King of the Queen City: The Story of King Records Contributor(s): Fox, Jon Hartley (Author), Alvin, Dave (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 0252034686 ISBN-13: 9780252034688 Publisher: University of Illinois Press OUR PRICE: $26.96 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2009 Annotation: From James Brown to the Stanley Brothers, the story of the glory years of a pioneering independent American record company |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Music | Business Aspects - Music | Recording & Reproduction - Music | History & Criticism - General |
Dewey: 338.761 |
LCCN: 2009015035 |
Physical Information: 0.9" H x 6.42" W x 9.42" (1.34 lbs) 280 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: 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. |