Capricorn Records
Encyclopedia
Capricorn Records was an independent record label
which was launched by Phil Walden
, Alan Walden
, and Frank Fenter
in 1969
in Macon, Georgia
.
bands in the seventies including The Allman Brothers Band
, the Marshall Tucker Band
, Elvin Bishop
, Wet Willie, Jonathan Edwards, Captain Beyond
, White Witch
, Grinderswitch
, Cowboy, Hydra
, Kitty Wells
, and Stillwater
. Initially the label was distributed by WEA/Warner Music Group
(first through Atlantic Records
, then later Warner Bros. Records
), and later by PolyGram Records. Capricorn went out of business in October 1979
. Gregg Atwill was an engineer with Capricorn throughout the 1970s.
as a joint-venture with Warner Bros. in the early 1990s. Distribution later jumped to Sony Music's independent RED Distribution network, then back to PolyGram, by way of its flagship label, Mercury Records
. The first act to sign onto the resurrected label was Athens, Georgia
's Widespread Panic
. After signing with the new version of the label the band celebrated by buying rounds of drinks and beers for attendees at a Macon Pirates
game at Luther Williams Field
. Cake
and 311
were the most popular artists to come out of Capricorn during this period; a then-unknown Kenny Chesney
also released his debut album on the label. Other artists ranged from Rabbitt
to Big Sister, the Dixie Dregs
, and to the jazz/rock fusion of Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit.
After moving back to Atlanta, the second incarnation of Capricorn eventually folded. Phil Walden sold the label's assets to Zomba subsidiary Volcano Entertainment in December of 2000. By 2002, new releases on Capricorn were not to be, as remaining artists were dropped, transferred to Volcano (311), or moved to other labels (Cake).
Co-founder and partner, Frank Fenter
died on July 21, 1983, at the age of 47 and Phil Walden
died on April 23, 2006, at the age of 66.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
which was launched by 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....
, Alan Walden
Alan Walden
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....
, 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...
in 1969
1969 in music
-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
in Macon, Georgia
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...
.
First Incarnation
Capricorn was the recording label for many Southern rockSouthern 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...
bands in the seventies including 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"...
, the Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
, Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.-Career:Bishop was born in Glendale, California, and grew up on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was ten years old...
, Wet Willie, Jonathan Edwards, Captain Beyond
Captain Beyond
Captain Beyond was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971.-History:The original line-up for Captain Beyond were singer Rod Evans, drummer Bobby Caldwell, guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, bassist Lee Dorman and keyboardist Lewie Gold...
, White Witch
White Witch (band)
White Witch was a glam rock/psychedelic/hard rock band from Tampa, Florida that made two albums for Capricorn Records in the early 1970s. Their name was a paean to "white magic", contrary to the "black magic" of groups like Black Sabbath...
, Grinderswitch
Grinderswitch
Grinderswitch was an American southern rock band. They recorded a number of albums for Capricorn Records in the 1970s, but never achieved the same widespread recognition enjoyed by some of the label's other artists, such as The Allman Brothers Band and Marshall Tucker Band. They also recorded for...
, Cowboy, Hydra
Hydra (band)
Hydra is an American Southern rock band founded in the late 1960s by Spencer Kirkpatrick , Wayne Bruce , and Steve Pace . Pace and Kirkpatrick first played together in 1968 in the band Strange Brew. Wayne Bruce was playing with the band Nickelodian and accepted the offer to join Pace and...
, Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
, and Stillwater
Stillwater (band)
Stillwater was an American band of the 1970s, which played Southern rock with a folk flair.Their song Mindbender charted in the top 100 singles in 1978. The band existed from 1973 to 1982 and was based in Warner Robins, Georgia. They released two albums on Capricorn Records, Stillwater , which...
. Initially the label was distributed by WEA/Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
(first through Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, then later Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
), and later by PolyGram Records. Capricorn went out of business in October 1979
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
. Gregg Atwill was an engineer with Capricorn throughout the 1970s.
Second Incarnation
The label was later relaunched out of Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
as a joint-venture with Warner Bros. in the early 1990s. Distribution later jumped to Sony Music's independent RED Distribution network, then back to PolyGram, by way of its flagship label, Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. The first act to sign onto the resurrected label was Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
's Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
. After signing with the new version of the label the band celebrated by buying rounds of drinks and beers for attendees at a Macon Pirates
Macon Music
The Macon Music was a baseball team of the independent South Coast League, based in Macon, Georgia. They played at the Luther Williams Field. The league folded after the inaugural 2007 season....
game at Luther Williams Field
Luther Williams Field
Luther Williams Field is a baseball stadium in Macon, Georgia, and is the home of the Macon Pinetoppers of the Peach State League and the Macon State College Blue Storm. It was built in 1929, and is the centerpiece of Central City Park in Macon. Today, it is the second-oldest minor league stadium...
. Cake
Cake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
and 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
were the most popular artists to come out of Capricorn during this period; a then-unknown Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
also released his debut album on the label. Other artists ranged from Rabbitt
Rabbitt
Rabbitt were a South African rock band formed in 1972, evolving from a band called The Conglomeration, consisting of members Trevor Rabin, Duncan Faure, Ronnie Robot, and Neil Cloud. Their successes included making it to the top of the South African charts with the hit "Charlie" in 1976. Rabbitt...
to Big Sister, the Dixie Dregs
Dixie Dregs
The Dixie Dregs are an American band formed in the 1970s. Their mostly instrumental music fuses jazz, southern rock, bluegrass and classical forms in an often unique style.-Formation and early years:...
, and to the jazz/rock fusion of Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit.
After moving back to Atlanta, the second incarnation of Capricorn eventually folded. Phil Walden sold the label's assets to Zomba subsidiary Volcano Entertainment in December of 2000. By 2002, new releases on Capricorn were not to be, as remaining artists were dropped, transferred to Volcano (311), or moved to other labels (Cake).
Co-founder and partner, 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...
died on July 21, 1983, at the age of 47 and 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....
died on April 23, 2006, at the age of 66.
See also
- Albums released on Capricorn Records
- List of record labels
External links
- Phil Walden
- label history
- Listen Capricorn Records Sampler Playlist