Man Who Signed Beatles Dies at 91
Alan W. Livingston (pictured) passed away on Friday in his Beverly Hills home. He was 91. Mr. Livingston will be remembered for his role in bringing about some of the seminal moments in American culture during the middle of the century. In 1946, as a new hire for Capitol records, he invented, wrote, and produced a series of children’s albums whose key character, Bozo The Clown (also pictured), would become a beloved television icon. Mr. Livingston’s greatest contribution was to bring a little known British pop band to the United States eager ear; The Beatles. After Capitol had turned down the band’s pleas for American exposure three times, Mr. Livingston, as President of Capitol records, received a call from Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, who insisted Livingston listen to the song and then decide. The song was “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. The rest, as they say, is history. During a break from Capitol records from 1955-1960, working for NBC Studios, Livingston came up with an idea for a television show about a man and his three sons on a ranch in Nevada. The show became “Bonanza” which ran 430 episodes. Mr. Livingston’s contributions to entertainment are so numerous and famous that one wonders why his name isn’t etched in entertainment stone among legends like Ed Sullivan, Howard Hughes, and others who’ve left their mark so indelibly. Read More.
