Todd Records got its start in New York City in 1958. Paul Cohen was president of the company and also the main producer. They had three series of records: the 45rpm singles were in the 1000 series, starting with 1001 (1958) and running to 1100 in 1964. There were two LPs in the 5000 series in 1959, and one in the 2700 series in 1962. Todd used the "MT-" prefix for mono albums and the "ST-" prefix for stereo albums.

Todd was distributed by Dot Records in the 1950s, but by the time the Joe Henderson album came out in 1962, they were being distributed by Jay-Gee (Jubilee) in New York.

In the first year, 1958, they issued but one single. 1959, however, was their big year, as they issued 49 singles and two albums. This was about half of their eventual singles output, and two-thirds of their LP output in a single year. The records didn't chart, and for the most part, were done by artists unknown today and equally obscure then. There were a couple of exceptions. Clyde McCoy had scored a #2 record in 1931 with "Sugar Blues" [Columbia 2389], charted a half-dozen other songs over the next ten years, then spent the rest of his career re-recording "Sugar Blues" for an endless string of different labels. In 1959, he apparently was in New York for his next try. Pee Wee King was more recently famous, having had about a dozen top country and western sellers during the period 1948-1954. He was the songwriter of "Tennessee Waltz," a huge hit for Patti page, and "You Belong to Me," a hit for Jo Stafford. Both of these name artists seemed to be just passing through, however, since each had one single for Todd (McCoy also recorded an LP).

All product offering with no sales could not last forever, and by 1960, Todd's output was down to a trickle, with seven singles during the entire year. 1961 was about the same story: eight singles, including a try with a Clyde McCoy single from the two-year-old album. There was one bright spot in 1961, though. They signed a singer named Joe Henderson.

Joe Henderson (b. 1937, Como, Mississippi) grew up in Gary, Indiana, and spent some time in the Fairfield 4 gospel group, one of the early groups for Randy Wood's Dot label. He moved to Nashville in 1958. His first single for Todd was "Baby Don't Leave Me" [Todd 1066] in 1961, which made #7 on the R&B charts. His followup, "Snap Your Fingers" [Todd 1072], was a huge hit, making #2 on the R&B charts and #8 on the pop charts. He charted three other sides within the next year, "Big Love" [Todd 1077, 1962], "The Searching Is Over" [Todd 1079, 1962], and "You Take One Step (I'll Take Two) [Todd 1096, 1964]. In between the latter two, there were about a half-dozen duds, chartwise. "You Take One Step (I'll Take Two)" proved to be Henderson's swan song, as he died on November 7, 1964.

The only other artists of note on the label were a 1963 incarnation of the Five Royales, who put out two singles.

Todd Records spent its seven-year existence almost entirely by recording unknowns. Todd had one real star, Joe Henderson, and with the death of their star, Paul Cohen and Todd Records folded up shop.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Todd Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1999 by Mike Callahan.