THE FIFTH HORSEMAN

One look at Michael Alago in the 1980s and chancesare you might not take him for the executive type. Brimming with enthusiasm and energy, the uncannily youthful-looking Alago would become a major-label A&R executive at age 24 and was responsible for signing one of the biggest rock acts of all time: Metallica. Alago would go on to work with some of the most iconic names in music, including Nina Simone, John Lydon, Cyndi Lauper, and the Misfits. But like they always say, you never forget your first. And now, in his own words, the story of how Michael Alago signed Metallica to Elektra Records.