King Records (USA)
| King Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1943 |
| Founder | Syd Nathan |
| Defunct | 1975 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Distributor(s) | Gusto Records |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Official website | www |
King Records was an American leading independent record company and label founded in 1943 by Syd Nathan in Cincinnati, Ohio. The label owned several divisions, including Federal Records, which launched the career of James Brown, it operated until 1975, and now operates as a reissue label.
In the beginning, King specialized in country music, at the time known as hillbilly music. King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly – If it's a Hillbilly, it's a King." One of the label's hits was "I'm Using My Bible for a Road Map" by Reno and Smiley. Important recordings in this field were done by the Delmore Brothers and Wayne Raney. The Delmores and Moon Mullican played a country-boogie style that was similar to rockabilly. Several King artists, such as Bill Beach, are in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Beach's song "Peg Pants" was popular during the European resurgence of rockabilly in the late 1980s. Popular songs on the label included "I'll Sail My Ship Alone", "Blues Stay Away from Me", "Chew Tobacco Rag", "Eight More Miles to Louisville", "Sweeter Than the Flowers", and "Cherokee Boogie".
King owned race records label Queen Records, which was folded into King, and Federal Records, which launched the career of James Brown. The label hired Ralph Bass and recorded rhythm-and-blues ([R&B) musicians such as Hank Ballard, Roy Brown, Valerie Carr, Champion Jack Dupree, Ivory Joe Hunter, Joe Tex, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and Otis Williams and the Charms. King also had a long legal battle with James Brown after he repeatedly violated his contract with the company. King bought De Luxe Records (in 1952) and Bethlehem Records. In 1951, Federal Records made the first significant crossover of an R&B record into the white pop music charts with Billy Ward and the Dominoes' "Sixty Minute Man" (Federal 12022). It reached number 17 on the Billboard pop chart and number 1 in the R&B chart, although it was banned on many white radio stations because of its "dirty" lyrics. It helped pave the way for future R&B artists and record labels to get their music heard on white radio, which was not easy in those days. The significance of this event cannot be overrated, as it was a turning point in the evolution of music and crossed racial barriers at that time.
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Wikipedia