JANUARY 3, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1918 - Maxene Andrews, singer with the Capitol Records group (1956-1959) The Andrews Sisters, is born Maxene Angelyn Andrews in Minneapolis, Minnesota
1926 - Sir George Martin CBE, pianist, music arranger and scorer, head of A&R and record producer for EMI subsidiary Parlophone Records (most assoicatied with The Goons and The Beatles), is born George Martin in Highbury, London, England. If anyone knows Sir George's middle name, or if he has or hasn't one, please leave a comment.
1941 - Van Dyke Parks, pianist, arranger, record producer, lyricist, worked with Brian Wilson on The Beach Boys' unreleased "Smile" album and other projects, is born in Hattiesburg, Michigan

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Jo Stafford's Capitol Records single "Symphony", with "Day By Day" on the flip side, debuts on the U.S. Pop singles charts
1964 - A portion of a concert by The Beatles at The Winters Garden in Bournemouth, England is broadcast as part of NBC-TV's The Jack Paar Show, marking their first appearance on a U.S. network television show
1966 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owen's single "Waitin' In Your Welfare Line" with "In The Palm Of Your Hand" on the flip side
1967 - Carl Wilson, singer and guitarist with the Capitol Records group The Beach Boys, refuses to be sworn in after receiving an induction notice from the US Army declaring himself a conscientious objector
1968 - 30,000 copies of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Two Virgins" album are confiscated at New Jersey's Newark Airport because the full-frontal nude photo of the duo on the cover violates the state's obscenity laws
1970 - George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr (John Lennon is on vacation)record the track "I Me Mine" at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, England. This will be the last time more than one of The Beatles would record together under the group name until 1995.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1909 - Victor Borge, pianist, comedian, radio and television performer (co-hosted a radio show from 1946-1947 with Capitol Records artist Benny Goodman) is born Borge Rosenbaum in Copenhagen, Denmark
1940 - Charlie Barnett and His Orchestra, featuring young trumpet player (and future Capitol Records arranger, conductor, and artist) Billy May, record the track "Southland Shuffle" for Bluebird Records
1972 - Don McLean's United Artists single "American Pie" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1945 - Ray Stokes Trio records the tracks "Little Goose" and "Blues For Clarence Profit" for Black & White Records in Los Angeles, California. Black & White's catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records' parent company, EMI Music.
1961 - Liberty Records releases Johnny Burnette's fifth single "Little Boy Sad" with "(I Go) Down To The River" on the flip side. Liberty Records' catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records' parent company EMI Music
1981 - John Lennon’s Geffen/Lenono Music single "(Just Like) Starting Over" is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart and his and Yoko Ono's Geffen/Lenono Music album "Double Fantasy" is #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. Lennon's Geffen catalog is currently distributed by Capitol Records in the United States and "Double Fantasy" has been reissued on the Capitol Records label.