=Tony Hilder Biography}}</ref> and later owner and president of [[Impact Records (California)|Impact Records]].<ref>''Billboard Music Week'' May 8, 1961 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ACEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22IMpact+Records%22Tony+Hilder%22&pg=PA4 Page 4 Music As Written, Hollywood]</ref><ref>''[[Surfin' Guitars: Instrumental Surf Bands of the Sixties]]'', Robert J. Dalley [https://books.google.com/books?id=ACEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Impact+Records+Tony+Hilder+owner&pg=PA4 Page 259, Page 298, Page 299]</ref>
* Austin McCoy was an artist, session musician and recording session director with Modern Records. He left Modern in late 1950 to take up an A&R post with [[Mercury Records]] at their Beverly Hills office.<ref>''The Billboard'' December 16, 1950 [https://books.google.com/books?id=zB0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Modern+Records%22Billboard+Manager&pg=PA12 Page 12 McCoy Joins Modern Staff]</ref>

==Albums==
* ''Modern Music: The First Year – 1945'' ([[Ace Records (UK)|Ace]] CDTOP 1339, 2012)

The following albums were released in [[Monaural|mono]] with catalogue numbers "M-70{{var|nn}}" and in [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]] with catalogue numbers "MST-8{{var|nn}}":
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* –00 Era of [[Tommy Dorsey]]
* –01 Era of [[Benny Goodman]]
* –02 Era of [[Charlie Barnet]]
* –03 Era of [[Glenn Miller]]
* –04 Era of [[Woody Herman]]
* –05 Era of the [[Big Band]]s
* –06 [[Dixieland]]
* –07 Polka Party Time
* –08 [[Tack piano#Honky-tonk piano|Honky Tonk Piano]]
* –09 The [[List of compositions by Johann Strauss II#Waltzes|Strauss Waltzes]]
* –10 Day Dreams
* –11 Organ Gems
* –12 [[Cha-cha-chá (music)|Cha Cha Cha]]
* –13 [[Sing-along|Sing-A-Long]]
* –14 [[Rock and Roll]] Party
* –15 The Heart of Spain
* –16 Oldies and Goodies
* –17 Progressive Percussion
* –18 Hawaiian Holiday
* –19 Era of [[Hank Williams]]
* –20 Tradewinds to Hawaii
* –21 Dynamic Percussion
* –22 Mambo Cha Cha Cha
* –23 [[The Ink Spots|The Fabulous Ink Spots]]
{{div col end}}

== Selected singles ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Catalog No.
!Release<br />date
![[Billboard Hot 100|US]]
![[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US<br />R&B]]
!Single (A-side, B-side)
!Artist
|-
|624<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=November 6, 1948|title=Best-Selling Retail Race Records|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/40s/1948/Billboard%201948-11-06.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=31}}</ref>
|Oct 1948
|—
|1
|"[[Blues After Hours]]"<br/><small>b/w "I'm Still In Love With You"</small>
|[[Pee Wee Crayton]]
|-
|627<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=February 19, 1949|title=Most Played Juke Box Race Records|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/40s/1949/Billboard%201949-02-19.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=32}}</ref>
|Nov 1948
|—
|1
|"[[Boogie Chillen'|Boogie Chillen]]"<br/><small>b/w "Sally May"</small>
|[[John Lee Hooker]]
|-
|704<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=October 22, 1949|title=Advance Rhythm & Blues Record Releases|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/40s/1949/Billboard%201949-10-22b.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=67}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=January 14, 1950|title=Most-Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues Records|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1950/Billboard%201950-01-14.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=33}}</ref>
|Oct 1949
|—
|5
|"[[Good Morning, School Girl|Little School Girl]]"<br/><small>b/w Suitcase Blues"</small>
|[[Smokey Hogg]]
|-
|714
|Oct 1949
|—
|6
|"[[Crawling King Snake#John Lee Hooker versions|Crawlin' King Snake]]"<br/><small>b/w "Drifting from Door to Door"</small>
|John Lee Hooker
|-
|835
|Sep 1951
|—
|1
|"I'm in the Mood"<br/><small>b/w "How Can You Do It"</small>
|John Lee Hooker
|-
|848
|Dec 1951
|—
|—
|"Crying All Night Long"<br/><small>b/w "Dry Up Baby"</small>
|[[Bobby Bland|Robert Bland]]
|-
|857
|Feb 1952
|—
|7
|"The Wind Is Blowin"<br/><small>b/w "Would My Baby Make A Change"</small>
|[[Jimmy Witherspoon]]
|-
|860
|Mar 1952
|—
|—
|"Ramblin' On My Mind"<br/><small>b/w "Just An Army Boy"</small>
|[[Boyd Gilmore]]
|-
|864
|Apr 1952
|—
|—
|"Bad Women Bad Whiskey"<br/><small>b/w "You're My Angel"</small>
|[[Junior Parker|Little Junior Parker]] and the Blue Flames
|-
|947
|Jan 1955
|—
|1
|"[[The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)|The Wallflower]]"<br/><small>b/w "Hold Me, Squeeze Me"</small>
|[[Etta James]] and "The Peaches"
|-
|961
|Jun 1955
|—
|—
|"Mary Lou"<br/><small>b/w "Don't Think I Will"</small>
|[[Young Jessie]], [[Maxwell Davis]] & Orchestra
|-
|962
|Aug 1955
|—
|6
|"Good Rockin' Daddy"<br/><small>b/w "Crazy Feeling"</small>
|Etta James, Maxwell Davis & Orchestra
|-
|1002
|Sep 1956
|—
|—
|"Hit, Git And Split"<br/><small>b/w "Don't Happen No More"</small>
|Young Jessie
|-
|1005
|Oct 1956
|—
|7
|"[[Goodnight My Love (1956 song)|Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams)]]"<br/><small>b/w "I Want You With Me Xmas"</small>
|[[Jesse Belvin|Jessie Belvin]]
|-
|1022
|Jun 1957
|—
|—
|"[[By the Light of the Silvery Moon (song)|By The Light Of The Silvery Moon]]"<br/><small>b/w "Come What May"</small>
|Etta James
|-
|1027
|Nov 1957
|—
|—
|"Just To Say Hello"<br/><small>b/w "My Satellite"</small>
|Jesse Belvin
|-
|1003<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=|first=|date=February 13, 1965|title=Bubbling Under The Hot 100|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-02-13.pdf|magazine=Billboard|volume=|pages=28|via=}}</ref>
|Dec 1964
|107
|—
|"Camel Walk"
<small>b/w "Nobody Loves Me"</small>
|[[The Ikettes]]
|-
|1005<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/the-ikettes|title=The Ikettes Chart History|magazine=Billboard}}</ref>
|Feb 1965
|36
|28
|"[[Peaches 'N' Cream]]"<br /><small>b/w "The Biggest Players"</small>
|The Ikettes
|-
|1007<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=June 19, 1965|title=Top Selling Rhythm & Blues Singles|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-06-19.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=43}}</ref>
|May 1965
|107
|32
|"[[Good Bye, So Long]]"<br/><small>b/w "Hurt Is All You Gave Me"</small>
|[[Ike & Tina Turner]]
|-
|1011<ref name=":1" />
|Jul 1965
|74
|12
|"[[I'm So Thankful]]"<br/><small>b/w "Don't Feel Sorry For Me"</small>
|The Ikettes
|-
|1012<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=August 7, 1965|title=Bubbling Under The Hot 100|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-08-07.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=20}}</ref>
|Aug 1965
|134
|—
|"[[I Don't Need]]"<br/><small>b/w "Gonna Have Fun"</small>
|Ike & Tina Turner
|-
|1015<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=February 5, 1966|title=Bubbling Under The Hot 100|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1966/Billboard%201966-02-05.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=24}}</ref>
|Jan 1966
|122
|—
|"(Never More) Lonely For You"<br/><small>b/w "[[Sally Go 'Round the Roses|Sally Go Round the Roses]]"</small>
|The Ikettes
|-
|1030
|1967
|—
|—
|"[[Bring It On Home to Me|Bring It Back Home To Me]]"<br/><small>b/w "Slippin' And Slidin'"</small>
|[[Little Richard]]
|}

==Subsidiaries==
*[[Kent Records]]
*[[Crown Records]]
*[[Flair Records]]
*[[Meteor Records]]
*[[RPM Records (United States)|RPM Records]]
*[[Yuletide Records]] ([[Christmas music]])

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080605030318/http://forbiddeneye.com/labels/crown.html Crown Records Discography]
* [http://www.bsnpubs.com/modern/modernstory.html Modern Records Story]
* [https://archive.org/details/georgeblood?and%5B%5D=publisher:modern Modern Records] on the Internet Archive's [http://great78.archive.org/ Great 78 Project]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Record labels established in 1945]]
[[Category:Defunct record labels of the United States]]
[[Category:Rhythm and blues record labels]]
[[Category:American jazz record labels]]
[[Category:Record labels disestablished in 1969]]