The Bottom Line
Writer Jon Hartley Fox has provided an important history of King Records, one of the most influential independent record labels in 20th century American music. By using comprehensive discographies of the label, as well as some 25 years of interviews with artists and label executives, Fox outlines the historical import of King and its importance on the evolution and popularity of blues, R&B, country, and bluegrass music.
Pros
- Provides informative history of 25 years of music from King Records.
- Fox presents King Records founder Sydney Nathan as he really was, warts and all.
- Roster of talent recorded by King is a "who's who" of blues, R&B, and country music history.
Cons
- Given the abundance of artists mentioned, more photos would have been nice.
- A select discography of King releases, or currently available CDs would have satisfied collectors.
Description
- Hardcover, 280 pages, B&W photos
- Twenty-three rare photos feature King founder Nathan as well as artists like James Brown.
- Author does a great job in making an argument for King Records' influence on American music.
- Lovers of blues, bluegrass, country and soul music will all enjoy the story told by King of the Queen City.
Guide Review - Jon Hartley Fox's King of the Queen City (2009)
In launching King Records with entirely capitalist intent, Nathan and his staff inadvertently changed the course of American music with its progressive approach to music-making and the label's colorblind integration of black and white musicians, producers, and executives. King of the Queen City is Jon Hartley Fox's excellent history of the label. Based on a series of one-hour documentaries that Fox wrote and produced for National Public Radio during the mid-1980s, the book fleshes out the fascinating King Records story.
Syd Nathan was a larger-than-life figure that had walked many roads before starting his label. He had worked in a pawnshop, sold jewelry, and promoted pro wrestling matches, but it was his tenure as a record store manager that convinced him that there was money to be made by recording styles of music that were all but ignored by the corporate labels. Kings' first recordings were of country (i.e. "hillbilly") musicians, but the label would soon branch out to include bluegrass, blues, R&B, and rockabilly artists.
From the late-1940s through the mid-1960s, the list of artists recorded by King Records is truly phenomenal. From blues greats like Freddie King and John Lee Hooker and R&B pioneers like James Brown to country legends like the Delmore Brothers, King Records made stars from a diverse range of artists, breaking down racial and musical barriers.
Fox makes a great case for the influence and importance of King Records, touching on the label's efforts in chapters dedicated to each style of music the label recorded. One chapter is appropriately dedicated to the label's biggest star, James Brown, and Fox talks about the label's interracial staff and early "do it yourself" aesthetic with lively prose that will entertain any reader. (University of Illinois Press, released October 12, 2009)
