Nashville writer, photographer, videographer and entrepreneur Thom King died Friday, April 24, from complications following a heart attack. He was 65.
Although not a household name, King was an important contributor to the city’s arts and media communities through the years.
Thom was — full disclosure — also a longtime friend of mine. We went to high school together in Franklin in the early ’70s. When we met, he was already a writer and photographer for the Review-Appeal newspaper in Franklin. His “As Teens Tell It” column was widely read across Williamson County. King, his brother John, and Tom Rutherford opened King Brothers Productions, a photography studio, in Franklin in the mid-‘70s. During the same period, King formed the local rock band Hardscuffle, and opened one of the first recording studios in Franklin.
In 1977, returning to Franklin from school in Knoxville, King launched Take One, the first Nashville-area alternative magazine. Take One ran more or less monthly until 1980, covering the city’s arts and music scenes as well as topics like the death penalty, environmental issues and the Gov. Ray Blanton pardon controversy. King later co-founded the short-lived Metro Reader with former Take One editor Daryl Sanders and writer/businessman John Lomax III.
King served as the staff photographer for the U.S. Department of Commerce at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. Meeting delegates from across the globe, he created laminated pins using colorful stamps from his new acquaintances' home countries as gifts, an idea that later led to the formation of his company, Kingpins.
King continued to write through the ‘80s, contributing to The Metro magazine and the Nashville Scene, among other publications. In the late ’90s he published two books on personal relationships via Random House. In the early 2000s, King began working with several prominent Nashvillians in co-writing their memoirs — most notably country music legend Danny Davis of the Nashville Brass, with whom he penned the book Guess Who I Met Today! King wrote or co-wrote a total of 53 books over the course of 25 years.
In recent years, King worked to build a young independent film community in Nashville. With the Nashville Filmmakers Group, he mentored aspiring talents while also shooting “micro-budget” independent films, music videos (notably, videos by Amy Grant and Jamaican reggae legends Morgan Heritage), TV pilots and commercials. Before his heart attack, King traveled to the Philippines with a group of treasure hunters, documenting their efforts to salvage World War II-era gold.
Thom King and I were friends, frequent collaborators, and occasional business partners for nearly 48 years. As I've dug through several thousand emails we tossed back and forth after I left Nashville in 2006 for New York — sharing stories, book projects, YouTube videos and so on — they've shown a talented and creative individual who was glad to share his knowledge and experience with those around him. King left his mark on Nashville, and his humor and creative ambition will be missed.
King is survived by his brother, John King, a professor in the United Arab Emirates; two nieces in Tennessee; and numerous cousins in Tennessee, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina and Kentucky.
