AUGUST 31, 2010

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1956 - Ella Fitzgerald, with a small backing group, finishes sessions for her Verve album "Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook" in Studio A at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California with producer Norman Granz
1969 - Capitol Records group "The Band" opens for Bob Dylan at the British Isle of Wight Festival and later backs him up during his set
1993 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Garth Brooks' album "In Pieces"
1999 - Capitol Records releases Megadeth's album "Risk"
2002 - Lionel Hampton, vibraphonist and member of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra and The Benny Goodman Quartet while they recorded for Capitol Records, dies of heart failure at age 94 in New York City
2006 - Capitol Records band OK Go perform their song "Here It Goes Again" on treadmills (as it's done in their video for the song) at the MTV Music Awards held this night in New York City

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1939 - Jerry (aka "J.I.") Allison, songwriter (co-wrote "That'll Be The Day" with Buddy Holly) and drummer with The Crickets, is born Jerry Ivan Allison in Hillsboro, Texas
65 Years Ago Today In 1945 - Van Morrison, songwriter and singer with the band Them and as a solo artist, is born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast, Northern Ireland

AUGUST 30, 2010

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
55 Years Ago Today In 1955 - Judy Garland records the track "On The Atchison, Topeka & The Santa Fe" at Capitol Records' Melrose Avenue studios in Hollywood, California
1957 - Buck Owens' has his first solo recording session for Capitol Records at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California or it's the day when Ken Nelson signed Buck Owens to Capitol Records as a solo artist. If anyone knows for sure, please leave a comment.
45 Years Ago Today In 1965- The Beatles are back at The Hollywood Bowl for the last time for a show which was recorded and was used for tracks for the 1977 Capitol Records album "Live At The Hollywood Bowl"
1968 - Mary Hopkin's first single, "Those Were The Days", is released on Apple Records with Capitol Records distributing it in the United States
1972 - John Lennon's concert at Madison Square Gardens is recorded and will be released on the album "Live In New York City" by Apple Records with distribution in the United States by Capitol Records

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1937 - Judy Garland signs her first recording contract. It was with Jack Kapp at Decca Records

AUGUST 29, 2010

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1954 - Dave Cavanaugh, A&R Representative for Capitol Records, announces that The Four Keys, formerly with Aladdin Records, have been signed to Capitol.
55 Years Ago Today In 1955 - Judy Garland, with an orchestra conducted by Jack Cathcart, records the track "Carolina In The Morning", for her Capitol Records album "Miss Show Business", at Capitol Records' Melrose Avenue Studios in Hollywood, California
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Capitol Records president Alan Livingston presents The Beatles Gold records for their soundtrack album "Help!" at the end of a press conference that was recorded for possible use as a promotiona record, and also filmed. Later that night, The Beatles perform the first of two concerts at The Hollywood Bowl that happen over two consecutive nights. Recordings of some of these performances will appear when Capitol Records releases "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" in 1977.
1966 - The Beatles perform their last live concert in the United States with a show at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The last song was "Long Tall Sally." At Paul McCartney's request, the audio of the show was recorded to tape.
2006 - The limited 40th Anniversary edition of The Beach Boys' Capitol Records album "Pet Sounds" is due in stores in both a 2 disc green vinyl version and a CD/DVD set with extras.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1952- Don Schlitz, country/western songwriter (including "The Gambler" and "The Greatest" for Liberty and Capitol Records Nashville recording artist Kenny Rogers and the Broadway musical "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer"), is born in Durham, North Carolina
1968 - Dean Martin's father, Gaetano "Guy" Crocetti, dies at age 73

AUGUST 28, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1923 - Boots Faye, singer, guitarist, fiddle player, and Capitol Records recording artist, is born Grace Eloise Tartsch in Springfield, Missouri
1928 - "Texas" Bill Strength, singer, guitarist, radio personality and Capitol Records recording artist (1953-1956) is born in Bessemer, Alabama

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1948 - Pee Wee Hunt's Capitol Records single "Twelfth Street Rag", with "Somebody Else, Not Me" on the flip side, hits #1 on the U.S. singles charts where it stays for 8 weeks and becomes the biggest hit of Capitol Records’ first 10 years
1961 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' album "Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard" that was produced by Ken Nelson
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "California Girls" peaks at #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1966 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' album "Revolver"
1999 - Early "Wee Willy" Williams, guitarist and member of the Capitol Records group Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, dies in Manatee, FL

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1937 - Martin Johan Nielsen, Jr., my father, is born in Chicago, Illinois.

AUGUST 27, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1937 - Tommy Sands, singer, former husband of Nancy Sinatra, and Capitol Records artist, is born Thomas Adrian Sands in Chicago, Illinois

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1956 - Buddy DeFranco, with Russ Garcia and His Orchestra, begin two straight days of sessions to record tracks for his album "Broadway Showcase" at The Capitol Tower Studios, in Hollywood, California
1959 - Frank Sinatra records the tracks "It's Alright With Me" and "C'est Magnifique" with arranger Nelson Riddle conducting the orchestra at 20th Century Fox studios in Los Angeles, California for the soundtrack of the motion picture "Can Can" whose soundtrack album will be released by Capitol Records in 1960
1967 - Brian Epstein, record store owner and manager of The Beatles, dies of a drug overdose while the band is in Bangor, Wales visiting Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to learn about transcendental meditation
20 Years Ago Today In 1990 - Capitol Records Nashville release Garth Brooks' album "No Fences" and television sound track album "Call Me Claus"
1994 - Capitol Records and Grand Royal Record releases Beastie Boys' album "Ill Communication"
2002 - Capitol Records releases Coldplay's second album "A Rush Of Blood To The Head"
2002 - Capitol Records releases Grand Funk Railroad's compilation 4 cd limited box set "Trunk Of Funk" which contains the band's first four Capitol Records albums.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - The Beatles meet, talk and play music with Elvis Presley at his home in Bel Air, California for the first and only time and later party with members of The Byrds and actor Peter Fonda

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
20 Years Ago Today In 1990 - Steve Ray Vaughn, guitarist, is killed shortly after midnight in a helicopter crash after a show in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin at age 45. He is later buried at Laurel Land Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

AUGUST 26, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1946 - Valarie Simpson, songwriter and singer with Capitol Records (1982-1989) duo Ashford and Simpson, is born in The Bronx, New York.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1967 - Bobbie Gentry's Capitol Records single "Ode To Billie Joe", the flip side of her debut single "Mississippi Delta", knocks The Beatles' Capitol Records single single "All You Need Is Love", with "Baby You're A Rich Man" on the flip side, out of the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1968 - Apple Records releases The Beatles' single "Hey Jude", with "Revolution" on the flip side. The single is distributed by Capitol Records in the United States.
1968 - Merle Haggard records the track "I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
1974 - Capitol Records releases Unicorn's single "Ooh! Mother", with "Bogtrotter" on the flip side. Both tracks are produced by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.
1997 - Matador Records, with distribution by Capitol Records, releases the 2 CD compilation "What's Up Matador" with one disc of unreleased materials and one disc of greatest hits from artists on the Matador label. The sticker on the album says "Do Not Pay More Than $10".

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1968 - At the EMI Sales Convention, a promotional film for Apple Records is shown which includes footage of The Beatles in Abbey Road Studios, Paul McCartney doing acoustic versions of "Blackbird" and "Helter Skelter", and Paul with Mary Hopkins both in Abbey Road Studios and his home. The footage of "Blackbird" appears on the video version of "The Beatles Anthology".
1994 - Collectibles Records releases Capitol Records recording group The Magnificent Men's compilation album "Golden Classics" on CD
2001 - The last rerun of "The Bozo Super Sunday Show" airs at 7:00 a.m. CT on WGN in Chicago, Illinois. Capitol Records sold the rights to Bozo to Larry Harmon who trained Bozos, and licensed cartoons, for local stations throughout the U.S. The Chicago version was the last one on the air.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
80 Years Ago Today In 1930 - Lon Chaney, Sr. (born Leonidas F. Chaney), motion picture actor ("The Phantom Of The Opera", "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame", etc.) and father of motion picture actor Lon Chaney, Jr. ("The Wolfman"), dies at age 47 of cancer

AUGUST 25, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1908 - Ray John Heindorf, composer, conductor (conducted the orchestra for the Capitol Records soundtrack album "Streetcar Named Desire" in 1951) orchestrator and Capitol Records recording artist (the single, "Four Deuces" with "Streetcar" on the flip side, is Heindorf's first record released under his own name), is born in Haverstraw, New York
1946 - Steve Buckley, marketing and sales agent for United Artists (1977-1978) and Capitol Records (1978-1984) at the Washington, D.C. branch before becoming Regional Promotions Manager in Miami and then A&R manager for Black Music at The Capitol Tower in Hollywood, is born Steve T. Buckley III in Little Rock, Arkansas and is currently married to Hazel Payne, former member of Capitol Records recording group A Taste Of Honey

