JUNE 22, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
65 Years Ago Today In 1944 - Peter Asher, brother of television variety show host Jane Asher, record producer (most notably for Linda Rondstadt), and singer with Capitol Records duo Peter and Gordon (1964-1968), is born in London, England
1948 - Todd Rundgren, singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer of Capitol Records groups Grand Funk Railroad and The Tubes, is born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
45 Years Ago Today In 1964 - Mike Edwards, songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the Capitol (1989) and SBK Records (1990-1993) band Jesus Jones, is born Michael James Edwards in Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, England

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1951 - Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan, (with guitarist Maurice Cameron Hill) records the tracks "Sailor's Blues", "Juke Box Boogie", "A Lie In A Beautiful Frame", and "That Last Love Letter" for Capitol Records
1955 - Guitarist Hank Thompson and The Brazos Valley Boys (Merle Travis on guitar and steel guitar; Bobbie White on steel guitar; Billy Stewart on bass; Paul McGhee on drums; Amos Hedrick, Billy Peters and Curly Lewis on fiddles; Donald McDaniel on piano; and Dubert Dobson on trumpet) record the instrumental tracks "Westphalia Waltz", "Red Skin Gal", and "Don't Be That Way" with producer Ken Nelson at Capitol Records' Melrose studios in Hollywood, California
50 Years Ago Today In 1959 - Franck Pourcell and His French Fiddlers' Capitol Records single "Only You (Loin De Vous)" is #12 down from #10 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1960 - Nelson Riddle records the tracks "Suspenseful-Ness", "Linda", "30-30", "Ebony And Ivory", "Reckless-Ness", "Dauntless-Ness", "Speakeasy Blues", Elliot Ness", Dejected-Ness", and "The Loop" for his Capitol Records television soundtrack album "The Untouchables"
1961 - Peggy Lee, with producer Dave Cavanaugh, and a studio orchestra (Justin Gordon and Theodore Nash on flute; an unknown french horn and string section; Dennis Budimir and Al Hendrickson on guitar; Max Bennett on bass; Victor Feldman on piano and vibraphone; Stan Levey and Shelly Manne on drums; Francisco "Chino" Pozo on bongos and congas; and Mike Gutierrez and Mel Zelnick on percussion), records the tracks "I Wish I Didn't Love You So", "As Time Goes By" with Benny Carter on alto saxophone, and "When I Was A Child" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California. The string section is arranged by Quincy Jones. The tracks will be released by Capitol Records on the 1961 album "If You Go".
1962 - Maurice Cameron Hill (aka Cameron Hill) guitarist with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, and who also recorded with Capitol Records band Tommy Duncan and His Western All Stars, Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan, and Merrill Moore, dies in Houston, Texas at age 43 after a long illness and is later buried at Rosewood Park Cemetery near Humble, Texas
1963 - Kyu Sakamoto's Capitol Records single "Sukiyaki" (with "Anoko No Namaewa Nantenkana" on the flip side) is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, (still the only Japanese language single to do so), Nat "King" Cole's single "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer" is still #7, Al Martino's Capitol Records single "I Love You Because" is #9 down from #5, Bobby Darin's Capitol Records single "Yellow Roses" is #11 down from #10, The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "Surfin' U.S.A." is #16 down from #13 and its flip side "Shut Down" is #23 up from #30
40 Years Ago Today In 1969 - Judy Garland, vaudeville performer, singer, motion picture actress, television variety show host, mother of Capitol Records artist Liza Minnelli, and a Capitol Records artist, dies in the Chelsea section of London, England at age 47
2006 - After appearing on the CBS-TV program "The Late Show With Craig Ferguson", Capitol Records artist Van Hunt, with special guest Nikka Costa, performs at The House of Blues at 8430 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California
2006 - Capitol Records Nashville promotes promotion department staffers Matthew Hargis and Brent Jones. Hargis, who joined the label in April, goes from promotion manager to the new position of director of promotion. Jones, who has been with the label since 1995, is upped from manager to senior manager of promotion. Both report to VP of promotion Jimmy Harnen at the label's Nashville offices.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
100 Years Ago Today In 1909 - Michael Todd, motion picture producer (including "Oklahoma!" which starred Capitol Records artist Gordon MacRae and for which Capitol Records released the original soundtrack album that was awarded the first Gold record by the R.I.A.A.), developer (with The American Optical Company) of the Todd-AO system using 65mm cine cameras at 30 fps and wide angle photgraphy [approx 150 degrees], and husband of motion picture actress Elizabeth Taylor is born Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen
50 Years Ago Today In 1959 - Martin Denny's Liberty Records single "Quiet Village" is #6 down from #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, Dion and The Belmonts Laurie Records single "A Teenager In Love" is #8 down from #6, Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm Ready" is #18 up from #19, and The Fleetwood's Dolton Records single "Graduation's Here" is #39 up from #44. Liberty, Laurie, Imperial and Dolton Records' catalogs are currently owned by Capitol Music Group's parent company, EMI Music Group.
1963 - The Chiffon's Laurie Records single "One Fine Day" is #10 up from #17 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, Lou Christie's Roulette Records single "Two Faces Have I" is #14 down from #11, The Essex's Roulette Records single "Easier Said Than Done" enters the top 20 at #15 from #50, Jan And Dean's Liberty Records single "Surf City also enters the top #20 at #20 up from #68. Roulette, Laurie, and Liberty Records' catalogs are currently owned by Capitol Music Group's parent company, EMI Music Group.
1987 - Fred Astaire, dancer, actor, singer, and EMI recording artist, dies from pneumonia in Los Angeles, California at age 88 and is buried in the Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California
1998 - Sir Paul McCartney personally chose and arranges the 45,000 flowers that decorate Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York where the friends and family of Apple and Capitol Records artist Linda McCartney will gather to say a candlelit good-bye to his wife

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1961 - The Beat Brothers (aka The Beatles, with John Lennon on rhythm guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar, Paul McCartney on bass guitar, and Pete Best on drums) are in a professional recording studio for the first time when they're hired by Polydor Records to back vocalist Tony Sheridan on the tracks "My Bonnie", and "In The School Hall". At this session they will also record the tracks "Cry For A Shadow" (an original Harrison instrumental composition), and "Ain't She Sweet (with vocal by Lennon). The group will be back in the studio on on June 23, 1961 to record additional tracks with Sheridan.
2007 - The 36th Annual Jazz Bash (once known as the Ken Crawford Bash), starts today and continues to tomorrow, June 23, 2007. It is held at the Holiday Inn of South Plainfield, N.J. which is located at 4701 Stelton Road. As an extra bonus there was a showing of rare films hosted by collector Dave Weiner on Friday and Ron Hutchinson of the Vitaphone Project on Saturday evening. Both shows started at 7:30. In addition to the all-day schmoozing there was a are record playoffs/challenges both nites after the films hosted by collector Henry Schmidt. Mosaic's Scott Wenzel manned the booth with a cache of Mosaic sets that were discounted for the show.