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Brown Moore Meggs (October 20, 1930October 8, 1997) was an American writer and music executive with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
. Meggs is known for signing
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
to their first distribution contract in the United States. He started the
music magazine A music magazine is a magazine dedicated to music and culture in music cognition, music culture. Such magazines typically include music news, interviews, photo shoots, essays, record reviews, concert reviews and occasionally have a covermount with ...
'' TeenSet'' for Capitol in 1964, and founded Seraphim Records, a bargain label for classical music. After serving Capitol as chief operating officer for two years, he resigned in 1976 to concentrate on his writing. Capitol enticed him back in 1984 as the president of Angel Records; he revived the label for the digital age. As a writer, he won Best Documentary from the Cowboy Hall of Fame for the 1962 documentary film ''Appaloosa'', and he was nominated for the
Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...
for his
mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...
''Saturday Games'' (1974).


Early life and career

Meggs was born in Los Angeles to Canadian-born painter and art director Charles Winfield Meggs and Margarette Brown Meggs. The Meggs line was originally English, settling along the
Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
. His maternal ancestry was from Dutch immigrants to America who helped build the
Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
. His maternal grandparents were F. L. Moore of Los Angeles and Edward George Brown of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. His paternal grandfather was William E. Meggs of Gananoque, Ontario, Canada. Meggs had three younger sisters: Toby Winfield Meggs, Margarette "Peggy" Brown Meggs and Victoria "Vicky" McLaughlin Meggs. Meggs' father took film scripts home from
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
to evaluate them with regard to art direction, and Meggs eagerly read the scripts, preferring them to books. He wanted to be a scriptwriter, though he also played
French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...
and loved classical music. He attended two private schools: first Black-Foxe Military Institute in Hollywood, then St. Luke's in Connecticut. He took college courses at
California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...
and
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, graduating in English. During the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
he served with the U.S. Army in counterintelligence, stationed for a year in Japan. After the war, Meggs lived in Laguna Beach, writing freelance for magazines. Meggs married Vassar-educated Boston socialite Nancy Bates Meachen on June 16, 1954, in the
Old South Church Old South Church (also known as New Old South Church or Third Church), is a historic United Church of Christ congregation in Boston, Massachusetts, first organized in 1669. Its present building at 645 Boylston Street was designed in the Gothic R ...
of Boston, with a reception at the Algonquin Club; they took a road trip across the continent for their honeymoon, to make their home in Pasadena. They moved to Detroit by 1956 so Meggs could write industrial film scripts for the Jam Handy Organization. The couple had one son there, Brook Meachen Meggs, born on October 9, 1956.


Capitol Records

Meggs joined
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, a subsidiary of
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...
, in September 1958 as a manager of merchandising and promotion at the Los Angeles
Capitol Records Building The Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, is a 13-story tower building in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Designed by Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket Associates, it is one of t ...
. In 1959 he was director of public relations, handling Capitol artists, and also EMI artists visiting from the UK. In March 1962, Capitol moved Meggs to New York City, and nine months later he rose to the position of director of operations for the U.S. East Coast, coordinating with his West Coast counterpart, Fred Martin. His preference for music was in the opera and classical genres, and he reorganized Angel Records, Capitol's classical imprint, for better profitability. Meggs signed an agreement between Angel and the Soviet label Melodiya, which allowed Angel to sell recordings of Soviet artists such as pianist
Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time,Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his interpreta ...
and conductor
Kirill Kondrashin Kirill Petrovich Kondrashin (; – 7 March 1981) was a Soviet and Russian conductor. People's Artist of the USSR (1972). Early life Kondrashin was born in Moscow to a family of orchestral musicians. Having spent many hours at rehearsals, he ma ...
. In early November 1963, Meggs met with Beatles manager
Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...
, who played him a demo copy of the single, "
I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Recorded on 17 October 1963 and released on 29 November 1963 in the United Kingdom, it was the first Beatles recor ...
", recorded a few weeks earlier in London. Epstein had previously attempted to get
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
signed by Capitol, but the songs " Love Me Do" and "
She Loves You "She Loves You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released as a single in the United Kingdom on 23 August 1963. The single set and surpassed several sales records in the United Kingdom c ...
" were not considered good enough by Capitol's Dave Dexter Jr., in charge of reviewing "foreign" recordings. Meanwhile, Beatles contract holder EMI had been insisting to Capitol head Alan W. Livingston that he accept the band's next song. With this pressure in mind, Meggs listened to the intentional American gospel elements of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and predicted mass appeal; he immediately signed the Beatles to a major distribution deal. He promised Epstein that Capitol would mount a $40,000 promotional campaign in the states. Meggs discovered in early December that the UK single had amassed one million advance orders before it was released there on November 29. This meant that Capitol could expect much larger sales for their scheduled January 13 release. Capitol was faced with a new problem on December 17: a British copy of the single had been flown over the Atlantic to deejay Carroll James of
WWDC The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is an information technology conference held annually by Apple Inc. The conference is currently held at Apple Park in California. The event is used to showcase new software and technologies in the macO ...
in Maryland (serving Washington D.C.) who started broadcasting the song, stimulating demand. Other radio stations followed suit, obtaining their own copies by jet airliner. Capitol scrambled to advance the song's release date from January 13 to December 26, and to change the planned pressing from 200,000 to one million. Meggs hatched an unusual marketing idea: cover the country with warnings that "The Beatles Are Coming!", recalling
Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...
's notional shout, "The British are coming!" In late December, Capitol paid for a small advertisement in ''Billboard'' magazine with the words "The Beatles Are Coming!" and a black mop-top haircut. Mop-top wigs were given to Capitol staff to wear. In early January 1964, the label distributed many thousands of stickers carrying the slogan "The Beatles Are Coming!" and four mop-top silhouettes in reddish ink, given free to retail sales staff, radio station staff, high school students; anybody who would plaster them around their area. By February 1, 1964, the song reached number 1 in the US, one week before the Beatles appeared on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
''.
Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles from 1963 to 1966. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom in late 1963, propelled by the singles " Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and " She Loves Yo ...
had arrived in America. Music journalist
Fred Bronson Fredric M. "Fred" Bronson (born January 10, 1949) is an American journalist, author and writer. He is the author of books related to number one songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and other books related to various music charts as well. He ...
wrote retrospectively about "I Want to Hold Your Hand", saying, "Next to '
Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was reco ...
', it is the most significant single of the rock era, permanently changing the course of music." Meggs and Fred Martin arranged the Beatles' transportation, lodging, security and schedule in February 1964 during their first visit to New York City and Miami. On the way to
John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...
to greet the band, Meggs studied the cover of the recently released album ''
Meet the Beatles! ''Meet the Beatles!'' is a studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released as their second album in the United States. It was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records, on 20 January 1964 in both Monaural, mono ...
'' upon which his secretary, Stacy Caraviotis, had pasted the name of each band member under the proper photograph, so that Meggs could recognize and address the Beatles by name. Meggs rode in the limousine with the Beatles, and accompanied them to press conferences. Meggs and
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
got on well together; in 1974 McCartney's Black Lab bore a litter of seven mixed-breed puppies, and he named one Brown Meggs. Meggs took the Beatles melody of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and composed a French horn solo piece titled "Variations on 'Komm, gib mir deine Hand'", which he performed in the classical style in a New York concert."Happy Occasion", ''Music Business'', IX (2), p. 30. August 15, 1964. Meggs conceived the idea of promoting Capitol artist
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
by way of a fan club magazine. He began the project in March 1964, announcing the fan club formation, and in October 1964 the first issue of ''The Teen Set'' magazine was provided as a free insert to the live album ''
Beach Boys Concert ''Beach Boys Concert'' is the first live album by the American rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, released on October 19, 1964. It is their seventh album in all, and their third alone in the same year. It was their first of two chart-topping ...
''. Meggs was the chief editor. Helping Meggs get the right mix was veteran teen magazine journalist and photographer Earl Leaf, serving as guest editor. Issue number two was published in March 1965, printed in a huge run of 500,000. Meggs told ''Billboard'' magazine that it was "the largest teen-oriented advertising-merchandising campaign in the history of CRDC apitol Records Distribution Company" The first issue had been devoted to the Beach Boys exclusively, but the second issue also carried stories about Capitol artists Donna Loren,
Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell (), was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. ...
, Peter & Gordon and the Beatles. By November 1965, Meggs had replaced himself as editor with 25-year-old Judith Sims, who understood her readership and took ''TeenSet'' into new territory, forming it into one of the best teen magazines of the 1960s. Capitol promoted Meggs to vice president of CRDC in 1964, in charge of merchandising, advertising and public relations, returning to the Hollywood offices, where he started on August 1. Meggs was one of three vice presidents of CRDC, reporting to President Stan Gortikov. Meggs immediately canceled Capitol's two conflicting contracts for advertising agencies, split between east and west coast rivalries, and hired Foote, Cone & Belding to cover all of Capitol's advertising needs. Meggs founded Seraphim Records in September 1966, to promote high-quality recordings of classical music, sold at bargain prices. Seraphim remastered and re-issued classic recordings by famous artists of EMI such as composer-conductor
Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...
and pianist Myra Hess. Seraphim also drew from unsold stock of other labels, primarily Angel Records, to give the titles another chance at a lower price. Meggs used the slogan, "Champagne at beer prices." In 1967, Meggs hired graphic artist
John Van Hamersveld John Van Hamersveld (born September 1, 1941, Baltimore, Maryland, United States) is an Americans, American graphic artist and illustrator who designed record jackets for pop and psychedelic bands from the 1960s onward. Among the 300 albums are the ...
on the strength of his artwork for the surfer film poster ''
The Endless Summer ''The Endless Summer'' is a 1966 American surf movie, surf documentary film directed, produced, edited and narrated by Bruce Brown (director), Bruce Brown. The film follows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August on a surfing trip around the wor ...
''. Hamersveld recalled that the first thing Meggs said to him was, "You are going to take this job and you can't turn it down." Meggs made Hamersveld his personal art director for Capitol; in that role Hamersveld created the covers for the Beatles' '' Magical Mystery Tour'',
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
' '' Exile on Main St.'', '' Skeletons from the Closet: The Best of Grateful Dead'' and many more. In 1971, Meggs was promoted to worldwide marketing while still covering his old responsibilities in classical. He streamlined the sales side by cutting away one layer of management, removing four division manager positions. Capitol promoted him to chief operating officer in 1974, reporting to CEO Bhaskar Menon. In July 1976, Meggs resigned as COO of Capitol. He said, "It occurred to me that I didn't like to go to my office in the morning... I realized there were other things I wanted to do." His writing career had been secondary, and now he wanted to make it primary. He explained, "I've seen so many people come to bad ends staying with a career. If you do have personal goals and you're not moving toward them at an acceptable rate, there's no substitute for taking the gamble." Capitol appealed to Meggs in 1984, asking him to return and focus solely on the classical side – his favorite aspect. He accepted the position of president of Angel Records, with more autonomy as a separate division of Capitol. Meggs revived the label by reissuing its titles on Compact Disc. He also reworked Seraphim Records by stopping all vinyl pressings, the bargain titles released only on
Compact Cassette The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens and his team at the Dutch company ...
. Mid-priced lines were to be released on cassette and CD. Meggs left Capitol for the last time in 1990 after his wife was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
. During his years at Capitol Records, Meggs worked most closely with pop artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys,
the Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...
,
Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on ra ...
,
Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in Flint, Michigan, in 1969 by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Don Brewer (drums, vocals) and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved pea ...
,
Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles ...
,
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...
,
Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is an American retired singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in the United States to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 ...
, and Leo Kottke. Despite his skill in the pop world, he preferred classical and opera music. Brook Meggs said in 1997 that his father liked the music of
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
and
Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
well enough, "and he certainly recognized the Beatles' talent. But from the time he was a kid, classical music was it for him."


