Thursday, September 27, 2012

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
1933 - Glenn and Dorothy Wallichs are married. Glenn will go on to found Hollywood's first music superstore – Wallichs' Music City ("Sunset and Vine") – and co-found Capitol Records, where he will also serve as vice-president, president and chairman of the board. After Glenn's death in 1971 Dorothy, who will die on December 19, 2002, will go on to quietly do charitable works including contributing funds to the University of Redlands in California to build, and then refurbish, The Glenn Wallichs Theatre.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
85 Years Ago Today In 1927 - Bud Powell, composer, pianist, member of the Capitol Records band Cootie Williams and His Orchestra and a solo Blue Note Records artist, is born Earl Powell in New York City, New York

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1954 - Ground breaking occurs for the world's first round office building – The Capitol Tower – when Capitol Records' president Glenn Wallichs uses a bulldozer instead of a traditional shovel to start construction. The ceremony is emceed by Don Wilson with many Capitol Records artists and executives attending as well as local politicians. Later that day, Capitol Records president Glenn Wallichs is roasted by local Los Angeles radio disc jockeys at a lunch hosted by The Los Angeles Ad Club, with emcee Dean Martin. Both events are recorded and pressed as the souvenir two record 10" 33RPM album called "Glenn Wallichs' Day" which is given to employees and others. Wallichs and his wife Dorothy will then continue to celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary.
1964 - Capitol Records group The Beach Boys make their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"
1965 - Stan Kenton begins three straight days of sessions, recording tracks for his Capitol Records album "Stan Kenton Conducts The Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra", at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
1966 - Soupy Sales records the tracks "Use your noggin'", "The Backwards Alphabet", and the as yet unissued track "You Came A Long Way From St. Louis" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the first two tracks together as a single (Capitol 5766).
45 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Gordon Waller, of Capitol Records group Peter and Gordon, records the track "So Long Dad" by Randy Newmann, but the track is never released
1973 - Tennessee Ernie Ford records the tracks "Bits And Pieces Of Life", which will be released as the flip side of Ford's Capitol Records single "Come On Down" on June 24, 1974, and "Smokey Taverns, Bar Room Girls", which will have the track "The Devil Ain't A Lonely Woman's Friend" as its flip side when it's released as a single on October 13, 1975
1973 - Grand Funk's Capitol Records single "We're An American Band", a version of which Capitol has pressed on gold-colored vinyl, is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1979 - Jimmy McCulloch, lead guitarist with the Capitol Records band Wings as well as a member of the bands Thunderclap Newman and Stone The Crows, dies in London, England at age 26 of a heart failure due to overuse of heroin, morphine, alcohol and marijuana
1995 - Rosemary Clooney begins four straight days of sessions, recording tracks for her album "Dedicated To Nelson", at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
In 2005 - Capitol Records releases: Blind Melon's compilation album "Tones Of Home: The Best Of Blind Melon" on CD and their concert film "Live At The Metro" on DVD; The Band's "A Musical History", a box set covering The Band's recording career from 1963 to 1976, with 37 previously unreleased tracks; and the Christmas compilation "Christmas Cocktails Part Three" as part of its Ultra-Lounge series
2010 - Buddy Morrow (born Muni Zudekoff on February 8, 1919 in New Haven, Connecticut), trombonist, bandleader of The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra for over 30 years (last playing with the band three days earlier on September 24, 2010 in Ormond Beach, Florida) and Capitol Records session artist for recordings by Nat "King" Cole, Mel Tormé (including a duet with Tormé and Peggy Lee), Jackie Gleason and Arte Shaw, dies at his home in Maitland, Florida at age 91.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1954 - NBC-TV broadcasts the nationwide debut of "Tonight!" (later renamed "The Tonight Show"), hosted by future Capitol Records artist Steve Allen. It is also Allen's new wife's (they married on July 31, 1954), motion picture and television actress Jayne Meadows, birthday. She was born Jayne Meadows Cotter in Wuchang, China in 1920.
1961 - Liberty Records releases Johnny Burnette's single "God, Country and My Baby" with "Honestly I Do" on the flip side. Capitol Records currently owns Liberty's catalog
1963 - Parlophone Records, a subsidiary of EMI, releases Cillia Black's first single, "Love of the Loved", in the United Kingdom. Capitol Records will later distribute Black's releases in the United States.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1885 - Joseph McCarthy, lyricist (best known for the Broadway musicals "Irene", "Kid Boots", and "Rio Rita" as well as the songs "You Made Me Love You", "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", "In My Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown", and "Rio Rita"), is born in Somerville, Massachusettes
1898 - Vincent Youmans, musician, composer ("Hit The Deck", "Great Day!", "No, No Nanette" {w/Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II}, "I Know That You Know (w/Harbach}, "More Than You Know", "Rise ’n’ Shine", "Flying Down To Rio", "The Carioca" and many more), and Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inductee, is born in New York City, New York
1936 - Don Cornelius, television show creator (best known for the syndicated show "Soul Train" which he hosted from 1971-1994 and still produces), is born in Chicago, Illinois
70 Years Ago Today In 1942 - Glenn Miller gives his final civilian performance before entering the U.S. Army when he and his orchestra perform at the Central Theater in Passaic County, New Jersey
65 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Meatloaf, actor and singer, is born Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas, Texas

2 comments:

harrybedford said...

Hey man,
I love your blog and it has endless uselful material about Capitol. I'm researching the early history of Capitol for my dissertation and wondered if you could tell me where you gained all your information as unfortunatley I am unable to reference your blog.
Please email harrybedford@gmail.com.

Any help would be incredibly awesome.

Thanks

Harry

PopCultureFanBoy said...

Hi Harry,

For session dates there is the Capitol Records Discography which used to be available on CD-ROM at http://www.truebluemusic.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ROM03 but looks to be no longer on the website.

For a good overview of the label's history there's the Capitol Records 50th anniversary book available on ebay as well as biographies and autobiographies.

Certain universities have archives of materials from various Capitol artists and executives.

What are you looking for?

Hoping this helps,
Mark Heimback-Nielsen