Alan Walden obit

Macon music manager, Capricorn Records co-founder Alan Walden dies at 83

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MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Longtime Macon music manager, booking agent and publisher Alan Walden has died at the age of 83.

Walden died Thursday morning while in hospice care as a result of an illness, his wife, Tosha Walden, confirmed that afternoon.

Walden helped put Macon and numerous musicians on the map in the music industry, signing dozens of artists. Over the years, Walden managed careers for Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Outlaws and early on, Otis Redding.

During those years, Walden and Redding worked closely together, forming a friendship.

“Otis Redding became my best friend in life, and when we moved to Round Oak, Georgia, I moved right next to him,” Walden shared with WGXA News during a 2021 interview while reflecting on his life up to the release of his memoir, "Southern Man: Music and Mayhem in the American South."

Walden opened Redwal Music with his brother Phil Walden and the great Otis Redding in 1965, publishing hit songs like "Respect", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Sweet Soul Music", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". He also co-founded Capricorn Records with his brother and later formed Hustler's Inc., a management and publishing company.

Walden started Redwal Music alongside his brother, Phil Walden. Redwal was one of the first integrated music publishing companies in the South, representing and publishing R&B and soul artists such as Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, Johnny Taylor and Etta James.

“I had 55 African American recording artists. Black artists were treated unfairly, and my brother and I brought a lot of respect to those artists, to that industry,” Walden told WGXA News in 2021.

Following Otis Redding’s death, the Walden brothers shifted from R&B music management. Their new focus centered on developing a record label and studio. They would go on to co-found Capricorn Records, known for developing the southern rock genre with acts such as the Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie and many others.

Walden went on to manage many artists through his management and publishing company, Hustler’s Inc., often searching for the right talent to represent.

Walden is survived by his wife, Tosha, his daughters, Jessica and Georgeanna, his son, Roger "Christian," a grandson and several nieces and nephews.

He worked with musical acts including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, Johnnie Taylor, Clarence Carter, Arthur Conley, Al Green, Joe Tex, Z. Z. Hill, Candi Staton, Albert King, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Etta James, Boz Scaggs, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Outlaws, and September Hase. He opened Redwal Music with his brother Phil Walden in 1965, publishing hit songs like "Respect", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Sweet Soul Music", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". He also co-founded Capricorn Records with his brother and later went on to form Hustler's Inc., a management and publishing company.