Author

Meggs wrote several non-fiction articles for magazines such as ''Esquire'', ''True'', and ''
McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly United States, American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. The publication ...
''. In 1958, Meggs published an article about English race car driver Richard Seaman who drove for
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
. Seaman won the 1938 German Grand Prix but crashed and died the next year. Meggs' account appeared in the book ''Omnibus of Speed''; a collection of short biographical pieces on race car drivers. Sponsored by the Appaloosa Horse Club of Moscow, Idaho, Meggs wrote the script for the documentary film ''Appaloosa'', narrated by television actor Dale Robertson, and shot in Idaho in 1961. Meggs co-directed the 30-minute color film with producer Fred Rice. It was named the best documentary in 1962 by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center. The filmmakers each received a bronze statuette representing the Charles M. Russell painting ''Wrangler''. Meggs' 1974 book ''Saturday Games'' was nominated for the
Edgar Allan Poe Awards The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor ...
in the category of Best First Novel, which was won in 1975 by
Gregory Mcdonald Gregory Mcdonald (February 15, 1937 – September 7, 2008) was an American writer best known for his mystery adventures featuring investigative reporter Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher. Two of the Fletch books earned Edgar Awards from the Myste ...
for ''Fletch''. ''Saturday Games'' was a crime mystery: its plot had three bachelor playboys implicated in the death of a free-spirited woman they had all known, and a police detective trying to find the truth. Meggs had first submitted the book to mystery editor Barbara Norville of Bobbs-Merrill Company, but she returned the manuscript with suggestions for improvement. Meggs reworked the book and published through Random House for more money. His 1978 novel ''Aria'' revealed the inner workings of the classical record company in their struggle to produce a recording of
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...
's ''
Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...
''. ''The New York Times'' called it "required reading" for anyone contemplating the record industry. The story is based in part on the debacle of
Maria Callas Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised ...
attempting to record '' La traviata'' for EMI for more than a decade, the project finally canceling after
Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; , ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975) was a Greek and Argentine business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was marri ...
stopped funding it in 1968 when he left Callas for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. In 1981, Meggs wrote a historic novel, ''The War Train'', about American soldiers enduring a hellish train ride in March 1916 to Hachita, New Mexico, intending to cross the border and fight
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
in Mexico. Meggs took the kernel of the story from tales told by his step-grandfather who had been on the train. By studying microfilm records of the cavalry unit, Meggs confirmed the facts of the narrative. A film based on the book was being considered by Mace Neufeld, but the project was ultimately dropped. The ''Detroit Free Press'' reviewed ''The War Train'' positively except for the mistake of positioning
Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...
as shortstop rather than outfielder. In 1986, Meggs wrote '' Two Fathers' Justice'', a television drama film about two fathers reacting to the deaths of their son and daughter, and seeking justice. Meggs co-wrote the sequel, '' Two Fathers: Justice for the Innocent'' (1994).


Personal life

In 1959 or 1960, Meggs' parents moved to
Grass Valley, California Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 14,016. Situated at roughly in elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this norther ...
, where his mother served on the city council. She ran for state senator in 1964 as the "fighting grandma" or "battling grandmother" candidate but lost to Paul J. Lunardi. Meggs played French horn from his school days. In 1964, he obtained a rare French horn from master builder Herbert Fritz Knopf, instrument maker in
Markneukirchen Markneukirchen () is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It lies in the Elster Mountains (part of the Fichtel Mountains), southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Aš (Czech Republic) ...
, Saxony,
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. Though Knopf was behind the
Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...
, Meggs' contacts with Melodiya helped convey the four-valve, B-flat instrument out from under Soviet Union control. Meggs first lived with his wife in
Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...
, then Detroit, returning to Greater Los Angeles, then New York City in 1962, moving to La Cañada, California, in July 1964. By 1976, the Meggs were back in Pasadena in the hills west of the
Rose Bowl Stadium The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium located in Pasadena, California, United States. Opened in October 1922, the stadium is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a California Historic Civil Engineering landmark. With a modern al ...
, in a home designed by and for architect Roland Logan Russell in 1961. The hexagonal-plan home, organized around a central atrium, has been featured as an outstanding example of
mid-century modern Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
architecture. It was listed for sale in 2017 at $3.3 million. Meggs' wife Nancy died in 1990 of
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
. He moved to an apartment in the
Russian Hill Russian Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is named after one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills". Location Russian Hill is directly to the north (and slightly downhill) from Nob Hill, to t ...
neighborhood of San Francisco where he died in 1997 from a brain hemorrhage. Their singer-songwriter son, Brook, lived in California, New York and Texas, but after his father died, he moved to
Sudbury, Massachusetts Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a colonial history. History Incorporated in 1639, the boundar ...
, where his mother had been raised. Much of the historic Meachen family property, of farmland known as the Meachen-Meggs parcel, was sold to the city in 1999 for $3.5 million to be held in public trust for conservation purposes. It is now called Poor Farm Meadows Conservation Land.Sudbury, Massachusetts: 1639–1999. 1999 Annual Town Report.


Writings

*1958 – "Seaman: The Daring Young Man on Mercedes-Benz", in
Charles Beaumont Charles Beaumont (born Charles Leroy Nutt; January 2, 1929 – February 21, 1967) was an American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres.Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, "Beaumont, Charles" ...
and William F. Nolan ''Omnibus of Speed'',
G.P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York (state), New York. Since 1996, it has been an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 part ...
*1962 – ''Appaloosa''. Color documentary film, 30 minutes. *1974 – ''Saturday Games''. Random House. *1975 – ''The Matter of Paradise: A Novel''. Random House. *1978 – ''Aria: A Novel''. Atheneum. *1981 – ''The War Train: A Novel of 1916''. Atheneum. *1986 – '' Two Fathers' Justice''. Television drama, 120 minutes. *1994 – '' Two Fathers: Justice for the Innocent''. Television drama, 91 minutes.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meggs, Brown 1930 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American classical musicians American classical horn players American historical novelists American male novelists American music industry executives Businesspeople from Los Angeles Businesspeople from New York City Capitol Records Crime novelists Harvard University alumni Military personnel from California Writers from Detroit Writers from Los Angeles Writers from New York City Writers from Pasadena, California 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers