Alan Walden
Encyclopedia
Alan Walden was born May 23, 1943 in Macon
, Georgia
to C.B. and Carolyn Walden. He is an American
manager, publisher, booking agent, and promoter.
He has worked with musical acts including Otis Redding
, Sam & Dave
, Percy Sledge
, Johnnie Taylor
, Clarence Carter
, Arthur Conley
, Al Green
, Joe Tex
, Z. Z. Hill, Candi Staton
, Albert King
, William Bell
, Eddie Floyd
, Etta James
, Boz Scaggs
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
, Outlaws, and September Hase
. He opened Redwal Music with his brother Phil Walden
in 1965, publishing hit songs like "Respect
", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Sweet Soul Music
", "I've Been Loving You Too Long
", and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
". He also co-founded Capricorn Records
with his brother and later went on to form Hustler's Inc., a management and publishing company.
He has two children from a previous marriage, Jessica and Georgeanna. He is currently married to model Tosha Walden and together they have one child, Christian.
in Macon
, Georgia
in 1961. He was a sophomore at Mercer University
in Macon when his older brother Phil Walden
graduated from college and moved to Germany as a lieutenant in the US Army. He was made a full-time partner in Phil Walden Artists and Promotions, and handled the business affairs of the company until his brother returned in 1965. It was during this time that Walden managed up-and-coming artist Otis Redding
and 44 other black recording artists, breaking racial barriers and helping the agency to become one of the largest black artist management companies in the South. In 1965, Redding, Walden, and his brother created Redwal Music, a publishing company to house such songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman"
, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
" and "Soul Man"
. All three of these songs went on to win awards for the number one Rhythm and Blues Single of the Year in Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World.
When Redding died suddenly in 1967, Walden, his brother and Frank Fenter
founded Capricorn Records
in Macon, the label that was responsible for bringing The Allman Brothers Band
and Southern rock
into mainstream America. During his stint with Capricorn, Walden signed blues rock singer and guitarist Boz Scaggs
.
, the 13th band he'd seen. "I changed my lucky number from 5 to 13," Walden later said. Walden worked with Lynyrd Skynyrd until 1974, during which time he published the Southern Rock classics "Freebird
", "Sweet Home Alabama"
, "Gimme Three Steps
", and "Simple Man". During his time with Lynyrd Skynyrd, vocalist Ronnie Van Zant
introduced Walden to up-and-coming Southern rock band Outlaws. Walden signed The Outlaws shortly before his separation with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and went on to get The Outlaws signed to Arista Records
. He helped them achieve three gold records
and one platinum record
between 1974 and 1999, and published their hits "There Goes Another Love Song" and "Green Grass and High Tides
".
After Outlaws disbanded in 1999, Walden represented southern artists Night Train and Chris Hicks before officially retiring to Macon to spend time with his wife Tosha and their son Christian, and his daughters Jessica and Georgeanna. While he missed the buzz of the music industry, he took up several hobbies, including raising chickens.
In 2003, Walden was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to music.
In 2008, at the urging of a friend that worked as a sound technician at the 550 Blues club in Macon, Walden set up an audition for local rock band September Hase
with the intent of giving them pointers about the music industry. Upon seeing them perform, however, he was blown away by their talent and potential and felt that they had everything he'd been looking for in a band for the last 25 years. "The first time I heard them play, I literally cried," Walden later said. "I had tears going down my face." He immediately decided to come out of retirement to manage the band, and signed them at the Red Tomato restaurant in Macon in July 2008. In September 2009, Walden and September Hase amicably parted ways.
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
to C.B. and Carolyn Walden. He is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
manager, publisher, booking agent, and promoter.
He has worked with musical acts including Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
, Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer who recorded the hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966.-Early career:...
, Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Harrison Taylor was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from rhythm and blues, soul, blues and gospel to pop, doo-wop and disco.-Early years:...
, Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter is a blind American soul singer and musician.-Life and career:Born in Montgomery, Alabama on 14 January 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State College in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree...
, Arthur Conley
Arthur Conley
Arthur Lee Conley was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music".-Career:...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Joe Tex
Joe Tex
Joseph Arrington, Jr. , better known as "Joe Tex", was an American Southern soul singer-songwriter, most popular during the 1960s and 1970s...
