Hookah Records was formed in 1970 as an independent record label for the band Josefus. Howard Turner came up with the concept and design.

The Dead Man album was released across Texas that spring and sold quickly to a large fan base due to the band's live shows. The next Josefus album was on the Mainstream label, and when the band broke up at the end of the year, Hookah also disappeared.

Hookah was brought back in 1979 when Josefus released a pair of 45 singles, but a simpler black on yellow label was used. The multi-color label reappeared when Josefus released the Dead Man aLive CD in 2002.