Capricorn Records
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| Capricorn Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Phil Walden Alan Walden Frank Fenter |
| Status | Defunct |
| Distributor(s) | First Incarnation Atlantic Records Warner Bros PhonoDisc Second Incarnation RED Distribution PolyGram |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin |  USA |
| Location | First Incarnation Macon, Georgia Second Incarnation Nashville, Tennessee Macon, Georgia |
Capricorn Records was an independent record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia.
History
First Incarnation
Capricorn was the recording label for many Southern rock and soul bands in the 1970s including The Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band, Elvin Bishop, Wet Willie, The James Montgomery Band, Jonathan Edwards, Captain Beyond, White Witch, Grinderswitch, Cowboy, Hydra, Kitty Wells, Dobie Gray, Alex Taylor and Stillwater. Initially the label was distributed by WEA/Warner Music Group Elektra Records (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.[1]
Second Incarnation
The label was later relaunched out of Nashville, Tennessee 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 2000.[2] 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.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "Gregg Atwill". NeonLightsEntertainment.com. Neon Lights Entertainment. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ http://www.mule.net/discography/extended.html
- ^ Capricord Recording Engineer 1975- 81 EPK: Gregg Atwill
External links
- Phil Walden
- label history
- Listen Capricorn Records Sampler Playlist
