A Musical Exploration of King Records' Legacy

Celebrate Cincinnati's vibrant musical history as Playhouse In The Park revives KJ Sanchez's Cincinnati King, a docudrama musical with plenty of soul! Setting out to preserve a unique part of the city's history, writer and director Sanchez collected 100 interview transcripts from across America and compiled them with source material from recording artists and newspaper clippings to tell the story of the legendary King Records and its founder Syd Nathan.

Notable for his contributions to country, R&B, and rock and roll, Nathan originally set up King Records to sell hillbilly songs, but found the demand for African American music too great to ignore. An eccentric figure who made as many enemies as he did on his way to the top, Nathan launched the career of James Brown, was responsible for over 250 hits on the charts during the 60s, and oversaw the first racially integrated business in America.