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Nat "King" Cole And His Trio, with arranger Pete Rugolo conducting the orchestra, (unknown except for Shelly Manne on drums), and the vocal group The Judd Conlin Rhythmaires (Conlin, Mac McLean, Charlie Parletto, Loulie Jean Norman & Gloria Wood) record the tracks "Make Believe Land" and "Get To Gettin'" (with Jack Costanzo on bongos} as well as the tracks "Little Christmas Tree" (with additional vocals by The Singing Pussycats) and "Frosty The Snowman" (with additiona vocals by The Singing Pussycats), and "Song of Delilah" with Dave Barbour conducting the orchestra at Capitol Records' (formerly KHJ's) studios on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California
1957 - Kid Ory starts two straight days of sessions to record tracks that will appear on his albums "Song Of The Wanderer" and "Dance With Kid Ory Or Just Listen"
1958 - Peggy Lee's Capitol Records single "Fever", with "You Don't Know" on the flip side, peaks at #8 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1969 - Capitol Records releases Grand Funk Railroad's debut album "On Time"
1979 - The Knack's Capitol Records single "My Sharona" is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1979 - Stan Kenton, pianist, band leader and Capitol Records artist dies at age 67 of complications of a stroke, at Midway Hospital in Hollywood, California which he had entered on August 17, 1979 after the stroke
1992 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Garth Brooks' album "Beyond The Season"
1999 - Boots Faye (born Grace Eloise Tartsch), singer and Capitol Records recording artist, dies at age 75, three days before her 76th birthday

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
80 Years Ago Today In 1930 - Sean Connery, motion picture actor, is born Thomas Sean Connery in Edinburgh, Scotland

AUGUST 24, 2010

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1953 - Nat "King" Cole records "The Christmas Song" for the third time. This verion was recorded at Capitol Records' Studios on Melrose Avenue and was produced by Lee Gillette with arranger Nelson Riddle conducting the orchestra. This was a HiFi Mono recording done on Ampex Tape and recorded on an Ampex 200 tube recorder.
1964 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' single "Matchbox" with "Slow Down" on the flip side
1964 - The Beatles' Capitol Records album "Something New" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1978 - Louis Prima, composer, trumpeter, bandleader, and Capitol Records recording artist, dies in New Orleans at age 77 after being in a coma since 1976 as a result of brain surgery to remove a tumor
1987 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles albums "The Beatles" (aka "The White Album") and the soundtrack to the United Artists animated movie "Yellow Submarine" on CD for the first time in the United States as part of a simultaneous world wide release
1988 - Nat Stuckey, radio personality, band leader of The Louisiana Hayriders, and composer (co-wrote, with Buck Owens and Don Rich, Owens' #1 country song "Waitin' In Your Welfare Line", released by Capitol Records, which will be #1 for seven weeks), dies in Nashville, Tennessee at age 55
1999 - Capitol Records Jazz, a division of Blue Note Records, which is owned by Capitol Records, releases the compilation album "Trumpet Blues: The Best Of Harry James"
2004 - Capitol Records Canada releases Don Yute's album "Boobilious"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1924 - Francis Barraud, painter of the "His Master's Voice" pictures, the corporate logo for His Master's Voice and EMI, dies

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1962 - Producer Phil Spector records a "wall of sound" version "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" with Bobby Sheen doing the lead vocal with former Capitol Records singing group (1957-1958 and formerly known as The Dreamers until Capitol exec Tom Fransend renamed the group) The Blossoms (Darlene Wright [soon to be renamed Darlene Love], Fanita James, and Gloria Jones) doing backup vocals. When the track is released it will be credited to Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans.

AUGUST 23, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1917 - Tex Williams (aka Jack Williams until given the nickname "Tex" by band leader Spade Cooley), singer, guitarist, band leader, actor and Capitol Records artist (1946-1951 and 1960-1974) is born Sollie Paul Williams in Ramsey, Fayette County, Illinois
1949 - Rick Springfield, singer, guitarist, actor, and Capitol Records artist (1972-1973) is born Richard Lewis Springthorpe in in Guildford, New South Wales, Australia

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1954 - Frank Sinatra records the tracks "When I Stop Loving You", "White Christmas" and "The Christmas Waltz" with arranger Nelson Riddle conducting the studio orchestra (John Hacker, Dominic Mumolo, Warren Webb, and James Williamson on reeds; Simon Zenther on trombone; George Roberts on bass trombone; John Cave and Vincent De Rosa on french horn; Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Harry Bluestone, Walter Edelstein, Henry Hill, Mischa Russell, Paul Shure, and Felix Slatkin on violin; Staney Harris and David Sterkin on viola; Cy Bernard, Edgar Lustgarten, and Eleanor Slatkin on cello; Bill Miller on piano; Joe Comfort on bass; Allan Reuss on guitar; Lou Singer and Alvin Stoller on drums), and with background vocals by The Jimmy Joyce Singers, at Capitol Records' Studios (formerly KHJ Radio Studios) on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California with producer Voyle Gilmore
1964 - The Beatles perform their first concert at The Hollywood Bowl. The show is recorded and some of the songs will be released by Capitol, after being remastered and sonically cleaned up by on the album "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" in 1977.
1968 - Ringo Starr quits The Beatles during a recording session for their self-titled album (aka "The White Album"). He will return to the group on September 3, 1968 and finds flowers on his drum kit from the rest of the band.
1993 - Capitol Records releases Duran Duran's single "Too Much Information" on cassette and CD. The CD had two versions of "Too Much Information" with "Drowning Man" and a live version of "Hungry Like A Wolf" that was recorded at Tower Records in Hollywood California on May 15, 1993. The cassette single had "Too Much Information" with "Drowning Man" and also came with a free cassette, called "No Ordinary EP" with live versions "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Notorious", and "Come Undone" also recorded at the Tower Records concert.
1994 - Capitol Records releases the compilation album "Christmas With Bing Crosby"
1996 - Alyce King Clarke, member of the Capitol Records singing group The King Sisters (1957-1966), dies following a long history of respiratory problems

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1956 - Nat "King" Cole speaks at the Republican National Convention in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
1963 - John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office in Liverpool, England
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - The Beatles' United Artists soundtrack album to the United Artists motion picture "Help!" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. Capitol Records currently owns the United Artists catalog.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Keith Moon, actor, singer, and drummer with the band The Who, is born Keith John Moon in Central Middlesex Hospital on Acton Lane in Willesden, England

AUGUST 22, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1948 - Sam Neely, singer, guitarist, songwriter, and Capitol Records artist (1968-1974), is born in Cuero, Texas
1961 - Ricky Lynn Gregg, singer, guitarist and Liberty Records recording artist (1992-1994) is born in Longview, Texas. Liberty Records became Capitol Records Nashville.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - The King Cole Trio (Nat "King" Cole on piano and vocals, Oscar Moore on guitar, Johnny Miller on bass) record the track "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" in New York City
1947 - The King Cole Trio (Nat "King" Cole on piano and vocals, Oscar Moore on guitar, Johnny Miller on bass) records the track "Nature Boy", with Frank DeVol conducting an orchestral backing, in Los Angeles, California
1949 - Lonzo and Oscar's Winston County Pea Pickers (Lloyd "Lonzo" George on vocals and guitar, and Rollin "Oscar" Sullivan on mandolin and vocals) record the tracks "Who Pulled the Plug From the Jug?", "Love is Sweet But Oh, How Bitter", "Sheepskin Corn", "I’ll Go Chasing Women" at their second Capitol Records recording session
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Frank Sinatra begins recording sessions for his Capitol Records album "Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!" at The Capitol Tower Studios with arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle and producer Dave Cavanaugh
1964 - The Beatles' Capitol Records album "Something New" peaks at #2 on Billboard's album chart where it will stay for nine weeks, kept out of the #1 spot by United Artist's soundtrack to The Beatles' movie "A Hard Days Night" which stayed at the #1 spot for 14 weeks
1966 - The Beatles' album "Revolver" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1986 - Capitol Records releases Paul McCartney's album "Press To Play" in the United States
2006 - Bruce Gary, percussionist and drummer with the Capitol Records group The Knack, dies at the Tarzana Regional Medical Center in Tarzana, California, of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 55

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1987 - Former Capitol Records artist (1963-1968) Roy Clark becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry
1989 - EMI America Records releases The Red Hot Chilli Peppers' album "Mother's Milk". EMI Music Group, Capitol Records' parent company, currently owns EMI America's catalog.
1992 - EMI in the U.K. exclusively releases Capitol Records band Iron Maiden's album "Live At Donington"

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1917 - Johnny Lee Hooker, guitarist, is born near Clarksdale, Mississippi
1956 - 20th Century Fox's film "The Girl Can't Help It" is premiered in Hollywood, California
1968 - Cynthia Lennon files for divorce from John Lennon

