King of the Queen City

July 6, 2009
The history of two influential record labels.
King of the Queen City: The Story of King Records
John Hartley Fox
. Univ. of Illinois
, $29.95 (240p) ISBN 978-0-252-03468-8

Fox first made his case for Cincinnati-based King Records as “the most important record company in the United States between the years of 1945 and 1960” in a series of public radio documentaries in 1986; those original interviews are an important foundation of this history, with much supplementary research added. There's much to be said for the label's legacy: in addition to introducing James Brown to listeners, King had stars in several popular genres, pioneered the introduction of R&B songs to the country music repertoire before Sam Phillips at Sun and may even have released the first rock and roll record (Wynonie Harris's “Good Rockin' Tonight”) in 1948. Unfortunately, though loaded with great stories, Fox has some difficulty getting into gear. Instead of telling a straight chronological account, he organizes the King story around personalities, beginning with the company's founder, Syd Nathan; each subject's history is then tracked forward past their King years, forcing Fox to continually circle back and pick things up again. Some repetition creeps in—a story about how much Nathan hated Brown's first single is told on three separate occasions. Still, his account gives us a much needed glimpse of an underappreciated pop culture institution. 23 photos.

July 15, 2009
In-depth but clumsy look at a significant independent record company.

Fox's book has its roots in a 1986 NPR documentary he wrote and produced about King Records, one of the most important of all American indie imprints. Founded in Cincinnati in 1943 by former record retailer Syd Nathan, King was a critical outlet for"hillbilly" (country) and"race" (rhythm& blues) records eschewed by the major labels of the day. Blessed with the savvy talent scouts/producers Henry Glover and Ralph Bass, the company was home to country and bluegrass luminaries like Reno and Smiley, the Delmore Brothers, the Stanley Brothers and Moon Mullican, and top R&B and blues acts such as Wynonie Harris, Little Willie John, Roy Brown, the Dominoes and Freddie King. From 1956 to 1971, King's biggest star was the groundbreaking soul singer James Brown, who cut one chart-topper after another for the label. For a time, King was the preeminent American indie, thanks to its color-blind musical policy and its sophisticated in-house recording, manufacturing and distribution systems. The volatile, abrasive Nathan alienated as many artists as he nurtured, but his keen business sense prevailed until his death in 1968. King was a one-of-a-kind operation, but Fox is more interested in logging discographical minutiae than in delineating the firm's unique creative chemistry. Most of the book considers King's releases by genre, and it runs aground in a laborious, often repetitious recitation of biographical details, recording sessions and chart positions. Minor musicians sometimes receive nearly the same amount of attention as pathfinding performers. While Brown at least rates a chapter of his own, his historic career at King and his combative relationship with Nathan are dispensed with in a mere 12 pages. The proceedings are also slowed by the author's clich-riddled style.

Fox offers plenty of welcome facts, but analysis and wit are in much shorter supply.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 1, 2009
Syd Nathan and King Records shaped 1950s pop music by recording blues, R & B, and hillbilly artists including James Brown, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Bull Moose Jackson, the Stanley Brothers, and Cowboy Copas, among many others, enjoying hit after hit via such novel means as having a black producer work with country acts, which in itself says a lot about Nathans vision and approach. Although Brown was its most consequential artist, the independent, regional company almost launched the greatest dance craze of the early 1960s, thanks to Ballard, who became famous, or notorious, before Browns ascent with a string of double-entendre ditties (the first: Work with Me, Annie in 1954) that sold millions despite negligible mainstream radio play. In 1958, Ballard composed and recorded The Twist. Nathan consigned it to a B-side. Then American Bandstands Dick Clark managed a note-for-note copy by a young Ernest Evans, who obligingly changed his name to Chubby Checker. Mainstream pop-culture history was made, though Kings/Ballards/Nathans story is the one that should be known. Now it will be.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)