Southern rock would possibly by no means have occurred with out Otis Redding. Within the early 60s, Otis persuaded his supervisor/reserving agent Phil Walden to desert his collegiate pre-law research for a profession in soul music. Inside just a few years Walden was dealing with R&B stars equivalent to Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge and Clarence Carter, and chopping offers at Stax and Atlantic Information.
However Redding’s dying in 1967 left Walden unsure concerning the future. He later stated: “After Otis, black music simply didn’t appear the identical for me. I had tried earlier than to get some rock’n’roll shoppers, and now I used to be hell-bent on proving I may provide you with some rock teams and begin one thing new.”
In 1969, with monetary assist from Atlantic’s Jerry Wexler and Frank Fenton, Walden and his brother Alan based a label, Capricorn Information (the identify got here from Walden’s astrological signal).
One of many first musicians to seize Phil’s consideration was Duane Allman, a budding session guitarist working in Muscle Shoals studios. Walden inspired Duane to type a band, and inside a 12 months the Allman Brothers Band grew to become Capricorn’s cornerstone act. The label introduced Marshall Tucker Band, Moist Willie and Elvin Bishop on board, and was quickly racking up gold data and chart hits. By 1974, 34-year-old Walden’s estimated internet value was $5 million.
The bounty continued for 2 extra years. Then catastrophe struck when the Allmans break up, the members sued Capricorn for unpaid royalties, and the label’s distribution cope with Polygram fell aside. All of this unfolded in opposition to Walden’s worsening substance abuse issues. In 1979 Capricorn went bankrupt.
After a misplaced decade, Walden cleaned up and relaunched Capricorn, in Nashville in 1991. He nonetheless had an ear for younger expertise, and signed bands equivalent to Cake, 311 and Widespread Panic. However after a promising begin that noticed Walden regain rights to his again catalogue from the 70s, the label as soon as once more hit monetary bother. After distributor Polygram merged with Common, Capricorn acquired misplaced within the shuffle. It folded in 2000.
Walden died in 2006, after a protracted battle with most cancers. As Gregg Allman stated: “Phil was there firstly, and we couldn’t have achieved what we now have with out him.”
…and one to keep away from
You possibly can belief Louder
Our skilled group has labored for a number of the largest manufacturers in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our consultants purpose to create opinions you possibly can belief. Discover out extra about how we overview.