King trumpets are the trumpets for jazz musicians.
Here is a list of jazz musicians who have played King instruments: Mel Davis, Tommy Dorsey, Cannonball Adderly, Jimmy Dorsey, Yusef Lateef, William Bell, Kai Winding, Ray Anthony, Nat Adderly, Vaughn Monroe, Harry James, and Johnny "Scat" Davis.
That's quite an endorsement! King trumpets had their start in 1893, when public performance of music was really the only way for people to enjoy it.
Henderson White lived in Cleveland, Ohio, where he repaired musical instruments.
Through his shop, he got to know local musicians, including a man named Thomas King.
King was a trombone player with the Lyceum Theatre Orchestra.
A collaboration between the two resulted in a new trombone with much better slide action and outstanding tonal quality.
The instrument was branded with King's name, and the tradition was born: the King trombone became one of the most popular instruments in America.
White wasn't finished, however.
He patented a new silver cornet that was an immediate hit, and after that he developed baritones, French horns, trumpets, and double-bell euphoniums.
For the first several years, White worked alongside his craftsmen to carefully determine where in the production process problems with the musical instruments occurred.
He also made it a point to listen to the musicians themselves and incorporate their suggestions to continue to improve the King brand.
King only introduced new instruments to the public after they incorporated clear advantages over the competition.
White's use of sterling silver for trombone, trumpets, and cornets revolutionized the sound of these instruments, giving them more overtones, better sound projection, and richer sound than the traditional bells.
King trumpets were only offered to musicians once they had been perfected by craftsmen and musicians alike.
That attention to quality is one reason that so many jazz trumpeters insist on playing King trumpets.