Next in our label series is King Records.
Background
In 1943, Syd Nathan founded King Records in Cincinnati, Ohio. It started as a hillbilly label, recording only country&western with Moon Mullican, Texas ‘T’ Tyler, The Stanley Brothers, Grandpa Jones, Smiley & Reno, Ferlin Husky, Webb Pierce, Cowboy Copas and Jimmy Osborne as their important artists.
The label had two subsidiaries, Queen(1945), which covered mainly R’nB and gospel, and, the most important, Federal in the late 1950’s. The latter label launched James Brown’s career. By the way, a snowstorm prevented Leonard Chess flying to Georgia to sign James Brown, so Federal signed him instead.
From the 1950’s the label started to outgrow hillbilly music and began recording mostly Rhythm and Blues, with influential artists and bands like Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, Hank Ballard & the Dominoes, The Swallows, The Five Keys, The Five Royals,Tiny Bradshaw, Lucky Millinder, The Ink Spots, The Checkers, Lula Reed, Wynonie Harris, Big Jay McNeely, Little Esther, Jimmy Witherspoon, Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker, Little Willie John, Roy Brown, Freddie King, Albert King, Lonnie Johnson, Ivory Joe Hunter, Otis Williams & His Charms, The Platters, The Chanters and Valerie Carr.
Good rock ‘n roll was also published on this label with artists like Mac Curtis, Charlie Feathers, Bonnie Lou, Boyd Bennett and Hayden Thompson.
King bought out Bethlehem Records in 1960, mainly for their jazz recordings. Nina Simone, Herbie Mann, Roland Kirk, Chris Connor, Errol Garner, Ruby Braff and Benny Carter were major artists on this label, as were Etta Jones, Johnny Pate, Lorez Alexandria and Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis.
Deluxe Records, formed in 1944, was bought by Mr. Nathan in 1951. After Mr. Nathan died in 1968, Hall Neeley from Starday Records acquired the label and named it ‘Starday and King Records’. Mr. Nathan also had a subsidiary in 1959 named Audio Lab. The legendary song writing duo Lieber & Stoller bought Starday and King in 1970 and sold it to Lin Broadcasting, who then sold it to Tennessee Recording & Publishing. In 1974 the label was sold to Gusto Records, who started making a new series of reissues . From 2001 Collectables Records began reissuing King’s catalogue. James Brown’s back catalogue was sold in 1971 to Polydor Records.
The label
For the labels, the first 500 series have black and silver crownless printing with the word ‘KING’ printed 2 inches wide. Federal and Bethlehem used the same label, only ‘Federal’ in script on top and DELUXE with a line under the logo. In this 500 series you have 395 pressed before it, for example 395-500 referring to the price of the record, $3.95.
The second label is exactly the same only KING is printed 3 inches wide. Stereo pressings are the same but on a blue label. Both are crownless. The larger print is found on the 600 & 700 series from 1958 until 1962. Between 1960 and 1961, King had a short lived series of ‘International’ music, using the same label with ‘International’ under ‘King’ on top of the label.
In 1959 the Audio Lab label used a blue label with silver printing, ‘Audio Lab’ in a silver arc on top and the bottom of the label saying ‘PRODUCT OF KING RECORDS’.
For the 1962-1970 period the label changed to blue stereo labels, the word ‘KING’ spelled straight across the top, covered by a crown. These were used on the 800, 900 and 1000 series (except the James Brown productions, which were black on top and orange below, his face on the left top and KING vertically on the right top, both in orange). Reissues in the 1000 series sometimes had a brown label with the same graphics as the blue.
From 1968 till 1971 (series 1100-1154), a yellow label with black printing was used with a picture of a sitting king on the right side.
The ‘Starday’ reissues, starting from 1973, used different labels. The ‘Deluxe’ 12000 series were black with silver print with ‘Deluxe’ in a straight line above the center.
The ‘King’ 16000 series used a yellow ‘King/Starday’ label.
In 1975 Gusto took over. The 5000 series used a blue label, ‘KING’ above the center with a crown on top.
Some recommendations
On vinyl, check out ‘Old King Gold’ volume 1 to 10. On cd, ‘The King R’nB Boxset’ and ‘The Best of King and Starday Bluegrass’.
Otber labels in the series
ChancellorImpulseABCSun RecordsEND & GONE RECORDS
