JULY 18, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1899 - D Kilpatrick, considered the first salaried producer based in Music City and produced Hank Thompson, Tex Ritter and Jimmie Skinner, a music executive from the 1940s to the 1960s in Nashville, is born in Charlotte, North Carolina, got into the record business as a salesperson for Capitol Records in his hometown. By the late 1940s, he was producing acts for the label, including James and Martha Carson. By 1951, he moved over to Mercury Records in an A&R slot. He focused on recording Johnny Horton, Jimmy Dean, Benny Martin, Jerry Byrd and Bill Carlisle and the Carlisles. In 1956, Kilpatrick became manager of the Grand Old Opry, bringing in acts such as Porter Wagoner, the Everly Brothers and Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper. In 1958, he helped found the Country Music Association. He left the Opry in 1959 to form Acuff-Rose Artists Corp., a booking agency for Opry acts and pop stars such as Roy Orbison. He later returned to sales and promotion for Warner, Philips and Mercury Records. He eventually left the music business to run a drapery and fabrics business.
1910 - Lou Busch, Capitol Records A&R man, pianist, arranger, composer, one-time husband of Capitol Records artist Margaret Whiting, father of their daughter Deborah, and a Capitol Records artist (as Joe "Fingers" Carr), is born Louis Ferdinand Bush in Louisville, Kentucky
95 Years Ago Today In 1917 - Joe Comfort, bass player and Capitol Records session artist (as part of Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra), is born in Alcorn, Mississippi
1949 - Wally Bryson, guitarist with the Capitol Records group The Raspberries, is born Wallace Bryson in Gastonia, North Carolina

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1952 - At Capitol Records Melrose Studios, Nat "King" Cole is back on piano, along with John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, Jack Costanzo on Latin percussion and Bunny Shawker on drums, recording tracks for the album "Penthouse Serenade", an instrumental album of standards, released as a 10" LP
1971 - Sonny James' Capitol Records single "Bright Lights Big City", with "True Love Lasts Forever" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
1995 - Capitol Records releases Megadeth's EP "Hidden Treasures"
2000 - Capitol Records re-releases The Beach Boys' Brother Records albums "Sunflower", "Surf's Up" together on a single CD and "In Concert" on its own CD. I helped track down art elements for this release, going to record stores and swap meets in the Los Angeles area, looking for the best copies of the albums to see how they were originally packaged, in case we couldn't find existing elements with the printers or in archives. Much of the art in these re-releases was obtained from the albums' Japanese CD releases, as we couldn't find any existing U.S. film. The re-issues were co-ordinated by Paul Atkinson, former Zombies guitarist and then VP of Catalog A&R at Capitol.
2006 - Capitol Records finally releases The 30th Anniversary Special Edition CD/DVD set of "Fly Like An Eagle" from The Steve Miller Band, which was pushed from its original June 28, 2006 release date
2006 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Eric Church's debut album "Sinners Like Me"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1909 - Harriet Nelson (aka Harriet Hilliard), singer, motion picture, radio and television actress, and mother radio and television actor David Nelson and Imperial and Capitol Records artist Rick Nelson, is born Peggy Lou Snyder in Des Moines, Iowa
1939 - Dion Dimucci, singer, guitarist, and Laurie Records artist as as a solo act and as lead singer of Dion and The Belmonts, is born. EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns the Laurie Records catalog.
1943 - Robin MacDonald, rhythm guitarist with the Parlophone Records group Billy J. Kramer And The Dakotas, is born
1950 - Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records is born in Naim, England
1961 - Singer Dinah Washington, with Mundell Lowe on guitar and George Duvivier on bass, records the tracks "My Favorite Things", "Great Day", and "In A Sentimental Mood" at RKO Pathe Studios in New York City with producer Teddy Reig for her Roulette Jazz album "After Hours". Roulette's catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records.
1963 - The Joe Pass Quartet (Joe Pass on guitar, Clare Fischer on piano and organ, Albert Stinson on bass, and Colin Bailey on drums) record the tracks "Just Friends", "Walking Up", and "Peri's Scope" for their Pacific Jazz Records album "No Cover No Minimum" at the Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Richard Bock who was also the recording engineer along with Dino Lappas. Pacific Jazz Records catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1988 - Richard Marx's EMI Manhattan Records single "Hold On To The Nights", with "Lonely Hearts" on the flip side, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. EMI Manhattan's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, parent company of Capitol Music Group.
2006 - Virgin Records releases Summer Obsession's first single "Do You Remember" from their upcoming album “This Is Where You Belong” which is set to be out on August 29, 2006

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1929 - Screamin' Jay Hawkins ("He's my main man"), singer and actor, is born Jalacy J. Hawkins in Cleveland, Ohio
1966 - Bobby Fuller, singer, songwriter, and founder The Bobby Fuller Four, is found dead in his car in Los Angeles
1968 - Former Capitol Records artist Bobby Darin announces the formation of his own label, Direction Records