David Axelrod

L.A. native David Axelrod was born on April 17, 1933, and after a stint as a boxer, found studio work in the film and television industry, where he was soon in high demand as a drummer, producer and arranger. He produced his first album in 1959 (saxophonist Harold Land's The Fox ) which was viewed at the time as a landmark record. In late 1963, he joined Capitol Records as a producer and A&R man and mainly worked with Lou Rawls and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, helping to create success for both of them. In 1967, Axelrod began working with a regular group of leading session musicians, most not…