Rock and Roll is Born
Music historians have often referred to the melting together of Country & Western and Rhythm & Blues as an origin of the American art form know as Rock and Roll. Cincinnati’s King Records was the first record label to cross boundaries between these two distinctive musical styles.
The story of King Records is inspirational, one in which African-American, Appalachian and Jewish-Americans came together to achieve music history. By taking a collective, synergistic approach that mixed Country & Western and Rhythm & Blues music, these groups, through interracial artistic and business cooperation, challenged the dominant music forms of the 1940s and forever transformed American popular music.
Left, Roy Brown, Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Cincinnati, 1943, courtesy of Chris Smith, Cincinnati Public Library
“There are only three places in the world that can claim to be the birthplace of Rock & Roll: New Orleans, Memphis & Cincinnati.”
Terry Stewart
Former Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame Director
Freight Train Boogie, 1946
"Freight Train Boogie" is often considered the “first Rock and Roll" song” written by Alton and Rabon Delmore under the pseudonyms, Jim Scott and Bob Nobar. The song was recorded by the The Delmore Brothers in Cincinnati. It was released on King Records in 1946 reaching No. 2 on the Billboard folk chart. It was also ranked as the No. 30 record on the Billboard 1946 year-end folk juke box chart. Check out Freight Train Boogie by the Delmore Brothers
Left, King Records 570-A, Delmore Brothers, Freight Train Boogie. Illustration by Jason Snell
Good Rocking Tonight, 1947
Roy Brown and his singles Good Rocking Tonight on Deluxe Records (Sub of Ring Records) - the first record to pun on the gospel term "rocking" - and its follow-up Rocking at Midnight, recorded in 1947 and 1948 respectively. It claims that Elvis Presley stole so shamelessly from Brown that when he came face to face with him backstage, a mortified Presley immediately wrote Brown a cheque on the first thing that came to hand: a brown paper bag.
Wynonie Harris (both signed to King Records) covered Good Rocking Tonight a year later. His version of Good Rocking Tonight was much faster than Roy Brown's original. Good Rocking Tonight lays claim to the first Rock and Roll tune, a particularly raucous R&B track recorded in 1948. Check out Good Rocking Tonight by Wynonie Harris
Right, King Records 4210-A, Wyonie Harris, Good Rockin’ Tonight. Illustration by Jason Snell
Merle Travis, Photo courtesy of King Studios/Xavier University
“Syd Nathan let the musicians do what they wanted to do. These people were allowed to get into the studio and do what they wanted to do with their music. That was one of the things that made King great.”
Bill C. Malone
Country Music, USA
From Hillbilly Boogie to Jump Blues from Rock & Roll to Funk Music
Country singers such as Grandpa Jones and Cowboy Copas recorded music at King Records. With its talented sales representatives and distribution team, King helped introduce R&B music to white audiences.
It was this music that influenced The Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley as teenagers. King was the birthplace of many classic titles in the American Songbook: Good Rockin’ Tonight, Freight Train Boogie, Blues Stay Away from Me, Kansas City, Train Kept a Rollin’, Honky Tonk, Fever, The Twist, Papa’s Got a New Bag, and Hideaway. It was also at King Records that a young, unknown singer, signed in 1956, exploded onto the international music scene in the 60s. His name was James Brown, the Godfather of Soul and the Grandmaster of Funk. Cold Sweat, which has been cited as the first true funk song, was recorded by James Brown at 1540 Brewster Avenue in 1967.
Syd Nathan & Seymour Stein, Photo courtesy of King Studios/Xavier University
“King started in country, but was open to all types of music. You can’t take the music, the music takes you and that was a good part of the reason why King was so successful.”
Seymour Stein
Sire Records, Founding Member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and former King Records Employee
Inventing New Music Genres and Celebrating Artists
Many different King Records artist crossed-over various genres, helped to define genres and invented genres. Here is a list of King Record artists that have been inducted into various music Hall of Fames.
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
James Brown 1986
Hank Ballard 1990
Little Willie John 1996
Famous Flames 2012
The Midnighters 2012
Freddie King 2012
Five Royales 2015
Dave Bartholomew 2015
Bootsy Collins 2015
Roy Byrd aka “Professor Longhair” 2015
Non Performers
Ralph Bass 1991
Johnny Otis 1994
Syd Nathan, 1997
Seymour Stein (RNR Founder)
Clyde McPhatter (as part of the Dominoes), 1987
Jackie Wilson (as part of the Dominoes), 1987
The Platters, 1990
LaVern Baker, 1991
John Lee Hooker (as Texas Slim), 1991
Albert King 2012
O’Jays (as the Mascots), 2015
ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME
Mac Curtis
Charlie Feathers
Rusty York
Bonnie Lou
Boyd Bennett
BLUEGRASS HALL OF FAME
Reno & Smiley
Stanley Brothers
Bobby Osborne
Syd Nathan (non-performer)
GOSPEL HALL OF FAME
Shirley Caeser aka ‘Baby Shirley”
BLUEGRASS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Reno and Smiley
Stanley Brothers
Bobby Osborne
Syd Nathan (non-performer)
BLUES HALL OF FAME
Ralph Bass
Dave Bartholomew
Charles Brown
Champion Jack Dupree
Henry Glover (A&R Man)
Wynonie Harris
John Lee Hooker
Lonnie Johnson
Albert King
Freddie King
Big Maybelle (recorded at King as Mary Smith)
Big Jay McNeely
Amos Milburn
Johnny Otis
Eddie Vinson
Johnny “Guitar” Watson
DOO-WOOP HALL OF FAME OF AMERICA
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, 2001
Billy Ward and the Dominoes, 2003
Otis Williams and the Charms, 2009
Five Royales, 2011
RHYTHM AND BLUES HALL OF FAME
James Brown, 2013
Little Willie John, 2013
Ohio Players 2013
O’Jays (The Mascots while at King), 2013
Jackie Wilson (recorded with the Dominoes), 2013
Hank Ballard, 2015
Bootsy Collins 2016
Johnny Otis, 2017
COUNTRY HALL OF FAME
Grandpa Jones
Merle Travis
Delmore Brothers
Bill Carlisle
King Records DX with Andy Leach, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Here we travel to Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum + Archive to meet with Andy Leach, the Senior Director of Museum & Archival Collections and talk about King Records impact on Rock & Roll from the early 1940's to the early 1970's.
Special Thanks:
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum Library + Archives
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Andy Leach, Senior Director of Museum & Archival Collections
Jason Snell, Art Direction, Motion & Video
Brian Powers, Video Production & Historic Education
King Studios
Xavier University
Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation
Copyright Disclaimer under 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Music:
James Brown feat. The Original J.B.s - There Was A Time ( I Got To Move) (1996 Funk Power Version)
Junior McCants - Try Me For Your New Love
Charlie Feathers - One Hand Loose
The "5" Royales - Think
The J.B.'s - The Grunt