Rubber City Review

Writing about dead blues guys is a fairly thankless pursuit. I’ll do a post on someone like Pee Wee Crayton and hear crickets. And just when I’m ready to fold up my tent and leave this virtual campsite for good, in walks Amanda Zelina – better known through her stage persona, The Coppertone.

My introduction to The Coppertone was when she weighed in on our post on cover songs (“Don’t Play Me No Stormy Friggin’ Monday”). I was intrigued by the name, so I checked out her website and signed on as a fan right away. Since then, we’ve shared a few comments and recent musical finds via Facebook and Twitter. For example, Amanda turned us on to Alabama Shakes and Hanni El Khatib, and I think we got her listening to some Latin boogaloo.

I also recognized a kindred spirit when I came across this quote: “I was not about to be another one of those ‘technical’ blues players. In my opinion 90 percent of all contemporary blues players while I was growing up were white guys in khakis playing shitty renditions of The Thrill is Gone and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Pride and Joy. I was not about to attempt a career doing that shit. Fuck no.” Amen, sister… No wonder she liked our piece on bands that keep flogging the same old warhorses!

But mainly what we dig about The Coppertone – other than her obvious good looks and taste – is the otherworldly sound that comes out of her. Sort of a mix of primordial blues howl and ballsy, barroom indie rock (not the “too sensitive to live” variety). First of all, she plays some damn nasty guitar – not at a Link Wray level of filth, but well on its way. And that voice… where the hell did that come from? It’s got plenty of rock ‘n roll attitude but just enough blues misery to make you wonder where all the bodies are buried. In other words, right up RCR’s dark, crime-ridden alley: Black Water

Let’s check in with Amanda so she can ‘splain herself…

T.Q.: You’re from King City, Ontario – a well-scrubbed community just north of Toronto… Not exactly a hotbed of roots music (hockey, maybe). What got you started down this road to ruination?

A.Z.: I am a late bloomer with music, so even though I grew up around my father who would saturate my ears with tunes, I never really fully found myself and surrendered to music until I moved away to California to learn guitar and got my ass kicked by John Lee… That’s when the real “ruination” begun (haha). What sparked it all at the very start? I’d say I owe a lot to the country… growing up with no one around who I spoke to. It’s an odd thing for people to grasp even now, the fact that I enjoy being close enough to the city (Toronto is about 40 mins away) but able to seclude myself out here. I think growing up with that molded who I became creatively. It really pushed me to fight boredom and as a result I have this very driven and strong-willed discipline when it comes to songwriting, playing guitar, singing etc. It instilled this sense of urgency in me at a very young age. I thought I had to learn as much as I could as fast as possible to get out of there and do something great. When I found a guitar kickin’ around the house at 18 it was all over… or should I say, all begun.

Dan tells me you’re a big Junior Kimbrough fan, and I’ve heard you wax poetic about the usual culprits, like John Lee Hooker. What are some of your other influences, both blues-based and otherwise?

Yea my favorites are definitely Junior and John. My other loves would be Elmore James, Wanda Jackson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, ZZ Top, BB King, Robert Johnson, Jack White, Anne Peebles, Al Green, Dan Auerbach solo as well as The Black Keys, The Stooges, David Bowie, Chuck Berry, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, FREE, Taj Mahal, Seasick Steve, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, SRV, George Thorogood, Otis Redding, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett, Sam Coffey, Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn etc. etc.

What are you locked into right now? I need a shot of something new and awesome.

Oh! I love doing this… I’m such a sucker for tipping off people on new tunes! Also for receiving them… thanks to your posts I’ve had quite a year of refreshing new material. Right now, I’m really into a few records in particular: Gozalo Bugalu Tropical Vol. 1 // Michael Rault, Ma-ME-O // Michael Kiwanuka, Tell Me a Tale // Daniel Romano, Sleep Beneath the Willow // The Dinner Belles, West Simcoe County // Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs (self-titled) // Mariachi El Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx (II).

Thanks – already digging into Kiwanuka: Tell Me a Tale… I’ll pounce on that boogaloo collection next! I’ve been following you on Twitter, and you’re an obvious foodie (lots of iPhone shots of some sweet-looking meals). Kind of pisses me off, really. Do you have a food wrangler as part of your crew? And what are a few of your favorite eateries/dishes? 

