JUNE 6, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1973 - Lisa Brokop, Capitol Records Nashville/Liberty Records artist (1992-1996), is born Lisa Ann Brokop in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1942 - Future Capitol Records artist Yma Sumac marries bandleader and composer Moisés Vivanco in Lima, Peru
1953 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "April In Portugal" is #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Pretend" is 10, Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Ruby" (the flip side of "April In Portugal" is #15, Jane Froman (with orchestra conducted by Sid Feller)'s Capitol Records single "I Believe" is #16, and Kay Starr (with orchestra conducted by Harold Mooney)'s Capitol Records single "Half A Photograph" (with "Allez-Vous-En" on the flip side) enters the top 20 at #18
1955 - Over two sessions on the same day, Woody Herman and His Orchestra (Dick Collins, Bernie Glow, Jerry Kail, Gerry LaFurn, Reuben McFall, and Charlie Walp on trumpet; on Cy Touff on bass trumpet, Dick Kenney, Keith Moon on trombone; Woody Herman on clarinet, alto saxophone and vocals; Richie Kamuca, Dick Hafer, and Art Pirie on tenor saxophone; Jack Nimitz on baritone saxophone; Nat Pierce on piano; Billy Bauer on guitar; John Beal on bass; and Chuck Flores on drums) record the tracks "Opus De Funk" (arranged by Nat Pierce), "Cool Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" (arranged by Ralph Burns), "Pimlico" (arranged by Burns) during the first session with Glow on trumpet, then Travis replaces Glow for the second session when the band records the tracks "Captain Ahab" (arranged by Manny Albam), "I Remember Duke" (arranged by Burns); "Skinned" (arranged by George Williams), and "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" (arranged by Burns), in New York City, New York for their Capitol Records album "Road Band!"
1955 - Jimmy Giuffre (on clarinet on the first track and tenor saxophone on the second and third, with Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Ralph Pena on bass, and Artie Anton on drums for all three tracks) records the tracks "Chirpin' Time", "Scintilla II", and "This Is My Beloved" at Capitol Records' Melrose Avenue studios. "Chirpin' Time" will be included on Giuffre's Capitol Records album "Jimmy Giuffre: Tangents In Jazz" and the other two will be released on Mosaic Records' 1997 compilation box set "The Complete Capitol & Atlantic Recordings of Jimmy Giuffre".
1960 - Capitol Records releases Kay Starr's album "Movin' On Broadway" which was produced by Dave Cavanaugh with arrangements by Van Alexander who also conducts the orchestra
1962 - The Beatles, with Pete Best on drums and George Martin producing, record the track "Love Me Do" as part of their first session for Parlophone Records
45 Years Ago Today In 1964 - Capitol Records original Broadway cast album "Funny Girl" is #2 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart and The Beatles' Capitol Records album "Meet The Beatles" slips to #4 after 5 weeks at #1.
1966 - Capitol Records Canada releases The Hollies' album "Look Through Any Window", The Swinging Blue Jeans' album "Don't Make Me Over", The Newman Centre Troubadors' album "The Canticle Of The Gift" on the Rainbow label, The Dave Clark Five's album "At The Scene", The Merrymen (featuring Emile Straker)'s album "Caribeat With The Merrymen", Cliff Richard's album "Blue Turns To Grey", and Manfred Mann's album "Mann Made"
1966 - Tower Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records) releases Dick Curless' album "Travelin' Man" and Dick Curless and Kay Adams' album "A Devil Like Me"
1976 - Wings' Apple Records single "Silly Love Songs", released by Capitol Records in the United States, returns to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1991 - Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetzky), tenor saxophone player, band leader, member of the Capitol Records bands Woody Herman and His Orchestra and The Metronome All Stars, and who as a solo artist on the Verve label would record in Capitol's Studios on Melrose Avenue and in The Capitol Tower until 1957, dies at age 64 of liver cancer in Malibu, California
2000 - Capitol Records releases Nancy Wilson's 2 CD compilation "Anthology"
2000 - The first three volumes of Capitol Records' "From The Vaults" series, "Birth Of A Label", "Capitol Jumps" and "Vine Street Divas" are released. The series is compiled and produced by Billy Vera, who also wrote the series' extensive and informative liner notes. The look of the series' packaging is based on samples of packaging and advertisements from Capitol's early days that I pulled from my collection when I was working as a full time freelancer in Capitol's art department.
