King of the Queen City
is the first comprehensive history of King Records, one of the most
influential independent record companies in the history of American
music. Founded by businessman Sydney Nathan in the mid-1940s, this small
outsider record company in Cincinnati, Ohio, attracted a diverse roster
of artists, including James Brown, the Stanley Brothers, Grandpa Jones,
Redd Foxx, Earl Bostic, Bill Doggett, Ike Turner, Roy Brown, Freddie
King, Eddie Vinson, and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. While other record
companies concentrated on one style of music, King was active in
virtually all genres of vernacular American music, from blues and R
& B to rockabilly, bluegrass, western swing, and country.
A
progressive company in a reactionary time, King was led by an
interracial creative and executive staff that redefined the face and
voice of American music as well as the way it was recorded and sold.
Drawing on personal interviews, research in newspapers and periodicals,
and deep access to the King archives, Jon Hartley Fox weaves together
the elements of King's success, focusing on the dynamic personalities of
the artists, producers, and key executives such as Syd Nathan, Henry
Glover, and Ralph Bass. The book also includes a foreword by legendary
guitarist, singer, and songwriter Dave Alvin.
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