Alan W. Livingston
| Alan W. Livingston | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Alan Wendell Levison October 15, 1917 McDonald, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 2009 (aged 91) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Education | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Music executive |
| Spouse(s) |
Betty Hutton (m. 1955-60) Nancy Olson Livingston (1962–2009; his death; 1 child) |
Betty Hutton (m. 1955-60)
Alan Wendell Livingston (born Alan Wendell Levison; October 15, 1917 – March 13, 2009) was an American businessman best known for his tenures at Capitol Records, first as a writer/producer best known for creating Bozo the Clown for a series of record-album and illustrative read-along children's book sets. He was credited with signing The Beatles but that was actually George Martin of EMI (England, which owned Capitol) In fact, Livingston turned down the first few Beatles releases. In-between, as Vice-President in charge of Programming at NBC, in 1959 he oversaw the development and launch of the network's most successful television series, Bonanza.
Livingston was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of McDonald, Pennsylvania on October 15, 1917. He was the youngest of three children, whose mother encouraged reading books and playing musical instruments. He had an older sister, Vera, and an older brother, Jay Livingston (1915–2001), who wrote or co-wrote many popular songs for films and television, including "Buttons and Bows", "Mona Lisa", "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)", as well as the popular Christmas song "Silver Bells".
Alan Livingston began his career in the entertainment business leading his own college orchestra as a student at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce with a B.S. in Economics, he moved to New York where he worked in advertising for three years. At the start of World War II, he enlisted in the army as a private and served as a second lieutenant in the infantry. After his discharge, he borrowed some money, hitched a ride on an Army plane and headed for Los Angeles, California where he obtained his first position with Capitol Records, Inc. in Hollywood as a writer/producer.
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