November 24th, 2008
Cincinnati News.
EVANSTON - The history King Records made inside a chocolate-brown ice house turned hit factory finally got its due Sunday.
Before 200 onlookers standing in the middle of a quiet, dead-end street, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveiled a historic marker, paid for by the city of Cincinnati. The plaque honored the accomplishments - in the fields of musical and racial harmony - of King Records, the building's occupant from 1943 to 1971.
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Photos: King Records remembered The bronze plaque's text dubbed the label, "the King of them all," and declared that the Cincinnati company "forever changed American music." King placed 461 hits on the rock, pop, R&B and country charts. Seventeen future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers - from James Brown to Bootsy Collins - worked for King. In a time when segregation tainted America, King employed an integrated workforce, from the recording studio and pressing plant to the executive offices and the loading dock.
"There was never a more important place musically or culturally in the history of popular music," raved Terry Stewart, president of the Cleveland-based Hall of Fame.
At Sunday's ceremonies, as traffic zipped by on nearby Interstate 71, Stewart's sentiments were echoed by, among others, James Brown's former bassman, Collins, and Cincinnati City Councilman John Cranley.
The councilman secured the plaque's funding. He termed the unveiling "the beginning of turning this place back into a recording studio." He plans to introduce legislation placing the site in a historic district "so it is never torn down."
King's legacy will continue in a planned lecture series and class on the label's historic contributions at Cincinnati State Technical & Community College. Xavier University and the Evanston Community Council hope to raise $10 million-$12 million to build a recording studio and arts center in King's memory and just three blocks from the old plant.
Zella Nathan, widow of King's founder, Syd Nathan, silently smiled Sunday as speaker after speaker praised her late husband's work. "Syd deserved this," she said. "But I don't know if he would like all the attention."
During its heyday, King Records was Cincinnati's best-kept secret. Few natives knew that James Brown made many of his greatest hits at the Queen City firm.
Some natives still don't know about Brown's King connection. A resident near the old plant asked passersby Sunday about the commotion at the warehouse at the end of the street. Told that King Records was the home of Brown's hits, he responded: "No way."
One hour after the ceremony, the dead-end street was empty, except for two cars. One belonged to Russell Driver. The boyhood friend of Collins wanted one more look at the marker.
The recognition, so long in coming, left Driver feeling slightly stunned. "I just had to make sure," he said, "that the plaque was still there."
The Enquirer / Amie Dworecki
A crowd gathers at the unveiling of a historic marker at the former King Records site, 1540 Brewster Ave., Evanston, Sunday. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveiled the marker, paid for by the city of Cincinnati.
The Enquirer / Amie Dworecki
The new marker is unveiled at the former King Records building. King placed 461 hits on record charts.
Source:
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081124/ENT/811240307/King-Records-remembered
Sujet: King of the Queen City 
