Syd Nathan

Syd Nathan (exact name: Sydney Nathan , * 27. April 1904 in Cincinnati , Ohio; † 5. March 1968 in Miami Beach , Florida) was a renowned rhythm and blues - producer .

Formerly wanted Nathan jazz - drummer are. Instead, he worked his way up to one of the most influential producers on the R&B scene of the 1950s and 1960s. With the help of the family came together a start-up capital of $ 25,000, with which Nathan founded the record label King Records in August 1944 in the more country-oriented Cincinnati . When the first panels showed a poor material quality, he decided to set up his own press shop. In September 1943, Nathan was producing the Sheppard Brothers ( Merle Travis and Grandpa Jones ), which belong to the Country & Western, in neighboring Dayton . With the catalog number King # 500, their new label's first record was You'll Be Lonesome Too / The Stepping Out Kind and with # 501 When Mussolini Laid His Pistol Down / Two Time Annie , although the King label did not release it until August 1944 was formally officially established.

In August 1945 he founded the subsidiary label Queen Records , which was to be devoted exclusively to black music. In September 1945, the first record was released here The Honeydripper of Bull Moose Jackson . But Queen was already discontinued in August 1947 and his catalog of 75 records by Slim Gaillard , Annisteen Allen , Tab Smith and established gospel artists such as The Southern Harps, Wings Over Jordan and The Harmoneers were transferred to King Records (“King Race Series "). The merger with King Records took place on September 1, 1947.

Other artists who were signed to King Records included James Brown , whom Ralph Bass discovered for King in 1956, Little Willie John , Billy Ward & the Dominoes , Tiny Bradshaw , Hank Ballard & The Midnighters , Wynonie Harris , Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson , The "5" Royales , Bill Doggett , Earl Bostic , The Delmore Brothers , Bull Moose Jackson , Moon Mullican, and Cowboy Copas . Nathan himself had a reputation for running his label like a dictator; he often yelled and intimidated both clerks and musicians. For this reason he was nicknamed "Little Caesar".

He and the producers he employed, such as Ralph Bass and Henry Glover , succeeded in building up an extensive catalog by the early 1960s, making his record labels the sixth largest record group in the USA in 1960, with sales of 150 million records. On March 5, 1968, Nathan died of heart disease in Miami Beach. In 1997 he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "Non-Performers" category.