MAY 7, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1950 - Prarie Prince, graphic designer, former drummer in the Capitol Records band The Tubes, and now with the band The New Cars, is born Charles L'Emprere Prince in Charlotte, North Carolina

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Peggy Lee, with the Four Of A Kind (Dave Barbour on guitar, Philip Stephens on bass, Buddy Cole on piano, celeste, and organ, and Tom Romersa on drums) records the tracks "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me", "I've Had My Moments", "Them There Eyes", "Lonesome Road", and "You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me" with arrangement by Heinrich "Heine" Beau at Radio Recorders, 7000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood, California for a transcription disc that will be released by Capitol Records for radio.
65 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Ella Mae Morse (on vocals) with Buddy Cole's Boogie Woogie Seven (Vernon "Geechie" Smith on trumpet, Mahlon Clark on clarinet, Dave Cavanaugh on tenor saxophone, Edwin LeMar "Buddy" Cole on piano, Al Hendrickson on guitar, Harry Babasin on bass, and Lee Young on drums), records the tracks "Get It Off And Go", "Old Shank's Mare", and "A Little Further Down The Road A-Piece" in Studio B at Radio Recorders' studios in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the first two tracks together as a single (Capitol 424), and the last track on the compilation album "Campus Capers" (BD-58).
1949 - Mel Torme (with orchestra conducted by Sonny Burke)'s Capitol Records single "Careless Hands" is #7 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "'A' You're Adorable" is #8, Mel Torme (this time with orchestra conducted by Pete Rugolo)'s Capitol Records single "Again" is #9, and Weston and MacRae (again with Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Need You" is tied at #13 with Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra's single "Red Roses For A Blue Lady", Margaret Whiting (with Frank DeVol & His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Forever And Ever" is #24, Jack Smith and The Clark Sisters (with Frank DeVol and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Cruising Down The River) is #28, and Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Baby, It's Cold Outside" debuts at #30 in a tie with Bing Crosby (with Victor Young and His Orchestra)'s single "Galway Bay"
1950 - Nat "King" Cole performs "Mona Lisa" during the first of his eventual thirteen guest appearances on Ed Sullivan's CBS Television show.
60 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Bob Hope and Jane Russell (on vocals), with Joseph (Joe) Lilley directing the orchestra (lineup unlisted), record the tracks "Wing Ding Tonight" and "Am I In Love?" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both tracks together as a single (Capitol 2109).
1955 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Unchained Melody" is #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Tennessee Ernie Ford (with Cliffie Stone's Band)'s Capitol Records single "The Ballad Of Davy Crocket" is #7, Nat "King" Cole (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Darling, Je Vous Amie Beaucoup" is #10, Cole and Riddle are also at #20 with a double sided Capitol Records hit single "A Blossom Fell" and its flip side "If I May" (with backing vocals by The Four Knights), and Frank Sinatra (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Learnin' The Blues" debuts at #25
55 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Ruth Welcome (on zither with other unlisted musicians), records the tracks "Song From 'Moulin Rouge'", unissued takes of the tracks "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "La Cumparsita", and the track "Charmaine" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue the first and last tracks on Welcome's album "Hi-Fi Zither" (T 942).
55 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Jackie Gleason conducts the orchestra (featuring Bernie Leighton on piano and Tony Mottola on guitar but otherwise unidentified), with The Voices of Artie Malvin, as the record the tracks "High On A Windy Hill", "Can This Be Love?", "Thine Alone", and "Dearest You're The Nearest To My Heart" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks on Gleason's album "Oooo!" (W 905).
55 Years Ago Today In 1957 - The Louvin Brothers (Charlie Louvin on vocals and guitar and Ira Louvin on vocals and mandolin), with Paul Yandell and "Smiley" Wilson on guitar, Floyd T. "Lightnin'" Chance on bass, and Murray M. "Buddy" Harman Jr. on drums, record the tracks "Call Me", "I Wish You Knew", "Dogsled" and "When I Loved You" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records will issue the first two tracks together a single (Capitol F3804) and the last two tracks together as a single (Capitol F3871).
1958 - Bobby Hackett continues recording sessions for his Capitol Records album "At The Embers" by recording the tracks "Cheek To Cheek", "It's Been So Long", "If I Had My Way", and "That Naughty Waltz"
50 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Vic Damone (on vocals), with Billy May conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (Joe Graves, Bobby Bryant, Ray Triscari, and Mannie Klein on trumpet, Francis "Joe" Howard, Milt Bernhart, Lew McCreary, and George Roberts on trombone, Jules Jacob, Plas Johnson, Justin Gordon, Chuck Gentry on saxophone, Joe Parnello on piano, Billy Strange and Al Hendrickson on guitar, Myer Rubin on bass, Sidney Bulkin on drums, and a string section with Bob Barene, Jacques Gasselin, James Getzoff, Anatol Kaminsky, Lou Klass, Erno Neufeld, Stanley Plummer, Lou Raderman, Nathan Ross, Paul Shure, Felix Slatkin, and Marshall Sosson on violin, and Edgar Lustgarten and Eleanor Slatkin on cello), records the tracks "Charmaine", "Cherokee", and "Dearly Beloved" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue all the tracks on Damone's album "The Lively Ones" (T 1748).