AUGUST 21, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
90 Years Ago Today In 1920 - Sarah Churchill, singer with Capitol Records artists Benny Carter and His Orchestra, is born Sarah Valentine in Colfax, Louisiana
1921 - Uan Rasey, Capitol Records artist as a trumpet player in Frank Devol and His Orchestra, Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra, and with the studio orchestra for the Four Freshmen, band manager for Billy May's Capitol Records big band, first trumpet in MGM and Paramount Picture's studio orchestras, and teacher, is born in Glasgow, Montana
1938 - Kenny Rogers, singer, guitarist and Liberty and Capitol Records recording artist, is born Kenneth Donald Rogers in Houston, Texas
1939 - James Burton, songwriter ("Suzie Q" with Dale Hawkins), member of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and guitarist who, with his '53 Telecaster, was part of Rick Nelson's Imperial Records recording group, did session work with producer Ken Nelson for Capitol Records artists Merle Haggard and Buck Owens which helped define "The Bakersfield Sound", and was part of the backing band on Virgin Records recording artist Roy Orbison's "Black And White" special, is born in Dubberly, Louisiana. If anyone knows what James' middle name is, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1949 - The country and western team Lonzo and Oscar (Lloyd George and Rollin Sullivan) have their first Capitol Records recording session as Lonzo and Oscar's Winston County Pea Pickers and record the tracks "I Wonder Why She Almost Drives Me Wild", "My Dreams Turned into a Nightmare", "Pretty Little Indian Maid", "Tickle the Tom Cat’s Tail". If anyone knows which studio and/or city where the session was held, please leave a comment.
1966 - Capitol Records artist Lou Rawls opens for Capitol Records band The Beatles at a concert held at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio
1972 - Capitol Records releases Tennessee Ernie Ford's single "Pea-Pickin' Cook" with "Song (Mama's Song)" on the flip side
1973 - Grand Funk Railroad's Capitol Records album "We're An American Band" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1979 - The Knack's Capitol Records single "My Sharona" is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
20 Years Ago Today In 1990 - Capitol Records releases Syd Barrett's solo album "The Madcap Laughs" for the first time on CD.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1936 - Future Capitol Records recording group The Benny Goodman Quartet, with the recently added Lionel Hampton on vibraphone, records its first track, "Moonglow"
1944 - Jackie DeShannon, singer, songwriter and Liberty Records artist, is born Sharon Lee Myers in Hazel, Kentucky. Liberty's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1977 - Crystal Gayle's United Artists Records single "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", with "It's All Right With Me" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart. United Artists' catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1904 - Count Basie, pianist, composer, and band leader, is born William Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey
75 Years Ago Today In 1935 - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, whose shows up to this time had not been great successes in terms of attendance, finish their current tour at The Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, California with a show that is also aired on a nation-wide hookup. The packed audience at the ballroom is the band's most enthusiastic. The rave reviews of the performance, which put some of the credit to the audience's responsiveness on the three hour earlier time difference between when the band's spot on the "Let's Dance" radio show was being aired in Los Angeles versus New York City, assure Goodman and his band's success and "The Swing Era" begins.
1958 - Walter Schumann, composer ("Theme From Dragnet") and songwriter, dies at age 44
5 Years Ago Today In 2005 - Dr. Robert Arthur Moog, inventor of the Moog Synthesizer, dies age of 71 in Asheville, North Carolina of a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor

AUGUST 20, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
105 Years Ago Today In 1905 - Jack Teagarden, trombonist, band leader, singer and Capitol Records recording artist, is born Weldon John Teagarden in Vernon, Texas
1952 - John Hiatt, singer, musician, songwriter, and Capitol Records artist (1995-1997), is born in Indianapolis, Indiana. If anyone knows his middle name, please leave a comment.
1952 - Doug Fieger, actor, guitarist, and lead singer of the Capitol Records band The Knack, is born in Detroit, Michigan. If anyone knows his middle name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY1948 - The comedy team Martin and Lewis (Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis) sign with Capitol Records. Martin had already signed a personal singing contract with Capitol on August 12, 1948.
1949 - Gordon MacRae and Jo Stafford's Capitol Records single "Whispering Hope" debuts on the singles chart where it will peak at #4
1951 - Les Paul and Mary Ford’s Captiol Records single “The World is Waiting For The Sunshine” sells its first million copies
1956 - August 20 - Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly‘s Capitol Records single “True Love”, from the Capitol Records soundtrack album for the MGM motion picture "High Society", sells its first million copies
1957 - The Kingston Trio hear the song "Tom Dooley" for the first time at talent audition at The Purple Onion, 140 Columbus, San Francisco, California. They will re-arrange the song and add a spoken intro when they record it for their demo disc, which is given to Voyle Gilmore at Capitol Records, who signed them to the label. The track also appears on their self-titled Capitol Records debut album, "The Kingston Trio".
1969 - All four Beatles are in the recording studio (EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London, England) at the same time for the last time. They'll mix part of the "Abbey Road" album, decide the running order of the songs, and decide where to clip the end of the track "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
1973 - Capitol Records releases Tennessee Ernie Ford's single "Colorado Country Morning" with "Daddy Usta Say" on the flip side

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1959 - Ella Fitzgerald finishes recording tracks for her Verve Records album "Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Songbook" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California with arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle and producer Norman Granz

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1919 - The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, giving women the right to vote
1942 - Isaac Hayes, singer, songwriter, and cartoon voice artist, is born Isaac Lee Hayes in Covington, Tennessee
60 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Jerome Brailey (aka "Bigfoot" Brailey), drummer with various bands including P-Funk, Parliament, Funkadelic, and Mutiny is born. If anyone knows his middle name, or where he was born, please leave a comment
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - KRS-One, singer, songwriter, and producer, is born Lawrence Krisna Parker in Brooklyn, New York
1972 - 112,000 people gather at Los Angeles Coliseum for an all-day concert called Wattstax. Isaac Hayes, Albert King, The Staples Stingers, Rufus & Carla Thomas, The Bar-Kays, and others performed. Stax Records president Al Bell had the concert filmed and the footage has been shown as part of a documentary on PBS.

BTW - Today is my step-daughter Maureen Johnson's 31st birthday!

AUGUST 19, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1972 - Sammi Cheng, actress, singer (Cantonese, Mandarin, and English) and Capitol Records Hong Kong recording artist (until a contractual dispute in 1996 led to her signing with Warner Bros. HK), is born Cheng Sau Man

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - The King Cole Trio are back in the WMCA Studios in New York City, with Carl Kress and Walter Rivers producing and a string arrangement by Charlie Grean, to re-record Mel Tormé and Robert Wells' "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (the first time was on June 14, 1946 also at WMCA Studios) because Cole was able to convince Capitol execs to invest more money because he felt that the song would work better with a string section. In all there are at least six version of the song using Cole's vocals from 4 different sessions. The Both Sides Now chat board has a great thread about the song covering all the sessions.
1957 - Gene Vincent's Capitol Records single "Lotta Lovin'", with "Wear My Ring" on the flip side, enters Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart where it will peak at #13
1966 - The Beatles' Capitol Records single "All You Need Is Love", with "Baby You're A Rich Man" on the flip side, hits #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1968 - Tower Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records) releases Pink Floyd's single "Let There Be More Light" with "Remember A Day" on the flip side
1969 - The Beatles' last session for their last album recorded as a group, "Abbey Road", occurs at Abbey Road Studios in London with the recording of the MOOG part for the track "Here Comes The Sun"
1979 - Dorsey Burnette, songwriter, singer and guitarist, who recorded with his brother Johnny as the Burnette Brothers for Imperial and Liberty Records (whose catalog is now owned by Capitol Records) and as a solo artist for Liberty and Capitol Records, dies of a heart attack at age 46 in Conoga Park, California
2003 - Capitol Records releases The Dandy Warhols' album "Welcome To The Monkey House"
2003 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Dierk Bentley's self-titled debut album as an enhanced CD

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1943 - Billy J. Kramer, singer and front man for the Parlophone Records (a subsidiary of EMI) recording artists Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas (whose manager was Brian Epstein, were produced by George Martin, and whose first three hits were songs written by Lennon & McCartney that weren't used by The Beatles), is born William Howard Ashton in Bootle, Liverpool, England
1948 - Capitol Records recording artist Dean Martin and his wife's daughter, Deana (Dina) Martin, is born
1967 - Capitol and Apple Records artist Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen's son Jason Starkey is born
1981 - Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, who will form the EMI Records recording duo The Pet Shop Boys, meet for the first time by chance at an electronics shop on the Kings Road in Chelsea, England. EMI currently owns Capitol Records. The Pet Shop Boys were released in the U.S. by EMI America whose catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY]
1979 - Groucho Marx (born Julius Henry Marx), comedian, Broadway, motion picture, and television actor, radio and television game show host ("You Bet Your Life"), and part of the comedy team The Marx Brothers, dies of pnuemonia at age 86. He will later be cremated, and the ashes will be interred in the Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California

AUGUST 18, 2010

REST IN PEACE

2010 - Kenny Edwards, guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of Capitol Records group The Stone Poneys, dies at age 64 of complications of a blood disorder thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), and prostate cancer at a hospital near his home in Santa Barbara, California. Read more at The Los Angeles Times.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1939 - Molly Bee, singer ("Tennesse Tango", "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"), radio and television performer, who was 13 when she signed with Capitol Records, is born Molly Beechwood in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. If any one knows her middle name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1963 - In Watseka, Illinois (on a bill with Ray Price), Capitol Records recording artists The Louvin Brothers perform for the last time together. Both Ira and Charles would go on to record for Capitol as solo artists.
1978- Peabo Bryson's Capitol Records album "Reaching For The Sky" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1979 - The Knack's Capitol Records debut single "My Sharona", with "Let Me Out" on the flip side, hits #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
20 Years Ago Today In 1990 - Poison's Capitol Records album "Flesh & Blood" peaks at #2 on Billboard's album chart

65 Years Ago Today In 1945 - Sarah Dash, singer with the group Labelle and a solo EMI Manhattan recording artist(1988-1989), is born in Trenton, New Jersey. EMI Manhattan's catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records. If anyone knows her middle name, please leave a comment.
1957 - Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, with Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sonny Clark on piano, Jimmy Rowser on bass, and Art Taylor on drums, records the tracks "My Reverie", "Curtain Call", "On The Bright Side", "The Mobe", "Don't Get Too Hip", and "Deep In A Dream (without Dorham on trumpet), for Blue Note Records with producer Al Lion and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey. Blue Note sold its catalog to Liberty Records, which was acquired by United Artists Records, which was bought by EMI and currently Capitol Records, under Bruce Lundvall leadership in New York City, controls the Blue Note catalog.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
90 Years Ago Today In 1920 - Shelley Winters, actress, is born Shirley Schrift in St. Louis, Missouri. Winters appeared in the movie "Pete's Dragon" whose soundtrack was released by Capitol Records. If anyone knows her middle name, please leave a comment.
1962 - Ringo Starr makes his on stage debut as The Beatles drummer when they perform at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England
1969 - The Woodstock Music and Art Fair ends mid-morning

AUGUST 17, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1954 - Eric Johnson, guitarist, songwriter, and Capitol Records artist (1987 -1996), is born in Austin, Texas. If anyone knows his middle name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - The King Cole Trio's Capitol Records album (4 78rpm discs), "The King Cole Trio Volume 2", hits #1 on U.S. album charts
1951 - Nat "King" Cole records the track "Unforgettable", with arranger Nelson Riddle conducting, at Capitol's Melrose studios (formerly KHJ Radio) in Hollywood, California. Cole would later re-record the track in stereo. That recording would later be used for the duet recording with his daughter Natalie.
1961 - The Kingston Trio record the track "Take Her Out Of Pity" for their Capitol Records album "Close Up" with John Stewart, who had recently replaced Dave Guard, on lead vocal
1964 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' single "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" with "She Knows Me Too Well" on the flip side
40 Years Ago Today In 1970 - Capitol Records releases The Band's album "Stage Fright"
1981 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' soundtrack album to "A Hard Day's Night" on the Capitol Records label for the first time after parent company EMI buys the United Artists catalog
1992 - Capitol Records releases the compilation CD "Puttin' on the Ritz: Capitol Sings Irving Berlin" as part of their "Capitol Sings" series

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1964 - Colin James, blues guitarist, actor, and Virgin Records recording artist, is born Colin James Munn in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Capitol Records currently owns Virgin's catalog. I worked on the final design for his debut album on Virgin, talked with him at the office, and saw him open for Stevie Ray Vaughn at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, California
1977 - Future Capitol Records Nashville (1998-2000) artist Steve Wariner has his first recording session as a solo artist. It's at RCA's Studio B, in Nashville, Tennessee, with Chet Atkins (in whose band Wariner had played bass) producing.

AUGUST 16, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
70 Years Ago Today In 1940 - T.S. Bonniwell (aka Sean Bonniwell), singer, guitarist, songwriter, founding member of the group The Music Machine, and a Capitol Records solo recording artist (the 1969 album "Close"), is born Thomas Harvey Bonniwell in San Jose, California
1949 - Bill "Sputnik" Spooner, songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and founder of the Capitol Records recording group The Tubes, is born William Spooner in Phoenix, Arizona. Thanks Mel for the update on which city in Arizona is Bill's birthplace.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Johnny Mercer, with Freddie Slack and His Orchestra (Slack on piano; Ray Linn, Jack Mootz, and Ernie Figueroa on trumpets; Kenny Wygal and Roger Ingram on trombone (an email from Kenny Wygal's daughter Tricia reads that her father played trumpet for Freddie Slack not trombone); Jack Ordean and Jimmie Rudge on alto saxophone; Don Brassfield and Everett McLaughlin on tenor saxophone; Sam Sachelle on baritone saxophone; Al Hendirckson on electric guitar; Hilmer "Tiny" Timbrell on guitar; Harry Babason on bass; and Dave Coleman on drums) record the tracks "The H.C. Potter's Ball" with Mercer and Don Raye on vocals, and "The Necessary Evil Blues" with just Mercer on vocals. After recording Mercer's tracks, Freddie Slack and His Orchestra (same lineup as above), record the tracks "Half After" "Cocktail Repartee", and "What Is This Thing Called Rebop? All the tracks were recorded in Los Angeles, California and remained unissued until 2005 when they appeared on Mosaic Records' 3 CD compilation "Mosaic Select: Freddie Slack".
1947 - Tex Williams' Capitol Records single "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)" is still #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Red Ingle and The Natural Seven (with vocals by Cinderella G. Stump aka Jo Stafford)'s Capitol Records single "Tim-Tay-Shun" peaks at #2 up from #3
60 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Nat "King" Cole (on vocal and piano), with Irving Ashby on guitar, Joe Comfort on bass, Jack Costanzo on bongos, and The Stan Kenton Orchestra (including Maynard Ferguson, Jim Salko, Buddy Childers, Chico Alvarez, and Shorty Rogers on trumpet; Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Bob Fitzpatrick, Johnny Halliburton, and Herbie Harper on trombone; Bud Shank and Art Pepper on alto saxophone; Bob Cooper and Bert Calderal on tenor saxophone; and Bob Gioga on baritone saxophone), records the tracks "Orange Colored Sky" (arranged by Pete Rugalo) and Jam-Bo (arranged by Shorty Rogers) with producer Lee Gillette at Capitol Records' Melrose Avenue studios in Hollywood, California
1952 - Al Martino (with orchestra conducted by Monty Kelly)'s Capitol Records single "Here In My Heart" is #7 down from #5 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Somewhere Along The Way" is #12 up from #13 and its flip side "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" with Billy May and His Orchestra is #14 up from #19
1956 - Louis Armstrong, with Buddy Rich on drums and the Oscar Peterson Trio, records the track "April in Paris" for Verve Records album "Ella and Louis" in The Capitol Tower Studios, in Hollywood California
1958 - The Kingston Trio records the tracks "New York Girls", "They Call The Wind Maria", and "Shady Grove/Lonesome Traveler" for their Capitol Records album "...From The Hungry i"
1961 - The Kingston Trio records the track "Oh Sail Away" for their Capitol Records album "Close-Up"
1968 - Apple Records releases Mary Hopkin's single "Those Were The Days", which is produced by Paul McCartney, with "Turn, Turn, Turn" on the flip side. The record becomes Apple's first big hit, selling 4 million copies worldwide, and is distributed by Capitol Records in the United States.
1996 - The Figgs' Capitol Records debut album "Banda Macho" hits #10 on CMJ's Radio Top 200 records chart
5 Years Ago Today In 2005 - Capitol Records releases Bob Seger's album "Back In '72" on CD for the first time
5 Years Ago Today In 2005 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Chris LeDoux's compilation album "Anthology Volume 1"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1929 - Bill Evans, pianist and Blue Note Records recording artist, is born William John Evans in Plainfield, New Jersey. Capitol Records currently owns Blue Note Records catalog.
1952 - The Gerry Mulligan Quartet (Mulligan on baritone saxophone, Chet Baker on trumpet, Bob Whitlock on bass and Chico Hamilton on drums) records for the first together in the afternoon at the Laurel Canyon bungalow of recording engineer Phil Turetsky. Using Turetsky's early model Ampex tape recorder, they record the tracks "Bernie's Tune" and "Lullaby Of The Leaves which are released as a single by Pacific Jazz. The single will become the label's first big success. Pacific Jazz's catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records.
1962 - Brian Epstein fires The Beatle's drummer Pete Best and hires Ringo Starr to replace him
1968 - Arranger Gerald Wilson (with Ollie Mitchell, Dalton Smith, Alex Rodrigues, Tony Rusch (tp), Frank Strong, Lester Robertson, and Thurman Green on trombone; Mike Wimberly on bass trombone; Jim McGee and George Hyde on french horn; Anthony Ortega on alto saxophone, flute, and piccolo; Ramon Borjorquez on alto saxophone; Hadley Caliman and Harold Land on tenor saxophone; Richard Aplanalp on baritone saxophone; Henry DeVega, Pete Terry, and Bill Perkins on reeds; Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphones; Mike Wofford and Jimmy Rowles on piano, organ, and electric harpsichord; Mike Anthony on guitar; Wilton Felder on electric bass guitar; Carl Lott on drums; Hugh Anderson and Joe Porcaro on percussion) with producer Richard Bock and Recording engineer Lanky Linstrot at Liberty Records' studios on Third Street in Los Angeles (near Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills), California, records the tracks "California Soul", "Yesterlove", and "Lullaby From Rosemary's Baby" for his World Pacific Records album "California Soul"
1977 - Elvis Presley, father of Capitol Records artist Lisa Marie Presley, is pronounced dead of heart failure at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee at age 42
1996 - Thorn EMI shareholders voted in favour of demerger proposals. The resulting media company is now known as EMI Group PLC
2007 - It is announced that EMI has hired Saatchi & Saatchi to handle marketing of its back catalog

BTW - It's my daughter Alys' 1th birthday! She was born at 1:37 AM at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

AUGUST 15, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
85 Years Ago Today In 1925 - Rose Maddox, singer, member of the group The Maddox Brothers and Rose, and a Capitol Records solo artist, is born Roselea Arbana Maddox in Boaz, Alabama

