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King of the Queen City

Name: King of the Queen City
Brand: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS
SKU: 9780252034688
Price: 64.99 AUD
Availability: InStock

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESSISBN: 9780252034688

The Story of King Records

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$64.99

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By Jon Hartley Fox, Foreword by Dave Alvin
Imprint: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS
Release Date: October 14, 2009
Format: HARDBACK
Pages: 280

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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. Jon Hartley Fox tells the story of a small outsider record company in Cincinnati, Ohio, that attracted an extremely diverse roster of artists, including the Stanley Brothers, Grandpa Jones, Redd Foxx, Earl Bostic, Bill Doggett, Ike Turner, Roy Brown, Freddie King, Eddie Vinson, Johnny ''Guitar'' Watson, and even a young James Brown. 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.Founded by businessman Sydney Nathan in the mid-1940s, King Records led the way for the hundreds of independent record companies of the 1940s and 1950s. 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. Fox weaves together the elements of King's success, focusing on the dynamic personalities of the artists, producers, and key executives such as Nathan, Henry Glover, and Ralph Bass. Drawing on personal interviews, research in newspapers and periodicals, and deep access to the King archives, this book captures a sense of the inspired mayhem that permeated King Records in its glory days. The book includes a foreword by legendary guitarist, singer, and songwriter Dave Alvin.

Foreword by Dave Alvin; Preface; 1. Syd Starts A Record Company: The Early Years, 1943-1944 1; 2. The Hillbilly Boogie: Country Music on King Records, Part 1 19; 3. The King Gets A Queen: The Short but Important Life of Queen Records 37; 4. Henry Glover: An Unsung Hero of American Music 43; 5. Good Rockin' Tonight: Rhythm & Blues on King Records, 1947-1954 52; 6. Where The Hell's The Melody? Country Music on King Records, Part 2 69; 7. Business As Usual Was Pretty Unusual: Behind the Scenes at King Records 81; 8. Masters of the Groove: Earl Bostic, Bill Doggett and The Honkin' Tenors 103; 9. I'll Sail My Ship Alone: Country Music on King Records, Part 3 120; 10. Record Man: Ralph Bass and Federal Records 140; 11. The Sixty-Minute Men: Rhythm & Blues Vocal Groups on King Records 153; 12. You Give Me Fever: Solo R & B Singers on King Records 176; 13. Every Time I Feel The Spirit: Black Gospel Music on King Records 191; 14. How Mountain Girls Can Love: Bluegrass Music on King Records 207; 15. Let's Have A Natural Ball: The Blues on King Records 226; 16. That Ain't Nothin' But Right: Rockabilly and Rock and Roll on King Records 248; 17. The Hardest Working Man in Show Business: Mr. James Brown 269; 18. Brother Claude Ely and Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis: The Rest of the Catalog 290; 19. Life After Death: King Records, 1968-2007 299; 20. 'We Broke the Shit Down': The Meaning of King Records 318; Chapter Notes 333; Sources 352; Index

''In its time--1943 to the late 1960s--King Records was absolutely unique, and it deserves a unique account of its history. King of the Queen City is that account: focused, thoroughly researched, well written, and filled with vital information about America's most important independent record label.'' Nolan Porterfield, author of Jimmie Rodgers: The Life and Times of America's Blue Yodeler

King of the Queen City

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