Last night as I was driving along Carnegie Ave., I was listening to WCSB -- or was it WRUW? -- broadcast last month's International Bluegrass Music Association Awards.

I tuned in just in time for a discussion of the record labels of the mid-20th century. Turns out there was a lack of major label support for country and western, and there weren't many independent labels. So Syd Nathan, in Cincinnati, Ohio, stepped up to the proverbial plate with King Records.

The King label went on to showcase a number of influential bluegrass acts, including the Stanley Brothers. Syd later decided there was a lack of support for gospel and rhythm and blues, so he also founded the Queen label. King and Queen, get it?

The IBMA inducted Syd Nathan into the 2006 Hall of Honors. The man ran everything out of the King HQ on Cincy's Webster Avenue -- the recording, the mastering, the pressing, the designing and printing, the shipping.

It's pretty exciting to imagine all this happening in Cincinnati! Long live independent record labels in the Midwest.