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1942 - Freddie Slack and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Cow Cow Boogie", with vocals by Ella Mae Morse, becomes Capitol Records' first single to enter Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart when it debuts at #9. The flip side is Freddie Slack and His Orchestra's "Here You Are" with vocals by David Street.
55 Years Ago Today In 1955 - Frank Sinatra records the tracks "Look To Your Heart", "Love And Marriage", "The Impatient Years" and "Our Town" with producer Voyle Gilmore and arranger Nelson Riddle conducting the studio orchestra (Harry Klee, Ted Nash, Joseph Palange, Willie Schwartz, and Warren Webb on reeds; Francis Howard on trombone; George Roberts on bass trombone; John Cave, James Decker and Vincent De Rosa on french horns; Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Harry Bluestone, Alex Murray, Erno Neufeld, Nick Pisani, Nathan Ross, Mischa Russell, Paul Shure, Felix Slatkin, Marshall Sosson, and Gerald Vinci on violin; Alvin Dinkin, Stanley Speigelman, and David Sterkin on viola; Armand Kaproff and Edgar Gilbert on cello; Max Albright on drums; Alton Hendrickson on guitar; Frank Flynn on vibraphone; Kathryn Julye on harp) and chorus (Sweet Blair, Vince Degen, Jack Gruberman, John Gustavson, Ray Linn Jr., Gil Mershon, Robert Namlin, Charles Parlato, William Reeve, Robert Wacker, Allan Wattson, and Norma Zimmer) at Capitol Records' Studios (formerly KHJ) on Melrose Boulevard in Hollywood, California
1958 - Over the next two days, live performances at the Hungry i in San Francisco, California are recorded for The Kingston Trio's album "...from the Hungry i"
1963 - Liza Minnelli records the tracks "Day Dreaming" and "His Woman" which will be released as the A & B sides of her second Capitol Records single. The tracks are arranged and conducted by Mort Garson and produced by Si Rady.
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - The Beatles perform at Shea Stadium in New York City before 55,600 fans. For all you time travelers, there are still some unused tickets that show up for sale online, but then there's the paradox - if you use the ticket, how will you buy it in the future?
1969 - The Beach Boys re-record the track "Cotton Fields" with Orville "Red" Rhodes on steel pedal guitar at Sunset Sound's studios in Hollywood, California with band member Al Jardine handling lead vocals as well as producing chores. Capitol Records will release the track as "Cottonfields" on the group's last single for the label, and last mono release, on April 20, 1970 with "The Nearest Faraway Place" on the flip side. It will be the band's only single not to enter Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
15 Years Ago Today In 1995 - Capitol Records releases Blind Melon's second album "Soup"
2006 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Trace Adkins' album "Dangerous Man"
2006 - Capitol Records releases Bonnie Raitt's DVD/CD "Bonnie Raitt And Friends" which was recorded live at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 30, 2005 for the live concert series "VH1 Classic Decades Rock Live!"
2006 - Capitol Records releases The Panic Channel's debut album “(ONe)”
2006 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Keith Urban's single "Once In A Lifetime". No word yet on if there's a flip side or if it will only be a digital release.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1941 - Peggy Lee has her first recording session as vocalist with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra when they record the track "Elmer's Tune". Both Lee and Goodman will later record for Capitol Records.
1964 - Dean Martin's Reprise Records single "Everybody Loves Somebody", with "Return To Me" on the flip side, knocks The Beatles' Capitol Records single "A Hard Day's Night" out of the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart.
1969 - The Woodstock Music And Art Fair begins at 5:07pm EDT. One of the festival's main organizers is Artie Kornfeld who, at the time, was a VP of A&R and producer at Capitol Records.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1935 - Will Rogers (Vaudeville, Broadway and Motion picture actor as well as a newspaper columnist, age 55, born William Penn Adair Rogers) and pilot Wiley Post (record setting aviator, developer of one of the first pressure suits for high altitude flying, age 36, born Wiley Hardeman Post) are killed when Post's plane crashes when trying to takeoff from a lagoon south of Point Barrow, Alaska where they had landed to ask directions.

AUGUST 14, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1916 - Alyce King, singer with the Capitol Records recording group The King Sisters, is born Alyce Driggs in Payson, Utah. If anyone knows her middle name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1964 - The Beatles record a cover version of Little Willie John's "Leave My Kitten Alone" at EMI Studios in London which will, after appearing on many bootlegs, finally be released officially by Capitol Records as a track on The Beatles' "Anthology 1" in 1995
1964 - Johnny Burnette, songwriter, guitarist, singer, Imperial Records recording artist with his brother Dorsey Burnette as The Burnette Brothers, solo artist on Freedom Records (a subsidiary of Liberty Records), Liberty Records, and Capitol Records, drowns after his small fishing boat is hit by a cabin cruiser on Clear Lake in California. He's later interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
1967 - The Seeker's Capitol Records single "Georgy Girl", with "When The Stars Begin To Fall" on the flip side, is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1978 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles single "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" with "With A Little Help From My Friends"/"A Day In The Life" on the flip side
1993 - Capitol Records releases Poison's fifth album "Native Tongue"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1956 - Eddie Cochran is filmed performing the song "Twenty Flight Rock" on a 20th Century Fox sound stage in Los Angeles, California for the film that at the time was called "Do Re Mi" which became "The Girl Can't Help It". A digitally remastered version of the movie was released on August 8, 2006 as part of "The Jayne Mansfield Collection", a three movie box set released by Fox. The song will be released by Liberty Records, whose catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records.
1956 - Bertolt Brecht, dramatist, stage director, poet, and lyricist (original German lyrics for "Mack The Knife" from "The Three Penny Opera") dies of a heart attack in Berlin, Germany at age 58 and is buried in the Dorotheenfriedhof in Berlin. "Mack The Knife" has been recorded by various Capitol Records artists including Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Les Baxter, and Frank Sinatra.

AUGUST 13, 2010

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1948 - "Smilin' Jack" Smith's Capitol Records recording of "You Call Everybody Darlin'" enters Billboard's singles charts. It will peak at #13.
1953 - Dean Martin records the tracks "That's Amore" (Session 3098; Master 11694-6), which was used in the soundtrack of Martin and Lewis' Paramount Pictures movie "The Caddy" and "You're The Right One" (Session 3098; Master 11695-5), with an orchestra conducted by Dick Stabile. Both tracks were released on the same single by Capitol Records.
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Capitol Records releases the soundtrack to The Beatles' movie "HELP!"
1994 - Capitol Records band Blind Melon play at the 25th anniversary Woodstock concert
2003 - Ed Townsend, singer ("For Your Love"), BMI Award-winning songwriter ("What's Goin' On"), producer, and Capitol Records artist (1958-1959) who recorded two albums with arranger Nelson Riddle, dies of heart failure at age 74 in San Bernadino, California

2009 - Les Paul, guitarist, guitar designer, inventor of various multi-track recording devices, and Capitol Records solo artist as well as part of the Capitol Records duo Les Paul and Mary Ford, has died at the age of 94 at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York, with family and friends by his side, of complications from pneumonia. The flag on The Capitol Tower has been lowered to half mast.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1964 - The Joe Pass Quartet (Pass on guitar, John Pisano on rhythm guitar, Jim Hughart on bass, Colin Bailey on drums) record the tracks "Jambalaya", "Cold Cold Heart", "You Win Again", and "Hey Good Lookin'" with producer Richard Bock for Pacific Jazz Records at the Pacific Jazz studios in Los Angeles, California. The Pacific Jazz catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1941 - According to The New York Times, the first recorded use of the term "disc jockey" appears in Variety magazine

1942 - Walt Disney Pictures releases the movie "Bambi"

AUGUST 12, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1929 - Buck Owens, guitarist, singer, bandleader, television variety show co-host, record producer, and Capitol Records artist, is born Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. in Sherman, Texas

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1948 - Dean Martin signs his first contract with Capitol Records
1974 - To commemorate his 25th anniversary with the label, Capitol Records releases two double album compilations by Tennessee Ernie Ford entitled "Yesterday" (blue cover containing Gospel Hymns) and "Today" (lavender cover containing Ford's pop hits)
1977 - The Beatles' Capitol Records album "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" is certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A.
25 Years Ago Today In 1985 - Kyu Sakamoto, singer and Capitol Records artist (best known for his #1 single "Sukiyaki"), dies in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 near Tokyo, Japan that also kills, both on board and on the ground, 520 other people
1998 - Tanya Tucker and Tanya Tucker, Inc., bring suit against Capitol Records, Inc., alleging breach of contract in two counts and sought compensatory damages, attorney fees and pre-judgment interest, along with a trial by jury.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1881 - Cecil B. DeMille, motion picture director, is born Cecil Blount DeMille in Ashfield, Massachusetts. DeMille's movie "The Squaw Man" was the first feature length film shot in Hollywood for the fledgling Laskey Players Company. The movie's success would lead to creating a permanent studio in Hollywood which would become Paramount Pictures. Paramount Pictures would eventually hire Buddy DeSylva as production manager. This would give him enough money of his own to be able to invest $25,000 with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs to form Capitol Records.
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Pete Best, drummer, auditions for The Beatles at the Blue Angel Club

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1972 - The last U.S. ground troops withdraw from Vietnam

