Play All Night Playlist Project #15: Atlantic Records
Accompanies Chapter 11: Phil Walden and Capricorn Records
Welcome to Long Live the ABB: Conversation from the Crossroads of Southern music, history, and culture.
Before I get rolling, I want to say thank you to each of you for reading Long Live the ABB. I genuinely had no expectations when I published Play All Night and launched @LongLivetheABB on social media in 2022 and/or started this newsletter this past April. There are now tens of thousands of people across the various channels following my musings.
And that’s pretty damn cool.
Play All Night Playlist Project #15: Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of Play All Night! highlights southern music empresario Phil Walden, whose love of and support for the Allman Brothers Band was vital in their founding era.1
Here’s Playlist Project #1-14
Phil Walden
In early 1969 and with help from Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, Walden purchased Duane Allman’s contract from Rick Hall at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals.2
Walden had managed Otis Redding until Redding’s untimely death in December 1967. He and Wexler were familiar—Redding was signed to Memphis’s Stax Records, an Atlantic subsidiary.
In addition to managing Duane and the Allman Brothers Band, Wexler convinced Walden to found a record label, which they named Capricorn Records for their shared astrological sign.3 One of Walden’s earliest, and best moves was hiring Frank Fenter, a South African native who had signed both Cream and Led Zeppelin to Atlantic. Together, Walden and Fenter built an empire of Southern music in Macon.
Said Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun, “Phil was the one who had the relationship with the artists, and Frank was the one who knew the day-to-day business. Whatever success they gained, they gained because of the efforts that each put in.”=
Capricorn Records
Like Duane’s insistence on artistic independence for the Allman Brothers Band, Capricorn’s independence from Atlantic was equally important. Capricorn would do more than produce and sell records. “You can be a record label and produce one type of music,” said Fenter, “but you can’t be a record company. We’ve always anticipated being a thoroughly involved company.” Their model included business subsidiaries, all operating under the Capricorn banner: label, artist management, booking agency, music publishing, and later, merchandise.
While all was calm on the surface, obvious conflicts of interest arose. Wexler was an Atlantic executive and co-owner of its Capricorn subsidiary. Walden was the ABB’s manager, co-owned its label, and controlled publishing and booking. Wexler might make decisions that were best for Atlantic but not for Capricorn; Walden could choose something that was best for Capricorn but not the ABB.
The relationship held together until 1972, when Walden and Wexler parted acrimoniously after Walden exercised an option to move Capricorn from Atlantic to Warner Brothers.4 (And though Dickey was the first to sue Capricorn/Walden for mismanagement in the mid-70s, Berry Oakley had been concerned about the band’s finances as early as 1971/2.)
But that was a few years into the future.
In the early era, Duane recognized how important the label was to his career. “Getting with Atlantic” (and not “Hey Jude”), he said, was his first major break in the music industry. “They dig our music, man,” Duane said. Wexler was “the solidest cat with the clearest eye,” who left the creative decisions up to artists. “And Ahmet, the president, he loves to listen to good sides.”
Most importantly, Duane felt Ertegun and Wexler saw more than money in music. “Want to play music? They’ll make sure people hear your music.” It was a refreshing attitude after Duane’s experience with Liberty Records.
He expressed his gratitude in a postcard to Wexler in January 1970:
“Thanks for your help, guidance, confidence but most of all your friendship. Love to you and yours always.”
“I mortgaged everything for this thing. I believed in it that much.” Phil Walden
I pulled this quote from a documentary that ran on CMT in the mid 2000s. Because no matter what happened later business-wise (and a lot happened), Phil Walden was as important to the success of At Fillmore East as any nonmusician involved in the project. The album was payoff for his belief in and support of Duane’s artistic vision from the very beginning.
Walden built Capricorn Records around Duane and most importantly, fought Wexler’s efforts to move the ABB from the South to break them nationally. Duane and the group wanted to remain in the South in order to do their best work, and Walden supported Duane’s vision.
The economics of artist development didn’t work in Walden’s favor.
As Capricorn’s Bunky Odum explained, “We had a lot of money sunk into the band. When you’re in the management business, you’re in it to develop, and that’s what we were doing. When you have a band making $1,000 to $2,000 a night, you can’t reach out and take a 15 percent commission, but you can put it on the books and that’s what we did. A lot of the money invested was just keeping them alive and on the road. In the course of a year, $100 here and $300 there adds up.”
Walden continually fought Wexler’s attempts to move the band to more music business–friendly environs.
“We didn’t want to leave our roots and where we felt comfortable,” Betts said. “We fought tooth and nail to prevent Atlantic from moving us out of the South, when they said we’d never make it living in Macon, Georgia, and playing our type of music. They insisted we should go to New York or L.A. and they’d break us out of there.” Betts said, “Thank God we, along with Phil Walden were smart enough to know that that would ruin the band.”
The Playlists
Much of Chapter 11 surrounds the business of rhythm & blues and soul music—particularly Stax and Atlantic Records—which is why I feature them prominently here. It’s also the catalog I know the best.
This is another far-from-comprehensive list, just some tracks I picked out as I thought about this chapter.
I’ve divvied up the songs into two, hour-long playlists, an overview of Atlantic and Stax’s rhythm and blues hits and a separate hour-long set of Otis Redding cuts.
I could’ve sliced this any number of ways, and your mileage may vary.
Spotify playlists
Youtube playlist
Liner Notes
While playlists are free for all, liner notes are reserved for paid subscribers.
