JUNE 9, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1891 - Cole Porter, lyricist and composer, is born Cole Albert Porter in Peru, Indiana. Capitol Records will release the original Broadway cast album to Porter's musical "Can-Can" as well as soundtrack when it was turned into a movie. Capitol also released the soundtrack to Porter's "High Society" and the single from that album, "True Love", would earn Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly a gold record (Crosby's last).
1900 - Fred Waring, band leader, choir master, motion picture and radio performer, television variety show host, inventor (the Waring blender), and leader of the Capitol Records group Fred Waring and The Pennsylvanians, is born Fredrick Malcolm Waring in Tyrone, Pennsylvania
1915 - Les Paul, Capitol Records legend, guitarist, producer, early innovator of multi-track recording and the modern electric guitar, is born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1945 - Johnnie Johnston (with orchestra conducted by Paul Baron)'s Capitol Records single "Laura" is #5 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and The Pied Pipers (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Dream" is #6
1950 - Capitol Records releases Joe "Fingers" Carr's single "Sam's Song" and Kay Starr's single Bonaparte's Retreat"
1951 - Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "How High The Moon" is still #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole (with orchestra conducted by Les Baxter to a Nelson Riddle arrangement)'s Capitol Records single "Too Young" is #2, and Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "Mockin'bird Hill" is #10
1952 - Hank Thompson's Capitol Records single "The Wild Side Of Life", with "Crying In The Deep Blue Sea" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
1956 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Poor People Of Paris" is #13 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Dean Martin's Capitol Records single "Standing On The Corner" is #30, Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Lisbon Antigua" is #35, and The Four Freshmen's Capitol Records single "Graduation Day" enters the top 40 at #38
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Harry James and His Orchestra (with James, Nick Buono, Bob Rolfe,Ollie Mitchell on trumpet; Bob Edmondson and Ray Sims on trombone; Ernie Tack on bass trombone; Willie Smith and Herb Lorden on alto saxophone; Bob Poland and Sam Firmature on tenor saxophone; Ernie Small on baritone saxophone; Jack Perciful on piano; Dennis Budimir on guitar; Russ Phillips on bass; and Jackie Mills on drums), record the tracks "Blues For Sale" and "Just For Fun" using arrangements by Ernie Wilkins with producer Bill Miller in Los Angeles, California. "Blues For Sale" would appear on James' Capitol Records album "Harry's Choice" and "Just For Fun" would remain unreleased until it appeared on Mosaic Records' 1999 box set "The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Gene Krupa and Harry James Orchestras"
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Dean Martin's Capitol Records single "Return To Me" is #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, The Four Prep's Capitol Records single "Big Man" is #7, Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back" is #9, Laurie London's Capitol Records single "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" is #14, and Ed Townsend's Capitol Records single "For Your Love" is #20
1960 - Judy Garland, with an orchestra conducted by Jack Marshall, records the tracks "Down With Love", "Puttin' On The Ritz" and "Who Cares (As Long As You Care For Me)" for her album "Judy/That's Entertainment"
45 Years Ago Today In 1963 - Buck Owen's Capitol Records single "Act Naturally", with "Over And Over Again" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1965 - The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "Help Me Rhonda" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1967 - Peggy Lee (with guitarist Toots Thielemans and an unknown reed, bass, string and drum section) records the tracks "Something Stupid", "Two For The Road", "Makin' Whoopee", and "(Our) Love Is Here To Stay" for her Capitol Records album "Somethin' Groovy" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood California with producer Dave Cavanaugh
1975 - Capitol Records Canada releases Sylvia Tyson's album "Woman's World"
1980 - Capitol Records releases The Motel's second album, "Careful"
1980 - Capitol Records recording artists Klaatu, whose members' identities had been kept from the public since their 1976 debut album, are finally announced to be John Woloschuk (vocals, keyboards, rhythm and bass guitar), Dee Long (vocals, lead guitarist, synthesizers), and Terry Draper (vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, rhythm guitar). All three are natives of Toronto, Canada, Earth (not 4 lads from Liverpool, as a few had hoped, or anywhere else in the universe).
1990 - Wilson Phillips' SBK Records (at the time a division of Capitol Records) single "Hold On" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1956 - Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm In Love Again" is #12 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Domino's Imperial Records single "My Blue Heaven" is #31. EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns Imperial Records' catalog
1957 - Capitol Records artist Frank Sinatra, with Nelson Riddle's Orchestra, gives a concert in Seattle, Washington that is recorded and finally released in 1999 on the album "Sinatra '57" by the Artanis (spell it backwards) Entertainment Group
50 Years Ago Today In 1958 - David Seville's Liberty Records single "Witch Doctor" is #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Dion and The Belmont's Laurie Records single "I Wonder Why" is #33, and Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "Sick And Tired" is tied for #40 with Kathy Linden's single "Billy". Liberty, Laurie and Imperial Records' catalogs are currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1962 - Dion's Laurie Records single "Lovers Who Wander" is #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Jay and The American's United Artists Records single "She Cried" is #16, Walter Brennan's Liberty Records single "She Cried" is #17, Bobby Vee's Liberty Records single "Sharing You" is #31, and Dick and DeeDee's Liberty Records single "Tell Me" is #40. Laurie, United Artists, and Liberty Record's catalogs are currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
40 Years Ago Today In 1968 - Bobby Goldsboro's United Artists Records single "Honey" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart. United Artists' catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1991 - Paula Abdul's Virgin Records America single "Rush Rush" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. Virgin Records is a division of Capitol Music Group.
2004 - Barbara Whiting Smith, radio, movie and television actress, daughter of composer Richard Whiting, and sister of Capitol Records artist Margaret Whiting dies of cancer at age 73 in Pontiac, Michigan and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Birmingham

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1934 - Donald Duck makes his debut in the Silly Symphonies cartoon "The Little Hen"
1957 - Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson (with Herman Foster on piano, Peck Morrison on bass, Dave Bailey on drums, and Ray Barretto on congas) records the tracks "Herman's Mambo", "Peck Time" a mono and a stero version of ""There'll Never Be Another You", "Groove Junction", "Dorothy", "Grits And Gravy" and ""I Won't Cry Anymore" for his Blue Note Records album "Swing And Soul". The session was produced by Alfred Lion with recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gleder's studio at his home in Hackensack, New Jersey. Blue Note's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.