A&R Legend John Kalodner Retires

John Kalodner, the long-haired, bearded A&R legend responsible for discovering, signing and working with a wide array of artists while working at Atlantic, Geffen, Columbia and most recently Sanctuary, has announced his retirement after 35 years in the business.

Kalodner started as a music writer for the Philadelphia Bulletin, and joined Atlantic’s publicity department in 1974, according to Billboard.biz. He quickly moved into the A&R department the next year, and signed Foreigner as one of his first bands.

While at Geffen, Kalodner is credited with reviving Aerosmith. Among the many other acts he worked with are Genesis, Phil Collins, Yes, AC/DC, Santana, Cher, Bon Jovi, XTC, Shawn Colvin, Peter Gabriel, Whitesnake and countless others.

Kalodner told Billboard.biz that he has no immediate future plans. “I didn’t want to announce the formation of a management company or a publishing company, just that I want to retire from the business I loved.” – From CelebrityAccess MediaWire