Macon Magazine

D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 | MACONMAGAZINE.COM 4 3 MACON RECORDS, WALDEN RECORDS – neither of these felt quite right. But in 1969, while brainstorming name ideas for their new record label, young booking agent Phil Walden and Atlantic Records impresario Jerry Wexler stumbled upon something iconic. "We were laughing about how girls in California would always ask what sign you are," says Walden. "We discovered we were both Capricorn." Despite Walden's initial concern – "I thought it sounded terribly corny" – the name stuck, and Capricorn Records rose to fame in the 1970s, putting Macon on the map and redefining American music in the process. In the late '60s, members of the counterculture had fully embraced astrology. As a way of making sense of the world that didn't have ties to organized religion, it was inherently rebellious and effortlessly cool. Recently, astrology has been enjoying a resurgence, and in an increasingly chaotic world, sometimes people need to believe in comforting moments of mystical magic – even if they are corny. After all, if the stars hadn't aligned perfectly again and again, our city might not be celebrating Capricorn's 50th anniversary in December with the opening of Mercer Music at Capricorn, one of the largest and most ambitious collaborative partnerships in Macon's history. Built around the lovingly restored Capricorn Sound Studios, home of many mythical moments during the label's heyday, this development breathes new life into the studio, utilizing its rich past as inspiration for the city's musical future. The obstacles leading to Capricorn's stability and rebirth often seemed insurmountable as the building housing the studio sat sadly neglected for years, but many miracles, fortuitous partnerships and moments of synchronicity ensured that the fascinating history within those walls stayed safe. UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP SPARKS SOULFUL MAGIC Capricorn's story starts with Phil Walden, a fearless young visionary and bone-deep music lover. As a teenager, he'd sit in his car outside the Douglass Theatre, listening to the performers and calculating who the crowds liked best by how much the building shook. The man who slayed the hardest every night? Rockhouse Redding, better known as Otis. Walden and Redding subverted all the dominant racial paradigms of the day by becoming close friends; eventually, Walden became Redding's manager. "Their friendship showed what could be unlocked when Southern blacks, like Redding, and Southern whites, like Walden, united to make music," said Adam Ragusea on NPR's "All Things Considered." While still a student at Mercer University, Walden and his younger brother Alan began what would become one of the country's most powerful R&B booking agencies, Phil Walden Artists & Promotions, which represented not only Redding but Al Green, Percy Sledge, Sam & Dave and dozens of other notable acts. Originally, Redding and the Walden brothers – under their company name, RedWal Music – purchased the buildings on Broadway to use as studio space for recording the uber-talented Redding, but those plans evaporated after Redding's tragic death in 1967. After a break to grieve and regroup, Capricorn Records was founded in 1969 by Phil and Alan Walden and Frank Fenter, with help from Jerry Wexler. GROUND ZERO FOR SOUTHERN ROCK Another pair of brothers – Duane and Gregg Allman – formed the band that became the label's superstars. The Allman Brothers Band captivated a nation of music lovers and were instrumental in creating the bluesy, boozy, innovative sound now known as southern rock. "I love this music. I love 'Statesboro Blues' – it's a magnificent guitar song," says Mercer University's President William D. Underwood, who has been integral in bringing the Capricorn project to life since his appointment in 2006. "And, of course, I love the 23-minute → ALAN WALDEN CONTINUED TO LIVE AND WORK IN HIS BUILDING ADJOINED TO THE CAPRICORN STUDIO LONG AFTER HIS BROTHER'S RECORD LABEL FOUND A COMEBACK IN NASHVILLE. PICTURED HERE IS WALDEN IN FRONT OF THAT BUILDING, CIRCA EARLY 1980S, PROMOTING SOUTHERN ROCK BAND THE OUTLAWS, WHICH HE MANAGED AND PUBLISHED UNDER HIS MUSIC COMPANY, HUSTLERS INC.

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