AUGUST 11, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
90 Years Ago Today In 1920 - June Hutton, singer with the Capitol Records group The Pied Pipers, a Capitol Records solo artist, and wife of arranger and conductor Axel Stordahl, is born in Chicago, Illinois. If anyone knows her middle name, please leave a comment.
1949 - Eric Carmen, singer with the Capitol Records band The Raspberries, is born Eric Howard Carmen in Cleveland, Ohio

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1962 - The Beach Boys' debut Capitol Records single "Surfin' Safari" peaks at #14 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. The single's flip side "409" also charted and peaks at #76.
1964 - The Beatles record the track "Baby's In Black" at EMI Studios in London, England. It's the first session for their album "The Beatles For Sale"
1966 - John Lennon, with the rest of The Beatles in attendance, apologizes for his mis-interpreted remarks regarding Christianity at a press conference held in Chicago, Illinois
35 Years Ago Today In 1975 - Capitol Records Canada releases Brian Browne's album "Morning, Noon, & Night Time Too", Malka And Joso's album "Jewish Songs", Lee Gagnon's album "Discotheque" and The Kings Singers' album "Keep On Changing"
1998 - Matador Records, with distribution by Capitol Records, releases Liz Phair's third album "whitechocolatespaceegg"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1964 - United Artists releases The Beatles' first movie "A Hard Day's Night"
1964 - Atco Records releases Tony Sheridan and The Beatles' single "Ain't She Sweet", with "Nobody's Child" on the flip side
1972 - Elvis and Priscilla Presley, parents of Capitol Records artist Lisa Marie Presley, file for divorce

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1954 - Joe Jackson, singer and songwriter, is born David Ian Jackson in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England

AUGUST 10, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
70 Years Ago Today In 1940 - Jonie Mosby, member of the Capitol Records husband and wife country duo Johnny & Jonie Mosby, is born Janice Irene Shields in Van Nuys, California. Some of the duo's songs were also released by Challenge, Toppa, Columbia, Liberty (whose catalog is currently owned by Capitol Music Group's parent company EMI Music Group) and Ban Dar Records.
1967 - Chris Gaines, singer as part of the Capitol Records band Crush and as a Capitol Records solo artist, is born in Brisbaine, Australia according to the biography in his "greatest hits" album "...In The Life of Chris Gaines" which was released by Capitol Records in 1999. Gaines in reality is Garth Brooks who recorded this album as a "pre-soundtrack" to a movie called "The Lamb" that was in development at Paramount Pictures but never released.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS
1951 - Capitol Records releases Les Paul's singles "Whispering" and "The World Is Waiting For The Sunshine"
1964 - The Beach Boys record the track "When I Grow Up"
1964 - Capitol Records Canada releases Andy Stewart's album "Scottish Soldier", Larry Dubin's Big Muddys' album "At The Ports Of Call", and Ottawa based The Esquires' album "Introducing The Esquires"
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Freddie Slack, pianist, bandleader, and Capitol Records artist, dies in Hollywood, California at age 55
1996 - Capitol Records and King Kini present "Return To The Ultra-Lounge" at Club Velvet in Minneapolis, Minnesota to celebrate the release of six volumes of Capitol's Ultra-Lounge series
2004 - Capitol Records/EMI releases Blondie's "Blondie: Singles Box" set in the U.S.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1947 - Ian Anderson, flutist and vocalist with the band Jethro Tull, is born in Blackpool, England. Jethro Tull's catalog was distributed by EMI America in the 1990s and, since the closing of that label, is currently distributed by Capitol Records
1962 - Julia Fordham, singer and Virgin Records recording artist is born in Partsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK. Capitol Records currently owns Virgin and its catalog.
1964 - Neneh Cherry, singer and Virgin Records recording artist is born in Stockholm, Sweden. Capitol Records currently owns Virgin and its catalog.
25 Years Ago Today In 1985 - Northern Songs, owner of the Lennon-McCartney song catalog, is sold to Michael Jackson for $47.5 million. The sale will be finalized on September 6, 1985. The only Lennon-McCartney songs not included are "Love Me Do", "P.S. I Love You", "Please Please Me", and "Ask Me Why".

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1898 - Jack Haley, singer, dancer, and motion picture actor (best remembered as The Tin Man in "The Wizard Of Oz", is born in Boston, Massachusetts
1907 - Leo Fender, guitar manufacturer, is born Clarence Leonidas Fender in Fullerton, California
65 Years Ago Today In 1945 - Japan surrenders to the United States, ending the second World War

AUGUST 9, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
The Wallichs Family: Mrs. Dorothy Wallichs, Glenn Wallichs, their daughters Linda and Susan, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Wallichs at a luncheon honoring Glenn on the groundbreaking of The Capitol Tower on September 27, 1954. It was also Glenn and Dorothy's 21st wedding anniversary.

100 Years Ago Today In 1910 - Glenn Wallichs, electronics inventor, founder of the Wallichs' Music City chain of record and music shops, co-founder (as well as vice president and eventually president and chairman of the board) of Capitol Records and it's associated companies, is born Glenn Everett Wallichs in Grand Island, Nebraska. Wallichs will also become the first record executive to come up with the idea (and implementing it) of giving free personalized promotional copies of upcoming releases on high quality vinylite to radio disc jockeys to encourage airplay.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1947 - Tex Williams' Capitol Records single "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!", with "Roundup Polka" on the flip side, hits #1 on the U.S. pop charts. The single is also the first release (40001) on the red and gold Capitol Americana label.
1976 - Capitol Records releases Tennessee Ernie Ford's last album for the label, "For The 83rd Time", whose title references how many albums Ford had, in various configurations, released on Capitol.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1957 - Flutist Herbie Mann (with Jimmy Rowles on piano, Howard Roberts on guitar, Buddy Clark on bass, Mel Lewis on drums, and Frank DeVol conducting a string section) records the tracks "Moonlight In Vermont", "Body And Soul", "Oodles Of Noodles", and "Stardust", then (with just Rowles, Clark and Lewis) the tracks "Let's Dance", "Strike Up The Band", St. Louis Blues", and "Tenderly", and then (with Laurindo Almedia and Tony Rizzi on guitar, Tony Reyes on bass, Milt Holland on drums, and Frank "Chico" Guerrero on congas) the tracks "Frenesi", "Baia", "Peanut Vendor", and Evolution of Man(n)" for his Verve Record albums "The Magic Flute of Herbie Mann" at The Capitol Tower Studios. Some of the tracks will also appear on the Verve/VSP album "Big Band Mann".
1958 - EMI, Capitol Records parent company, signs singer Cliff Richards
1976 - Brother Records releases two singles by The Beach Boys - "It’s O.K." with "Had To Phone Ya" on the flip side and "Everyone's In Love With You" with "Susie Cincinnati" on the flip side. Capitol Records currently distributes Brother Records catalog.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
65 Years Ago Today In 1945 - Nagasaki, Japan is the second, and so far last, city to have a United States atomic bomb dropped on it. After this bomb is dropped the Japanese military forces, under orders by its emperor, will surrender to the United States, not knowing that the U.S. has used up all it's existing atomic weapons.
1967 - Joe Orton, English playwright and author who had been commissioned by The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein to write the screenplay for The Beatles' next movie "Up Against It", is found murdered and his lover, Kenneth Halliwell, is dead from an overdose of sleeping pills in their Islington flat. Their bodies were discovered by The Beatles' PR man Derek Taylor.
1969 - The bodies of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski, and Steven Parent are found, murdered by Charles Manson's "family". They are found in a house that Tate and her husband, Roman Polanski, had recently leased. It's previous tenant was The Beach Boys' producer (as well as the son of Doris Day and, at the time, boyfriend of Candice Bergen) Terry Melcher. When Manson sent his "family" to "kill everyone in the house", he didn't know that Melcher had moved out. Manson, after meeting The Beach Boys' drummer Dennis Wilson, wrote a song originally titled "Cease To Exist", but released as "Never Learn Not To Love" (after Wilson changed some of the lyrics and took sole writing credit), the flip side of The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "Bluebirds Over The Mountain", on December 2, 1968. Wilson also produced tracks for a demo for Manson at The Capitol Tower Studios in 1968 and had gotten Melcher to listen to Manson at an audition for a possible recording contract with Capitol. Melcher turned Manson down, earning Manson's hatred. Manson's "family" also killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca at their nearby residence.
1974 - Richard Nixon resigns from the presidency of The United States of America and Gerald Ford is sworn in as the country's thirty eight president.
15 Years Ago Today In 1995 - Jerry Garcia, guitarist and vocalist with The Grateful Dead, dies at the Serenity Knolls drug rehabilitation center in Forest Knolls, California at age 53 of a heart attack exacerbated by sleep apnea

AUGUST 8, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1902 - Welton Becket, architect whose firm Welton Beckett and Associates designed The Capitol Tower, is born Welton David Becket in Seattle, Washington
1907 - Benny Carter, alto saxophonist, trumpet player, clarinetist, pianist, trombone player, songwriter, arranger, bandleader and Capitol Records artist, is born Bennett Lester Carter in New York City. A hundred year celebtration of Carter and his music will be held tonight at the Hollywood Bowl.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1957 - Nat "King" Cole, with arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle, records the track "An Affair To Remember" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Judy Garland is back in EMI Studios in London, England, with Norrie Paramour conducting the studio orchestra, to record the tracks "After You've Gone", "I Can't Give You Anything But Love (Baby), "It's A Great Day For The Irish", and "Judy At The Palace" (a medley that includes "Shine On Harvest Moon", "Some Of These Days", "My Man" and "I Don't Care"). Capitol Records will release the tracks on the album "Judy In London" in 1972.
1966 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' album "Revolver" in the United States as well as their single "Eleanor Rigby" with "Yellow Submarine" on the flip side
1969 - The Beatles are posed walking across Abbey Road by photographer Iain MacMillan for the cover shot of their Apple Records album "Abbey Road" which will be distributed by Capitol Records in the United States
35 Years Ago Today In 1975 - Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, saxophonist and Capitol Records artist, dies at St. Mary Mercy Hospital, in Gary, Indiana at age 46, 25 days after suffering a stroke in a cafe which put him in a coma
1989 - Irv Cottler, studio drummer on various Capitol Records recording sessions, who appeared on albums by Bobby Darin, June Christy and, for over 36 years, Frank Sinatra, dies of cardiac arrest in Rancho Mirage, California at age 71. Spaceagepop.com has a short but fun biographical article about Cottler on their site.

