ABC Records
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ABC Records started in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records, the record label of Am-Par Record Corporation (a subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc.), formed in New York City in 1955. In addition to producing records directly, ABC licensed finished masters from independent producers and purchased regionally released records for national distribution. The corporate name of Am-Par Record Corp. was changed to ABC-Paramount Records, Inc. in 1962, and then to ABC Records, Inc. in 1967.
In 1965, ABC-Paramount Records changed its name to ABC Records. They distributed Dunhill Records until this label was purchased to form ABC Dunhill Records. They also distributed Sire Records. ABC Records was sold in 1979 to MCA Records which dissolved the ABC label. The better selling albums in the ABC Records catalog were reissued on the MCA label.
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[edit] Sub-labels and Acquisitions
ABC Records sub-labeled Apt Records to release singles. In the early sixties, they started Impulse Records to distribute jazz releases. Several years later, Bluesway Records was created to distribute their blues releases.
ABC Records purchased Dunhill Records in 1966, forming ABC Dunhill Records. In 1979 ABC Dunhill was acquired by MCA Records.
They continued to purchase Duke Records and Peacock Records on 23 May 1973. Afterwards they also purchased the Famous Music record labels from Gulf and Western in 1974 (these included Dot Records and Blue Thumb Records).
In addition to sub-labels, ABC Records purchased all labels from Enoch Light in October 1959. ABC acquired Audition Records, Command Performance Records, Colortone Records and Waldorf Music Hall Records.
[edit] Types of Output
Pop, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Roll, Children's, Ethnic music (including Irish, Polka, Calypso, Flamenco and Hawaiian), Spoken Word
[edit] Artists associated with ABC Records and its labels
Paul Anka, Florence Ballard, Joe Bennett, Art Blakey, Charles Brown, Roy Brown, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Jimmy Buffett, Betty Carter, Ray Charles, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Jim Croce, Crosby and Nash, Danny and The Juniors, The Dells, Fats Domino, The Dramatics, The Elegants, The Four Tops, Ferrante & Teicher, The Fifth Dimension, Eydie Gormé, Coleman Hawkins, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Holman, John Lee Hooker, Freddie Hubbard, James Gang, The Impressions, B. B. King, Yusef Lateef, Steve Lawrence, Shelly Manne, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Charles Mingus, Poco, The Poni-Tails, Lloyd Price, Cliff Richard, Jimmy Reed, Tommy Roe, Sonny Rollins, Royal Teens, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Jimmy Rushing, Soupy Sales, Archie Schepp, Bobby Scott, Steely Dan, Shirley Scott, Otis Spann, Steely Dan, Three Dog Night, Joe Turner, Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson, T-Bone Walker, Joe Walsh, Josh White, Chico Williams, Jimmy Witherspoon
[edit] Labels associated with ABC Records
Anchor Records, Apt Records, Back Beat Records, Bluesway Records, Blue Thumb Records, Boom Records, Chancellor Records, Command Records,Dot Records, Dunhill Records, Grand Award Records, Hickory Records, Impulse Records, Jerden Records, LHI Records, Probe Records, Shelter Records, Sire Records, Tangerine Records, 20th Century Fox Records
