MAY 12, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1910 - Gordon Jenkins, pianist, bandleader, arranger, and Capitol Records artist (as Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra) who performs as the orchestral background at Capitol Records first session, is born in Webster Groves, Missouri
1920 - "Tiny" Moore (a nickname due to his large frame), electric mandolin, fiddle, and banjo player and drummer, with Bob Wills' Texas Playboys and in Capitol Records artists Merle Haggard's band, The Strangers, is born Billie Moore in Port Arthur, Hamilton County, Texas. In the '50s, while touring with Haggard, he invents a five-string electric mandolin.
90 Years Ago Today In 1921 - Joe Maphis,singer, guitarist, fiddle player, with the Capitol Records duo Joe Maphis & Rose Lee with his wife, session musician on sessions for Capitol Records artists Merle Travis, Wesley Tuttle, Tex Ritter, Skeets McDonald, Freddie Hart, Wynn Stewart, Wanda Jackson, Sonny James, Joe Carson, Hank Thompson, The Four Preps, Robert Mitchum, Tommy Collins, Dean Reed, Rose Maddox, Charles Lee Guy III and Imperial Records artist Rick Nelson, is born Otis W. Maphis in Suffolk, Virginia
1950 - Billy Squier, singer, guitarist, Capitol Records artist (1980-1993), and recently part of Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, is born in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. If anyone knows his full name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1945 - Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford & The Pied Pipers (with Paul Weston & His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Candy" is #3 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart.
1949 - On NBC's radio show, The Martin and Lewis Show, Dean and Jerry are at Capitol Records to record a new tune and get tips on how to sing folk songs from guest Burl Ives
60 Years Ago Today In 1951 - Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "How High The Moon" is #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Singles chart, Nat "King" Cole (with orchestra conducted by Les Baxter using a ghost written arrangement by Nelson Riddle)'s Capitol Records single "Too Young" is #3, Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "Mockin'bird Hill" is #5,
1954 - 20th Century Fox releases the movie "Three Coins In A Fountain" with Frank Sinatra singing the title song over the opening credits
55 Years Ago Today In 1956 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "The Poor People Of Paris" is #3 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Lisbon Antigua" is #6, and Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Too Young To Go Steady" is tied for #38 with Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers "I Want You To Be My Girl"
1958 - Twelve Year-Old Laurie London's Capitol Records single "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" is #4 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Dean Martin (with Gus Levine and His Orchestra and Chorus)'s Capitol Records single "Return To Me" is #6, Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back" is #10, The Four Preps' Capitol Records single "Big Man" is tied at #23 with Paul Anka's "Crazy Love" and their single "Twenty Six Miles" is tied at #32 with Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "Sick And Tired"
1960 – Capitol Records artist Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley sing each other's hits on Sinatra's ABC-TV "Timex Spectacular" television special "Welcome Home Elvis", Elvis' first television appearance after being discharged from the U.S. Army. Elvis sings "Witchcraft" and Frank sings "Love Me Tender"
1964 - Buck Owens' Capitol Records single "My Heart Skips A Beat", with "Together Again" on the flip side, tops the U.S. Country singles charts
1968 - Glen Campbell's Capitol Records single ""I Wanna Live", with "That's All That Matters" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1968 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney hold the first board meeting of Apple Corps in a Chinese junk sailing around New York's Statue of Liberty.
1979 - The Motels sign with Capitol Records

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1948 - Steve Winwood, singer, songwriter, musician, member of the United Artists band Spenser Davis Group, as well as the bands Traffic, Blind Faith and Ginger Bakers' Army, and a Virgin Records America solo artist, is born Stephen Lawrence Winwood in Great Barr, Birmingham, England. I worked on the design of the packaging, promotional items, and advertising for his album and single "Roll With It".
55 Years Ago Today In 1956 - Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm In Love Again" is #26 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart
1958 - David Seville's Liberty Records single "Witch Doctor" is #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Believe What You Say" is #21 and his single "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It" is tied for #27 with Pat Boone (with Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra)'s single "Sugar Moon", and Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "Sick And Tired" is tied at #32 with The Four Prep's Capitol Records single "Twenty Six Miles"
1962 - Jay and The Americans' United Artists single "She Cried" is #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Walter Brennan's Liberty Records single "Old Rivers" is #7, Joey Dee and the Starlighters' Roulette Records single "Shout (Part 1)" is #10, Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Young World" is #22, and Dick and DeeDee's Liberty Records single "Tell Me" is #29
1962 - Emilio Estevez, actor and one-time husband of Virgin Records America artist Paula Abdul is born
1963 - The Beatles lip sync "From Me To You" and "I Saw Her Standing There" at a taping for TV show "Thank Your Lucky Stars." that wil air May 18
1965 – Future Virgin Records artists The Rolling Stones begin the initial recordings of "Satisfaction" at Chess Studios in Chicago.
40 Years Ago Today In 1971 – Future Virgin Records artist and member of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, marries Bianca Perez Morena de Macias in St. Tropez, France, with the rest of The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and others as guests in attendance.
25 Years Ago Today In 1986 - Glass Tiger's Capitol Records single "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" with Bryan Adams lending vocals for the duet and with "Ancient Evenings" and "Large Hole" on the flip side, hits #1 on the Canadian charts. The single was released by Capitol Records in Canada and Manhattan Records in the United States, where it would peak at #2 on the U.S. Billboard chart, and go on to win the 1986 Juno Award in Canada for "Single Of The Year".

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1907 - Katharine Hepburn, Broadway and motion picture actress, is born Katharine Houghton Hepburn in Hartford, Connecticut
1928 - Songwriter Burt Bacharach is born Burt Freeman Bacharach Kansas City, Missouri
1942 - Singer and leader of Kilburn and the High Roads and The Blockheads, Ian Dury, is born in Upminster Essex, England
1942 - Singer and musician Billy Swan is born in Cape Giradeau, Missouri and currently resides in Sherman Oaks, CA,
40 Years Ago Today In 1971 - Tor Johnson, professional wrestler as well as an actor in many of Ed Wood's films dies at age 67 in San Fernando, California of a heart attach and is buried in Eternal Valley Memorial Park, Newhall, California, USA, in the Whispering Pines section, #177 E.