2003 - Roger G. Hall, promoter for Capitol Records subsidiary Angel Records (1956-1959), manager of the Philadelphia Orchestra (1959-1963) and head of artists and repertoire for RCA's classical-music label, Red Seal (1963-1970), dies at age 79 from complications of Parkinson's disease at his home in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
2006 - Capitol Records releases "The Very Best Of Lou Rawls: You'll Never Find Another" with liner notes by Billy Vera that'll tear your heart out.
2006 - Capitol Records releases Sound Team's first full-length album "Movie Monster"
2006 - Billy Preston, singer, keyboardist for both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and solo Apple Records artist, dies in Shea Scottsdale Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona at age 59 from compliations of an acute respiratory arrest, due to improper treatement for pericarditas, that put him into a coma on November 21, 2005
2007 - I got my copy of Johnny Mercer's 3 CD compilation "Mosaic Selects johnny mercer" that I had pre-ordered. It has a great note from Margaret Whiting and superb liner notes written by Billy Vera. There was a bit of confusion when I went to play disc 1 using iTunes as it gave the track listing for disc 3 and some unhappy reviewers comments next to each track. Playing the disc, the tracks that played were the one's listed for disc 1 on the packaging. I emailed Blue Note to let them know about the problem which the wrote back that they would look into.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
70 Years Ago Today In 1939 - Gary U.S. Bonds, singer and EMI artist, is born Gary Anderson in Jacksonville, Florida
1960 - Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Young Emotions" is #14 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1963 - Singer Sarah Vaughn (with Carmell Jones on trumpet, Teddy Edwards on tenor saxophone, Jack Wilson on organ, John Collins on guitar, Al McKibbon on bass, and Earl Palmer drums) records the tracks "What Kind Of Fool Am I" and "The Good Life" (without Jones and Edwards) with producer Teddy Reig at United Recorders in Los Angeles, California for her Roulette Records album "Sarah Sings Soulfully". EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns Roulette's catalog.
1972 - Jethro Tull's Chrysalis Records album "Thick As A Brick" is #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. Chrysalis' catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1976 - Crystal Gayle's United Artists Records single "I'll Get Over You", with "High Time" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
2006 - Rhino Records releases Frank Sinatra, Jr.'s first album in a decade, "That Face!" (recorded in The Capitol Tower Studios). Rhino didn't put their logo on this package, instead they used the Reprise ":r" logo. The album was recorded in The Capitol Tower Studios, features arrangements by Billy May, Nelson Riddle and Torrie Zito, and features Frank Sr.'s longtime pianist Bill Miller, who will go on tour with Frank Jr. starting in July in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL HISTORY
65 Years Ago Today In 1944 - D-Day occurs on the beaches and coast of Normandy, France
1968 - After winning the California Democratic primary, Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy dies of gunshot wounds sustained in a pantry while leaving the ballroom of The Ambassador Hotel. Rosemary Clooney, a friend and supporter of Kennedy, was performing at the hotel and sufferes a nervous breakdown after hearing the news.
1971 - The last episode of "The Ed Sullivan Show" is broadcast on CBS. The episode is a repeat (the last original episode aired on March 28, 1971) of the episode that aired on February 7, 1971 that featured Melanie singing "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma," "Ruby Tuesday" and "Alexander Beetle"; Joanna Simon (mezzo-soprano) singing "My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice"; impressionist David Frye; Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass; singers Tony Sandler & Ralph Young; comedian Norman Wisdom; sleight-of-hand artist Vic Perry; comedian Tony Fane and comedian Lennie Schultz. The next week the show is replaced by Sunday Night Movies which, after 35 years, will itself be ends at the end of CBS' 2005-2006 season.