JANUARY 19, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1911 - Ken Nelson, Capitol Records producer, founding member of the Country Music Association (CMA), and 2001 Country Music Hall Of Fame inductee, is born in Caledonia, Minnesota
95 Years Ago Today In 1917 - John Raitt, singer, Broadway and motion picture actor, father of Capitol Records artist Bonnie Raitt, and a Capitol Records artist, is born John Emmett Raitt in Santa Ana, California
1919 - Rollin Sullivan, singer, comedian, and "Oscar" of the Capitol Records duo Lonzo and Oscar, is born in Edmonton, Kentucky
1919 - Ray Eberle, singer, motion picture actor, band leader, and Capitol Records artist (with Tex Beneke & His Orchestra and The Modernaires) is born in Mechanicville, New York
1944 - Laurie London, singer in English and German, actor, Odeon and Capitol Records artist, and the first and youngest person (at age 13) to have single certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. ("He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" with "Handed Down" on the flip side, Capitol 3891), is born in London, England and would retire from singing at age 19
1949 - Robert Palmer, singer, guitarist, solo artist and lead singer of the Capitol Records band Power Station, is born Robert Allen Palmer in Batley, Yorkshire, England
1971 - John Wozniak, guitarist, lead singer, and songwriter with the Capitol Records group Marcy Playground, is born in Saint Paul, Minnesota

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
65 Years Ago Today In 1947 - The King Cole Trio's Capitol Records single "For Sentimental Reasons", with "The Best Man" on the flip side is still #1 on the U.S. Pop singles charts and Johnny Mercer's Capitol Records single "A Gal In Calico", with "Winter Wonderland" on the flip side, is #3
1951 - Mel Blanc's Capitol Records single "I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat", with "Yosemite Sam" on the flip side (both tracks were written by Capitol Records VP Alan Livingston), enters the top 40 of the U.S. Pop Singles charts
1959 - Ray Anthony's Capitol Records single "Peter Gunn", with "Tango For Two" on the flip side, enters the top 40 of the U.S. Pop singles charts
50 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Quinn Williams records the as yet unissued tracks "Cherry Red", "Need Your Love So Bad", and "Just A Dream" in Los Angeles, California for Capitol Records.
50 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Mickey Katz and "Der Ganser Gang" (lineup unlisted) record the tracks "Havah Nagila, "My Yiddische Momme", "Shalom", "Papirossen", and "The Calle Twist" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the first four tracks on Katz's album "Sing Along With Mickele" (T 1744) and the last track as a single (Capitol 4714) with "Knock Around The Clock" on the flip side.
50 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Lee Evans (on piano) and Orchestra (lineup unlisted) record the tracks "When Did I Fall In Love?", "Something You Never Had Before", "Again", and "There Is No Greater Love" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks on Evans' album "" (T 1708) and the first track as a single (Capitol 4748) with "I Feel Pretty" on the flip side.
45 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Elli Saint-James records the as yet unissued track "Highways" in New York City, New York for Capitol Records.
45 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Merle Travis (on vocals and guitar, with unlisted musicians) records the tracks "Farther Down The Road", "Country Joe", and "You're A Little Bit Cuter" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records will issue the first track as a single (Capitol 5876) with "" on the flip side and the last two tracks together as a single (Capitol 5965).
45 Years Ago Today In 1967 - The Beatles begin recording the track "A Day In The Life" at EMI's Abbey Road studios in London, England. Capitol Records will issue the finished track on the band's album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (MAS 2653).
1971 - George Harrison's Apple Records single "My Sweet Lord", with "Isn’t It a Pity" on the flip side, is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
40 Years Ago Today In 1972 - Ferlin Husky (on vocals with unlisted musicians) records the tracks "What's He Doin' In My World", "Easy Loving", the as yet unissued track "Guess I'd Better Move Along", and "Sweet Memories" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records will issue the first, second and last track on Husky's album "Just Plain Lonely" (ST-11069).
30 Years Ago Today In 1982 - Donna Washington (on vocals with unlisted musicians) records the track "You Can't Hide From The Boogie" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the track on Washington's album "Just For You" (ST-12233).
1994 - Capitol Records artists The Band and John Lennon are inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame
2008 - John Stewart, singer, guitarist, songwriter, member of the Capitol Records group The Kingston Trio, and a solo artist, died after suffering a stroke in San Diego, California (also the city where he was born) at age 68.
25 Years Ago Today In 1987 - The Grapes Of Wrath (lineup unlisted) records the track "Seems Like Fate" at unlisted location. Capitol Records will release the track on the band's album "Treehouse" (CDP 7 48018-2). If anyone has more information about this session, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
80 Years Ago Today In 1932 - Richard Lester, television and motion picture producer and director (The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!", "The Knack...And How to Get It", "Petulia", "How I Won The War", "Robin And Marian", "The Three Musketeers", its sequals, and many more), is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
55 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Johnny Cash makes his first network TV appearance on Capitol Records artist Jackie Gleason's CBS-TV show "The Jackie Gleason Show"
1963 - Caron Wheeler, singer with the Virgin Records America band Soul II Soul, is born in London, England. Virgin Records is owned by EMI Music, Capitol Records' parent company.
1976 - The former members of The Beatles are offered fifty million dollars to reform by concert promoter Bill Sergent. They decline the offer. The offer becomes a parody on NBC-TV's "Saturday Night Live" when producer Lorne Michaels makes an on-air offer to The Beatles of $5000 dollars to reform on his show. The gag reappears when former member George Harrison appears on the show and is told the offer was only good if all four members appear.
1985 - Sheena Easton's EMI America Single "Sugar Walls" (written by Prince), with "Straight Talk" on the flip side, enters the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. EMI America's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music, Capitol Records' parent company.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1953 - Desi Arnaz, Jr., actor, drummer with the group Dino, Desi, and Billy, and singer, is born via Caesarian section on the same day the episode airs where his mother's character of Lucy Ricardo gives birth to "Little Ricky" on his parents' television show "I Love Lucy". It becomes the highest rated television show up to that time as sixty-eight percent of all TV sets in the U.S. are tuned in to watch.
1995 - Gene MacLellan, singer and songwriter ("Snowbird", a worldwide hit for Capitol Records artist Anne Murray), dies in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada at age 54
1998 - Carl Perkins, singer, songwriter, ("Blue Suede Shoes" and three songs covered by Capitol Records group The Beatles: "Matchbox", "Honey Don't", and "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby"), guitarist, 1985 Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductee, and 1987 Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, dies from throat cancer at age 65 and is later interred in the Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson, Tennessee