King Records: Rock 'n' Roll Originator, Indie Label OG and Radical Racial Integration
Money 4 Nothing
English - July 11, 2020 15:23 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBMusic Commentary Music Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
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King Records may not be a household name like Motown, Stax, Chess or Sun Records, but it's music and legacy is just as important. As one of the first successful independent labels in America, the Cincinnati-based King Records became a key link to the popularity that r&b, rock 'n' roll and country would see during the '50s, '60s and beyond. Lead by the bullheaded, DIY attitude of its founder Syd Nathan, the label also became a radical innovator in racially integrating popular music when segregation was still widespread. They also happened to give James Brown his start.
John Hartley Fox, author of 'King of the Queen City,' discusses.