I honestly wasn't sure with all the federal funding cuts that shows like this would still appear on PBS in the U.S., but this one looks to be truly special. 

It's the story of a label - King Records - I can honestly say I've never heard of. It was the Cincinnati home of artists like Hank Ballard, James Brown and Little Willie John, all famous soul pioneers who just needed a chance to get their music heard. The rest, as they say, is history. 

And what a history it is. At first, I wasn't sure this kind of documentary would appeal to me because it's not my genre of music. But after having watched the online trailers, it's now on the must see list. (Warning: you'll need a VPN set to the U.S. to see them.)

Hank Ballard, the author of the original "The Twist," is featured in an 3-minute promo that is both fascinating and remarkable. I don't think I've ever seen an interview with him before talking about his "dirty" lyrics. You can view it here. 

There's also a preview of the James Brown section, and why the white owner of the label couldn't understand the point of Brown's first hit. That trailer is here. 

The documentary is called "King of them All: The Story of King Records" and it airs on Channel 17 in Buffalo on Friday, October 10th at 9 PM. 

"The film itself unfolds like a listening session. Rare archival reels, hand-drawn animation, and evocative city imagery immerse viewers in both the music and the moment. Each chapter plays like a track, moving from King’s radical business model to the artists who defined generations, to the cultural barriers the label broke along the way."

For fans of long lost music history, it looks DVR-worthy.