MAY 8

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1905 - "Red" Nichols, Cornetist, and Capitol Records recording artist in the '50s and '60s, is born Ernest Loring Nichols in Ogden, Utah
1940 - Rick Nelson is born Eric Hilliard Nelson in Teaneck, New Jersey

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1947 - Jean Stewart signs with Capitol Records
1947 - Wingy Malone and His Orchestra record an early version of the track "Box Car Blues" in Los Angeles. Wingy plays trumpet and shares vocals with Capitol Records co-founder Johnny Mercer. Also in on the session Charlie Griffard, Zeke Zarchy, Ray Linn (trumpets), Bill Schaefer, Allan Thompson, Carl Loeffler (trombones), Heinie Beau (clarinet), Fred Stulce, Leonard Hartman (alto saxophone), Herbie Haymer, Ted Nash (tenor saxophone), Moe Weschsler (piano), George Van Eps (guitar), Jack Ryan (bass), and Nick Fatool (drums). Another version will be recorded on May 23, 1947 with the same lineup and that version will be the one released (Capitol 442).
1947 - At the same session with Wingy, Johnny Mercer, The Pied Pipers and the Paul Weston Orchestra wil record the tracks "Tallahassee" and "Cecilia".
1948 - Nat "King" Cole's single "Nature Boy" hits #1 on Billboard's chart for the first of an 8 week stay
1959 - Frank Sinatra records the tracks "High Hopes" and "Love Looks So Well On You". Both tracks were arranged by Nelson Riddle. "High Hopes" would later be adapted to become John F. Kennedy's campaign song with Sinatra supplying the vocals to new lyrics.
1961 - Jean Shepard records the track "Two Voices Two Shadows Two Faces" at the Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee
1967 - LaVern Andrews of The Andrews Sisters, Capitol artists from 1956 to 1959, dies at age 55 of cancer in Brentwood, California and is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
1970 - The Beates' "Let It Be" soundtrack album is released
2001 - Paul McCartney's "Wingspan" album is released

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1943 - Toni Tennille, singer and wife of former keyboardist for The Beach Boys "Captain" Daryl Dragon who also was a Capitol artist with his band The Dragons, was born Cathryn Antoinette Tennille in Montgomery, Alabama
1963 - "Dr. No", the first James Bond film is released