Our friends at Enjoy the Arts recently visited the King Records exhibit at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Here’s why you should go and learn about the groundbreaking Cincinnati company, too.

The King Records label did not only help shape a musical movement, but a civil rights one as well. In 1940s America, race relations were tense, and unequal treatment of people due to the color of their skin was almost everywhere – but King Records sought something different.

During this time, King Records mixed not only musical genres, but also races. This was a bold move for a new company – but an essential one as well. In large part, the success of King Records can be attributed to the uniquely, diversified musical collaborations and racial integration that would lay ground for Rock n’ Roll and workplace equality.

King Records took on their first 10 years with “hillbilly music” and new ideas and ideologies, eventually becoming the first label to combine Western Country and R&B generating 250 hit songs, 150 million records, and growing into the 6th largest record company in America. Producing the likes of the Delmore Brothers and inspiring legends like Elvis Presley, King Records was an important precursor to R&B and later, Rock n’ Roll.

The exhibit, King Records: The Lost History of Rock & Roll, runs through Sept. 30.