MAY 25, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
95 Years Ago Today In 1915 - Van Alexander, arranger, composer (arranged and co-wrote "A-Tisket A-Tasket" with Ella Fitzgerald for Chick Webb and His Orchestra), film scorer, bandleader and Capitol Records artist as Van Alexander and His Orchestra, is born Al Feldman in New York City, New York
1922 - Kitty Kalen, singer, vocalist for Artie Shaw and His Orchestra, Jack Teagarden and His Orchestra, Capitol Records artist Bobby Shorewood and His Orchestra (best known on the 1942 track "Moonlight Becomes You"), Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra, and Harry James and His Orchestra, and a solo artist, is born Genevieve Agostinello in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1926 - Miles Davis, trumpet player, bandleader, motion picture scorer, television actor, and Capitol Records and Blue Note Records artist, may have been born Miles Dewey Davis III today (there are also references to him being born on May 26, 1926 and July 25, 1926) in Alton, Illinois. If anyone knows for sure Miles' correct birthday, please leave a comment.
1926 - Milt Bernhart, trombonist, member of Benny Goodman and Stan Kenton's Capitol Records bands, session musician on some of Frank Sinatra's Capitol Records sessions (including "I've Got You Under My Skin"), is born in Valpariso, Indiana
1947 - Jessi Colter, singer and Capitol Records artist (1975-1976, 1978, 1981), is born Mirriam Johnson in Phoenix Arizona. She would first marry Duane Eddy (1961-1968) with whom she had daughter Jennifer Eddy and then Waylon Jennings (1969) with whom she had sons Buddy and Scooter Jennings.
1953 - Rich "Dude" Alves, guitarist for the Capitol Records group (1990-1991) Pirates of the Mississipi, is born in Pleasanton, California

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
65 Years Ago Today In 1945 - Guitarist Carl Kress (with guitarist Tony Mattola and a clarinetist, bass player, and drummer), records the tracks "Swan Of Tonnelle Avenue", "Sarong", "Blond On The Loose", and "Walking Behind Miss Lucy" at WMCA studios in New York City for Capitol Records, but all would be rejected and would be released in 1997 on Mosaic Records' box set "Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions"
1948 - Margaret Whiting records the vocals for the track "A Tree In The Meadow" in Los Angeles over an instrumental track recorded by Frank DeVol in London, getting around the second Petrillo recording ban. The track will be released by Capitol Records as a single, with "I'm Sorry, But I'm Glad" on the flip side, on June 21, 1948 and will eventually hit #1 on Billboard's singles chart on August 21, 1948.
55 Years Ago Today In 1955 - The Louvin Brothers record the track "When I Stopped Dreaming" which Capitol Records will release as a single with "Pitfall" on the flip side in July, 1955
1955 - Wardell Gray, tenor saxophonist with the Capitol Records group Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1948-1949) and then with Count Basie's band (1950-1955), is found dead in the desert outside Las Vegas with a broken neck. The Jazzitude website has a great article by Marshall Bowden about the life and mysterious death of Gray.
1957 - Ferlin Husky's Capitol Records single "Gone" is #4 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart
1959 - Franck Pourcel's French Fiddlers' Capitol Records single "Only You", with "Rainy Night In Paris" on the flip side, is #9 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1961 - Faron Young's Capitol Records single "Hello Walls", with "Congratulations" on the flip side, hits #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1963 - The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "Surfin' USA" hits #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart becoming the group's first top 10 single, Al Martino's Capitol Records single "I Love You Because" is #5, The Kingston Trio's Capitol Records single "Reverend Mr. Black" is #14, Kyu Sakamoto's Capitol Records single "Sukiyaki", with "Anoko No Namaewa Nantenkana" on the flip side, is #20 (and #2 on KFWB's Fabulous Forty survey), Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer" is #25, Bobby Darin's Capitol Records single "Yellow Roses" is #34, and The Beach Boys' single "Shutdown" (the flip side of "Surfin' USA") is #38
1976 - Sweet's Capitol Records album "Desolation Alley" is certified gold by the R.I.A.A.
1995 - Dick Curless, (aka The Baron of Country Music and born Richard William Curless), singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader, and Tower Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records) artist (1965-1969) and Capitol Records artist (1970-1974), dies of stomach cancer at age 63 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Togus, Maine
5 Years Ago Today In 2005 - Domenic Troiano, singer, songwriter, guitarist and solo artist with Capitol Records (1977-1979) and member of the bands Mandala, Bush, James Gang, The Guess Who, and Black Market, dies of cancer at age 59 at his home in Toronto, Canada

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1957 - Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm Walkin'" is #14 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Rick Nelson's Imperial Records version of the same is song is tied for #27 with Mitchell Torok's single "Pledge Of Love". EMI Music Group, Capitol Records parent company, currently owns Imperial's catalog.
1959 - Martin Denny's Liberty Records single "Quiet Village" is #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Dion and The Belmonts' Laurie Records single "A Teenager In Love" is #6, and Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm Ready" is #17. EMI Music Group, Capitol Records parent company, currently owns the Liberty, Laurie, and Imperial catalogs.
1963 - Lou Christie's Roulette Records single "Two Faces Have I" is #7 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, The Chiffons' Laurie Records single "He's So Fine" is #28, and Bobby Vee's Liberty Records single "Charms" is #35. EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns the Roulette, Laurie and Liberty Records catalogs.
1964 - Capitol Records Canada releases The Swinging Blue Jean's single "Hippy Hippy Shake"
1967 - John Lennon's Rolls Royce gets a psychedelic paint job from Dutch team of gypsy artists group The Fool who were commissioned by J. P. Fallon Ltd. John Whelan has a pretty comprehensive article about the vehicle, and the paint job, on the Ottawa Beatles Site.
1973 - Virgin Records releases its first album, Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells"

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1846 - Patty Smith Hill, composer (best known for "Happy Birthday To You" which is still under copyright even though Miss Hill died in 1924), is born