50 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Carol Ventura (on vocals with unlisted musicians) records the tracks "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and unissued takes of an unknown title and "The Music Goes 'Round And Around" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the first track as a single (Capitol 4782) with "(Hey) Mr. Muscles" (recorded April 27, 1962) on the flipside.
1966 - The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "Sloop John B.", with "You're So Good To Me" on the flip side and the original A side, peaks at #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
45 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Buck Owens' Capitol Records single "Sam's Place" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
40 Years Ago Today In 1972 - Merle Haggard's Capitol Records single "Grandma Harp" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
30 Years Ago In 1982 - Space People (lineup unlisted) record the track "Love's Got You This Time" in (listed as possibly) Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the track as a single (Capitol DLP-15003) with "You Really Got A Hold On Me" (recorded April 28, 1982) on the flipside.
25 Years Ago Today In 1987 - The Boogie Boys record the track "Kick It" at an unlisted location. Capitol Records will issue the track on the group's album "Romeo-Knight" (C1-46917).
1998 - Eddie Rabbitt, singer, songwriter, guitarist and Capitol Records artist (1990 to 1992, during which time he recorded recorded the top 10 hit "Runnin' With The Wind"), dies of lung cancer in Nashville, Tennessee at age 56.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
65 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Bab's Three Bips And A Bop (Tadd Dameron on piano and vocals, Pee Wee Tinney on guitar and vocals, Art Phipps on bass, and Babs Gonzales on vocals), using arrangements by Tadd Dameron, record the tracks "Runnin' Around" (without Tinney on guitar and vocals only by Gonzales), "Bab's Dream", "Dob, Bla Bli", and "Weird Lullaby" (again with vocals only by Gonzales) at WOR Studios in New York City, New York. Blue Note Records will issue the first two tracks together as a single (Blue Note 537) and the last two tracks together a single (Blue Note 536) and all the tracks on the CD "Weird Lullaby" (7-84464-2).
1966 - Del Shannon's Liberty Records single "The Big Hurt", with "I Got It Bad" on the flip side, enters Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. The next time Shannon enters the chart will be in 1981.
45 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Capitol Records artist Judy Garland's appearance on Jack Paar's NBC special, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Hollywood", is the last time she's on a primetime network television show
20 Years Ago Today In 1992 - At sessions held at Estudio Quarzo in Madrid that started today and went to May 12, 1992, Spain Gonzalo Rubalcaba (on piano, with Reynaldo Melian on trumpet, Felipe Cabrera on electric bass, and Julio Barreto on drums) records the tracks "Preludio Proyecto Latino", "Here, There, And Everywhere", "Tress Palabras", "Comienzo", "Nuestro Balance", "4 Y 20", "Siempra Maria" and "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas" and then (without Cabrera but adding Charlie Haden on bass) records the tracks "Transparence", "Our Spanish Love Song", "Love Letters", "Perfidia", "Nadie Me Ama" for the Somethin' Else label. Blue Note Records will issue all the tracks on Rubalcaba's CD "Suite 4 Y 20" (7-80054-2).
15 Years Ago Today In 1997 - Pieces Of A Dream (James Lloyd on keyboards and background vocals, George Duke on synthesizer programming, Kevin Chokan on guitar, Curtis Harmon on drum programming and background vocals, and Mike Davis on vocals and background vocals, over sessions lasting until the next day, record the track Anyway You Want It" at Le Gonks West in Los Angeles, California. Blue Note Records will issue the track on the group's album Pieces (8-54052-2).

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1941 - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra record the track "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" for Bluebird Records (a subsidiary of RCA Victor Records) at the Victor Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. The single would later become the first record to be awarded a Gold record, for sales of 1 million copies. The idea for a Gold record was thought up as a publicity event by RCA Victor and later adopted by the R.I.A.A. in the 1950s
1945 - Representatives of the German army sign unconditional surrender documents ending World War II in Europe.
1946 - Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded
1949 - "A - You're Adorable" by Perry Como becomes the first song available on RCA'S new 45rpm format to hit #1 on the Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records charts
1953 - Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Carson Smith and Larry Bunker record "Love Me or Leave Me" and "Varsity Drag" for Gene Norman's GNP label.
1955 - Bill Haley and The Comets' Decca single "Rock Around The Clock", with "Thirteen Women" on the flip side, debuts at #22 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart
1956 - The Rock 'n' Roll Trio, consisting of Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette, and Paul Burlison, has its first recording session for Coral Records at Pythian Temple Studio, in New York City, producing the single "Tear It Up" which will be covered by John Lennon on his Capitol Records "Rock 'n' Roll" solo album. Capitol wanted to sign the trio. but after the Burnettes and their manager, bandleader Henry Jerome, heard that Capitol might be also signing Gene Vincent, they decided to go with Coral. Capitol then signed Vincent who recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula" three days before the Trio's session.
50 Years Ago Today In 1962 - The Isley Brothers' single "Twist And Shout" is released. The track would later be covered by "The Beatles", with John Lennon doing lead vocals, on February 11, 1963.
1966 - Rolling Stones' single "Paint It Black", with "Stupid Girl" on the flip side, is released on London Records