Hahahaha, I am such a foodie! One of my goals is to be featured in some way on the Food Network. Luckily with touring I’ve had the opportunity to scout out and try some gems. I also have a lot of friends who are musicians and fellow foodies who point me in the right direction. My favorite cuisines would have to be Mexican (I live for great guac), Japanese, Vietnamese, and the odd Italian in there somewhere. To break it down here is a list of some of my favorite spots:

1) Terroni, Queen Street in Toronto… This place is unreal. I mainly always get their Mezzo e Mezzo platter, which is an antipasto plate. I can’t really eat a lot of lactose, but you only live once and I like splurging on quality. If you ever get a chance and are in town, go there – start with the Mezzo e Mezzo and a glass of Italian red… make your way to a mouth-watering main like their thin-crusted traditional pizzas… I love the Ciccio: folded pizza with prosciutto di parma, arugula, fresh tomatoes, fior di latte, served cold. Finish with their warm flourless chocolate cake… perfection! They also have this beautiful patio in the back for the summertime. I swear it’s like you’re transported right to Florence. Sometimes I’ll go and order a Spagiatto – translation: a mistake (a fav summertime drink of mine: Prosecco, Vermouth, Campari and a blood orange) – read a book and kick my feet up.

2) Golden Turtle, Ossington in Toronto … They kill it. It’s super cheap and super cramped all the time in there which adds to the dining pleasure.

3) The Merchant Tap House in Kingston Ontario. I went there to play a show and we got a free meal, which already makes the food taste better. I ordered this grilled tiger shrimp salad that came with chipotle seasoned potato wedges and had an avocado vinaigrette dressing. I swear to god I haven’t had a better salad in my life.

4) The Gratitude Cafe, Berkley California. I came across this gem while helping my sister move to Oakland. They only serve raw vegan food, gluten free or veggie dishes… which at first glance could make some people squeamish. But you wouldn’t miss the meat or lactose one bit. My favorite dish is called I Am Fortified (yes, if you haven’t got it by now the whole cafe is one big self-affirmation). It consists of sauteed seasonal vegetables, steamed Quinoa or local brown rice, topped with a choice of sesame-ginger, tahini-garlic or Thai almond sauce.

5) The Royal, Nelson B.C. We were playing on tour recently in the gorgeous mountains of Nelson and came across a menu that blew my mind. I got the coconut mango salsa salmon accompanied by a little tower of wild/basmati rice. Jesus spoke to me in my mouth that evening… Amen.

I could go on and on with this list… honorable mentions include the pineapple shrimp quesadilla at Amigos in Saskatoon.

The road can get a little boring… What are you reading to help you get through those long drives across Ontario?

This time around I brought a copy of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. It’s a short and poetic read and I have honestly read it hundreds of times. There is something about it that grounds me, so whenever I hit the road and become transient I make sure to grab it. Also, I’ve been known to (and been made fun of) for bringing along books on marketing or advertising. I have no clue why but I LOVE that stuff. Also, self-improvement books (haha) pseudo spiritual/psychological reads. I find them fascinating. I grew up with a very spiritual mom and a psychiatrist as a dad so I have always been drawn to finding that middle ground. Learning about body language, the power of thoughts and intentions, communication etc. is really rewarding to me.

You’re into vintage sounds and the kind of equipment that can get you there. Tell all our gearheads out there what you’re playing with (and through)…

Oooooo okay! Well… my primary setup for the past two years has been my 50th Anniversary gold Airline run through a Fender twin using a Fulltone Soul-Bender for my fuzz. That trio is basically my tone. I also love my 1482 Silvertone Sears amp… the trem on that thing is ridiculous. Most recently (thanks to Dan) I picked up an old Shin-ei Fuzz Companion that rules. I also use an old Electro-Harmonix Memory Man for my delay.

Seems like you’re about ready to bust loose… What’s it going to take? Anything on the horizon you can share with us?

