DECEMBER 14, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1912 - Gurney Bell, member of the Capitol Records group The Sportsmen Quartet, is born in Los Angeles, California.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
65 Years Ago Today In 1946 - Jimmy Wakely (on vocals), with Cliffie Stone and his Orchestra (lineup unlisted) records the tracks "Somebody's Rose", "Everyone Knew It But Me", "Here Today And Gone Tomorrow", and "Are You Ashamed?" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the first two tracks together as a single, the third track as a single (Capitol 40040) with "I Can't Keep The Tears Out Of My Eyes" on the flip side, and the last track as a single (Capitol 40125) with "For The Sake Of The Days Gone By" on the flip side.
60 Years Ago Today In 1951 - Jane Froman (on vocals), with George Greely conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (which includes unlisted musicians playing brass, horns, piano, guitar, bass, drums, strings) and an unlisted vocal group, records the tracks "Opening/It's A Good Day", "Blue Moon", "An American Medley, Part 1", an unissued take of "An American Medley, Part 2", and "Get Happy" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks except this take of "An American Medley, Part 2" on Froman's album "With A Song In My Heart" (DDN-309).
55 Years Ago Today In 1956 - Joe Carson (on vocals), with J.R. "Jelly" Sanders on fiddle, Tommy Allsup, Otis "Joe" Maphis, and Alvis "Buck" Owens on guitar, Ralph Eugene Mooney on steel guitar, Clarence "Bud" Dooley on bass, and Marion "Pee Wee" Adams on drums, records the tracks "Crazy Dream", "Take Me In Your Arms", "Love Transfusion", and "Passion And Pride" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood California between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. Capitol Records will issue the first two tracks together as a single (Capitol F3760) and the last two tracks together as a single (Capitol F3645).
55 Years Ago Today In 1956 - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians (with Lombardo conducting to unlisted musicians) record the tracks "Taking A Chance On Love" (featuring Kenny Gardner on vocals), "I'll Be Seeing You" (featuring Bill Flannigan on vocals), "Begin The Beguine", and "Just One Of Those Things" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks on the band's album "Decade On Broadway" (T 916).
1958 - Capitol Records group The Kingston Trio finish an extended appearance at La Fiesta, in Juarez, Mexico that started on November 24, 1958. Their performances of the tracks "Bay Of Mexico", "Across The Wide Missouri", "Scotch And Soda", and "Pay Me My Money Down" on this day are recorded in stereo by Capitol Records but go unreleased until they appear on the Bear Family Records box set "The Kingston Trio: The Guard Years"
50 Years Ago Today In 1961 - During two sessions held at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California, Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (Kenton on Piano, Dalton Smith, Marvin Stamm, Bob Rolfe, Bob Behrendt, and Norman Baltazar on trumpet, Bob Fitzpatrick, Dee Barton, and Bud Parker on trombone, Jim Amlotte and Dave Wheeler on trombone and tuba, Ray Starling, Gene Roland, Dwight Carver, Keith LaMotte, and Carl Saunders on mellophone, Gabe Baltazar on alto saxophone, Sam Donahue, Buddy Arnold, and Paul Renzi on tenor saxophone, Joel Kaye and Allan Beutler on baritone saxophone, Pat Senatore on bass, and Jerry McKenzie on drums) record the tracks "Formula SK-32", "Waltz Of The Prophets" (without Roland), and "Aphrodisia" at the first session between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM and (with Gene Roland switching to soprano saxophone) "Turtle Talk", "Misty" and a remake of "Almost Like Being In Love" at the second session between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Capitol Records will issue the first and third tracks on the band's album "Adventures In Blues" (T 1985) the second track as a single (Capitol F4707) with "Magic Moment" on the flip side, and the forth and fifth tracks on the band's album "Adventures In Jazz" (T1796). Creative World will issue the last track on the band's album "Adventures in Standards" (ST-1025).
