07 LC
34 1063
Senate
Resolution 301
By:
Senators Brown of the 26th, Staton of the 18th and Mullis of the 53rd
ADOPTED
SENATE
A
RESOLUTION
Dedicating
the Phil Walden Memorial Interchange; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
impresario, music pioneer, and savvy businessman Phil Walden nurtured and gave
voice to hundreds of musicians who contributed to shaping America´s music
history, from Southern rock to rhythm and blues to alternative rock;
and
WHEREAS,
born in Greenville, South Carolina, on January 11, 1940, the second of three
sons to Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Walden, Phil Walden came to Macon, Georgia, at the age
of three, planting his roots deep in this state´s red clay;
and
WHEREAS,
after graduating from Lanier High School in 1958, Phil Walden enrolled at Mercer
University, and while a student, the charismatic and determined teen began his
legendary career in the music industry by booking emerging bands for fraternity
parties around Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
in 1960, he opened the Phil Walden Artists and Promotions agency on Mulberry
Street in Macon, signing on a young Georgia artist named Otis Redding, who later
had one of the defining songs of the era, "(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay";
and
WHEREAS,
a 1962 graduate of Mercer University, Phil Walden served his country with honor,
completing a tour of duty with the Adjutant General Corp of the United States
Army, where he rose to the rank of 1st Lieutenant; and
WHEREAS,
over more than four decades, Phil Walden, through his Georgia based recording
companies Capricorn Records and Velocette Records, represented and produced some
of the hottest musical talent of the times, including renowned hit-makers Sam
and Dave, Percy Sledge, the Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band, the
Dixie Dregs, Elvin Bishop, Wet Willie, Widespread Panic, Cake, and 311,
establishing Georgia as a haven for Southern music that draws both musicians and
music fans from around the world to Macon and Atlanta; and
WHEREAS,
through his friendships with and promotion of artists of diverse races, Phil
Walden broke down racial barriers during a time of segregation, allowing music
to become a common ground for understanding and relationship building that has
spanned generations of music fans, for which he was recognized with the 1977
Martin Luther King, Jr., Humanitarian Award and the 1978 American Jewish
Committee Human Relations Award; and
WHEREAS,
the benefit concerts he planned for Georgia presidential candidate Jimmy Carter
are still talked about and played a significant role in Carter´s successful
campaign; and
WHEREAS,
Phil Walden was a dedicated citizen, providing leadership and support to civic
causes for the betterment of life in Macon and Georgia, including having served
as campaign chairman of the Macon Muscular Dystrophy Association, chairman of
the Macon Heritage Foundation, member of the In-Town Macon Neighborhood
Association, board member of the Brandywine Conservancy, and trustee of the
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the Atlanta Preservation Center;
and
WHEREAS,
with his lifelong passion for music, his uncanny ability to recognize talent,
and his gift for promotion, Phil Walden made an indelible mark on music history
and was a true son of the South in preserving the notes and voices of some of
Georgia´s best artists, which led to him being inducted into the Georgia
Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and to being named one of the "100 Georgians to Shape
the 20th Century" by
Georgia
Trend magazine in 2000.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the
interchange at I 16 and SR 41 at the Otis Redding Bridge be dedicated as the
Phil Walden Memorial Interchange, and that the Department of Transportation is
authorized and directed to place and maintain appropriate markers dedicating the
Phil Walden Memorial Interchange.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit appropriate copies of this resolution to the family of Phil Walden
and to the Department of Transportation.