Haha well thanks! Your guess is as good as mine. I’m a pretty firm believer in the old-school mentality of you reap what you sow (if you have talent and half a brain). That being said I’ve been putting myself to the grind for the past few years and am starting to finally see the slow and steady growth, which is amazing. The new year is really exciting for me… there’s a lot to look forward to. First on the map is going into the studio and recording a new full-length, hopefully at the end of January. I know come March we are headed to SXSW, which is pretty awesome. We’ve got a handful of festivals to nail and really just aiming to play as much as humanly possible. I love traveling and meeting new people, winning over new crowds. My goal for 2012 is to record a solid record and tour the hell out of it… and hopefully if I have anything to do with it, find some killer eats along the way.

Any plans on bringing your tough little band to NE Ohio??

I sure as hell hope so.

Test drive The Coppertone’s four-song EP, “Hymns for the Hollow,” at the coppertone.com, or buy it below. 

The Coppertone on video… Just in case you were wondering if Amanda could deliver the goods live (“Matthew” tagged this on the end of a comment below; I liked it so much I moved it up here):

Here’s a rockin’ little number from “Hymns”:

And here Amanda talks about her previous album, “Hidden Dreams” (this clip is from the Wood and Wires Video Series):

Don’t get me wrong… I like to hear John Lee Hooker do the boogie over a driving beat or Allen Toussaint comp behind a funky New Orleans horn section or Thelonious Monk make seasoned jazz professionals sound like a group of toddlers with toy instruments (and I mean that as a compliment).

But every once in a while, I need to hear the artist straight up, no chaser.

Nothing lays bare a musician’s strengths and weaknesses more than a solo performance. No overblown arrangements to hide behind. No programmed beats or pointless gospel choirs. Just the artist, usually with an instrument of choice – stepping out on the thinnest tightrope imaginable. And several foul-smelling carnies nearby to clean up the mess.

Going solo was far more common in the country blues tradition than it is today – partly because it was difficult for highly original artists like Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Skip James, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Son House to play with other musicians (not to mention travel together in the pre-WWII south). And the most distinctive country bluesman of all might have been zither-strumming evangelist Washington Phillips.

Here’s a guy who “completists” like me can appreciate… Although the native Texan lived for 73 years, Phillips only recorded 18 songs (16 of which survived) during a two-year period – from 1927 to 1929. So if you pick up a copy of “I Am Born To Preach The Gospel,” you’ve got the whole deal in one package. That’s not to say we could’ve used more of these quirky originals that were built around Phillips’ gospel sermons. This one was covered by guitarist Ry Cooder on his 1971 album “Into The Purple Valley.” It’s an ecumenical plea that seems especially appropriate today: Denomination Blues/Washington Phillips

Bluesman John Lee Hooker might be my favorite solo performer. His earliest recordings have an almost trance-like intensity to them, with one foot in Africa and the other literally pounding out the future of amplified, urban blues. So many great performances to choose from (in a previous post, we included one that may have given birth to the power chord). For my money, Hooker’s best solo stuff was recorded for the Modern label from 1948 to 1954. Occasionally, Eddie Kirkland (who passed away in February) filled in on second guitar. But Hooker did just fine by himself, thank you… Boogie Boogie/John Lee Hooker

They called Etta Baker the Queen of Southern Appalachian Piedmont-style guitarists (that’s a mouthful). And she was a big influence on contemporary artists like Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, who covered this next song on his album “Ooh So Good ‘N’ Blues.” It’s a traditional ballad that Baker rearranged into a brisk finger-pickin’ workout that many guitarists have tried (including yours truly) and few have mastered. Safe to say that Baker’s version remains the gold standard. Railroad Bill/Etta Baker

You don’t often come across a recording session that features non-stop blowing on harmonica, from beginning to end. Thankfully, this one features blues harp virtuoso Big Walter Horton – with minimal backing by Robert Nighthawk on guitar (OK, I cheated a little here). In the early ‘50s, Big Walter recorded for Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis, where he cut the classic instrumental Easy. Then he moved to Chicago, where he collaborated with Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers (Walking By Myself: another classic), Eddie Taylor and Johnny Shines, among others. He even showed up in “The Blues Brothers” movie, playing with John Lee Hooker on Chicago’s Maxwell Street. I have no information on when and where the sessions with Nighthawk were recorded (they were released on “An Offer You Can’t Refuse” along with live cuts by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band) … Anyone? Walter’s Boogie, This Is It/Big Walter Horton

