ABC Records, sous-filiale de "American Broadcasting-Paramount Theaters" fut créé en 1955 à New-York.

ABC Records démarra sous le nom de "The Am-Par Record Corporation". Elle édita des titres de Pop, de Jazz, de Rythm 'n' Blues et de Chorale sous le label ABC-Paramount. Parallèlement à son activité de production de disques, ABC permettait à des labels indépendants régionaux de développer leurs titres à l'échelle nationale. ABC Records fut le premier label important à s'être formé après le mouvement Rock 'n' Roll. "The Am-Par Record Corporation" prit le nom de "ABC-Paramount Records Inc." en 1962 puis "ABC Records, Inc." en 1967. La société racheta respectivement le label Dunhill en 1966. Puis suivit Duke Records et Peacock Records en 1973; et "Gulf and Western Industries, Inc." (incluant les sous-filliales Famous music Records en 1974, Dot Records et Blue Thumb Records).
Mais le milieu des années 70 furent difficiles pour les majors du disque. Pour faire des économies, ABC Records supprima les masters (originaux) de chacune des pistes instrumentales des disques produits, pour ne plus conserver que les masters finaux. Elle perdit par là même la possibilité de remixer des CD de qualité. Des masters mono-instrumentaux de quelques grands artistes ayant signés avec elle, comme Ray Charles, ont cependant été conservés. En 1979, la société se fit racheter par la "Music Corporation of America (MCA)".
Artistes associés à ce label : Paul Anka, Nick Anthony, Joe Bennett, Cappy Bianco, Bobby & The Temps, Roy Brown, Gene Bua, Jimmy Buffett, Ric Cartey, Ray Charles, Roy Clark, Jackie Lee Cochran, Cowboys & Indians, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Danny & The Juniors, Ray De Paul, the Dells, Danny Dill, Fats Domino, Joey Du Ambra, the Elegants, Vince Everett, Ronnie Haig, George Hamilton IV, Bill Hayes, Roy Head, Al Hendrix, Johnny Janis, Jerry And Wayne, Frankie Laine, Mr. Lee, Vinny Lee, John Leslie, The Lifeguards, Jay B. Loyd, Harry M, Barbara Mandrell, Leon McAuliffe, Ken McDonald, Clint Miller, the Oak Ridge Boys, Lloyd Price, Cliff Richard, the Rock-A-Fellas, Tommy Roe, the Satellites, Steve Schulte, Jack Scott, Ronnie Self, Hoke Simpson, The Sparkletones, Joe Stampley, Tom And Jerry, Ronnie Toth, Bobby Lee Trammell, Joe Turner, Conway Twitty, Wayne Walker et Gary Warren.

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 Corporation 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 and U.K-based Anchor Records. Because the company was suffering financial problems, 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.
ABC Records sub-labeled Apt Records to release singles. In the early 1960s, they purchased the Westminster Records classical music label and 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 the summer of 1967, forming "ABC Dunhill Records." They purchased Duke Records and Peacock Records on May 23, 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.
In 1979, ABC Dunhill was acquired by MCA Records which eventually evolved into Universal Music Group. Today, the pop & R&B catalog is part of Geffen Records while the jazz catalogue is part of Verve Records and the classical music catalogue is part of Deutsche Grammophon Records. ABC Records' country music catalogue is managed by MCA Nashville Records.
Associated Artists with this label : Paul Anka, Nick Anthony, Joe Bennett, Cappy Bianco, Bobby & The Temps, Roy Brown, Gene Bua, Jimmy Buffett, Ric Cartey, Ray Charles, Roy Clark, Jackie Lee Cochran, Cowboys & Indians, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Danny & The Juniors, Ray De Paul, the Dells, Danny Dill, Fats Domino, Joey Du Ambra, the Elegants, Vince Everett, Ronnie Haig, George Hamilton IV, Bill Hayes, Roy Head, Al Hendrix, Johnny Janis, Jerry And Wayne, Frankie Laine, Mr. Lee, Vinny Lee, John Leslie, The Lifeguards, Jay B. Loyd, Harry M, Barbara Mandrell, Leon McAuliffe, Ken McDonald, Clint Miller, the Oak Ridge Boys, Lloyd Price, Cliff Richard, the Rock-A-Fellas, Tommy Roe, the Satellites, Steve Schulte, Jack Scott, Ronnie Self, Hoke Simpson, The Sparkletones, Joe Stampley, Tom And Jerry, Ronnie Toth, Bobby Lee Trammell, Joe Turner, Conway Twitty, Wayne Walker, and Gary Warren.

ABC-PARAMOUNT/ABC Records label variations :
1955-1961 : Black label, "ABC-PARAMOUNT" around top perimeter of label (in various colored letters for singles and all white letters for albums) and logo consisting of color spectrum "wave" and white jagged line. Bottom perimeter of label reads: "A PRODUCT OF AM-PAR RECORD CORP."
1961-1966 : Same label as above, but disclaimer at bottom of label now reads: "A PRODUCT OF ABC-PARAMOUNT RECORDS, INC."
1966-1967 : Label now shortened to ABC Records. Black label with large white circle at top with "abc" in black letters and "wave & jagged line" logo under the letters. This variant was used only for singles.
1967-1974 : Black label with small white "abc" circle logo in color spectrum box at top (In conjunction with this label, a brief interim label was used from 1973-1974 consisting of three children's blocks spelling out ABC and one block with the "abc" logo in a white triangle at the top).
1974-1978 : Yellow, orange, red and purple label with "abc Records" (black "abc" circle logo) between two black lines at top.
1978-1979 : Same multi-colored label as above, but with 1/8 note featuring "abc" inside the bottom of the note. Late pressings show "Mfg. & Dist. by MCA Distributing Corp..." at the bottom perimeter, just before the ABC label was discontinued and its artists transferred to MCA.