JUNE 28, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1907 - Jimmy Mundy, tenor saxophonist, arranger (for both sides of Capitol Records' first released single, Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra's "I Found A New Baby" and "The General Jumped At Dawn"), and songwriter (including "Travlin' Light" with lyricst and Capitol Records co-founder Johnny Mercer), is born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1923 - Pete Candoli, Capitol Records session trumpet player (with arrangers Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Don Costa, Gordon Jenkins, and Axel Stordahl; on albums by Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Stan Kenton, and more) and husband (1960-1971) of one time Capitol Records artist Betty Hutton, is born Walter Joseph Candoli in Mishawaka, Indiana. There's a great biographic article about Candoli on the Jazz Professional website.
1926 - Mel Brooks, drummer, comedian, Broadway playright and producer, television and motion picture screenwriter, director, producer and actor, and a Capitol Records artist (with Carl Reiner on the "2000 Year Old Man" series of comedy albums), is born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York.
1936 - Tom Drake (aka Steven Yates), guitarist, singer, songwriter and founder of the Capitol Records group The Good Time Singers, is born Thomas Y. Drake in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1950 - Jess Stacy and His Trio (Jess Stacy on piano, George Van Eps on guitar, Morty Corb on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums) records the tracks "Careless" (which went unissued until it appeared on the 1997 Mosaic box set "Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions"), "I'll Be Seeing You" (which will be released by Capitol on the album "Classics In Jazz - Piano Stylists"), as well as "Can't We Be Friends" and "Imagination" (which Capitol Records will release together as a single)
1952 - Al Martino (with orchestra conducted by Mondy Kelly)'s Capitol Records single "Here In My Heart" is #2 down from #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Jane Froman (with orchestra conducted by Sid Feller)'s Capitol Records single "I'll Walk Alone" is #14 up from #19, and Les Paul's Capitol Records single "Carioca" is still #18
1957 - The Andrews Sisters finish recording tracks for their Capitol Records album "Fresh And Fancy Free" with arranger Billy May conducting the studio orchestra at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
45 Years Ago Today In 1964 - The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "I Get Around", with "Don't Worry Baby" on the flip side, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1965 - Red Nichols, cornet player, band leader and Capitol Records artist (1956-1960), dies after a sudden heart attack in his suite at the Mint Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he and his band were performing. His ashes are later interred in the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills cemetery. There's a nice biographic article by "Dr. Progresso" on the Hole In The Web site.
1965 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' album "Summer Days (And Summer Nights), produced by Brian Wilson. The album will enter Billboard's Hot 200 album charts on July 24, 1965, my fifth birthday, and contains the hits "Help Me, Rhonda" and "California Girls".
1965 - Merle Haggard records the tracks "Longer You Wait", "I Can't Stand Me", and "Bottle Let Me Down" at the Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California with producers Ken Nelson and Fuzzy Owen and The Strangers (Roy Nichols, Glen Campbell, Lewis Talley, and Jack Collier on guitar, James Burton on guitar/dobro, Ralph Mooney on steel guitar, Bob Morris, Bert Dodson, Jerry Ward on bass, Helen Price and James Gordon on drums, George French, Glenn D. Hardin on piano, Bonnie Owens and Billy Mize on additional vocals) for Haggard's Capitol Records album "Swinging Doors And The Bottle Let Me Down"
1965 - After the recording session, Capitol Records recording artists Bonnie Owens and Merle Haggard are married in Tijuana, Mexico
1966 - Jackie Gleason conducts the orchestra as they record the track "A Taste Of Honey" for Gleason's Capitol Records album "A Taste Of Brass - For Lovers Only"
1967 - Wanda Jackson records the track "Girl Don't Have To Drink To Have Fun" at Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee with producers Ken Nelson & Kelso Herston for Jackson's Capitol Records album "Cream Of The Crop"
1985 - Mischa Spoliansky (born Dec 28, 1898 in Russia), British composer who wrote the scores for several British films including "Saint Joan" (1957) whose soundtrack was released by Capitol Records, dies of natural causes in London, England at age 86 .
1988 - Poison's Capitol Records album "Open Up And Say Ahh!" is certified Gold and Platinum by the R.I.A.A.
1992 - Howard Roberts, guitarist and Capitol Records artist (1963-1969), dies in Seattle, Washington at age 62
1993 - The first recording session for Frank Sinatra's "Duets" album is held at The Capitol Tower Studios, but slight case of laryngitis and anxiety about being isolated in a sound booth causes Sinatra not to be able to perform. But four days later, after a special platform is built amongst the musicians and a hand mike is used for his vocals, Sinatra feels at ease and records nine tracks in five hours.
1997 - Mrs. Miller (born Elva Ruby Connes), Capitol Records artist, dies at age 89 in Vista, California
2005 - Capitol Records releases Megadeth's greatest hits album "Back To The Start"
2006 - Capitol Records artist Corinne Bailey Rae appears on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1942 - Roger Gambill, singer, member of The Kingston Trio (1973-1985) after they group left Capitol Records, is born
1967 - The motion picture "The Family Way", with musical score composed by Paul McCartney, premieres in the United States
1991 - "Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio" debuts at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. McCartney co-wrote the 90-minute work with American-born composer Carl Davis to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Liverpool's Royal Philharmonic. The piece will later be released by Capitol Recorsd on an album.
2001 - The Country Radio Broadcasters awards former Capitol Records artist Buck Owens their Career Achievement Award with Brad Paisley making the presentation

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS
1902 - Richard Rodgers, Broadway and motion picture composer (first with lyricst Lorenz Hart, then with Oscar Hammerstein II, and then on his own) is born Richard Charles Rodgers in New York City, New York. Capitol Records released the original Broadway cast album for Rodgers' "No Strings". His works have also been covered by many Capitol Records artist and are the basis for two compilation CDs released by Capitol - "Isn't It Romantic: Capitol Sings Rodgers and Hart" and "Hello, Young Lovers: Capitol Sings Rogers and Hammerstein".
1937 - Sonja Henie leaves her skate prints in cement at Graumann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California at ceremony #38
1985 - Route 66, the 59 year-old highway of 2,200 miles of blacktop and inspiration for Bobby Troup's song "Route 66" and the television show of the same name, whose instrumental theme song was written and recorded by Capitol Records artist Nelson Riddle and released by Capitol, is decertified as a U.S. highway