DOELP IS ON THE WAY AT CRG

That’s McL. as in pickle.

The man with the truncated middle name, John McL. Doelp "Me If You Can, I’m Feeling Down," has been named Senior Vice President of A&R Operations for the Columbia Records Group by label President Will "Power" Botwin.

Doelp was previously President of Crescent Moon Records, Sr. VP Business Development for Sony Music Entertainment and Leader of the World’s Longest Intra-Office Conga Line. Based in New York, Doelp will report to Botwin.

Doelp will prove administrative oversight for every aspect of Columbia’s A&R operations, including budgeting, scheduling, securing producers and facilities, interfacing with the songwriting community and cutting down on paper-clip usage. He will also play a major role in overseeing A&R for specific key artists and projects, offering overall creative input and guidance for the department and ordering pizza for recording sessions.

Commented Botwin: "With his broad-based A&R experience and ability, John is an invaluable addition to the Columbia team. He has a practical approach to the nuts-and-bolts of the business, an intuitive understanding of artists’ needs, an absolute passion for music and the most impressive collection of French postcards you’ve ever seen. And Rene Angeli tells me he’s an easy mark at baccarat."

Added Doelp: "I want to thank Don Ienner and Will for giving me the opportunity to work with Columbia’s incredible staff and unparalleled roster of artists. It sure beats handing clean towels to Emilio Estefan all day."

Doelp joined then-CBS Records in 1985 as Manager Financial Planning, before rising to VP A&R for Epic Associated Records, beginning a decade-long association with Celine Dion as Co-Executive Producer of seven of her albums. He became VP Marketing, then Sr. VP Marketing for Epic in 1993 before being named Exec. VP of 550 Music, then adding GM stripes in 1997.