When I think of the lonely, tortured jazz artist, I always go back to the iconic image of Sonny Rollins blowing his horn while strolling on the Williamsburg Bridge, where he reinvented his sound for the groundbreaking album “The Bridge.” But I have an even better example of unadorned jazz sax. It’s by one of Rollins’ mentors, Coleman Hawkins. The Hawk’s big, burly tone was there for virtually every major development in 20^th Century jazz – big band, be bop, post-bop, avant garde (although he didn’t have much affinity for the last category, he gamely went toe-to-toe with a very adventurous Rollins on the album “All The Things You Are”). Here’s Hawk alone with his horn on a majestic tribute to another great artist: Picasso/Coleman Hawkins

Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt is best known for his stunning duels with violinist Stephane Grappelli, backed by a swinging bass and a couple of chunking rhythm guitars. It’s also hard to ignore the fact that he played for the Nazis during the French Resistance (even those heartless bastards couldn’t fathom screwing with an otherworldly talent like Django). But let’s not head down that rabbit hole… I’d rather focus on one of his “improvisations” on solo guitar. These performances seem to place his amazing gift in a whole new light. Then again, I’d pay to hear him play scales. Improvisation/Django Reinhardt

Miles Davis practiced his black magic with hand-picked accomplices like John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Tony Williams… essentially, the best musicians available. So there’s really no such thing (that I’m aware of) as a truly solo performance by Miles. But once again, I’ll cheat a little bit by singling out the stark opening to Generique – one of 10 compositions by Miles on the soundtrack to the 1958 Louis Malle film “Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud (Lift to the Scaffold).” It’s an achingly beautiful sound that transcends both the man and his instrument… Proof of a higher force: Generique/Miles Davis

A few posts back, we featured Dr. John’s legendary solo sessions on piano. Now it’s Allen Toussaint’s turn. His name crops up quite a bit in this blog – both as a performer and producer. And when you consider all of the brilliant arrangements he’s done for artists ranging from Lee Dorsey to The Band, it’s easy to forget the guy can captivate an audience with just a piano and a few basic ideas. Here’s a solo performance from “Our New Orleans,” a compilation released in 2005 that also served as a benefit for Katrina relief efforts. It’s a minor-key version of a Crescent City classic that Dr. John also covered in his solo sessions: Tipitina and Me/Allen Toussaint

When my oldest daughter was married in 2008, everything about the experience tested my natural cynicism. I get a little twitchy in churches, but that feeling went away when I walked Meghan down the aisle. I like to critique the sermon, but was too busy admiring the sight of my family and friends in one place. Tuxedos usually give me a rash, but mine felt pretty damn good as I posed for pictures with my wife and the new couple. Of course I started to revert back to wiseass mode at the reception as the drinks flowed and chops were being busted. Then the DJ played this next song, and I started crying like a baby. It’s by a 700-pound man who played a tiny ukulele – and despite that jarring image, it somehow reminds me of everything I love about being a dad. This one goes out to Meghan, David and everyone who joined us for the Big Day in Cincinnati, and to the memory of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, who passed away at the young age of 38. R.I.P., IZ. Over the Rainbow-What a Wonderful World/Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole

The one-man Son of Dave band… Here’s a guy I found out about through our good friend Rick Saunders at Deep Blues (and brother James). Not only is it a mind-blowing solo performance, it also answers the question posed in our previous post: Has blues music evolved since Guitar Junior taught us how to crawl? If only Doctor Ross had a digital looping delay:

Is there anything scarier than singing a capella? Probably images of the coal miners Hazel Dickens fought for as a singer and activist since the 1960s, when she left her 10 brothers and sisters in West Virginia to join the bluegrass and folk music scene in the D.C. area. Clearly, her heart and soul remained in Appalachia. Dickens passed away in April at the age of 75. R.I.P., Hazel.

In honor of Zimmy’s 70th b-day – from the Rolling Thunder Revue tour. With a guitar, harmonica and a pen, Dylan forever changed the art of performing solo.

