Cincinnati, OH Forms Committee To Chart Future Of Legendary Label King Records

"The King Of Them All"

Legendary CINCINNATI, OH record label, KING, is back in the news and the BREWSTER AVENUE complex in the city's EVANSTON area, which housed its operations, will undergo a revival, following a unanimous city council vote to form the KING RECORDS Legacy Committee.

The trailblazing label, formed by SYD NATHAN, operated from 1943-1971 and was home to a who’s who of performers: JAMES BROWN, BOOTSY COLLINS, LITTLE WILLIE JOHN, HANK BALLARD, FREDDIE KING, JOHNNY OTIS, IKE TURNER, JOHN LEE HOOKER, STANLEY BROTHERS, CHARLES BROWN and many others. From Country and Bluegrass, Gospel, Soul, Blues and Doo Wop to Rock 'n Roll, and Funk, this label recorded it all.

What made KING unique among independent labels of the day is that the entire production process was done in house: recording, mastering, printing, pressing and shipping.

In a letter written in 2008 to the City Of CINCINNATI, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame President TERRY STEWART wrote, “There was never a more important piece of real estate musically or culturally in the history of popular music.”

By 2015, the KING RECORDS complex was in a state of ‘gross disrepair,’ prompting the city to intervene and prevent its demolition by designating the building as a historic landmark. Over time, funds were allocated to stabilize the buildings. The hope is to eventually rehabilitate and restore this musical landmark, so future visitors to the site can learn about the city's musical legacy recorded inside those historic buildings.

Committee member KENT BUTTS, whose father OTIS WILLIAMS, was a musician who recorded at the label, told reporters for WXIX-TV (FOX19), “We’re trying to bring back the life that should’ve never left. It’s a public project. It’s gonna be based around education. Everything about this is educational."

For more on this from FOX19.com, click here.

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