JUNE 25, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1952 - Tim Finn, Capitol Records solo artist (1989) and member the bands Split Enz (1972-1984) and Capitol Records band Crowded House (1992), is born Brian Timothy Finn in Te Awamutu, New Zealand

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1949 - Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Baby It's Cold Outside is #4 up from #5 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Mel Tormé (with orchestra conducted by Pete Rugalo)'s Capitol Records single "Again" is #8 up from #10
1950 - Woody Herman and His Orchestra (Herman on clarinet and alto saxophone; Doug Mettome, Conte Candoli, Don Ferraro, and Rolf Ericson on trumpet; Herb Randel, Bill Harris, and Jerry Dorn on trombone; Phil Urso, Buddy Wise, and Bob Graf on tenor saxophone; Marty Flax on baritone saxophone; Dave McKenna on piano; Red Mitchell on bass; and Sonny Igoe on drums) record the tracks "Music To Dance To" (arranged by Al Cohn), "The Nearness Of You" (arranged by Ralph Burns), and "Sonny Speaks" (also arrnged by Al Cohn) at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. "The Nearness of You" and "Sonny Speaks" will be released by Capitol Records on the album "Woody Herman - Classics In Jazz' and "Music To Dance To" will be released on a single by Capitol with "Johannesburg", recorded in Chicago by the same line up on August 5, 1950
1951 - Billy May and His Orchestra record the track "All Of Me" which Capitol Records will release as a single with "Lean Baby" (recorded on August 22, 1951) on the flip side on September 24, 1951
1953 - Tommy Collins, at his first Capitol Records recording session, waxes the tracks "You Gotta Have A Licence", "Let Me Love You", "There Will Be No Other", and "I Love You More And More Each Day". All songs were written by Collins.
1955 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra and Chorus' Capitol Records single "Unchained Melody" is still #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole's double sided Capitol Records hit "A Blossom Fell" (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra) and "If I May" (with The Four Knights on backing vocals and Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra) is #4 down from #3, Frank Sinatra (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Learnin' The Blues" is #5 up from #6, and Tennessee Ernie Ford (with Cliffie Stone's Band)'s Capitol Records single "The Ballad Of Davy Crocket" is #19 down from #16
45 Years Ago Today In 1964 - The Beach Boys record the tracks "The Man With All The Toys", "Santa's Beard", "Merry Christmas, Baby" (which they'll finish up on June 30, 1964), and "Christmas Day (which features Al Jardine's first lead vocal for the group and which they'll finish recording on June 27, 1964)" at Western Studios in Hollywood, California for their 1964 Capitol Records album "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album"
1966 - The Beatles' Capitol Records single "Paperback Writer", with "Rain" on the flip side, is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1967 - The Beatles' track "All You Need is Love" is recorded during "Our World", a two hour worldwide live television broadcast, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, in London, England.
1976 – Johnny Mercer (born John Herndon Mercer), lyricist, composer, singer, radio variety show host, and co-founder of Capitol Records and The Songwriters Hall of Fame, dies at age 66 in Los Angeles, California of complications after surgery for brain cancer, which had left him paralyzed and unable to speak for months, in a guest house at his home in Bel Air, California. His body was later cremated and his ashes buried in the family plot in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. "...and the angels sing"
1988 - Hillel Slovak, guitarist for EMI America Records band The Red Hot Chili Peppers, dies of a heroin overdose at age 26 and is later interred in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California
1990 - Enigma Records releases Poison's single "Unskinny Bop" which shares the a side with "Swamp Juice (Soul-O)", with "Valley Of The Lost Souls" on the flip side, and is distributed by Capitol Records
1991 - Capitol Records releases Kirsty MacColl's fourth studio album "Electric Landlady" produced by her husband, Steve Lillywhite
2006 - Capitol Records Nashville artist Keith Urban marries fellow Australian and motion picture actress, Nicole Kidman, in Sydney, Australia
2007 - Services are held for Donna King Conkling (aka Donna King of the Capitol Records group The King Sisters) at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 14001 Burbank Blvd., Sherman Oaks, California. She passed away on Wednesday, June 20, 2007.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1960 - Tenor Saxophonist Tina Brooks records his only solo album, "True Blue", at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and released by Blue Note Records. Blue Note's catalogue is owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, and Blue Note Records is currently a division of Capitol Music Group.
2006 - Arif Mardin, record producer and arranger for artists from The Young Rascals to Nora Jones, and labels from Atlantic Records to most recently Blue Note Records, has died at his home in New York City of pancreatic cancer. The Los Angeles Times ran a very good overview of Mardin's eventful life and career with comments by Bruce Lundvall, president of EMI Jazz & Classics.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1949 - Billboard magazine retitled its Hillbilly Music Chart "Country & Western"
1950 - The Korean War begins
1966 - Dick Van Dyke leaves his footprints in cement at Graumann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California at ceremony #132
1968 - Jackie Lomax records the track "Sour Milk Sea" with producer George Harrison also playing guitar at the session