Ken Nelson (United States record producer)

Ken Nelson ( born January 19, 1911 Caledonia, Minnesota, † January 6, 2008 in Somis, California ) was an American record producer in the field of country music.

Life

Childhood and youth

Nelson's childhood, which he spent in a Chicago orphanage, coincided with the development of radio. 1925 he joined at the age of 14 years for the first time as a singer on the radio and played in the coming years in various bands. In 1935 he was hired by radio station WAAF in Chicago as an announcer. During the world economic crisis, the record industry was having trouble, but the radio business grew. Chicago was next to New York City is the second largest radio market, and Nelson was known as an announcer and presenter slowly. New York was at that time the most important radio market for country music.

Nelson subsequently moved to the transmitter WJJD (now wyll ), where he was music director soon, and then to WIND, where he developed the program "The Suppertime Frolic ," which achieved high audience rates and there a top ranking soon. With the success he also developed in the period following additional program in the field of hillbilly music. One of his guests was the former aspiring musicians " Rhubarb Red", which was actually a pen name of Les Paul.

Career

Through his former bandmates Lee Nelson Gilette in 1946 to California. Gilette worked for the newly founded record label Capitol Records in Hollywood at A & R. Through him, Nelson got a job in 1948 in the transmission department, were prepared in radio for records. Together with Gilette and Cliffie Stone, he founded the company " Central Songs". Stone was at this time both of the chief executive of Capitol Records as well as a radio producer, by the graduating a large number of emerging talents a contract with Capitol Records. 1951 Nelson was also placed in the A & R department for Country and Western. He took over the post of Manager Gilette, who has been transferred into the pop department.

Over the next 20 years, Nelson was employed there. He discovered and produced talents such as Jean Shepard, Roy Clark and Buck Owens and Wanda Jackson. Two of his greatest discoveries were Sonny James and Gene Vincent. Also, Ferlin Husky and Merle Haggard were promoted and published by Nelson. Brian Wilson was mediated by him to the producer Nick Venet, so that The Beach Boys were able to continue her career with Capitol. His other clients included Merle Travis, Hank Thompson, Glen Campbell and Tennessee Ernie Ford In addition to these artists, he produced the parodist and comedian Stan Freberg.

1971 Ken Nelson resigned as head of A & R department in the field of country music. Even after his time at Capitol produced Nelson, among others, Merle Haggard, until he retired in 1976. 2001 Nelson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Nelson co-founded the "West Coast Music Publishing Company - Central Songs" and also involved in the formation and development of the Country Music Association.

At the age of 93 years he wrote his autobiography "My First 90 Years Plus 3 " which was released in March 2007. Ken Nelson died in January 2008 at the age of 96 years.