, Z. Z. Hill, Candi Staton
Candi Staton
Candi Staton is an American soul and gospel singer, best known for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and her 1976 disco hit "Young Hearts Run Free". In 2007, Staton was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
, Albert King
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
, William Bell
William Bell (singer)
William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" ; 1968's "Private Number" ; and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the...
, Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, Outlaws, and September Hase
September Hase
September Hase is an American alternative rock band formed by singer/guitarist Al Janelle in 2005. Janelle formed the group as a three-man project with Adam Smith and Matthew Heller after the dissolution of his high school blues band....
. He opened Redwal Music with his brother Phil Walden
Phil Walden
Phil Walden was co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records with his younger brother Alan Walden and a good friend and former Atlantic Records executive, Frank Fenter....
in 1965, publishing hit songs like "Respect
Respect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Sweet Soul Music
Sweet Soul Music
Sweet Soul Music is the second album of New Zealand RnB artist, Aaradhna released in 2008 on Valentine's Day.-Track listing:#"Didn't I "#"I Want You Back"#"Betcha By Golly Wow"#"You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"...
", "I've Been Loving You Too Long
I've Been Loving You Too Long
"I've Been Loving You Too Long" is a song written by Otis Redding and Jerry Butler. It appeared as the A-side of a 1965 hit single by Otis Redding - and subsequently appeared on his third album, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul...
", and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
" The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1967, just days before his death. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number-one single in U.S...
". He also co-founded Capricorn Records
Capricorn Records
Capricorn Records was an independent record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia.-First Incarnation:...
with his brother and later went on to form Hustler's Inc., a management and publishing company.
He has two children from a previous marriage, Jessica and Georgeanna. He is currently married to model Tosha Walden and together they have one child, Christian.
Early career and Capricorn Records
Walden graduated from Lanier High SchoolCentral High School (Macon, Georgia)
Central High School, also known as Central-Macon, Central-Bibb, and Central Fine Arts and International Baccalaureate Magnet High School is a high school in Macon, Georgia, USA, serving students in grades 9-12...
in Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in 1961. He was a sophomore at Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
in Macon when his older brother Phil Walden
Phil Walden
Phil Walden was co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records with his younger brother Alan Walden and a good friend and former Atlantic Records executive, Frank Fenter....
graduated from college and moved to Germany as a lieutenant in the US Army. He was made a full-time partner in Phil Walden Artists and Promotions, and handled the business affairs of the company until his brother returned in 1965. It was during this time that Walden managed up-and-coming artist Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
and 44 other black recording artists, breaking racial barriers and helping the agency to become one of the largest black artist management companies in the South. In 1965, Redding, Walden, and his brother created Redwal Music, a publishing company to house such songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman"
When a Man Loves a Woman (song)
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. It was listed 54th in the List of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time...
, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
" The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1967, just days before his death. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number-one single in U.S...
" and "Soul Man"
Soul Man (song)
"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave.-Song history and background:...
. All three of these songs went on to win awards for the number one Rhythm and Blues Single of the Year in Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World.
When Redding died suddenly in 1967, Walden, his brother and Frank Fenter
Frank Fenter
Frank Fenter was a music industry executive.Fenter was the first Managing Director of Atlantic Records for Europe, where he helped discover and sign to Atlantic late-1960s British Invasion groups including Led Zeppelin and the progressive rock bands Yes and King Crimson...
founded Capricorn Records
Capricorn Records
Capricorn Records was an independent record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia.-First Incarnation:...
in Macon, the label that was responsible for bringing The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
and Southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
into mainstream America. During his stint with Capricorn, Walden signed blues rock singer and guitarist Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
.
Hustler's Inc.
In 1970, Walden resigned from Capricorn and started Hustler's Inc, a publishing and management company. He auditioned 187 bands before settling on Lynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, the 13th band he'd seen. "I changed my lucky number from 5 to 13," Walden later said. Walden worked with Lynyrd Skynyrd until 1974, during which time he published the Southern Rock classics "Freebird
Free Bird
"Free Bird" is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
", "Sweet Home Alabama"
Sweet Home Alabama (song)
"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:...
