Impulse! Records

Impulse! Records is an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in Santa Monica. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings and thanks to the consistent sales and critical kudos generated by his recordings, the label came to be known in retrospect as "the house that Trane built".

History

Impulse's parent company, ABC-Paramount Records, was established in 1955 as the recording division of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). ABC had benefitted from the US government antitrust actions of the 1940s and 1950s, through which major broadcasters and film studios were forced to divest parts of their companies. In the early 1950s ABC acquired the Blue Network of radio stations from NBC and later merged with the newly independent Paramount Theaters chain, formerly owned by Paramount Pictures.

The new recording division was originally headquartered at 1501 Broadway, above the famous Paramount Theatre in Times Square. Under the leadership of ex-Paramount Pictures executive Leonard Goldenson, ABC "sought to establish itself as a cross-media force in television, theatres and sound recordings" and it enjoyed early success in TV with The Mickey Mouse Club, a joint venture with the Disney corporation.