JULY 12

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
1938 - Bill Cosby, comedian, television and movie actor, producer, and Capitol Records artist, is born William Henry Cosby, Jr. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1951 - Cheryl Ladd, actress, singer and Capitol Records artist (solo and vocalist with Josie & The Pussycats) is born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor in Huron, South Dakota

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, John Anderson, Ken Hanna on trumpets, Kai Winding, Miff Sines, Milt Kabak on trombones, Bart Varsalona on bass trombone, Al Anthony and Boots Mussulli on alto saxophone, Vido Musso and Bob Cooper on tenor saxophone, Bob Gioga on baritone saxophone, Kenton on piano, Bob Ahern on guitar, Eddie Safranski on bass, Shelly Manne on drums, and June Christy on vocals) record the tracks "AIN'T NO MISERY IN ME" with vocals by Christy and solos by Winding on trombone and Mussulli on alto saxophone, "ARTISTRY IN PERCUSSION" with solos by Manne on drums and Winding on trombone, "SAFRANSRI (ARTISTRY IN BASS)" with solos by Safranski on bass and Kenton on piano, "ARTISTRY IN BOLERO" with solos by Safranski on bass, Kenton on piano, Musso on tenor saxophone and Winding on trombone, at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles, California with producer Lee Gillette
1962 - Bobby Darin signs a three-year contract with Capitol Records
1965 - Brian Wilson records an instrumental backing track with a rough lead vocal for the song that will become "Sloop John B" at Western Recorders in Hollywood, California
1979 - Minnie Ripperton, singer with a five octave range and a Capitol Records artist (1976-1979), dies at approximately 10:00 AM of breast cancer at age 31 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles, California with her husband, Richard Rudolph, by her side
2003 - Benny Carter, composer, band leader, trombonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, alto saxophonist, and Capitol Records artist, dies at age 96 of possible broncitis at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California. There is a nice biographical article on Jazz Beat's site by Floyd Levin.
2005 - Billboard Radio Monitor reports that Joanna Carter has been promoted to senior director of creative services at Capitol Records Nashville
2006 - It is reported this day that Syd Barrett, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of Pink Floyd, had died "peacefully a couple of days ago", either from complications of diabetes or of cancer, at his home in Cambridgeshire, England at age 60

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1962 - The Rolling Stones give their first performance at the Marquee Club in London, England. At the time, the group consisted of singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards, Brian Jones and Dick Taylor, pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Mick Avory. The Rolling Stones catalog is now distributed by Virgin Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records.
1972 - Drummer Elvin Jones, with David Liebman and Steve Grossman on tenor saxophones), and Gene Perla on bass, record the track "New Breed" for Jones' Blue Note Records album "Mr. Jones" with producer George Butler and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at The Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Capitol Records currently owns the Blue Note Records catalog.