Kelso Herston
April 23, 1931 - December 4, 2018
1997 Inductee
Kelso Herston, a Florence native with over forty successful years in the music industry, is the known as the "Music Man"; playing on sessions for over two hundred different artists, producing over fifty top recording artists, publishing over one hundred songs and being responsible for over five thousand nationally acclaimed jingles.
In 1956, Herston joined with James Joiner and Walter Stovall to establish Tune Records & Publishing in Florence, Alabama. Numerous musicians, writers and singers who went on to national fame got their start at Tune, among them, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, Norbert Putnam, David Briggs, and Jerry Carrigan.
Kelso moved to Nashville and with a reputation as an outstanding guitar player, quickly became one of the top session players. His publishing and production talents were also in demand. He represented Sam Phillips' and Shelby Singleton's publishing, before being tapped by United Artists to open their first Nashville office and serve as Vice President. By the mid 60's he was heading up Capitol Records and established them as the leader in the country music industry. Kelso became Music Director for the CBS television show "Hee Haw", which became a top 10 sensation. Throughout his career, Kelso was responsible for producing some of country music's legendary artists including Sonny James, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, George Jones, The Oak Ridge Boys and many others.
In 1971, Kelso started a full-time jingle business. It soon became one of the largest and most sought after music suppliers, providing commercials for some of the largest companies in America. Kelso has received over fifty Diamond and Clio awards for his outstanding jingles.
Kelso Herston is the 1997 recipient of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Life Work Award for Non-Performing Achievement., a Florence native with over forty successful years in the music industry, is the consummate "Music Man"; playing on sessions for over two hundred different artists, producing over fifty top recording artists, publishing over one hundred songs and being responsible for over five thousand nationally acclaimed jingles.
