DECEMBER 5, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1922 - Don Robertson, pianist, songwriter, accompanist and arranger for Capitol Records group The Dinning Sister, husband of Lou Dinning, rehearsal and session pianist for Capitol in the 1950s, 1972 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and Capitol Records artist (1956, best known for the track "The Happy Whistler"), is born Donald Irwin Robertson in Peking, China
1946 or 1952 - Andy Kim (aka Baron Longfellow), singer, songwriter, and Capitol Records artist (1968-1976), is born Andrew Joachim or Andre Youakim in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. If anyone knows Andy's true birth year and name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1952 - Merle Travis records the track "Guitar Rag" for Capitol Records
1961 - Buck Owens records the track "Kickin' Our Hearts Around", written by fellow Capitol Records artist Wanda Jackson, for Capitol Records
1967 - Buck Owens records the track "Sweet Rosie Jones" for Capitol Records
1970 - George Harrison's Apple Records single "My Sweet Lord", with "Isn't It A Pity" on the flip side and distributed by Capitol Records in the United States, enters the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1970 - Capitol Records releases the soundtrack album to the cartoon show "Josie And The Pussycats" but features the real singers, Cathy Dougher (born Kathleen Dougherty), Patrice Holloway, and Cherie Moor (born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor and later better known as actress Cheryl Ladd) on the cover in costume. Wikipedia has a great article about the making of the soundtrack album.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1901 - Walt Disney, cartoonist, animator, cartoon director, producer, studio creator and owner, theme park creator and owner, and television producer and host, is born Walter Elias Disney. Capitol Records will release soundtracks and original childrens records based on Walt Disney's creations.
1946 - Future Capitol Records artist and arranger Nelson Riddle arrives in Los Angeles, California after securing a job (with the help of his friend guitarist Bob Bain) arranging for Bob Crosby. Riddle will make the town his home base for the rest of his life.
1957 - Baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan (with Pail Palmieri on guitar, Dick Wetmore on violin, Calo Scott on cello, Vinnie Burke on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums), records the tracks "May-Reh", "The Preacher", "Good Bait", and "Bags' Groove" with producer Richard Bock in New York City for Pacific Jazz Records. The tracks will remain unreleased until being added to the CD version of Mulligan's Pacific Jazz album "The Gerry Mulligan Songbook" when it is released in 1995 by Capitol Records, whose parent company, EMI Music, currently owns the Pacific Jazz catalog. The recordings have also been recently re-issued as part of the three disc set "Mosaic Select: Gerry Mulligan" released by Mosaic Records.
40 Years Ago Today In 1968 - C. P. MacGregor, Brunswick Records manager for the San Francisco territory in 1924, later record producer, transcriber, and recording Studio owner, dies in Hollywood, California at age 71. In 1924, MacGregor was . He later had his own studios, CP MacGregor Studios, at 729 S. Western Avenue, in Los Angeles (not Hollywood as is given in many descriptions), California, where many of Capitol Records' first artists were recorded, and whose accoustics had a great part in creating what was called "The Capitol Sound". Ironically, with the profits made from Capitol, MacGregor repainted his studios, which in turned changed the accoustics of the rooms so much that Capitol stopped using them. Last time I drove by (about 6 years ago), the building was still there, but recently looking at Google Earth, I'm not so sure it hasn't been turned into a parking lot. If anyone can confirm or deny this, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1932 - "Little Richard", singer, songwriter, motion picture actor, and television commercial spokesman, is born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia. Richard was a piano student of Capitol Records artist Esquerita who heavily influenced his stage persona. Richard would go on to later teach Parlophone and Capitol Records band The Beatles how to do his famous "Wooooo" when the band toured with him in England.