45 Years Ago Today In 1966 - Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (with Kenton on piano, Gary Barone, Bud Brisbois, Dalton Smith, Ronnie Ossa, and Jimmy Salko on trumpet, Monty Budwig on bass, Ray Price on drums, Frank Carlson, Emil Richards, and Chino Valdes on Latin percussion, record the tracks "It Was A Very Good Year", "Yesterday", "Michelle", and "Spanish Eyes" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California between 7:30 PM and 10:30 PM. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks on the band's album "Stan Kenton Plays For Today" (T 2655).
45 Years Ago Today In 1966 - The Outsiders (leader Tom King on vocals and guitar, Merdin "Mert" Madsen on vocals, guitar, bass and harmonica, vocalists Denny Benson, Emmett "Sonny" Geraci, and William "Bill" Bruno, and unlisted other musicians) record the as yet unissued tracks "Misty Lane" , "What About Me, Girl?", and "Don't Ask Me Love" in Cleveland, Ohio for Capitol Records.
45 Years Ago Today In 1966 - The Lost (which includes Willie Alexander on electric piano, drums, percussion and vocals and Walter Powers on bass) record the as yet unissued tracks "Mystic Magic Oceans", "Money In The Pocket" and "Kaleidoscope" in New York City, New York for Capitol Records.
45 Years Ago Today In 1966 - Ruben Wright records the track "I'll Be There" and the as yet unissued track "Love Is Gone" in New York City, New York with producer Marvin Holtzman. Capitol Records will issue "I'll Be There" as a single (Capitol 5835) with "You've Done Me Wrong" (recorded on December 7, 1966) on the flip side.
1967 - Sonny James' Capitol Records single "It’s the Little Things", with "Don't Cut Lumber On A Windy Day" on the flip side, is #1 on Billboard's Country Singles chart
1970 - John Ono Lennon's Capitol Records single "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)", with Yoko Ono Lennon (with The Plastic Ono Band)'s "Who Has Seen The Wind?" on the flip side and distributed by Capitol Records in the United States, is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1970 - George Harrison's Apple Records single "My Sweet Lord", with "Isn't It A Pity" on the flip side and distributed by Capitol Records in the United States, is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. I designed a special 45 sleeve for release to college radio when the track was used to promote the re-release of Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" album on CD in 2001.
40 Years Ago Today In 1971 - Trini Lopez (on vocals), with an orchestra of unlisted musicians using arrangements by Larry Muhoberac, records the tracks "Montana Ruby (Ruby Mountain)", "Sol De Mi Vida (Bring Back My Sunshine)", and "Mammy Blue (Mi Mami Blue)" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks on Lopez's album "Viva Trini Lopez" (SK-11009).
40 Years Ago Today In 1971 - Wanda Jackson (on vocals with David Paul Briggs on piano, Bill Walker on keyboards, John Darnall and Jerry Shook on guitar, Mike Post on rhythm guitar, Weldon Myrick on steel guitar, John Williams on bass, William Harriss on drums, Richard Farrell Morris on percussion, tamborine, and vibraphone, and the vocal chorus of Dorothy Ann "Dottie" Dillard, Louis Dean Nunley, Jeannie Walker, and William Guilford Wright) records the tracks "My Testimony", "The King Is Coming" and "He's The Man" at Jack Clement Studio in Nashville, Tennessee between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks on Jackson's album "Praise The Lord" (ST-11023).
1985 - Paul McCartney and Wings Capitol Records single "Spies Like Us", with "My Carnival" on the flip side, enters the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
20 Years Ago Today In 1991 - Hammer's Capitol Records single "Addams Groove", with the LP version on one side and the instrumental version on the flip side, enters the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
1992 - On the same day he files for bankruptcy, Capitol Records artist Merle Haggard becomes the father of a son, Binion Louis Haggard.
1994 – Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band's Capitol Records Compilation album "Greatest Hits" is certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1900 - Dorle Jarmel Soria, record producer, co-founder (with her husband Dario Soria) of the Cetra-Soria label which was sold to Capitol Records when the couple became the first co-managers of Angel Records, is born Dorle Jarmel in New York City, New York. She would live until age 101, passing away on July 7, 2002. Angel Records was created by Capitol's future parent company, EMI, to distribute the company's classical recordings in the United States. The couple left the company after EMI bought Capitol Records and merged Angel with Capitol's domestic classical music division.