, "Gimme Three Steps
Gimme Three Steps
"Gimme Three Steps" is a song by southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released on its 1973 debut album, . The song can often be heard on many classic rock radio stations today...
", and "Simple Man". During his time with Lynyrd Skynyrd, vocalist Ronnie Van Zant
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
introduced Walden to up-and-coming Southern rock band Outlaws. Walden signed The Outlaws shortly before his separation with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and went on to get The Outlaws signed to Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
. He helped them achieve three gold records
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
and one platinum record
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
between 1974 and 1999, and published their hits "There Goes Another Love Song" and "Green Grass and High Tides
Green Grass and High Tides
"Green Grass and High Tides" is a song by the southern rock band Outlaws. It is the tenth and final track on the band's debut album, Outlaws. The song is one of their best known, and has received extensive play on album-oriented radio stations, although it was never released as a single...
".
Retirement and September Hase
In 2003, Walden was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to music.
In 2008, at the urging of a friend that worked as a sound technician at the 550 Blues club in Macon, Walden set up an audition for local rock band September Hase
September Hase
September Hase is an American alternative rock band formed by singer/guitarist Al Janelle in 2005. Janelle formed the group as a three-man project with Adam Smith and Matthew Heller after the dissolution of his high school blues band....
with the intent of giving them pointers about the music industry. Upon seeing them perform, however, he was blown away by their talent and potential and felt that they had everything he'd been looking for in a band for the last 25 years. "The first time I heard them play, I literally cried," Walden later said. "I had tears going down my face." He immediately decided to come out of retirement to manage the band, and signed them at the Red Tomato restaurant in Macon in July 2008. In September 2009, Walden and September Hase amicably parted ways.
Complete List of Artists
Walden has worked with the following artists:- Otis ReddingOtis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
- Sam & DaveSam & DaveSam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
- Percy SledgePercy SledgePercy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer who recorded the hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966.-Early career:...
- Johnnie TaylorJohnnie TaylorJohnnie Harrison Taylor was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from rhythm and blues, soul, blues and gospel to pop, doo-wop and disco.-Early years:...
- Clarence CarterClarence CarterClarence Carter is a blind American soul singer and musician.-Life and career:Born in Montgomery, Alabama on 14 January 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State College in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree...
- Booker T & The M.G.'s
- Joe SimonJoe Simon (musician)Joe Simon is an American chart-topping, Grammy Award winning, soul and R&B musician. Amongst other chart singles, Simon secured three number one hits on the US Billboard R&B chart between 1969 and 1975.-Career:...
- Bobby WomackBobby WomackRobert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
- Albert CollinsAlbert CollinsAlbert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
- John Lee HookerJohn Lee HookerJohn Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
- Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
- James CarrJames Carr (musician)James Carr , was an American Rhythm & Blues and soul singer.Born to a Baptist preacher's family in Coahoma, Mississippi, Carr began singing in church and was performing in gospel groups and making tables on an assembly line in Memphis, Tennessee, when he began recording in the mid-'60s for Goldwax...
- Tyrone DavisTyrone DavisTyrone Davis , born Tyrone Fettson, was a leading American soul singer with a distinctive style, recording a long list of hit records over a period of more than 20 years. He had three no...
- Arthur ConleyArthur ConleyArthur Lee Conley was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music".-Career:...
- Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
- Joe TexJoe TexJoseph Arrington, Jr. , better known as "Joe Tex", was an American Southern soul singer-songwriter, most popular during the 1960s and 1970s...
- Z. Z. Hill
- Candi StatonCandi StatonCandi Staton is an American soul and gospel singer, best known for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and her 1976 disco hit "Young Hearts Run Free". In 2007, Staton was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
- Albert KingAlbert KingAlbert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
- William BellWilliam Bell (singer)William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" ; 1968's "Private Number" ; and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the...
- Eddie FloydEddie FloydEddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
- Etta JamesEtta JamesEtta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
- Boz ScaggsBoz ScaggsWilliam Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
- Lynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
- Outlaws
- Night Train
- Chris Hicks
- September HaseSeptember HaseSeptember Hase is an American alternative rock band formed by singer/guitarist Al Janelle in 2005. Janelle formed the group as a three-man project with Adam Smith and Matthew Heller after the dissolution of his high school blues band....