Atlantic Records
Sticks McGhee & His Buddies “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” One of Atlantic’s first big hits, it entered the Billboard “Race Records” chart in May 1949 and remained a hit when Billboard changed the chart’s name to “Rhythm & Blues” in its July 2, 1949 issue.5
Ruth Brown “So Long” and “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean” Brown was a stalwart of Atlantic’s roster. This gives two sides of her—a torch song and a blues stomper. (Susan Tedeschi covered “Mama” on Just Won’t Burn.)
Joe Morris Orchestra, Laurie Tate “Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere” #1 R&B for 4 weeks in 1951. Morris’s band was Atlantic’s unofficial house band, launching the careers of both Lowell Fulson and his musical director Ray Charles.
Ray Charles “I’ve Got a Woman” It’s impossible to overstate just how important Ray Charles is to the development of ALL of popular music, particularly rock & roll. “What’d I Say” should be on this list too, but I’ve included it twice already: Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Frankly, y’all should just check out The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years.
The Clovers “Don’t You Know I Love You” Another of Atlantic’s early hits. It hit #1 on the R&B charts in 1951.6
Jesse Stone. Musician, songwriter, producer, arranger Jesse Stone was one of the key architects of the early rock & roll sound and the only Black executive at Atlantic Records.
Jesse Stone 📷Musicians Local 627 and the Mutual Musicians Foundation: The Cradle of Kansas City Jazz The Drifters “Money Honey” Stone wrote this track, which topped the R&B charts for 11 weeks in 1953. Elvis covered it on his debut album.7
Big Joe Turner “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” Blues shouter Big Joe Turner first recorded this cut—which Stone penned under a pseudonym. It hit #1 R&B and #22 Pop in 1954. Pioneer rock & roller Bill Haley’s cover later that year hit #7, spending 22 weeks on the singles chart.
The Chords “Sh-Boom” Most folks know the Crew Cuts’ saccharine version. This is the original, which Stone arranged. Bask in its glory.
LaVern Baker “Tweedle Dee” I’ve always loved this track, a #14 pop (#4) R&B hit in 1954.
The Coasters “Yakety Yak” The post-WW2 baby boom was the first time teenagers had money to spend and their own music to spend it on. This cut, a #1 hit in 1958, doles out the punishment for failing to do chores, “You ain’t gonna rock & roll no more.” It features Duane’s future running buddy King Curtis on tenor saxophone.
Solomon Burke “Just Out of Reach (of My Two Empty Arms)” Burke’s first hit at Atlantic was with a song Faron Young took to the country top-10 in 1952.
Aretha Franklin Atlantic finally captured Aretha’s talent in the studio with I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. The title track was a top-10 hit, and Franklin’s cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect” hit #1.
“I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)” recorded at FAME in Muscle Shoals, the opening electric piano chords are iconic, and a pivotal moment in her recording career.
“Respect” Aretha owns this Otis Redding original. (That’s King Curtis on sax by the way.)
“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote this specifically for Franklin at Jerry Wexler’s request. It became one of her signature songs.
“Chain of Fools” Another massive hit for Aretha/Atlantic, #1 R&B and #2 Hot 100 in 1967. The backing band includes Jimmy Johnson (guitar) and Roger Hawkins (drums) of the Swampers.
Stax
Rufus and Carla Thomas “’Cause I Love You” this 1960 single on the Stax precursor label Satellite is what first drew Jerry Wexler’s attention to the Memphis studio and label.
Instrumentals I included both of these to give a sense of the prowess of the Memphis studio musicians.
The Mar-Keys “Last Night” a #3 hit in 1961 on Satellite records.
Booker T. and the MGs “Green Onions” one of the funkiest tracks recorded in this era. I can’t help but think Gregg was a bit inspired by Booker T. Jones’s B3 riffs, though I’ve never seen him mention it.
Eddie Floyd “Knock on Wood” a personal favorite this Stax classic features backing from Booker T. and the MGs and the Mar-Keys horns.8
Sam & Dave “Hold On, I’m Comin’” from the songwriting duo of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, inspired by a line Porter yelled out to Hayes as he was in the restroom (true story).
Wilson Pickett “Mustang Sally” A stone-cold classic by the “Wicked” Pickett, who had a string of hits with Atlantic in the late 60s.9
Otis Redding
I will write much more on Otis when the muse strikes, for now, I’ll offer a quote from Bill Graham’s memoir
There was an ultimate musician everyone wanted to see.
Everybody said, “This is the guy."
Otis. Otis Redding.
He was it.
When I talked to artists I respected—Paul Butterfield, Michael Bloomfield, Jerry Garcia—when I asked, “Who's your guy? Who is number one on your list?”—they all tell me it's Redding.
He played [the Fillmore in San Francisco] in December 1966.10
By far, Otis Redding was the single most extraordinary talent I had ever seen. There was no comparison.
Exhibit A
The Stax Classics pick was an easy one to give an overview of his recording career. The live set is a sentimental favorite: D.A. Pennebacker’s footage of Otis mesmerizing the crowd at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
Thanks for reading y’all.
This was a complex, somewhat paternal relationship that eventually soured.
For whatever reason, the ABB’s self-titled debut and Idlewild South, its first two records, were issued on Atlantic and not Capricorn. At Fillmore East was the first ABB album to carry a Capricorn label.
Walden had learned the move from Wexler, who pulled a similar stunt on Jim Stewart at Stax in 1967.
Wexler, then at Billboard, claims responsibility for making the change.
This analysis does way more justice to this track than I ever could: The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Song by Song The Clovers: “Don’t You Know I Love You.”
I was today years old when I learned .38 Special recorded it in 1979.
Including “Hey Jude” with Duane. See: Playlist Chapter 6 and A Day in the Life.
Jaimoe was in Redding’s band from April through September 1966. He joined the band a week after Otis recorded Live at the Whiskey A-Go-Go.