In the early 1980s, I lived in Cincinnati and edited one of those free entertainment newspapers you see blowing through the streets of big cities throughout the country.  The following piece borrows heavily from an article I wrote back then about one of America’s greatest independent labels, King Records.  Its huge catalog includes seminal recordings by some of the most important artists of the Forties through the Sixties – ranging from the hard, lonesome sound of the Stanley Brothers to the heavy funk of James Brown.

A few notable events have occurred since I wrote the original article:  1) The city of Cincinnati got its act together and put up a historic marker in 2008 where King Records once operated (a good start); 2) Shad O’Shea, a former radio personality, studio owner and raconteur, passed away in June; and 3) the King catalog (minus James Brown’s recordings, which are owned by Polydor) is now being reissued, although in a somewhat haphazard manner, by Collectables Records.

A future post will focus on Cincinnati’s Fraternity Records – home of flame-throwing guitarist Lonnie Mack. 

King Records

In 1943, Cincinnati had become an industrial hub that attracted poor Appalachian whites, along with an already burgeoning population of blacks from the South.  Not only did both groups share the same jobs, they also shared an intense love of the regional music traditions they grew up with.  Syd Nathan must have realized this fact.  That same year, the asthmatic, near-sighted hustler closed the book on a series of dead-end jobs (wrestling promoter, park concessionaire, refrigerator salesman, record retailer) by founding his own record company, which eventually moved into a former icehouse at 1540 Brewster Ave. in the city’s Evanston neighborhood.

The origins of King Records coincided with the initial broadcasts of what later became Cincinnati’s answer to Nashville’s Grand Old Opry – WLW’s “Midwestern Hayride.”  And many of the artists that were featured on the Hayride eventually wound up on Nathan’s fledgling label.  Within a couple of years, King had become one of the most influential country labels nationwide, with a roster that included the likes of Grandpa Jones, Cowboy Copas, Moon Mullican, Hank Penny, Hawkshaw Hawkins, the Delmore Brothers and many others.  And most of it was pure, unfiltered country – a formula Nathan stuck with for most of the label’s existence.  Here’s a gospel-flavored number from 1960 by the legendary bluegrass duo the Stanley Brothers… Rank Stranger/The Stanley Brothers

Nathan didn’t just stop there, though.  During the early years he also released a number of records under the “race” category – a term used to describe records aimed specifically at blacks.  These records featured the citified sounds of jump blues and boogie-woogie, and are considered to be the forerunners of rock and roll.  Tiny Bradshaw, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Ike Turner all scored R&B hits with King, as did blues crooners such as Bull Moose Jackson and Ivory Joe Hunter.  Here’s one by Cleanhead, whose unique brand of risque rhythm always seemed to find its way onto a barroom jukebox… Sittin On It All The Time/Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson

You get the idea… Nathan’s true forte, however, was his practice of covering country hits with R&B artists, and vice versa.  The York Brothers, a country duo that recorded for King in the late ‘40s and early ’50s, covered several of the era’s R&B hits and predated Sam Phillips’ work on Sun Records with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis by several years.  Likewise, R&B acts such as Bull Moose Jackson and Wynonie Harris successfully re-recorded country hits by Wayne Raney and Moon Mullican, among others.  Wynonie scored a hit in 1951 by covering a tune recorded the previous year by Hank Penny (the tune also has been covered by western swingers Asleep at the Wheel, which makes sense, and rocker Pat Benatar, which makes no sense at all).

Bloodshot Eyes/Wynonie Harris

And here’s the flip side of the equation as the “King of the Hillbilly Piano Players,” Moon Mullican, cuts loose with a number by R&B bandleader Tiny Bradshaw… Well Oh Well/Moon Mullican

Although Nathan’s intentions were not totally artistic (he only covered hits by his own artists, which he owned all publishing rights to), his musical juggling act earned him a reputation as an innovator.  “Syd had a number of theories when it came to recording” said Col Jim Wilson, a salesman and, later, executive V.P. who worked with Nathan from King’s inception until 1965.  “He once said, ‘Give me the material, and I’ll find the artist,’ so he placed great emphasis on that.  At the same time, he always seemed to find artists with very distinct and readily identifiable styles.  Every King artist was unique in one way or another.”

Wilson, who eventually joined Starday Records in Nashville and helped orchestrate the purchase of King, also gave a lot of credit to the facilities themselves.  “King’s studio was the first of its kind in the country.  Recording, mastering, plating, printing, pressing and shipping were all done in the same building.  You could cut a record at night, and the next day it would be in the hands of a local DJ.”

