MAY 31, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1937 - Louis Hayes, jazz drummer who appears on sessions for Capitol, Blue Note and United Artists, is born in Detroit, Michigan
1950 - Marvin Yancey, pastor, songwriter (co-wrote "This Will Be", "Sophisticated Lady [She's A Different Lady]", "I've Got Love On My Mind" and "Our Love"), gospel artist and first husband of Capitol Records artist Natalie Cole, is born in Chicago, Illinois.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1947 - The Pied Pipers (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)' Capitol Records  single "Mam'selle" is tied for #10 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart with Perry Como and The Satisfiers (with Lloyd Shaffer and His Orchestra)'s single "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go To Sleep)"
1951 - Maynard Ferguson (directing and playing trumpet) with members of the Stan Kenton Orchestra (Alfred "Chico" Alvarez, John Howell, Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Salko also on trumpet; Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Bob Fitzpatrick, Dick Kenney on trombone; Paul Weigand on bass trombone; Art Pepper, Bud Shank on alto saxophone; Bart Caldarell, Jimmy Giuffre on tenor saxophone; Bob Gioga on baritone saxophone; Ralph Blaze on guitar; Stan Kenton on piano; Don Bagley on bass; and Shelly Manne on drums), records the tracks "What’s New" (arranged by Shorty Rogers), and "The Hot Canary" (arranged by Pete Rugolo) at Capitol Record's Melrose studio in Hollywood, California. The tracks will be released as a single on Capitol. At the same session Art Pepper, on alto saxophone, will be featured on the track "Jump For Joe" that will be released as the flip side of Stan Kenton and His Orchestra's single "Laura".
1952 - Al Martino (with orchestra conducted by Monty Kelly)'s Capitol Records single "Here In My Heart" is tied for #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart with Leroy Anderson and His Orchestra's single "Blue Tango", Kay Starr (with orchestra conducted by Harold Mooney)'s Capitol Records single "Wheel Of Fortune" is #5, Ella Mae Morse (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Blacksmith Blues" is #10, Jane Froman (with orchestra conducted by Sid Feller)'s Capitol Records single "I'll Walk Alone" is #17, and Les Paul's Capitol Records single "Carioca" is #18
1956 - The Four Freshman (Bob Flanigan on vocals, trombone and bass; Don Barbour on vocals and guitar; Ross Barbour on vocals and drum; Ken Albers on volcals, trumpet, mellophone, and bass), with arranger Dick Reynolds conducting Buddy Childers, Pete Candoli, Uan Rasey, Ray Triscari on trumpets; Geoff Carslon on piano; Al Hendrickson, Jack Marshall on guitar; Don Simpson on bass; Frank Carlson on drums) record the tracks "Goodbye" and "Give Me The Simple Life" for the band's Capitol Records album "The Four Freshman and Five Trumpets" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
1956 - Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra (Ken Albers on trumpet, mellophone, and bass; Buddy Childers, Pete Candoli, Uan Rasey, and Ray Triscari on trumpets; Bob Flanigan on trombone and bass; Geoff Carslon on piano; Ross Barbour, Al Hendrickson and Jack Marshall on guitar; Don Simpson on bass; Ross Barbour and Frank Carlson on drums; and Ralph Hansell on tympani) record the track "Theme From The Proud Ones" which will be released by Capitol Records as a single with "The Love Of Genevieve" on the flip side, at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
55 Years Ago Today In 1959 - Peggy Lee and The George Shearing Quintet (Toots Thielemans on guitar, James Bond and Carl Pruitt on bass, George Shearing on piano, Warren Chaisson on vibraphone, Roy Haynes and Ray Mosca on drums, and Armando Peraza on bongos and congas) record the tracks "Don't Ever Leave Me", "You Came A Long Way From St. Louis", "There'll Be Another Spring", "Nobody's Heart", "Blue Prelude", "Do I Love You", "All Too Soon", "If Dreams Come True", "I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City", "Get Out Of Town", and "Always True To You In My Fashion" for their Capitol Records album "Beauty And The Beat!" with producer Dave Cavanaugh at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
1963 - Peggy Lee, with Billy May conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (lineup unlisted), records an unissued take of the title "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" and the title "Leave It To Love" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California with producer Dave Cavanaugh. Capitol Records will issue "Leave It To Love" on Lee's 1965 album "Then Was Then And Now Is Now" (T 2388).
