King Records may refer to:
King Record Co., Ltd. (キングレコード株式会社 Kingu Rekōdo Kabushiki gaisha) is a Japanese record company, founded in 1931 as a division of Japanese publisher Kodansha. It became and began operating as an independent entity in the 1950s, but remains part of the publisher's Otowa Group. Now one of Japan's largest record companies not to be owned by a multinational entity, it is headquartered in Tokyo.
Its Starchild label, managed by animation producer Toshimichi Ōtsuki, specialises in anime music and film. King Records also distributes the Up-Front Works–owned and –operated labels Piccolo Town and Rice Music, and also released video games for the PC-88, Famicom, and MSX2 computers.
You! Be Cool is the official sub-label for AKB48.
Venus-B is the company's official urban music imprint.
Evil Line Records is the label's new division, established on April 2014, and comprises artists like Momoiro Clover Z and Meg, among others.
Coordinates: 39°8′39.62″N 84°28′35.41″W / 39.1443389°N 84.4765028°W
King Records was an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in the Evanston neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It now operates as a reissue label for its past material.
At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly - If it's a Hillbilly, it's a King." One of the label's most important hits was "I'm Using My Bible for a Road Map" by Reno and Smiley. Important recordings in this field were done by The Delmore Brothers and Wayne Raney featuring their close harmony vocals, harmonica, electric guitar and string band playing. The Delmores also did their country boogie material on this label which was a precursor to rockabilly. King ventured into the rockabilly genre and several King artists such as Bill Beach are in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Beach's song, "Peg Pants" also experienced success during the European resurgence of rockabilly in the late 1980s. Likewise, singer-pianist Moon Mullican recorded a country boogie style that was a precursor to piano-based rock and roll. Major country hits on the label included "I'll Sail My Ship Alone", "Blues Stay Away from Me", "Chew Tobacco Rag", "Eight More Miles to Louisville", "Sweeter Than the Flowers" and "Cherokee Boogie".