ATLANTA - Phil Walden, the Capricorn Records founder who launched the careers of artists including Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band, has died after a long battle with cancer, a family friend said Monday. He was 66.

Walden died at his Atlanta home late Sunday, said Leon Jones, law partner of Walden's son, Philip Walden Jr.

The Macon, Ga.-based record label was influential in creating the Southern rock sound of the 1970s.

Walden promoted groups including the Charlie Daniels Band and Wet Willie over a career that spanned more than three decades.