MAY 11, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1904 - Salvador Dali, surrealist artist, is born Salvador Felip Jacint Dalí Domènech in the town of Figueres, in Catalonia, Spain. Dali will paint the cover art for Jackie Gleason's Capitol Records album "Jackie Gleason Presents Lonesome Echo" and a photo of him shaking hands with Gleason is on the back cover.
1911 - Phil Silvers, actor, comedian and Capitol Records aritst (guest vocalist on Johnny Mercer's first big hit on Capitol Records, "Strip Polka". Mercer will later write the Broadway musical "Top Banana" for Silvers and Capitol Records will release it's original Broadway cast album), is born Philip Silversmith in Brooklyn, New York
80 Years Ago Today In 1930 - Marilyn King, singer, sister-in-law of Captiol Records artist Alvino Rey and Capitol Records executive Jim Conkling as well as actor Robert Clarke and keyboardist Buddy Cole, and youngest member of the Capitol Records group The King Sisters, is born Marilyn Adine Driggs in Los Angeles, California
1931 - Dick Garcia, guitarist with the Capitol Records group The George Shearing Quintet, is born in New York City, New York

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Andy Russell (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Laughing On The Outside (Crying On The Inside)" is #4 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Alvino Ray (with vocals by Rocky Coluccio)'s Capitol Records single "Cement Mixer (Put-Ti Put-Ti)" with "We'll Gather Lilacs" on the flip side, debuts at #6
60 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Mel Blanc records the tracks "I'm Glad That I'm Bugs Bunny" and "Daffy Duck's Rhapsody" for the Capitol Records children's EP "Bugs Bunny Sings". The sessions were produced by Alan Livingston who also wrote the songs with Warren Foster, Mike Maltese, and Billy May. May also arranged and conducted the session with additional uncredited vocals provided by June Foray and Tom Reddy
1953 - Bobby Hackett (on coronet, with Lou Stein on piano, Billy Bauer on guitar, Arnold Fishkind on bass, Denzil Best on drums, and a string quintet of four violas and one cello), during two sessions held on the same day in New York City, New York, records the tracks "That Old Black Magic", "The Song Is You", "You Turned The Tables On Me" and "Someday You'll Be Sorry" during the first session and "Easy To Love", Soft Lights And Sweet Music", "I Cried For You (Now It's Your Turn To Cry Over Me)" and "Bobby's Blues" during the second session, for his Capitol Records album "Soft Lights And Bobby Hackett"
1959 - Capitol Records artist Judy Garland opens on Broadway at the Metropolitan Opera House for a series of 7 concerts, which will end on May 17, 1959.
1959 - Buck Owens' Capitol Records single "Second Fiddle", with "My Everlasting Love" on the flip side, becomes his first single to enter the U.S. Country singles chart
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Gene Vincent, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, England, records the track "Pistol Packin' Mama" using an arrangement that he had worked on with Eddie Cochran, with whom he had planned to record the song before Cochran's death in a car crash in England. Backing was provided by The Beat Boys featuring Georgie Fame, who was also touring with Gene, on piano. "Pistol Packin' Mama" would be Vincent's biggest UK hit, peaking at No. 15. At the same session Gene also recorded the ballad, "Weeping Willow" with the Norrie Paramor Orchestra.
1964 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' single "I Get Around", with "Don't Worry Baby" on the flip side
1964 - The Beatles mono EP "Four By The Beatles" is released in the U.S. with the tracks "Roll Over Beethoven" and "This Boy" on the A side and "All My Loving" and "Please Mr. Postman" on the B side
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Masters for The Beatles tracks "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" and "Bad Boy" are sent by The Beatles, via air mail, to Capitol Records and the shooting of "Help!" resumes in Cliveden House, Buckinghamshire.
1968 - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Mal Evans, Derek Taylor and Neil Aspinal arrive in New York to promote Apple Corps.
40 Years Ago Today In 1970 - The Beatles' Apple Records single "Long And Winding Road", with "For You Blue" on the flip side, is released by Capitol Records in the United States
40 Years Ago Today In 1970 – The Chairmen of the Board's "Gimme Just a Little More Time" on Invictus Records, distributed by Capitol Records, is certified Gold by the RIAA
1973 - Helen Reddy performs live at the Palladium, London, England from May 11-13. The performances are recorded and will be released by Capitol Records on the album "Live In London"
1988 - Capitol Records exec, Lynn Shults, goes to the Bluebird Cafe to hear Garth Brooks perform in front of a live audience. After the show Shultz does a handshake deal signing Brooks to Capitol Records
2001 - Paul McCartney's TV special "Wingspan" has it's world debut on ABC-TV in the United States.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1943 - Les Chadwick, bassist for the group Gerry and the Pacemakers, is born John Leslie Chadwick in Liverpool, England
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - The musical "Flora, the Red Menace", featuring a score by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, opens on Broadway at The Alvin Theatre with future Capitol Records artist 19 year-old Lisa Minnelli in her first starring role, a role that will also make her the youngest woman ever to win a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
1981 - "All Those Years Ago", George Harrison's tribute single to John Lennon with help from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, is released in the U.S. by Dark Horse Records with "Writings On The Wall" on the flip side
1991 - Roxette's EMI America single "Joyride", with "Come Back" on the flip side, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1888 - Irving Berlin, songwriter, producer, and motion picture actor, is born in Israel Isidore Beilin somewhere in Russia/Beylorussia or possibly Temun, Russia. If anyone knows for sure where Irving was born, please leave a comment.
1918 - Richard Feynman, physicist, teacher, lecturer, percussionist and occasional stage actor (CalTech's Theatre Arts musicals including "South Pacific" and "Kismet"), is born Richard Phillips Feynman in in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York. I met him when I was doing the poster and program design (as well as working a spotlight) and he would be drawing in a sketchbook during rehearsals and go to the cast parties including on at Al Hibb's home in Pasadena where I was in charge of the music. He really liked the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme's "Something's Wild" as well as any big band music with a great beat that I played.
1927 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded
1941 - Eric Burdon, lead singer of the group The Animals, is born Eric Victor Burdon in Walker-on-Tyne, Northumberland, England
40 Years Ago Today In 1970 – The triple album soundtrack to "Woodstock" is released and will be certified Gold in just two weeks by the R.I.A.A.
1979 - Country legend Lester Flatt, best remembered for his recordings with partner Earl Scruggs of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "The Theme To The Beverly Hillbillies", dies in Nashville, Tennessee at age 64
1981 - Bob Marley (born Robert Nesta Marley), singer, songwriter, and father of EMI America and Virgin Records artists Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, dies at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida of cancer at age36