Formed in Hollywood in 1956 as a branch of the film
corporation, ABC-Paramount’s first artists were postElvis rock ’n’ roll acts (such as Paul Anka and Danny
and the Juniors) and R&B singer Lloyd Price. The
label surrounded Price’s voice with big band arrangements and white choruses and made him a star with
‘‘Stagger Lee’’ and ‘‘Personality’’. In 1959, ABCParamount lured Ray Charles from Atlantic Records,
and the next three years brought Charles three #1
records: ‘‘Georgia on My Mind’’, ‘‘Hit the Road,
Jack’’, and ‘‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’’. The subsidiary BluesWay was founded in 1966 and some of the
greatest blues performers recorded for the label, including Jimmy Reed, B. B. King, John Lee Hooker,
Otis Spann, Jimmy Rushing, and T-Bone Walker.
ABC acquired other labels in the late 1960s, including
Dot and Blue Thumb, but in 1978, Paramount sold all
of its music interests to MCA.
MORRIS S. LEVY
Bibliography
Gillett, Charlie. The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock ’n’
Roll. New York: Dell, 1972.
Southall, Brian. The A–Z of Record Labels. London: Sanctuary, 2003.
Discography
Edwards, David, Patrice Eyrie, and Mike Callahan. ‘‘ABCParamount Records Story.’’