Kenneth F. Nelson (January 19, 1911 – January 6, 2008) was an American

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

A & R Artists and repertoire (colloquially abbreviated to A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists (singers, instrumentalist ...

man for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

Early life

Born in

Caledonia, Minnesota Caledonia is a city and the county seat of Houston County, Minnesota, United States and is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,847 at the 2020 census. History Caledonia was platted in 1854–185 ...

, Nelson made his radio debut as a singer, at the age of 14, in 1925. and performed in various bands during his teen years, working with musician

Lee Gillette Leland James Gillette (October 30, 1912 – August 20, 1981), known professionally as Lee Gillette, was an American A&R director, record producer and musician. Biography Born in Indianapolis, Gillette was raised in Peoria, Illinois and t ...

several times.

Career

Nelson, who was in charge of the A&R division of Capitol Records and head of country music for many years, is credited for being one of the behind-the-scenes figures responsible for

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

's growth during the post-World War II era. During his many years with Capitol's division in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, he produced many of the genre's most notable and successful hits, by artists including Merle Travis,

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...

Ferlin Husky Ferlin Eugene Husky (December 3, 1925 – March 17, 2011) was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky-tonk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes. He had two dozen top-20 hit ...

Jean Shepard Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard (November 21, 1933 – September 25, 2016) was an American honky-tonk singer-songwriter who pioneered for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which ...

, Hank Thompson and the many Number 1 country hits known as the Bakersfield Sound by

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...

and The Strangers,

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for the Buckaroos, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 ...

Red Simpson Joe Cecil "Red" Simpson (March 6, 1934 – January 8, 2016) was an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his trucker -themed country songs. Biography Joe Cecil Simpson was born in 1934 in Higley, Arizona, and was raised ...

along with many others. Nelson was primarily involved with country music acts, although he was responsible for signing comedy star

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

, who was 25 at the time, with

. He produced nearly all of Freberg's comedy recordings during the 1950s, one of the most notable being " St. George and the Dragonet." According to an extensive chapter on Nelson,

Rich Kienzle Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling ** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...

's book ''Southwest Shuffle'' (Routledge, 2003) based on interviews with the producer, Nelson produced the first live album ever done by a country singer, Hank Thompson's ''Live at the Golden Nugget'' in 1961. Nelson was inducted into the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

in 2001. He died at his home in

Somis, California Somis (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Śo Mís'') is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Ventura County, California. It was established in 1892 by Thomas Bard and D.T. Perkins on a portion of the Rancho Las Posas Mexican land ...

, at the age of 96.

Notes

References

Ken Nelson
at

page.
Ken Nelson, Hall of Fame Member, Dies at 96
* Whiteside, Jonny (1998). "Ken Nelson". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 373–4.
Obituary in ''The Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Ken 1911 births 2008 deaths People from Caledonia, Minnesota Record producers from Minnesota Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Bakersfield sound Members of the Country Music Association