In the 1940s and 1950s, ABC benefitted from the U.S. government's antitrust actions against broadcasters and film studios who were forced to divest parts of their companies.

[2] Under the leadership of Leonard Goldenson, the former head of Paramount Pictures, the company "sought to establish itself as a cross-media force in television, theaters and sound recordings".

To market music from the successful TV show, ABC-Paramount established the Am-Par Record Corporation and the ABC-Paramount label in early 1955, appointing Sam Clark, a Boston record distributor, as president, with Larry Newton as sales manager and Harry Levine the A&R director.

In 1960, Am-Par established a jazz subsidiary and hired Creed Taylor, a producer and arranger who had worked with Bethlehem Records.

's album covers featured the logo in orange letters in a white circle, with black-and-orange exclamation marks above it, and the catalog number below it.

Charles's Genius + Soul = Jazz gave the label its first hit and became the fourth-highest charting album of his career.

[9] Another significant early release was The Blues and the Abstract Truth by Oliver Nelson, who led an all-star group that featured Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Roy Haynes.

Nelson played an important role in the label's early years before relocating to Los Angeles, where he became an arranger for film and television.

He had worked for Decca Records and its subsidiaries Coral and Brunswick, where his production credits included Alan Dale, the McGuire Sisters, Pearl Bailey, and Theresa Brewer, whom he married.

Although unfamiliar with the "new jazz" movement, Thiele backed his artists, afforded them unprecedented freedom in their repertoire, and gave leading acts like Coltrane carte blanche in the studio.

during the Thiele years is recognized as a key outlet for free jazz and the musical movement spearheaded by Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Archie Shepp, and McCoy Tyner.

In addition to avant-garde releases, Thiele also produced collaborations between Coltrane and two of their mutual heroes, Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins.

Aided by good promotion and ABC-Paramount's well-established distribution chain, Coltrane enjoyed the highest profile and the strongest and most consistent sales of any Impulse!

When Newton arrived at the session he became upset when he discovered that Armstrong was recording a ballad rather than a 'Dixieland'-style number like his earlier hit "Hello Dolly".

According to Thiele's own account, this led to a screaming match; Newton then had to be locked out of the studio and he stood outside throughout the session, banging on the door and yelling to be let in.

continued to issue significant recordings, including the debut album by the Liberation Music Orchestra, the first of four collaborations between Charlie Haden and Carla Bley.

The company also acquired LP masters that Sun Ra had recorded for his private label, making them more widely available for the first time.

In 1974, ABC acquired the Famous Music labels and catalog from Gulf+Western, and subsequently, that company's jazz recordings were incorporated into the Impulse!