At first, Nathan separated the R&B from King’s mainstay, country, by using different labels such as “Queen,” “Federal” and “De Luxe” for his race records.  In the ‘50s, however, he combined all of his acts under the King label, with greater emphasis on black R&B.

The first acts to score big for King in the ‘50s were the vocal groups – the Dominoes (featuring Clyde McPhatter), the Charms (later Otis Williams and the Charms) and the Midnighters (later Hank Ballard and the Midnighters).  Sixty Minute Man, the Dominoes’ Number 1 hit in 1951 that featured the refrain “I rock ‘em, roll ‘em all night long,” is considered by some to be the first true rock and roll record. Sixty Minute Man/The Dominoes

Midnighters’ hits such as Sexy Ways, Work With Me Annie and Annie Had a Baby made many listeners blanch with their sexually suggestive lyrics, but still worked their way up the charts.  As a bandleader, Hank Ballard later broke through with the classic party singles Finger Poppin’ Time and Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go – both from 1960.

The jump blues of the late ‘40s led to the early rock and roll instrumentals of the ‘50s, such as organist Bill Doggett’s Honky Tonk – one of those perfect songs that should be pre-loaded on every iPod.

Nathan also unearthed the raw talents of Little Willie John (of Fever fame) and Little Esther, who went on to even greater success as Esther Phillips.  Listen to Little Willie tear it up on this cut from 1960… You Hurt Me/Little Willie John

“Commercial black music was born in Cincinnati,” said Shad O’Shea, a local radio personality who also ran Counterpart Creative Studios.  “Nathan was a true originator.  He was responsible for making black music available to whites.  Berry Gordy (of Motown), who gets a lot of the credit, simply prostituted a lot of the black R&B by ‘sweetening’ it up for white tastes.”

King also released singles and albums by some of the era’s top blues artists – including John Lee Hooker (who recorded as “Texas Slim” on King’s Federal subsidiary and “Johnny Lee” on De Luxe), Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Champion Jack Dupree, Albert King and Freddie King.  Freddie’s sides are among the most unique and satisfying in the King catalog – especially his “surf-blues” instrumentals that clearly informed a young Eric Clapton (who recorded a spot-on version of Hide Away with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers).  I highly recommend all of Freddie’s recordings on King, but decided to feature this wild instrumental workout from 1950 by Hooker, who sounds like he’s bashing out the first power chords ever caught on wax! Slim’s Stomp/Texas Slim (John Lee Hooker)

King’s ace in the hole, though, was a young black dynamo from Augusta, GA, who recorded his first single at the Brewster Ave. studio in 1956.  Please, Please, Please laid the groundwork for the remarkable career of “Soul Brother Number 1” – James Brown. Please, Please, Please/James Brown

Although Brown’s early records for King eventually became R&B and funk classics with their gritty, unabashed drive, they couldn’t compete on the pop charts with more polished efforts by artists such as the Platters and the Coasters.  One of the reasons for Brown’s relative holding pattern in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s may have been that King Records, already beyond its heyday by the turn of the decade, was unable to promote an artist of Brown’s stature.  Whatever the reason, Brown ended up in a tense legal tug-of-war with Nathan and his label, resulting in him being given complete artistic control of his recordings by 1965 – virtually unheard of at that time.  And that same year, Brown took off with the song that made him an international phenomenon – Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag. Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag/James Brown

Brown continued with King through the ‘60s, even after Nathan’s death of a heart attack in 1968.  The label was eventually sold to Starday in Nashville, and Brown went on to form his own record production company with distribution handled by Polydor.

Today, the city of Cincinnati is finally recognizing one of its greatest contributions to the rest of the world.  Hopefully, the city’s true faithful will keep that legacy alive by succeeding in their efforts to build a new studio and King Records museum near the former icehouse on Brewster Avenue.

Another Christmas gift from Rubber City Review… Want to dance like J.B.?  As Brother Jack would say, there is help.

OK, I couldn’t resist adding some Freddie to the end of this… Enjoy! Walk Down the Aisle (Honey Chile)/Freddie King