Wexler gave Phil Walden an advance of
$70,000 and a lucrative distribution agree- ment with Atlantic Records, and Walden set out to recruit rock and roll bands. The Capri- corn production series would be released on the Atlantic Records subsidiary label, Atco. “Phil believed the record company was about to happen, and he needed a record company person with experience,” Johnny Sandlin, Capricorn Records producer, said in the book A Never-Ending Groove: Johnny Sandlin’s Musical Odyssey. “Phil had met Frank Fenter through Jerry and knew he was the head of Atlantic Records in the United Kingdom, and he wanted Frank to work for the label . . . Frank ran the nuts and bolts of Capricorn. He knew everybody in the music business from the ground up. He really got things started to help us sell a lot of records.” Atlantic’s Ahmet Ertegun was also in-
strumental in the joining of forces between Walden and Fenter. Together, Phil and Frank formed a unique partnership in 1969, a local Georgia boy who had a gift for getting the job done, paired with a charismatic South African record man from London. Frank became Ex- ecutive Vice President of Capricorn Records. Besides Phil and Frank, Walden’s brother Alan was also instrumental in the start-up of the company, although he would soon leave the fold. One of the first musicians to catch
Capricorn's attention was Duane Allman, who at the time was a little-known guitarist doing session work in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. After hearing Allman play on Wilson Pickett's version of "Hey Jude," Phil Walden knew he was hearing sheer talent. Phil was blown away, and soon he and Twiggs Lyndon were on their way to Muscle Shoals to meet the guitarist. Phil signed Duane to a management contract, and FAME's Rick Hall signed him as a recording artist. Hall didn't know exactly what to do
with Duane as a recording artist and soon
sold his contract to Wexler for a mere $10,000. Duane needed a band. Phil had been
putting musicians together for Capricorn. He introduced Duane to drummer Jai Johanny Johanson, better known as Jaimoe, who had previously played on the road with both Otis Redding and Percy Sledge. They hit it off right off the bat. Duane loved Jaimoe's playing and told him about a bass player he felt would complement his jazzy style – a guy named Berry Oakley. “We brought Jaimoe Johnson in,”
Walden told Goldmine Magazine’s Russell Hall in 1998. “And we did some early record- ings that didn’t result in the formation of the Allman Brothers Band.”
Duane and Berry. They were going to be a power trio like
The Jimi Hendrix Experience or Cream, which is what both Jerry Wexler and Rick Hall felt was the way to go. “At first, he (Duane) thought it might
just be a trio, so he took Jaimoe and Berry Oakley back to Muscle Shoals and recorded a few songs,” recalled Butch Trucks in a 2009 interview with the author. “After hearing himself singing on those recordings, they all headed back to Jacksonville to grab some more players. We spent about a month or so getting together as often as possible and jam- ming. Finally, after going through many com-
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