AUGUST 7, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
100 Years Ago Today In 1910 - Freddie Slack, pianist, bandleader, and Capitol Records artist, is born Frederick Charles Slack in Westby, Wisconsin
1913 - George Van Eps, innovator of the seven string (extra bass string) guitar, Capitol Records and Columbia Records (as part of Paul Weston and His Orchestra) studio musician (1950s), and a Capitol Record solo artist (late 1960s) is born George Abel Van Eps in Plainfield, New Jersey
1922 - Stan Freberg, voice actor for cartoons, puppeteer, radio and television actor, commercial writer and creative director, and Capitol Records artist is born Stanley Victor Freberg in Los Angeles, California and will grow up in Pasadena, California
1943 - Dino Valente, songwriter, singer and original member of the Capitol Records band Quicksilver Messenger Service, is born Chester William Powers, Jr. in New York City

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1958 - The Louvin Brothers, with Spider Rich and Odell Martin, record the tracks "Read What's in My Heart", "Red Hen Hop", "She Will Get Lonesome", "I Wonder If You Know", and "Blue" for their Capitol Records album "Country Love Ballads"
1997 - Capitol Records Nashville artist Garth Brooks performs a free evening concert in Central Park's North Meadow in New York City, New York for over 750,000 fans

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1957 - The Quarry Men play at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England
1957 - Oliver Hardy (born Norvell Hardy), actor and part of the film duo Laurel and Hardy, dies after a series of strokes at age 65. Hardy was one of the celebrities on the cover of The Beatles' Capitol Records album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
25 Years Ago Today In 1985 - George Thorogood And The Destroyers' EMI America album "Bad To The Bone" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns the EMI America catalog.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1939 - My mother was born Roberta Joan Stolz in Midlothian, Illinois
1969 - Joseph Kosma, composer (best know for "Autumn Leaves" for which Capitol Records' co-founder Johnny Mercer wrote the English lyrics) and motion picture, ballet and light opera scorer, dies at age 63 near Paris, France

AUGUST 6, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
1917 - Robert Mitchum, motion picture and television actor and Capitol Records recording artist (the album "Calypso – Is Just So..."), is born Robert Charles Durman Mitchum in Bridgeport, Connecticut
1972 - Geri Halliwell, member of the musical group The Spice Girls and Capitol Records solo artist, is born Geraldine Estelle Halliwell in Watford , in the county of Hertfordshire, England

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1947 - The Giants Of Jazz (Louis Armstrong on trumpet and vocals, Tommy Dorsey on trombone, Benny Goodman on clarinet, Charlie Barnet on alto saxophone, Lionel Hampton on vibraphones, Mel Powell on piano, Al Hendrickson on guitar, Harry Babasin on bass, Louis Bellson on drums, Jeri Sullivan on vocals, and The Golden Gate Quartet {Clyde Riddick, Orlandus Wilson, Henry Owens, and Bill Johnson} on vocals) record the tracks "A Song Was Born (part one) and "A Song Was Born (part two)" in Los Angeles, California for the Samuel Goldwyn motion picture "A Song Is Born". The recordings will be released by Capitol Records in 1948 on one of the four discs in the 78rpm soundtrack album for the movie. The album was sold for the benefit of the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund for cancer research. The artists fees were waived by the AFM as a donation to the fund and the profits were accepted on behalf of the fund by Walter Winchell.
1958 - Capitol Records records Judy Garland at a live concert at The Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, California. The recording will be released on the Capitol Records album "Live At The Grove".
1959 - Dean Martin records the tracks "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", "Out In The Cold Again", "Baby, It's Cold Outside", "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" for his Capitol Records album "A Winter Romance" with an orchestra conducted by Gus Levene at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
1966 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' album "Revolver" in the U.S. minus the tracks" I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing", and "Doctor Robert", which appear on Parlophone Records' UK release. Capitol also releases The Beatles' single "Eleanor Rigby" with "Yellow Submarine" on the flip side
1994 - Bonnie Raitt's Capitol Records single "You", with "Feeling Of Falling" on the flip side, debuts on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. CEMA presses a limited jukebox clear red vinyl version.
1999 - Colleen Brooks, Capitol Records artist (under the name Colleen Carroll) and mother of Capitol Records Nashville artist Garth Brooks, dies of cancer.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1918 - Norman Granz, jazz music impresario who founded the "Jazz At The Philharmonic" series of concerts and recordings, record producer, and founder of Clef Records, Norgran Records, Down Home Records, Verve Records and Pablo Records, is born in Los Angeles, California. Granz would use The Capitol Tower Studios many times to record various artists for his Verve label
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Parlophone Records in the U.K. releases The Beatles' soundtrack album "HELP!" in England

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
65 Years Ago Today In 1945 - The United States drops the atomic bomb named "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, Japan killing more than 92,000 civilians
40 Years Ago Today In 1970 - M. Night Shyamalan, film director, writer, producer, and actor is born born Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan in Pondicherry, India
1989 - Creator Burke Breathed ends his production of his comic strip "Bloom County"
2010 - I've reached 1600 entries on this blog.

AUGUST 5, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1964 - MCA, of the Grand Royal/Capitol Records trio The Beastie Boys, is born Adam Nathaniel Yauch in Brooklyn, New York. Best wishes to Adam for a speedy recovery from treatment for the cancer in his neck.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Mona Lisa" is #1 on the singles charts. "Mona Lisa" was originally the flip side of single "The Greatest Inventor Of Them All" until it got more airplay.
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Judy Garland returns to EMI's London studios with Norrie Paramour conducting the orchestra to record the tracks "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody", "You Go To My Head", and a medley of "You Made Me Love You" with "For Me and My Gal" and "The Trolley Song"
1967 - Capitol Records releases Bobbie Gentry's single "Mississippi Delta" with "Ode To Billie Joe" on the flip side
1991 - Capitol Records releases the CD compilation "Cole Porter: Anything Goes" as part of its "Capitol Sings" series
2006 - Ed Thrasher, photographer, designer and Grammy nominated art director with Capitol Records from 1957-1964, dies of cancer at his home in Big Bear Lake, California. According to his son (by former wife and actress Linda Gray), Jeff Thrasher, Ed was working on a book of his historic music photos at the time of his death.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1966 - Parlophone Records, a subsidiary of EMI in the UK, releases The Beatles' album "Revolver" as well as their single "Eleanor Rigby" with "Yellow Submarine" on the flip side. Both will be released by Capitol Records on August 8, 1966
1967 - Columbia Records in the UK releases Pink Floyd's debut album "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn". Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, will release a version of the album, entitled "Pink Floyd" a month later

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1957 - "American Bandstand" debuts on ABC-TV, its first time on network television

AUGUST 4, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1983 - Craig (aka "Pitbull"), summer intern at Capitol Records (2002 and 2003), is born in Palm Springs, California

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Judy Garland goes back into EMI Studios in London to record the tracks "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "The Man That Got Away", "Over The Rainbow", and "San Francisco", with an orchestra conducted by Norrie Paramour, which were released in 1972 on the album Judy In London"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1940 - Timi Yuro, singer and Liberty Records artist, is born Rosemary Timotea Yuro in Chicago, Illinois
1958 - Ricky Nelson's Imperial Records single "Poor Little Fool" (written by Sharon Sheeley, who was Eddie Cochran's girlfriend), with "Don't Leave Me This Way" on the flip side, is the first single to be #1 on Billboard's new Hot 100 Singles chart, which also debuted today. Capitol Records currently owns Imperial's catalog
1997 - Harry Connick, Jr. beings a week of sessions at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, Califonia, recording tracks for his "Come By Me" album

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1901 - Louis Armstrong is born Louis Daniel Armstrong in New Orleans, Louisiana
1958 - Billboard Magazine starts it's Hot 100 Singles chart

AUGUST 3, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1924 - Gordon Stoker, manager, first tenor, piano player and briefly second tenor with Capitol Records recording artists (1950-1961) The Jordanaires, is born Hugh Gordon Stoker in Gleason, Tennessee
65 Years Ago Today In 1945 - Cecil Hale, radio personality, promoter, president of the Natiional Association of Television and Radio Artists, and a vice president at Capitol Records/EMI (1979-1981), is born in St. Louis, Missouri. The History Makers website has a short biography of Hale.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1959 - The Kingston Trio appear on the cover of Life magazine with today's cover date
1968 - Capitol Records releases its first album on cassette, "Sounds Of The Great Bands" by Glen Gray and The Casa Loma Orchestra
1992 - Capitol Records releases Judy Garland's compilation album "The Best of the Capitol Masters: The London Sessions" on CD

