Hello, fellow roots music lovers! I've been on an extended leave of absence to work on a book. However, I wanted to take a moment to let you know that a new King Records documentary, "King of Them All: The Story of King Records," will air on PBS on October 10 at 9 p.m.

The project was directed and produced by Cincinnatian Yemi Oyediran, with the help of a dedicated staff and interviewees. He has toiled for many years and spent a lot of his own money to put the documentary together. It will be a great addition to King history.

As you know, King Records was one of the all-time greatest indie labels. It pressed its own records, recorded them, distributed them, designed them . . . and just about anything else you can imagine. It was the home of such diverse acts as James Brown, Cowboy Copas, Hank Ballard, and the Stanley Brothers.

The first version of the film, which debuted in 2019 at the Esquire Theater in Cincinnati, was a big local hit. I'm told the revamped version is even better.

Congratulations, Yemi!

Randy McNutt