JANUARY 6, 2008

2008 - REST IN PEACE - Ken Nelson, singer in the vocal trio The Campus Kids (which also included future Capitol Records A&R man and producer Lee Gillette, who got Ken his job at Capitol), radio announcer, arranger, and Capitol Records talent scout, A&R man and record producer (including "Be Bop A Lula" and many songs by Capitol Records country artists including Buck Owens, Hank Thompson, Ferlin Husky, Jean Shepard, Tommy Collins, Wynn Stewart, Wanda Jackson, Merle Haggard, Roy Clark, Jerry Reed, Rose Maddox, Faron Young, and others) who joined the label in 1946 and retired 30 years later, one of the major influencers of "The Bakersfield Sound", and co-founder of the Nashville-based Country Music Association, has died at age 96 of natural causes at his home in Somis, California. In early 2007 Ken spent $40,000 to self-publish his memoir, "My First 90 Years Plus Three". At his request, no services are planned.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1946 - Syd Barrett, songwriter, singer, founding member of the Tower Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records) group The Pink Floyd, and a solo artist, is born Roger Keith Barrett in Cambridge, England

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1950 - Tennessee Ernie Ford's Capitol Records single "Mule Train" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1953 - Capitol Records artist Peggy Lee marries Brad Dexter
1965 - Ben Light (born Benjamin Bertram Leight), pianist and Capitol Records artist (1950-1954), dies at age 72 in Hollywood, California. Rex Strother has an online biography page for Light.
1966 - The Beatles' Capitol Records single "Day Tripper", with "We Can Work It Out" on the flip side, is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1968 - The Human Beinz's Capitol Records single "Nobody But Me", with "Sueno" on the flip side, enters the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart where it will peak at #8
1968 - The Lettermen's Capitol Records single "Goin' Out Of My Head" with "Can't Take My Eye Off Of You" on the flip side, enters the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1974 - The Steve Miller Band's Capitol Records single "The Joker", with "Something To Believe In" on the flip side, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1974 - Merel Haggard's Capitol Records single "If We Make It Through December" is #1 on Billboard's Top Country Singles chart
1993 - Dizzie Gillespie, trumpet player, songwriter, band leader, one of the founders of Bebop, and a Capitol Records artist, dies in Englewood, New Jersey of cancer at age 75
2002 - Bobby Austin, guitarist, session musician for Capitol Records artist Buck Owens and a Capitol Records solo artist (1962-1964 and 1969-1972), dies in Camas, Washington at age 69
2006 - Lou Rawls, singer and Capitol Records and Blue Note Records artist, dies of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California at age 72

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1939 - Blue Note Records is started when Alfred Lion records Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons at a session funded with start-up capitol by writer Max Margulis, at 2:00 PM in New York City (listed as probably at WMGM Studios) where he records 4 solos by each and 2 duets with both men playing on the same piano. Blue Note Records is currently a division of Capitol Records, Incorporated.
1953 - Peggy Lee, who at the time was a Decca Records artist (1952-1956 before resigning to Capitol) marries Brad Dexter
1964 - Vee-Jay Records releases the first version of The Beatles' album "Introducing... The Beatles" with a second version being released on February 10, 1964
1991 - Garth Brooks' Liberty Records single "Unanswered Prayers" is #1 on Billboard's Top Country Singles chart. Liberty Records is now known as Capitol Records Nashville.
1998 - William "Owen" Bradley, pianist, organist, trombonist, arranger, bandleader, record producer (from Patsy Cline to k. d. lang) and recording studio owner (whose Nashville, Tennesseee studios were used by Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson to record a number of Capitol Records artists including Gene Vincent, who recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula" at Bradley's studio), and 1974 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, dies at age 82 in Westmoreland, Tennessee

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1973 - "Schoolhouse Rock", a series of short animated educational films that would play between Saturday Morning cartoons, premieres on ABC-TV. Capitol Records released an album called "Multiplication Rock", the success of which led to ABC ordering the animated series. Check out LE's Schoolhouse Rock Site for a lot of great information about the creation of this series which still plays on ABC-TV.