From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sat Apr 27, 2002  2:17 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Syd Nathan
 
SYD NATHAN

Born 27 April 1904, Cincinnati, Ohio
Died 5 March 1968, Miami Beach, Florida

Label owner / producer / songwriter.
Sydney Nathan learned to play drums and piano in his childhood with
the help of local black musicians, but entered the record-selling business
in the '30s, although he became a successful songwriter under the
pseudonym of 'Lois Mann'. In November 1943 his King Records was
launched with releases by local hillbilly acts. These initial releases
failed to sell due to the poor pressings; Nathan then decided to learn how
to press his own records. In August 1944 King Records was incorporated
as an outlet for hillbilly music, and scored early on with hits by the
Delmore Brothers and Cowboy Copas. One year later, Syd started his
Queen Records subsidiary as a showcase for jazz and R&B acts, making
particular use of his friend, Lucky Millinder's Orchestra, with releases by
Bullmoose Jackson, Annisteen Allen, David 'Panama' Francis and Sam Taylor -
all Millinder alumni. In 1946 Queen Records began recording, issuing some of
the finest gospel music by such artists as Swan's Silvertone Singers and
Wings Over Jordan Choir. Nathan's name became synonymous with peerless
gospel and exciting R&B thereafter. By August 1947 the Queen label was
discontinued and all output - new and old - was issued or reissued on King
Records. This switch brought about a change of luck for Nathan; he scored
almost immediately with three big hits in Bullmoose Jackson's "I Love You,
Yes I Do", Lonnie Johnson's "Tomorrow Night" and Wynonie Harris' version
of "Good Rockin' Tonight" and about the same time, Nathan began leasing or
acquiring masters from smaller independents like DeLuxe, Miracle and Gotham.
During the '50s and early '60s, King Records went from strength to strength
with top-selling R&B artists like Tiny Bradshaw, Earl Bostic, Bill Doggett,
Sonny Thompson, Little Willie John and James Brown, and on the new
subsidiary label Federal with the Dominoes, Freddie King and others, but by
1964 Nathan's search for innovative recording talent was virtually at an
end.
King settled down to focus on James Brown's career and to repackage much
of its back-catalogue on album. In 1968 Nathan merged with Don Pierce's
Starday record company. After Nathan's death, Starday/King and all its
off-shoots was sold to Gusto Records of Nashville, Tennessee.

Further reading:
Michel Ruppli, The King Labels : A Discography. Westport, CT : Greenwood
Press, 1985. 2 vols.
Liner notes to the "King Rockabilly" CD (Ace 804).