JULY 9, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1917 - Bob Howe, long time Capitol Records employee (retires in 1978), is born Robert Howe in Humbolt, Nebraska
1921 - Irv Kluger, drummer, vibraphonist, studio musician, and member of the Capitol Records group Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (1947-1948) as well as the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Tex Beneke, and Artie Shaw, is born in Brooklyn, New York
1924 - Leonard Pennario, pianist, composer, and Capitol and Angel Records artis is born in Buffalo, New York. Mary Kunz Goldman, Pennario's official biographer, has a daily blog about how she's progressing on writing her book.
1929 - Jesse McReynolds, vocalist, fiddle and mandolin player, and guitarist for the Capitol Records (1952) duo Jim and Jesse McReynolds, is born Jesse Lester McReynolds in Carfax (near Coeburn), Virginia

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1947 - Johnny Mercer, with The Pied Pipers (June Hutton, Clarke Yocum, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry) and Paul Weston and his Orchestra (Ray Linn, Charlie Griffard, and Zeke Zarchy on trumpet; Allan Thompson, Bill Schaefer, and Elmer Smithers on trombone; Herbie Haymer on tenor saxophone; Fred Stulce, Matty Matlock, Hap Lawson, and Lenny Hartman on reeds; Milt Raskin on piano; George Van Eps on guitar; Jack Ryan on bass; and Nick Fatool on drums), records the track "Why Should I Cry Over You?" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will release the track on a single (#448) with "Sugar Blue" on the flip side.
1949 - Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is still #4 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Mel Tormé (with orchestra conducted by Pete Rugalo)'s Capitol Records single "Again" is #11 down from #10, and Margaret Whiting (with Frank DeVol and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "A Wonderful Guy" is #17 up from #20
1952 - Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ella Mae Morse record the tracks "I'm Hog Tied Over You" and "False Hearted Girl" which Capitol Records will release together as a single (#2215)
55 Years Ago Today In 1955 - 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 still #3 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Les Baxter and His Orchestra and Chorus' Capitol Records single "Unchained Melody" is #4 down from #3, Frank Sinatra (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Learnin' The Blues" with "If I Had Three Wishes" on the flip side, is still #5, and Tennessee Ernie Ford (with Cliffie Stone's Band)'s Capitol Records single "The Ballad Of Davy Crocket" is #25 down from #21
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Peggy Lee, with Sid Feller conducting his orchestra, records the tracks "Happy Holidays", Winter Wonderland", and "Little Drummer Boy" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California with producer Dave Cavanaugh for her 1965 Capitol Records album "Happy Holidays"
1969 - Pink Floyd record the track "Biding My Time" with producer Norman Smith at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, England. The track, written by Roger Waters, will eventually be released on the band's "Relics" album in May 1971
1972 - Buck Owens' Capitol Records single "Made In Japan", with "Black Texas Dirt" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1973 - Capitol Records releases Tennessee Ernie Ford's album "Country Morning"
1982 - Wingy Manone, trumpet player and Capitol Records artist, dies at age 82 in Las Vegas, Nevada
1988 - Poison's Enigma Records single (distributed by Capitol Records) "Nothin' But A Good Time" with "Look But You Can't Touch" on the flip side, peaks at #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1996 - Capitol Records releases two more volumes from its Ultra Lounge Series of compilation albums, "Volume 8: Cocktail Capers" and "Volume 9: Cha-Cha De Amor"
2001 - The Country Music Association announces the inclusion of Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson and Capitol Records recording artists The Jordanaires into the Country Music Hall of Fame that will happen at a special ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee on October 4, 2001 and they will also be recognized during the Annual CMA Awards November 7, 2001 on CBS-TV
2002 - Rod Steiger (born Rodney Stephen Steiger), television and motion picture actor and a Capitol Records artist (on the original motion picture soundtrack for "Oklahoma!"), dies of pneumonia and kidney failure at age 77 and is later interred in the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1916 - Joe Liggins, arranger, pianist, founder of Joe Liggins and His Honeydrippers, Exclusive, Speacialty, Mercury, and Aladdin Records artist, is born in Guthrie, Oklahoma
1952 - The Gerry Mulligan Quartet (Mulligan on baritone saxophone, Chet Baker on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Joe Mondragon on bass) record the tracks "Hagi and Haig" and "She Didn't Say Yes, She Didn't Say No" at Phil Turetsky’s House in Los Angeles, Calfornia for Pacific Jazz Records, whose catalog is now owned by Capitol Records
1952 - Les Paul applies for his first patent, "Combined Bridge and Tailpiece for Stringed Instruments", on July 9, 1952, a one pickup design which was granted on March 13, 1956, #2,737,842
1956 - Trumpetist Thad Jones (with Billy Mitchell on tenor saxophone, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Jones on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums), records the tracks "Billie Doo", "Let's", "In A Mellow Tone", and "Thedia" (all of which are rejected) and (with just Thad Jones on trumptet and Burrell on guitar) "Something To Remember You By" (which will be released by Blue Note Records [Japan] on the compilation album by various artists "The Other Side Of The 1500 Series") with producer Alfred Lion and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at The Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. Blue Note's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1957 - The Mingus Three (Charles Mingus on bass, Hampton Hawes on piano, and Danny Richmond on drums) records the track "Summertime" in New York city with producer Lee Kraft for their self-titled album for Roulette Records. Roulette's catalog is currenly owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1968 - The Jazz Crusaders (Wayne Henderson on trombone, Wilton Felder on tenor saxophone, Joe Sample on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Stix Hooper on drums) record the tracks "Love Is Blue", "Promises, Promises", and "Cookie Man" at the Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Richard Bock and recording engineer Thorne Nogar for their Pacific Jazz album "Powerhouse". EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, now owns the Pacific Jazz catalog
1972 - Wings, at their first public appearance, opens at Chateauvillon, in the south of France, and marks the first time Paul McCartney has appeared on stage since 1966
1989 - Future Capitol Records artist Eddy Raven's Universal Records single "In A Letter To You" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts. The track will later be leased to Capitol Records for use on "Greatest Hits" compilations.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
55 Years Ago Today In 1955 - One year to the day from when it was released by Decca Records, Bill Haley and His Comets single "Rock Around The Clock", with "Thirteen Women" on the flip side, becomes the first Rock 'n' Roll song to hit #1 on Billboard's singles chart thanks to it's use in the MGM movie "The Blackboard Jungle"