Phil Walden

Phil Walden(January 11, 1940 – April 23, 2006)was a co-founder of theMacon, Georgia-basedCapricorn Records,along with formerAtlantic RecordsexecutiveFrank Fenter.

Phil Walden
Born	January 11, 1940(1940-01-11) Greenville, South Carolina,United States
Died	April 23, 2006(2006-04-23)(aged 66) Atlanta, Georgia,United States
Education	Mercer University
Occupation(s)	Record company founder, talent manager

Biography

Walden received his undergraduate degree ineconomicsfrom Macon'sMercer University(where he was a member ofPhi Delta Thetaand aROTCcadet) in 1962. He served asOtis Redding's manager from 1959 until Redding's death in 1967. While a college student, he began his career as a booking agent and manager for R&B acts, hosting one of Redding's first shows at the University's Phi Delta Theta lodge in the early 1960s.

As he continued to build his business, Walden was commissioned as a second lieutenant in theUnited States Armythrough a deferred service program in the summer of 1963. He recruited his younger brother, Alan (then a sophomore at Mercer), to run Phil Walden Artists and Promotions and served in Germany as a personnel officer before returning to the company following the completion of his service in 1965. That year, Redding and Phil Walden co-founded the Redwal Music publishing company.

Capricorn headquarters, Macon, 2009

Walden's management of Redding and dozens of notableR&Bacts in the 1960s (includingAl Green,Sam & DaveandPercy Sledge) led to his early affiliation withAtlantic Recordsco-founder/producerJerry Wexler,who specialized in the genre. Working with Wexler, Walden and Frank Fenter, who had run Atlantic Records' European offices in London, established Capricorn, an independent production outlet distributed by Atlantic/Atco Records and named for Wexler and Walden'sastrologicalsign in Macon in 1969. Walden met guitaristDuane Allman(then under contract toRick Hall,owner ofFAME Studios) through Wexler and set about making him a star in his own right, precipitating the formation ofThe Allman Brothers Band.

The Allman Brothers Band were not an instant success, selling just 33,000 copies of theirdebut album,which stalled at #188. However, the breakthrough of 1970'sIdlewild South(which peaked at #38) and the 1971 live double setAt Fillmore East(which peaked at #13 and ultimately attained aRIAAplatinum certification) convinced Walden to end Capricorn's affiliation with Atlantic and move toWarner Bros. Records.The success of the Allmans led Capricorn to become the crucible of the blues-, soul- and country-based "Southern rock"subgenre that permeated the epoch; at its peak, the label's roster also featured Allman Brothers Band spinoff groupSea Level,The Marshall Tucker Band,Elvin Bishop,Wet Willie,Bonnie Bramlett,White Witch,Hydra,Grinderswitchand theDixie Dregs.The label belied its reputation by also signing such outliers asAlex Taylor(the elder brother ofJames Taylor), traditional country legendKitty Wells,eclectic soul singerDobie Grayand vanguardhard rockensembleCaptain Beyond(whosesecond albumwas produced by Walden).

In spite of the label's notable imprimatur, a later distribution agreement withPolygram(contingent on the label's assets as collateral for a multi-million dollar "runway" loan) ended in 1979 when Polygram called in the remaining balance of the loan. After declaring bankruptcy in October 1979, the initial iteration of Capricorn Records folded a year later.

Redding's death in a 1967 plane crash was a huge blow to Walden, who had enjoyed a close friendship with the singer since adolescence. He suffered another devastating loss in 1971, when Duane Allman died in a motorcycle crash. Yet Walden soldiered on, creating a small empire in Macon with the label, a recording facility, real estate holdings and other ventures. In 1976, Walden and the Allman Brothers Band played an integral role in financingJimmy Carter's presidential campaign throughout the primary season. However, as the label entered a fallow period in the late 1970s due to the dissolution of the Allman Brothers Band and the decline of Southern rock as a cultural force, Walden could not acclimate to the ascent ofpost-punkandnew wave music,refusing the opportunity to build relationships with such prospective British signees asSqueeze,Dire StraitsandGang of Four;instead, the latter two groups were signed by Wexler (who had left Atlantic in 1975) to Warner Brothers.

Walden dropped out of sight during the 1980s, struggling withcocaineand alcohol dependencies and other setbacks. When he returned to artist management, his anchor was not a rock band but comic actorJim Varney,whose "Hey Vern" commercials made him a hillbilly icon and the star of a string of movies. During this period, Walden also met struggling actor/screenwriterBilly Bob Thornton,serving as his manager for several years.

In 1991, Walden relaunched Capricorn inNashville, Tennesseevia a joint venture with Warner Brothers. The label's first signing was theAthens, Georgia-basedjam bandWidespread Panic.The label made several changes in partners and ended up atMercury Records,due to the enthusiasm then-Mercury president Danny Goldberg had for the Capricorn roster, which had grown to include such diverse acts as311,CAKE,Sonia Dada,the reconstituted Lynyrd Skynyrd and Allman Brothers Band spinoffGov't Mule.Walden was also the first to sign then-unknown country singerKenny Chesney.After reading an article about a memorial ceremony for blues guitaristRobert JohnsoninBillboardin September 1991, Walden contactedMt. Zion Memorial Fundfounder Skip Henderson (who had produced that event) and commissioned a bronze sculpture mounted on a granite headstone in honor ofElmore James,whose catalog was then owned by Capricorn. The memorial was placed on James' grave in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery inEbenezer, Mississippion December 10, 1992. Several members of the Mississippi state legislature attended the event along with Walden, members of James' family and many others.

In 2000, Walden sold the majority of Capricorn's catalog. In the early 2000s, with the Capricorn name retired, Walden tried his hand with another startup label, Velocette. The entire staff was made up of Waldens, including his son, Philip Jr., daughter, Amantha, and nephew, Jason.

Walden was inducted into theGeorgia Music Hall of Famein 1986.

He died ofcancerat the age of 66 in his home inAtlanta, Georgiaon April 22, 2006. "Phil was one of the preeminent producers of great music in America," former president Jimmy Carter said in a statement. Walden's work with Redding, the Allmans and others, Carter said, "helped to put Macon and Georgia on the musical map of the world."

External links

• Obituaryin theNew York Times
• ObituaryinRolling Stone Magazine