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1926 - Tony Bennett, singer, painter, and Roulette Records recording artist, is born Antonio Dominick Benedetto in Astoria, Queens, New York. Capitol Records currently owns the Roulette catalog.
80 Years Ago Today In 1929 - Emile Berliner, inventor of the gramophone disc record and founder of the Berliner Gramophone Company whose London branch would become EMI, dies of a heart attack at age 78 in the United States. The Library of Congress has a site on Berliner and the birth of the recording industry.
1963 - The Beatles perform for the 292nd and last time at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England
45 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Arranger and conductor Gerald Wilson (with musicians Melvin Moore, Al Procino, Freddie Hill, and Jules Chaitkin on trumpet; John Ewing, Bob Edmondssn, and Lester Robertson on trombone; Kenny Shroyer on bass trombone; Curtis Amy on soprano saxophone; Anthony Ortega on alto saxophone and flute; Teddy Edwards and Don Raffell on tenor saxophone; Jack Nimitz on baritone saxophone; Phil Moore, Jr. on piano; Dennis Budimir on guitar; Buddy Woodson on bass; and Mel Lee on drums) record the tracks "Satin Doll", "Softly As I Leave You" and "For Lonely Hearts" for Wilson's Pacific Jazz Records album "When I'm Feeling Kinda Blue" in Los Angeles, California that were rejected. The tapes from the session are currently missing and are presumed destroyed. Pacific Jazz's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
2008 - Louis Teicher (born Louis Milton Teicher), pianist and United Artists Records artist as part of the duo Ferrante and Teicher, has died of heart failure at his summer home in Highlands, North Carolina at age 83. EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns the United Artists catalog.

AUGUST 2, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1937- Garth Hudson, instrumentalist (Lowrey organ, piano, keyboards, saxophones, accordion, horns) with the Capitol Records artists The Band, is born Eric Garth Hudson in Windsor, Ontario

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, John Anderson, and Ken Hanna on trumpets; Kai Winding, Harry Forbes, and Miff Sines on trombone; Bart Varsalona on bass trombone; Al Anthony and Boots Mussulli on alto saxophone; Vido Musso and Bob Cooper on tenor saxophone; Bob Gioga on baritone saxophone; Kenton on piano; Bob Ahern on guitar; Eddie Safranski on bass; and Shelly Manne on drums), with vocalist June Christy, record the tracks "Collaboration" arranged by Pete Rugolo, with solos by Kenton, Safranski, Winding and Alvarez; "Don't Want That Man Around" arranged by Rugolo with vocals by Christy and solos by Kenton, Safranski, and Alvarez; and two versions of "Opus In Pastels" arranged by Kenton using the saxophones and rhythm sections only at Radio Recorders studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Lee Gillette
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Judy Garland records the tracks "Lucky Day", "Stormy Weather", "Chicago", and "Do It Again" in stereo for the first time at EMI Studios in London England with producer Norman Newell and conductor Norrie Paramour. The recordings would eventually be released in 1972 on the Capitol Records Club album "Judy In London"
1986 - Enigma Records (which had joint venture and distribution deals with Capitol Records) releases Poison's debut album "Look What The Cat Dragged In". Capitol would buy Enigma in 1989 and currently EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company owns Enigma's catalog.
1999 - Chris Gaines' (aka Garth Brooks) video for his Capitol Records single "Lost In You" premieres on VH1

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1898 - Fred Gainsberg, The Gramophone Company (later to become EMI)'s first recording engineer, has his first recording session in London at Gramophone & Typewriter's basement studio on Maiden Lane in Convent Garden, London, England where he records a track sung by Syria Lamonte, a barmaid at Rules Restaurant which is also (and still) located on Maiden Lane. Miss Lamont, according to Gaisberg in a 1949 interview with Brian Rust, had "a large voice". He would later record her again in the same studio on October 3, 1898 when they recorded the track "When A Merry Maiden Marries" from Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta "The Gondoliers" which will become the earliest known surviving disc of a Gilbert & Sullivan selection.
1957 - The Stan Getz Quartet (Stan Getz on tenor saxophone, Lou Levy on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Stan Levey on drums) record the tracks "Where or When", "Woody'n You", "Smiles", "Three Little Words", "But Beautiful", "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm", "Time After Time Verve", and "This Can't Be Love" for their Verve Records album "Award Winner" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
1957 - The Gerry Mulligan/Paul Desmond Quartet (Gerry Mulligan on baritone saxophone, Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Joe Benjamin on acoustic bass, and Dave Bailey on drums) are in The Capitol Tower Studios to record the tracks "Body And Soul", "Blues In Time", "Wintersong" for their Verve Records album "Blues In Time" produced by Norman Granz
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Ella Fitzgerald is back in The Capitol Tower Studios to record the tracks "Get Happy", "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead", "Sing My Heart", "Let's Take A Walk Around The Block (Alternate Take)", and "Sing My Heart (Alternate Take)" with arragements by Billy May who also conducts the orchestra which includes Ted Nash on alto saxophone, Paul Smith on piano, John Collins or possibly Al Hendrickson on guitar, Joe Mondragon on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums

AUGUST 1, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1922 - Marie Ellington, singer, second wife on Capitol Records artist Nat "King" Cole, mother of Capitol Records artist Natalie Cole, and a Capitol Records artist, is born Marie Hawkins in Boston, Massachusetts. She got the name Ellington after she married a fighter pilot named Spurgeon Ellington who was killed in a plane crash in 1945.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1957 - Gene Vincent's Capitol Records single "Lotta Lovin'" peaks at #13 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1957 - The Jazz Giants of '58 (Harry "Sweets" Edison on trumpet, Stan Getz on tenor saxophone, Gerry Mulligan on baritone saxophone, Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass and Louis Bellson on drums) record the tracks "Chocolate Sundae, Parts 1 and 2", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Candy", Woody'n You" and "Ballad Medley: It Never Entered My Mind/Lush Life/Lullaby of the Leaves/Makin' Whoopee" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California for the Verve album "Jazz Giants '58" (21215-1).
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Ella Fitzgerald is in The Capitol Tower Studios recording the tracks "Hooray For Love", "I've Got The World On A String", "Let's Take A Walk Around The Block", "Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive", "When The Sun Comes Out", "As Long As I Live", "It's Only A Paper Moon" and "The Man That Got Away" for her Verve Records album "Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Harold Arlen Song Book" with Billy May's arrangements and him conducting the orchestra which included Don Fagerquist on trumpet; Ted Nash on alto saxophone; Plas Johnson on tenor saxophone; Paul Smith on piano; John Collins or possibly Al Hendrickson on guitar; Joe Mondragon on bass; and Alvin Stoller on drums.
1963 - John P. Davis, who earned a Masters of Science degree from CalTech in 1948, was on the technical staff of the air defense department of Hughes Aviation, had a commercial pilot's license, was a member of the SkyRoamers Club, and was director of Capitol Records' electronics division since 1960, is killed when his glider crashes near Apple Valley, California after being caught in a downdraft. An article on functional design for commercial recording studios that Davis had written for "The Journal Of The Audio Engineering Society" is published posthumously in its October 1963 issue. If anyone has any more information on Mr. Davis, please leave a comment.
1964 - Judy Garland, at her last recording session for Capitol Records, records the tracks "It's Yourself", "The Land Of Promise", "Maggie, Maggie May", and "There's Only One Union". The recording would not be released in the United States, but would be released in the U.K on the EP "Judy Sings Maggie May".
1968 - Capitol Records changes the swing line on label of its 45rpm singles to reflect corporate restructuring which made it a subsidiary of Capitol Records Industries, Inc. U.S.A. It also was the debut of 45s made with retooled pressing machines at it's Scranton, Jacksonville and Los Angeles plants which produce the "non-slip" disc, which has a ring of 360 notches around the label to either interlock to other records when stacked or, because the notches are raised, grip the smooth surface of records without the serrations. In addition, the size of the labels aree reduced from 3.625" TO 3.3125" to accommodate the notched ring. This type of disc is produced for 1 year. The Fab4Collectibles web site has images of various types of 45 rpm labels that were produced.
1998 - Alan Livingston, former Capitol Records president, receives the Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award for his creation of Bozo the Capitol Records Clown at the International Clown Hall of Fame in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2007 - At 12:15 pm, 45 minutes before its final extension deadline, Terra Firma Capital Partners succeeds in acquiring 90.27% approval from the stock holders of EMI Group PLC (parent company of EMI Music Group, the parent company of Capitol Music Group) to purchase the company for £2.4 billion (US$4.89 billion)

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1942 - James Petrillo, president of The American Federation of Musicians, declares a strike, banning all musicians in the union from recording. Capitol Records has stockpiled recordings and also comes up with a few novel ways around the ban until they become one of the first majors to settle with the union in June of 1943.
50 Years Ago Today In 1960 - The Beatles make their debut in Hamburg, West Germany, with Stu Sutcliffe on bass guitar and Pete Best on drums

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1981 - MTV debuts when it airs The Buggles "Video Killed The Radio Star"