50 Years Ago Today In 1964 - Buck Owens' Capitol Records single "Together Again", with "My Heart Skips A Beat" on the flipside, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1967 - Buck Owens' Capitol Records single "Sam's Place", with "Don't Ever Tell Me Goodbye" on the flip side, is still #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
45 Years Ago Today In 1969 - The song "Give Peace A Chance" was recorded by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band during a 'bed-in' in room 1742 at Hotel La Reine (now the Queen Elizabeth Hotel) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Capitol Records promotions man Richard Glanville-Brown perched on a table joined in and sang along. See the great book "Give Peace A Chance" by Joan Athey for his recollection, over 80 unpublised photographs of John and Yoko and a heartfelt statement written exclusively for the book by Yoko about what the Bed-in means today. Go to www.peaceworksnow.com for details.
1976 - The Beatles' single "Got To Get You Into My Life" with "Helter Skelter" on the flip side is released with a picture sleeve in the U.S.
1978 - Paul McCartney and Wings finish sessions for their album "London Town" in Record Plant's mobile studio aboard the yacht "Fair Carol" in waters off the Virgin Islands
15 Years Ago Today In 1994 - Manny Klein (born as Emmanuel Klein on February 4, 1908), trumpeter who was part of many Capitol Records sessions including "Concerto In C Minor For Piano" by Dmitri Shostakovich, "The Four Temperaments" by Paul Hindemith with Victor Aller and Felix Slatkin, and several for Dean Martin, dies at age 85 in Los Angeles, California.
1996 - Dr. Timothy Francis Leary, who participated in the live recording of John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance", dies in Beverly Hills, California at age 75 of prostate cancer

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1945 - Bobby Hackett and His Orchestra: Bobby Hackett on trumpet; Vernon Brown on trombone; Joe Dixon on clarinet; Deane Kincaide on baritone saxophone; Dave Bowman on piano; Carl Kress on guitar; Bob Haggart on bass; and George Wettling on drums) record two takes of "Pennies From Heaven", two takes of "Rose Of The Rio Grande", four takes of "Body And Soul" and the track "I Want To Be Happy" for Melrose Records at WOR Studios in New York City, New York. One take of "Pennies From Heaven" and "Rose Of The Rio Grande" will be released by Melrose as a single. Blue Note Records will later buy the masters of the entire session but will not release them. The will finally be released on Mosaic Records' 1997 box set "Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions"
55 Years Ago Today In 1959 - Trumpetist Donald Byrd, (with Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, Walter Davis on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Taylor on drums) records the tracks "Here I Am", "Witchcraft", "The Injuns", "Devil Whip", "Bronze Dance", and "Clarion Calls" with producer Alfred Lion and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at The Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey for his Blue Notes Records album "Byrd In Hand"
1961 - Corey Hart, singer and EMI America Records artist, is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1963 - Sarah Vaughn (with Carmell Jones on trumpet, Teddy Edwards on tenor saxophone, Jack Wilson on organ, John Collins on guitar, Al McKibbon on bass, and Milt Turner on drums) records the tracks "A Taste Of Honey" and "Moanin'" at United Recorders, in Los Angeles, California, for her Roulette Records album "Sarah Sings Soulfully"
50 Years Ago Today In 1964 - Kid Frost (aka Frost), rapper, solo artist on Virgin Records America artist (1990-1999), and Vice President of the Music Division of Goldmark Industries, is born Arturo Molina, Jr. in East Los Angeles, California
1987 - Dan Seals' EMI America Records single "I Will Be There", with "It's Gonna Be Easy Now" on the flipside, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1790 - George Washington signs into law the 1790 copyright act, the United States' first copyright law, which gave protection for 14 years, with the right of renewal for another 14 years, to "the author and authors of any map, chart, book or books already printed within these United States, being a citizen or citizens thereof....shall have the sole right and liberty of printing, reprinting, publishing and vending such map, chart, book or books....". There's a reproduction of the law, as it appeared in the July 17, 1790 edition of the Columbian Centinel on earlyamerica.com.
1930 - Actor, singer, Jazz pianist, and executive producer of the documentary "Johnny Mercer - The Dream's On Me" Clint Eastwood is born Clinton Eastwood, Jr. in San Francisco, California
1937 - Tyrone Power and Loretta Young leave their hand and foot prints in cement at Grauman's Chinese Theater's Ceremony #37, in Hollywood, California
1967 - Pianist and composer ("Lush Life", "Take The 'A' Train") Billy Strayhorn dies of cancer of the esophagus at the age of 51 at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City, New York
20 Years Ago Today In 1994 - Capitol's sister label, Blue Note Records, which controls the acquired Roulette Records catalog, issues an expanded version of Count Basie's album "The Atomic Mr. Basie" with 5 extra tracks, and remastered back to it's intended monophonic sound, under the title "The Complete Atomic Basie".