Alan Walden Talks Lynyrd Skynyrd, Otis Redding & The Stories Behind The Music
(MUSES) From Lynyrd Skynyrd to Otis Redding: Legendary Manager and Label Owner Alan Walden closes Rock & Roll High School Podcast's Southern Rock Trilogy. Few figures in the history of Southern music operated as both insider and architect the way Alan Walden did.
Best known as the co-founder (with his brother Phil) of Capricorn Records and manager (and music publisher) of both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Otis Redding, Alan helped build the infrastructure behind what became known as Southern rock-long before it had a name. Alongside his brother, he was at the center of a movement that blended blues, country, R&B, and rock into something entirely new.
In this conversation, Alan takes us inside the story of how two brothers from Macon, Georgia changed the complexion of the entire music business in the 1960s and 1970s. We also discuss his terrific memoir, Southern Man: Music and Mayhem in the American South-a candid and deeply personal account of the triumphs, tragedies, and cultural forces that shaped both his career and the rise of Southern rock and soul.
This is a rare look at the often unseen side of music history: the people behind the scenes who don't just discover artists-but build the worlds they live in and help shape the course of music itself.
On his memoir Southern Man... It was exciting in those years for me to sign a lot of artists...I signed Etta James, Johnnie Taylor... 55 artists I believe we had at one time.... I'm a very proud southern man.
On Otis Redding... When he moved around Georgia, I would be next door to him where I could be around him all the time when he was off the road. I went on the road from time to time to just have some fun actually...Otis changed my life. Otis could have left and gone with a major company in a heartbeat but he chose to stay there and be partners with me and Phil. I loved Otis Redding like a brother. There's no doubt about it. It almost killed me when he got killed.
On how Boz Scaggs fooled him, pretending to be a writer for Rolling Stone: He came to Macon and pretended he was a writer and I entertained him for 3 days. After 3 days, I was worn out. Boz liked to drink as much as I did... I fell in love with Boz. His music today is still wonderful.
On being held by his ankles out of a hotel window by Sam & Dave: I was looking down seven stories and being held by my ankles. They had been tooting some coke and I didn't toot coke. They thought it was funny. That cut out a lot of my traveling with the band. I didn't speak to them again for 18 years."
On Signing Lynyrd Skynyrd: The day that I signed them I had already auditioned, in one year, 187 bands. They were band number 13. I auditioned all these bands and went all the way back to band 13. That was Skynyrd.
On labels passing on Lyndyrd Skynyrd: That was what was so disgusting about it. People talking about the songs are weak. They already had Gimme Three Steps, Free Bird, Simple Man, all these great songs. Listen to the episode here
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