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After first studying music, Livingston obtained his degree in business and economics. After brief stints in advertising and in the army, Livingston combined music and business and went to work with Capitol Records in Hollywood. One of projects Livingston worked on was a "talking book" series for children, and decided in 1946 he needed to create a character to do the reading. The character he invented for the series: "Bozo the Clown". The Bozo character was so popular that Capitol and Livingston teamed up to license rights to the newly emerging medium of the day -- television. Many stations bought into the franchise, and Larry Harmon, one of the actors Livingston hired to play the clown, bought out the rights. That wasn't quite the highlight of Livingston's career, however: in the early 1960s, Capitol passed on a new boy band, but Livingston decided to take another look. Despite negative reviews by industry experts, he signed the group in 1963 -- the Beatles, leading to "Beatlemania" when he brought them to the U.S. to tour in 1964. Other acts he signed included the Beach Boys, Steve Miller, and The Band. "He had great taste and judgment, as far as musical talent, and as an executive," said Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. "He was always very mentoring, very supportive." Livingston rose to Capitol's president and then Chairman before leaving to form his own company, which he later sold to United Artists. He died March 13 at 91.
From This is True for 15 March 2009
Suggestions for further reading:
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