King Musical Instruments was a musical instrument

Musical instrument

A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...

 manufacturing company located in Cleveland, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

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The company was founded as the H.N. White Company in 1893 by Henderson White, an engraver and instrument repairman. White designed a trombone

Trombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 for Thomas King, a local player. It became the company's first successful model when it was adopted by Al Pinard, then a famous trombone player. White later designed other brass instrument

Brass instrument

A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...

 models, including cornet

Cornet

The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...

s and baritones

Baritone horn

The baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...

. In 1903, The H.N. White company hired Foster A. Reynolds

F.A. Reynolds

-Life:Foster Reynolds was born December 29, 1884, was married twice and had three children. His first Marriage to Frances Dean at the age of 18 lasted 31 years before ending in divorce. His second marriage to Myrtle Rozelle in the late 1940s lasted the remainder of his life...

, a talented brass instrument maker at the J.W. York & Sons company

James Warren York

James Warren York was a musician, businessman, business owner and musical instrument innovator. The "York tuba sound" is considered by most tubists to be the defining timbre of a quality instrument...

. He worked with White to further develop instruments. The first line of saxophone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

s were produced in 1916, many of which were made for military bands as the United States entered World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. A woodwind plant was built in 1917, and the H.N. White Company began producing stringed instruments in 1935.

In 1925, H.N. White acquired the Cleveland Musical Instrument Company. The "Cleveland" brand name was used for cheaper instruments than the "King" line of instruments, and was marketed to schools. In 1935, Foster Reynolds left his position as General Manager of the H.N. White Company, and founded the rival F.A. Reynolds

F.A. Reynolds

-Life:Foster Reynolds was born December 29, 1884, was married twice and had three children. His first Marriage to Frances Dean at the age of 18 lasted 31 years before ending in divorce. His second marriage to Myrtle Rozelle in the late 1940s lasted the remainder of his life...

 company. Reynolds would later design the extremely successful "Ambassador" line of instruments for F. E. Olds

F. E. Olds

F. E. Olds was a manufacturer of musical instruments founded by Frank Ellsworth Olds in Los Angeles, California in the early 1900s. The company made its name making top-quality brass instruments, especially trombones, cornets, and trumpets....

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Henderson White died in 1940. His brother, Hugh E. White, acted as president, and his widow, Edna White, took over as president in 1941. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the company received government contracts to assemble radar units and fuses. Edna's daughter, Cathryn White Ludwig, married William F. Ludwig, Jr of the W.F.L. Drum Company

Ludwig-Musser

Ludwig-Musser is a drum and percussion instrument manufacturer that is part of the Conn-Selmer division of Steinway Musical Instruments.The first product made by the Ludwig brothers, William and Theobaldner , was a bass drum pedal capable of playing faster beats than was typical of products of the...

. Cathryn was named the Vice-President of H.N. White in 1945, making it one of the few companies in America headed by two women.

Following World War II, the company entered a successful era, producing only the most successful and profitable instruments. Several famous musicians were featured playing King instruments, including Tommy Dorsey

Tommy Dorsey

Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...

, Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker

Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....

, and Harry James

Harry James

Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...

.

In 1965, the company was sold to Nate Dolin, and the name changed to King Instruments, reflecting the popularity of its most popular models. In 1985, King was sold, and became a division of United Musical Instruments (UMI). King brand instruments are currently manufactured by Conn-Selmer, Inc.

Conn-Selmer

Conn-Selmer, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of concert band, marching band, and orchestral instruments. It is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments and was formed after Steinway bought musical instrument manufacturers The Selmer Company and C.G. Conn.-Founding:In the late 1800s,...

, a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc.

Steinway & Sons

Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...