Abbott Records
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music industry |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Founder | Fabor Robison, Sid Abbott |
| Defunct | 1958 |
| Fate | Discontinued; succeeded by Radio Records (rock-oriented label) |
| Headquarters | Hollywood, California , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Fabor Robison (manager, owner) |
| Products | Records (country, rockabilly, pop music) |
Abbott Records was a U.S.-based record company established and managed by music promoter and producer Fabor Robison from 1951 until approximately 1958. The label concentrated on country, rockabilly, and eventually mainstream pop genres, achieving significant chart recognition despite its relatively small operation.
Early history
Following his military service in World War II, Arkansas-born Fabor Robison (1911–1986) relocated to Southern California to pursue a career as a talent scout. Around 1949–1950, he discovered singer Johnny Horton, who had recently won a talent competition in Texas before moving to Los Angeles. Robison arranged for Horton to appear on Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree show and secured a recording contract with the modest Cormac Records label, which soon went out of business. Encountering setbacks, Robison teamed up with pharmacist Sid Abbott to create his own label, naming it Abbott Records in honor of his partner. Initially, the label concentrated solely on Horton, releasing ten records including collaborations with Billy Barton; however, these early efforts achieved limited commercial success. By mid-1952, Robison sold Horton's contract to Mercury Records, allowing Abbott to broaden its artist roster.
In 1952, Johnny Horton became part of the Louisiana Hayride cast at KWKH in Shreveport—a vital talent source for Robison’s label. Robison shifted his attention to singer Jim Reeves, prompting Horton to end their management relationship; subsequently, Robison began managing Reeves. Abbott Records' first charting hits came with Reeves' songs "Mexican Joe" and "Bimbo."
Subsidiaries and later years
By 1953, Abbott Records had grown sufficiently for Fabor Robison to buy out Sid Abbott’s share. Seeking diversification, Robison introduced the Fabor Records subsidiary imprint, initially showcasing artists from the Louisiana Hayride roster such as pianist Floyd Cramer, the Browns, Smiley Burnette, Dorsey Burnette, and Mitchell Torok, whose track "Caribbean" became a charting hit in 1953. Many recordings featured the Louisiana Hayride house band at KWKH studios in Shreveport, with occasional sessions held at Sun Studio in Memphis and locations in Los Angeles. Early Abbott releases listed a Malibu address, which changed to Hollywood by the mid-1950s; later Fabor releases reverted back to Malibu.
In 1955, Jim Reeves departed from Fabor Robison to join RCA Victor. In 1954, Robison signed the DeCastro Sisters and launched Abbott's 3000 series aimed at popular music markets beyond country. The DeCastro Sisters delivered Abbott's most successful single with "Teach Me Tonight," which climbed to Number Two on the Billboard pop charts. However, with the emergence of rock 'n' roll, Robison discontinued both Abbott and Fabor labels around 1958 and established Radio Records—a rock-oriented label that retained only Billy Barton from previous artists. Radio Records released 25 titles before ceasing operations in 1959.
Robison revived the Fabor label in 1962 to reissue Ned Miller's "From a Jack to a King," continuing activity until 1966; among its last releases was one featuring English actress Hermione Baddeley.
The labels under Robison primarily issued singles; their album output was limited to Jim Reeves Sings (Abbott 5001), The DeCastro Sisters Sing (Abbott 5002) in 1955, and Jean Shepherd's spoken word album Into the Unknown with Jazz Music (Abbott 5003) released in 1956.
Legacy
After the triumph of "From a Jack to a King," Robison transferred Ned Miller's contract and recordings to Capitol. Subsequently, following Jim Reeves' passing in 1964, he arranged a similar agreement with RCA Victor. Even while the Abbott family continued to operate their labels, Robison frequently licensed masters to other companies; for instance, a 1953 outtake by Mitchell Torok became a hit on the Guyden label in 1959. Robison produced more recordings than were officially issued, leaving numerous unreleased tracks within the Abbott archives. Over time, he extended licensing of Abbott and other recordings to various smaller labels before ultimately selling the vault to the Shelby Singleton Corporation during the 1970s or 1980s, although some masters had already been leased to other entities.
Despite the legal intricacies surrounding Abbott and its affiliated subsidiaries, the label's artistic contribution remains noteworthy. Abbott served as an early launching pad for prominent artists prior to their mainstream breakthrough, including Jim Reeves and Billie Jo Spears, while also promoting lesser-known performers such as Rudy Grayzell, Bonnie Guitar, Ginny Wright, Wink Lewis, Bob Stegall, and Bobby Hart. The rockabilly selections from Abbott continue to be highly regarded among collectors. Nevertheless, some artists have voiced criticism regarding Robison’s business practices.
Robison exhibited a sharp ability to identify talent; paradoxically, many artists experienced their most substantial commercial growth and success after departing from his labels.
Sources
- Rick Bass - Nashville Chrome, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010