A new documentary exploring the impact and legacy of King Records, one of Cincinnati’s most significant contributions to popular culture, was chosen for PBS Open Call for Emerging Filmmakers. The film debuts Friday, March 9, at the Woodward Theater as part of the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival. The showing will be followed by a dance party featuring the music of King Records spun by DJ Apryl Reign.
CityBeat spoke with the director and driving force behind the film, Yemi Oyediran, ahead of the showing. Oyediran is seemingly filled with energy and enthusiasm, and because of the extensive research for this project, an encyclopedic knowledge of a certain chapter of Cincinnati history — one of its most important but somehow least acknowledged, hopefully until now.
The documentary, titled King of Them All, tells the story of King Records, the record label that operated in Cincinnati by Syd Nathan from 1943 to 1971 that featured Black and white artists and employees working together, blending cultures, styles and sounds that played a part in the origin of rock and roll and helped serve as some of the building blocks for modern popular music as we know it.
“This project started as a personal journey,” Oyediran told CityBeat. “I wanted to become a better producer and find a Cincinnati sound that I could incorporate into my work. That led me straight to King Records, a label that shaped so much of modern music yet doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. Initially, the idea was a concert film — we produced a series of performances featuring 44 King Records songs played by some of the best musicians in town. We created a studio-like experience for the audience by giving them headphones, and we filmed it all. But as we worked on it, we realized that King’s story was much bigger than just its music. The more I learned, the more it became clear that this had to be a full-fledged documentary, diving deep into King’s history, its groundbreaking artists and the way it shaped American music and culture.”
The film took an extensive, almost obsessive amount of research to bring to life. It details a nearly 30-year stretch of history that features a range of cast and characters from multiple genres and walks of life along with the history of the city as a background, all while telling the tale of some of King’s most significant artists, such as Little Willie John, Hank Ballard and James Brown.
“Researching King Records felt like a treasure hunt — one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also one of the most rewarding,” Oyediran said. “It involved digging through corporate archives, libraries and private collections, tracking down forgotten photos, recordings and documents. One of the most incredible things was how many corporate archives were willing to help and even gave significant breaks on costs. Some of what I was asking for came from a time period that few people had ever requested, so they went back to original film reels and transferred them to digital just for this project. Retired journalists dug up tapes and converted them, and researchers like Brian Powers, Randy McNutt and Jon Hartley Fox gave me everything they had.”
Part of that research and effort yielded a parade of historical footage and audio painstakingly dug up and prepared to be as accurate to time and place as possible. The goal was to conjure and recapture Cincinnati’s cultural history by using footage of city streets, flashing signs from historic theaters and businesses, vintage WLW and Kroger images, and major events like The Beatles’ concert at Cincinnati Gardens and games featuring the city’s former NBA team, the Royals. Additionally, footage and audio of King Records artists and employees helped bring the era to life.
An especially impressive fade from archival footage matching up to modern day footage while driving across the Roebling Bridge in the documentary sets a tone for quality.
The documentary also features input from a range of notable figures, like King session drummer Philip Paul, singer Otis Williams and James Brown tour manager Alan Leeds. Oyediran recalls the experience of meeting heroes like jazz musician Christian McBride, along with Vince Gill and Amy Grant, to speak about King Records.
“I was lucky enough to sit down with some amazing people for this film,” Oyediran said. “Seymour Stein, who got his start at King Records before founding Sire Records, shared incredible first-hand stories about working for Syd Nathan. I must have asked him a million questions — he actually fell asleep twice during our interview, but he kept pushing through because he believed so strongly in sharing King’s history!”
He also sat down with another prominent local figure of Cincinnati history. “Another highlight was getting to meet Nick Clooney — George Clooney’s father and Rosemary Clooney’s younger brother. He is in his nineties and his viewpoint on American history was incredible. I learned so much from him, and he truly is a beautiful person. As I develop and mature, I hope to be more like Nick Clooney — he is an excellent example of an American.”
He describes the input from Dr. Tammy Kernodle of Miami University as the best interview. “She is easily the smartest person in the film, and the depth of knowledge she brought to the project was just on another level.”
A segment of the documentary highlights the lower and working class parts of society — both Black and white — that King both recorded and catered to early on with its “Race” and “Hillbilly” records. Oyediran tells CityBeat, “I see culture not color.” He made a point to talk about similarities of disenfranchised poor whites and the racially segregated Black population who served as King’s early target audience, as well as the two cultures that came together to create a new music.
“One of the biggest things I wanted was for this film to be accessible to everyone,” Oyediran said. “I wanted poor kids in Appalachia, urban kids and suburban kids in Arizona to see reflections of themselves and what they can create. King Records’ story is about possibility — it’s about people who built something incredible with very little. Thanks to PBS Open Call, that’s actually happening, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
The project was a nine-year process. From speaking with him, it’s clear this was a major labor of love but also a daunting and extensive task. Oyediran, a single father with a day job, spent late nights, spare time and a lot of energy to bring it to completion.
He tells CityBeat doctors warned him to slow down. He stopped going out and had a falling out with a friend for a time making the film. He calls the project a volunteer effort. “There’s no money in this for me,” he said. In fact, he says every bit of money he earned in his own music career went toward the film.
But Oyediran also says he had the city and its resources to help him. “Cincinnati is my superpower,” he tells CityBeat, saying everything we need is here. “Cincinnati is the dopest city in America.” Old friends connected him with major movie studio heads who gave advice and other local resources pointed in the right direction, when needed.
In addition to effort, costs for rights and usage can add up quickly, high into the thousands. The film received help by way of funding from ArtsWave, the Haile Foundation, the Taft Foundation, the PBS MacArthur Foundation and the Ohio Humanities Council.
He hopes to do a podcast on things he learned along the way, continuing to give life to the history, including bringing some possible justice to the case of Little Willie John, who was convicted of manslaughter while on tour in 1964 and eventually died in prison at the age of 30.
“This documentary started as a personal quest to understand what made King Records special, but it turned into something much bigger,” Oyediran said. “It became about honoring the people who built this legacy and making sure their stories are told. It was a long, difficult journey, but I couldn’t be prouder of what we created. King Records is one of the most important chapters in American music history, and I hope this film helps people appreciate the pioneers, the risk-takers and the artists who made it all possible. And most of all, I hope it inspires the next generation to pick up an instrument, tell their own stories and make something amazing.”
King of Them All debuts at Woodward Theater on March 9 at 9 p.m., followed by a dance party featuring DJ Apryl Reign at 11 p.m. More info: otrfilmfest.org.
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This article appears in Feb 19 – Mar 4, 2025.