Hive Records

Tupelo, Mississippi, 1954: Hank Howard runs Hive Records, a struggling roots-music label with a handful of rhythm and blues hits. His silent partner, Black songwriter Cecil Madison, provides songs, advice and fellowship for the well-intentioned, pontificating father of two. Hank struggles to maintain his household and the faith of his wife Betty as he pursues his dream of uniting the worlds of Black and white music. Hank feels that with the right performer, he could realize his dream. To his and Cecil’s surprise, that person is Cam Cottner—a headstrong, foul-mouthed and reckless young man whose love of Black music has inspired him to break through the barriers of white popular music with a fusion of country, rhythm and blues and... They call it “cat music,” and it turns Hive from a pokey regional label to a major hit-maker that influences the music biz. As Hank’s ideal is realized, Cecil comes into his own as a composer and a human being. If they can just keep Cam from getting himself in trouble (and staying alive), the hits will keep coming...but at what price to Hank’s marriage and sanity? Written with humor, detail and atmosphere, this novel sums up a dramatic moment of change in American music, and celebrates the raw spirit of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll—with a playful fictional twist. It’s not a history book, but a “what if” story peopled with vivid characters and the feel of the Deep South in the age of segregation and rebellion.