ABC Records

ABC Records was the third largest record company that was closely related to a broadcasting network. ABC Records was founded in 1955 and it was originally named ABC-Paramount and was the record label of the Am-Par Record Corporation, subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theaters, Inc.

Initially, the label was used to exploit the film music of Paramount, which belonged to ABC as well. The label’s first hit was Bobby Scott’s ‘Chain Gang’ in the fall of 1956 and very year since ABC-Paramount has managed to have three or four records on The Billboard’s charts at the same time.

In 1959, ABC-Paramount bought the following labels: Audition, Command Performance, Colortone, Grant Award, and Waldorf Music Hall.

In the 1960s, ABC Paramount had become a music major. In 1966 the oil company Gulf and Western assumed majority ownership and eventually pruchased100% of the company’s shares. In 1966, Paramount was removed from the label name, leaving ABC Records.

In 1979, ABC Records was sold to MCA Records for $30 million and soon ceased to exist as a label.
ABC Records