MAY 19, 2008

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1951 - Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "How High The Moon" is #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole (with Les Baxter conducting the orchestra using a Nelson Riddle arragement)'s Capitol Records single "Too Young" is #3, and Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "Mockin' Bird Hill" is #5
55 Years Ago Today In 1953 - Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky record the duet "Dear John Letter" at Capitol's Melrose Avenue studios in Hollywood, California with producer Ken Nelson. The song would go on to be spend six weeks at #1 on the country charts.
1956 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Poor People Of Paris" is #3 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Lisbon Antiqua is #10,
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Peggy Lee records the track "Fever" at the Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California. "Fever"'s original recording, by Little Willie John, was brought to Lee's attention by her bass player, Max Bennett. Lee wrote additional lyrics and a stripped down arrangement, possibly with Bennett, which featured her vocals, Joe Mondragon on string bass, Shelly Manne with fingers on snare drums with the snares turned off, and finger snapping that may have been provided by guitarist Howard Roberts. Since he was the documented session conductor, Jack Marshall initially got credit for the arrangement, even getting a Grammy nomination for best arrangement. The song would also get Lee a Grammy nomination for best female vocal. At the same session, which was produced by "Big Dave" Cavanaugh, Lee would also record the tracks "Things Are Swinging", "Lullaby In Rhythm", and "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me". This track would be released as a single with "You Don't Know" on the flip side and, during its 14 week run on Billboard's Hot 100 charts, would peak at #8 on August 25, 1958. The song would first appear on an album in 1960 as part of the compilation album "All Aglow Again". Gino Falzarano wrote a great article for "Fever"'s 30th anniversary that appeared in the July/August edition of Discoveries magazine, and was reproduced on peggylee.com. For more information about this and many other tracks, go to Iván Santiago and Steve Albin's amazing discography site created as a test for Brian, a discography database application.
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Judy Garland, with Nelson Riddle conducting his orchestra, records the track "Day In, Day Out" and re-records the track "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart", which she first sang in the 1938 film "Listen, Darling" and first recorded in 1939 for Decca Records. Produced by Voyle Gilmore, the songs would be among the first Judy would record, outside of a film soundstage, in stereo and will be part of her first stereo Capitol album "Judy In Love", released on November 3, 1958. I wonder if Judy and Peggy ran into each other or heard each other's sessions on that day.
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Laurie London's Capitol Records single "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" is #5 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Dean Martin (with Gus Levine and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Return To Me" is #6, Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back" is #8, and The Four Prep's Capitol Records single "Big Man" is #14,
1969 - Coleman Hawkins, Capitol artist (1945), tenor saxophonist and leader of the first bebop recording session, dies of pneumonia in New York City at age 64 and is interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx
30 Years Ago Today In 1978 - Darlene Edwards aka Jo Stafford gives her last public performance at a 25th anniversary celebration of SHARE, an organization devoted to work with mentally handicapped children, sharing the spotlight with Jo's old bandmate, Frank Sinatra
1987 - The Beatles' album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is released worldwide on CD
10 Years Ago Today In 1998 - Dorothy Donegan, pianist, leader of The Dorothy Donegan Trio, and a Capitol Records artist, dies at age 77 in Los Angeles, California
1999 - Capitol releases the original soundtrack to the motion picture "Hope Floats"
2004 - Keith Urban's Capitol Records Nashville single "You'll Think of Me" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
2006 - Freddie Garrity, milkman, songwriter, singer and founder of Tower Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records)' first released group Freddie and The Dreamers, dies at age 69

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1932 - Alma Cogan, singer and HMV and EMI Records artist, is born Alma Angela Cohen in St. John's Wood, England
1956 - Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm In Love Again" is #1 on the U.S. R&B singles charts and tied for #21 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart with Pat Boone's single "Long Tall Sally". Waller's other Imperial Records single "My Blue Heaven" is tied for #40 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart with Elvis Presley's RCA single "I Was The One"
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - David Seville's Liberty Records single "Witch Doctor" is #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Belive What You Say" is #25, and its flip side "My Bucket"s Got A Hole In It" is #29
1962 - Jay and The American's United Artists Records single "She Cried" is #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Walter Brennan's Liberty Records single "Old Rivers" is #7, Joey Dee and The Starlighter's Roulette Records single "Shout (Part 1)" is #12, Dick and DeeDee's Liberty Records single "Tell Me" is #22, Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Young World" is #31,

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
135 Years Ago Today In 1873- Sime Silverman, founder of the trade magazine Variety, is born in Cortland, New York
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Atco Records releases future Capitol Records artist Bobby Darin's single "Splish Splash", making it the first eight-track recording ever released on 45
40 Years Ago Today In 1968 - Bobby Goldsboro's United Artists Records single "Honey", with "Danny" on the flip side, hits #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart