AUGUST 17, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
120 Years Ago Today In 1893 - Mae West, Broadway, radio, and motion picture actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer and Tower Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records) artist is born in Mary Jane West in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York.
1954 - Eric Johnson, guitarist, songwriter, and Capitol Records artist (1987 -1996), is born in Austin, Texas. If anyone knows his middle name, please leave a comment.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - The King Cole Trio's Capitol Records album (4 78rpm discs), "The King Cole Trio Volume 2", hits #1 on U.S. album charts
1951 - Nat "King" Cole records the tracks "Unforgettable", "My First And My Last Love", and "Lovelight", with arranger Nelson Riddle conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra, at Capitol's Melrose studios (formerly KHJ Radio) in Hollywood, California. Cole would later re-record the track "Unforgettable" in stereo. That take would later be used for the duet recording with his daughter Natalie.
1961 - The Kingston Trio record the track "Take Her Out Of Pity" for their Capitol Records album "Close Up" with John Stewart, who had recently replaced Dave Guard, on lead vocal
1964 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' single "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" with "She Knows Me Too Well" on the flip side
1970 - Capitol Records releases The Band's album "Stage Fright"
1981 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' soundtrack album to "A Hard Day's Night" on the Capitol Records label for the first time after parent company EMI buys the United Artists catalog
1992 - Capitol Records releases the compilation CD "Puttin' on the Ritz: Capitol Sings Irving Berlin" as part of their "Capitol Sings" series

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1964 - Colin James, blues guitarist, actor, and Virgin Records recording artist, is born Colin James Munn in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Capitol Records currently owns Virgin's catalog. I worked on the final design for his debut album on Virgin, talked with him at the office, and saw him open for Stevie Ray Vaughn at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, California
1977 - Future Capitol Records Nashville (1998-2000) artist Steve Wariner has his first recording session as a solo artist. It's at RCA's Studio B, in Nashville, Tennessee, with Chet Atkins (in whose band Wariner had played bass) producing.