King of the Hill: A 70th Anniversary Retrospective of Cincinnati’s King Records

Aug 8, 2014

0h 10m

★ 4.6

Overview

James Brown was the jewel in the crown, but the throne of Cincinnati’s King Records always belonged to its irascible founder, Syd Nathan. This is the 70th anniversary of the legendary record label and studio. It closed shop nearly 40 years ago, in a now long-neglected warehouse on the neighborhood border of Evanston and Walnut Hills, but its impact still reverberates across today’s music.

Genres

Music

Documentary

History

Production Companies

WCPO

King of the Hill: A 70th Anniversary Retrospective of Cincinnati’s King Records Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Narrator

Matt Peiken

Self

Philip Paul

Self/Archival

Syd Nathan

Self

Otis Williams

Self

Steve Halper

Self

Chris Schadler

Self

Cass Sterritt

Self

Brian X. Powers

A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager. But behind the scenes, the group’s sudden fame tests their strength, their maturity and responsibility, and their ability to resist the temptations that money and notoriety always make possible.

0.0

Risky Roadz: 0121

Jun 25, 2021

After a ten year sabbatical, legendary Grime filmmaker; Roony 'Risky Roadz' Keefe, makes a return to the world of documentary to uncover the business infrastructure of the fast emerging music scene in Birmingham, and, how that is being taken to a global platform.

7.6

When We Were Kings

Oct 25, 1996

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

5.6

Cincinnati's Rock 'N Roll Legends

Jan 1, 1995

An excellent comprehensive look at all the music that came out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati "Rock Legends" "James Brown" "King Records" "Pure Prairie League" "Lemon Pipers" "Syd Nathan" WEBN "Bootsy Collins" "Lonnie Mack" "The Who concert 1979" "Rick Derringer"

8.0

Pigface: Free for All

Nov 17, 2006

Join drummer Martin Atkins and his industrial rock band Pigface for this document of their epic 2005 tour of the United States. Visits backstage and interviews with the band meld with the concert footage to create the ultimate Pigface experience. Witness rehearsals, life on the road, collaboration with Nocturne and Sheep on Drugs and the challenges of setting up and tearing down the stage as the band hits venues from New York to San Diego.

6.5

The Harder They Come

Aug 1, 1972

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

10.0

Brighter - A Short Film

Jan 19, 2024

A short film featuring two new records from Jasmine Cephas Jones' forthcoming debut album PHOENIX, detailing the journey of growth, transformation, and finding one's true self.

6.4

On the Record

Jan 25, 2020

The haunting story of music executive Drew Dixon as she grapples with her decision to become one of the first women of color, in the wake of #MeToo, to come forward and publicly accuse hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct. A gripping and profound examination of race, gender, intersectionality, and the toll sexual abuse takes on survivors and on society at large.

6.4

Little Richard: I Am Everything

Apr 11, 2023

The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

8.0

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution

Dec 16, 2023

From the sweaty basement bars of 70s New York to the glittering peak of the global charts, how disco conquered the world - its origins, its triumphs, its fall and its legacy.

9.0

Sharon Osbourne Presents Rock 'n' Roll's Dodgiest Deals

May 26, 2017

Sharon Osbourne presents the story of pop deals through the decades. She looks at some memorably bad and good deals offered to a range of musicians from Little Richard to NWA.

7.3

The Commitments

Aug 14, 1991

Jimmy Rabbitte, just a thick-ya out of school, gets a brilliant idea: to put a soul band together in Barrytown, his slum home in north Dublin. First he needs musicians and singers: things slowly start to click when he finds three fine-voiced females virtually in his back yard, a lead singer (Deco) at a wedding, and, responding to his ad, an aging trumpet player, Joey "The Lips" Fagan.

6.8

Hairspray

Feb 26, 1988

'Pleasantly plump' teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all integration. In doing so, she earns the wrath of the show's former star, Amber Von Tussle, as well as Amber's manipulative, pro-segregation parents. The rivalry comes to a head as Amber and Tracy vie for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963.

0.0

The Bears: Live at The Club Cafe

Jan 1, 2004

The Bears recorded this DVD live at Club Cafe, an intimate and wired nightclub located in Pittsburgh, PA. Members of The Bears (Adrian Belew, Rob Fetters, Chris Arduser and Bob Nsywonger) chose Club Cafe during their sold-out Car Caught Fire tour as the venue of choice to record the band's first live DVD. Songs from the DVD include many of their fans' favorite songs from the CD Car Caught Fire as well as their first two releases Rise and Shine and The Bears. The DVD also features a cover of King Crimson's 'Red' as well as the classic Raisins track 'Fear Is Never Boring.' The DVD features over 90 minutes of live concert footage in 5.1 Dolby surround sound, as well as intimate interviews with each member of the band talking about their history and song writing.

7.5

James Brown: Soul Survivor

Oct 29, 2003

James Brown's legacy has influenced rap, soul, funk and R&B. But along with his huge talent, there's a dark side to Brown's success that includes stints in prison and unceasing tabloid speculation. This in-depth documentary takes a look at the meteoric highs and deep lows of Brown's career, offering some fascinating insights from the Godfather of Soul himself, as well as interview footage with Chuck D, Little Richard, Wyclef Jean and many others.

7.2

Ray Charles - Live in France 1961

Oct 20, 2011

Lost for 50 years, these newly discovered concerts were filmed at the 1961 Antibes Jazz Festival in France and show Ray Charles in his prime period with the original Raeletts and his most legendary band (including David "Fathead" Newman and Hank Crawford). These first concerts he ever gave in Europe opened the door for Ray Charles to become one of the most revered international stars America has ever produced.

3.0

Heaven Tonight

Nov 12, 1990

The film covers the conflict between a father and his son both being musicians. The father is the leader of a band making rock-music from the 60s but his son becomes a star of techno-pop music.

0.0

Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle

Jan 1, 2004

Get to know the mastermind behind The Beatles’ worldwide domination, from an unknown Liverpool band to uncontested modern musical icons.

0.0

Jimmy McGary: The Best Jazz You Never Heard

Feb 1, 2019

Tenor saxophonist Jimmy McGary was a major presence in the Cincinnati music scene from the 1950s until his death in the early ’90s. With music rooted in Bebop with a progressive slant, the Jazz legend was a session player for King Records and released his first album as a bandleader — The First Time (with a quartet that included pianist Pat Kelly) — in 1979. McGary’s spirit and legacy have lived on well after his passing and well beyond Cincinnati, as evidenced in this new documentary film.