Glenn E. Wallichs (1910–1971) was an American music executive, retailer, and recording-industry pioneer best known as a co-founder of Capitol Records. Born in Iowa, Wallichs moved to Los Angeles and became one of the city’s leading music retailers. In 1940, he opened Wallichs Music City at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street, which became one of Southern California’s largest and most influential music stores.
Wallichs believed that the West Coast needed a major record company of its own. In 1942, he worked with songwriter Johnny Mercer and film producer and songwriter Buddy DeSylva to establish a new record company. The company was initially incorporated as Liberty Records before changing its name to Capitol Records.
Wallichs brought considerable business and retail experience to Capitol and helped develop innovative methods of promoting records. Among his ideas was distributing free promotional copies to disc jockeys, helping increase radio exposure for Capitol releases. He remained a major figure in the company’s management as Capitol grew into one of America’s leading record labels.
Wallichs died in 1971. His contributions to Capitol helped establish Los Angeles as an important center of the American recording industry.
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[…] 1942, Mercer joined businessman Glenn E. Wallichs and songwriter and producer Buddy DeSylva to establish a new Los Angeles record company. The […]