Alan W. Livingston

“I decided to combine my musical background, business education and creative abilities - and go into the record business.”

“My father was placid and easygoing. He owned a small shoe store where I helped out on Saturdays. I think he'd have been pleased if I'd made a career of working in the shoe store. But my mother was ambitious. She encouraged us to read books, and she pushed us toward a musical education.”

“I don't like to leave anything unfinished. I have an absolute need to see that every phone call is returned, every letter answered.”

“I've always been very attentive to detail. It's a characteristic that drives some people crazy. But on the other hand, when people around me are sloppy, that drives me crazy.”

“I read somewhere once that you could be whatever you wanted. As long as I could remember, I was determined to make my way in the big world. And that meant New York.”