September is King Records month as the former Cincinnati label turns 73 years old. Three dozen activities are planned. They are listed here and include everything from a traveling exhibit to a gospel lunch to a listening party.
What many people don't know is the recording company started out doing country music, featuring singers like:
- Cowboy Copas - known as the "country gentleman of song," he was a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Copas died in the same plane crash that killed Patsy Cline.
- Hawkshaw Hawkins - his vocals were drawn from blues, boogie and honky-tonk, and like Copas, he was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was killed in the plane crash with Cline.
- Delmore Brothers - performed "Hillbilly Boogie," proclaimed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a precursor to rock and roll.
- Brother Claude Ely - Pentecostal preacher in Appalachia who influenced Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il2xXRSJLmc
Brother Claude Ely's great nephew has written a book based on over 1,000 personal interviews he conducted. He'll speak at the main branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County on September 10 at 1:00 p.m.
WVXU's Lee Hay has produced four specials celebrating the historic King Records' Jump Blues Artists. Here's the schedule:
9/3 – 11pm – Bull Moose Jackson – his daughter, Margaret Fort; musician Jymie Merritt; manager Carl Grefensette.
9/10 – 11pm - Wynonie Harris – author Tony Collins; Wesley Devereaux, his son.
9/17 – 11pm - Roy Brown – author John Broven.
9/24 – 11pm - Henry Glover –songwriter/producer for King Records – Sherry Lynn Thompson Scott, his daughter; music historian Billy Vera; composer Artie Butler; and Seymour Stein, President of Sire Records, Vice President of Warner Bros. Records, and former King Records employee.