1958 - Alto Saxophonist Lou Donaldson (with Herman Foster on piano, Peck Morrison on bass, Jimmy Wormsworth on drums, and Ray Barretto on congas) records the tracks "Walkin' By The River", "Green Eyes", "Light", a false start and then a complete take of "Hog Maw", "Jump Up", "Mary Ann", "Day Dreams", two takes of "Stella By Starlight", and an alternate take of "Mary Ann" for his Blue Note Records album "Lightfoot" with producer Alfred Lion and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. The Blue Note catalog is currently owned by EMI Music, Capitol Records' parent company and Blue Note Records is currently a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
50 Years Ago Today In 1961 - Tadd Dameron (playing his own arrangements on piano with Donald Byrd on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Julius Watkins on French horn, Sam Rivers on tenor saxophone, Cecil Payne on baritone saxophone, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums), records the tracks "The Elder Speaks", "Bevan Beeps", "Lament For The Living", and "Aloof Spoof" in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Blue Note Records will issue all the tracks as part of its Connoisseur Series on the compilation CD "The Lost Sessions" (5-21484-2).
1963 - Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones), singer on the Verve and Roulette Records labels, dies from an accidental overdose of prescription sleeping medication ingested on an empty stomach in Detroit, Michigan at age 39. The Roulette catalog is currently owned by EMI Music, Capitol Records' parent company and released by Blue Note Records.
45 Years Ago Today In 1966 - Booker Ervin (on tenor saxohone, with Charles Tolliver on trumpet, John Hicks on piano, Red Mitchell on bass and Lennie McBrowne on drums) records the tracks "Boo's Blues", "You're My Everything", and "Shiny Stockings" at the Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California. After Blue Note buys Pacific Jazz's catalog, it will reissue the tracks as part of its Connoisser Series on Ervin's CD "Structurally Sound" (5-27545-2).
40 Years Ago Today In 1971 - During two sessions held at A&R Studios in New York City, New York with Wade Marcus conducting his own compostions, Grant Green (on guitar, with Marvin Stamm and Burt Collins on trumpet and fluglehorn, Harold Vick on alto and tenor saxophone, Romeo Penque on fluglehorn and alto saxophone, Richard Tee on piano and organ, Cornell Dupree also on guitar, Gordon Edwards on electric bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, George Devens on vibraphone, tympani, timbales, and percussion, Warren Smith on tympani, Ralph McDonald on congas and bongos, Eugene Bianco on harp, Charles McCracken and Seymour Barab on cello, and Julian Barber and Harry Zaratzian on viola, record the tracks "Father's Lament" at the afternoon session and (with Alan Shulman replacing McCracken on cello) "Battle Scene" (aka "The Battle, Parts 1 and 2") at the night session. Blue Note Records will issue both tracks on the soundtrack album for "The Final Comedown" (BN 45-1983).
1972 - "Born to Boogie", a documentary about Marc Bolan directed by Ringo Starr, premieres in London, England
1980 - At Yoko Ono's request, a ten-minute worldwide silent vigil is held at 2:00 PM EST for John Lennon, who had been shot down just six days earlier. Over 100,000 observe the vigil in New York's Central Park, while 30,000 observe it in Liverpool.
30 Years Ago Today In 1981 - David Lasley records the tracks "Take The Money And Run", "Never Say", "Room Mate", and "If I Had My Wish Tonight" at an unlisted location. EMI America will issue all the tracks on Lasley's album "Missin' Twenty Grand" (EMI-Am. ST-17066).
1999 - EMI releases Glen Campbell's compilation album "Capitol Years: 1965-1977" in the U.K.
1999 - Paul McCartney performs at the rebuilt Cavern Club in Liverpool, England for 150 fans who had won a raffle including the first selected, an 18 year old John Ono Lennon (he'd had his name legally changed). The last time McCartney had played at the original Cavern Club was on August 3, 1963 as a member of The Beatles