King of the Queen City

Jon Hartley Fox is a resident of Grass Valley, California and has written about music and the arts for forty years. He has won two writing awards for album annotation from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

• 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

Awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) for Best Research in Record Labels, 2010."Fascinating biography on Syd Nathan's King Records. 4 stars."--MOJO"This is a remarkable achievement. . . . Jon Hartley Fox is to be thanked for his impressive addition to the popular music literature."--Jazz & Blues Report "In Jon Hartley Fox's well-researched new book, he shows how label founder Syd Nathan, a brusque, cigar-chomping record man with a knack for spotting recording talent and hits, built King to provide music by and for 'the little people' the majors ignored."-American Songwrite"Fox and the University of Illinois Press have given us an important book about a very important operation. Thank you."--Oxford American "As entertaining and dynamic a story as the music that inspired it."--Metro Times"Fox makes a great case for the influence and importance of King Records, touching on the label's efforts in chapters dedicated to each style of music the label recorded. One chapter is appropriately dedicated to the label's biggest star, James Brown, and Fox talks about the label's interracial staff and early 'do it yourself' aesthetic with lively prose that will entertain any reader."--About.com: Blues “An interesting but complicated book. . . . I highly recommend it.”--Appalachian Heritage "A much needed glimpse of an underappreciated pop culture institution."--Publishers Weekly"An absorbing read. 4 stars"--Record Collector"An excellent biography of an independent label that became a major player in the record game."--Downbeat"A superb book."--Nashville City Paper"A fine book written with love and care by somebody who knows the business and the music, and hasn't lost his way." --NoDepression.com"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"As a longtime fan of King artists such as Freddie King, Wade Mainer, and the Spirit of Memphis, I have waited patiently for someone to write a book about King Records. King of the Queen City relates the fascinating story of Syd Nathan's life's work and his sometimes eccentric record company."--Kip Lornell, author of The NPR Curious Listener's Guide To American Folk Music