Glenn Wallichs

Born August 9, 1910, Glenn Everett Wallichs was an American businessman best known as the owner of Wallichs Music City, an influential music store, and as cofounder and long-time president of Capitol Records, Inc.. In 1940, Mr. Wallichs opened Wallichs Music City, a first-of-its-kind store devoted entirely to selling all things music from LPs and 45s to concert tickets and sheet music. With its prime Hollywood location on the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street, Wallichs Music City quickly became a hub of the Los Angeles music scene. In 1942, Mr. Wallichs joined with Johnny Mercer and Buddy G. De Sylva to form Capitol Records, Inc., the first West Coast-based record label of note. As the company’s first president, Mr. Wallichs saw the label generate sales of over 40 million records in its first four years. He continued to lead the company through the 1946 purchase of the Scranton Record Company (which was the largest independent record pressing factory in the US), the company’s acquisition by Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. in 1955, and the building of its iconic tower (just a block and a half north of the original Wallichs Music City) in 1956. Mr. Wallichs died in Los Angeles on December 23, 1971.