OCTOBER 16, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1969 - Wendy Wilson, singer, daughter of the founder of the Capitol Records group The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson and Marilyn Wilson who was a member of the Capitol Records group The Honeys, younger sister of Carnie Wilson, member of SBK Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records) trio Wilson Phillips (with sister Carnie and Chynna Phillips), as well as the group The Wilsons (with Carnie and her father Brian), is born in Los Angeles, California. SBK's catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records. If anyone knows her middle name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1944 - Vocalist Jack Guthrie (cousin of Woody Guthrie) and his backing band, The Oklahomans (Porky Freedman on lead guitar, Red Murrell on rhythm guitar, Cliffie Stone on bass), and Billy Hughes on fiddle), have their first Capitol Records session recording the A-Side of their first single "Oklahoma Hills," the B-side "I'm Brandin My Darlin' With My Heart", and a cover of an Ernest Tubb number, "Careless Darlin'". The single will be released early in 1945 and will be #1 for six weeks on the country charts.
1979 - THORN Electrical Industries Limited makes an offer of £148m for EMI Ltd., Capitol Records' parent company.
1991 - Lloyd George (born Lloyd Leslie George), singer, guitarist, bass player, part of the Capitol Records duo Lonzo and Oscar, and Capitol Records solo artist (using the name Ken Marvin), dies at Livingston Regional Hospital in Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee at age 67.
1999 - Ella Mae Morse, singer, vocalist for Capitol Records band Freddie Slack and His Orchestra and Capitol Records solo artist, dies of respiratory failure in Bullhead City, Arizona at age 75. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is in front of the south parking lot of Capitol Records, between the Tower and the empty hamburger stand. I was working at Capitol when Ms. Morse died and noticed that flowers hadn't been placed over her star as is the custom. At the time there was a small flower shack in the parking lot (the shack is still there but its been abandoned for about 5 years) and I bought a few white roses and put them on her star. I then called the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, informed them of her death, and Honrary Mayor Johnny Grant ok'd the wreath of flowers which were placed over her star within a few hours. They were beautiful and were gone by the next morning.
1995 - Capitol Records/EMI Music releases Johnny Rivers' compilation "Greatest Hits" that contains ten tracks he recorded for Liberty Records and his own Soul City label

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1951 - Future Capitol Records artist Judy Garland begins what was to be a 4 week engagement that re-opens The Palace Theatre in New York as a live performance venue that will stretch out to 19 weeks, finally ending on February 24, 1952
1963 - The Beatles record a live-in-studio performance of "I Saw Her Standing There" at the BBC studios in London, England for later broadcast
1998 - EMI Gold releases Bobby Darin's compilation album "The Capitol Years" in the U.K.