JANUARY 22, 2016

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
70 Years Ago Today In 1946 - Cootie Williams and His Orchestra record the titles "Jumping To Conclusions (part one)", "Jumping To Conclusions (part two)", "Someone I Knew", and "You're The One For Me, Sweetheart" at the WMCA studios in New York City, New York for Capitol Records. The tracks will remain unreleased until they are included in Mosaic Records' 1997 box set "Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions" (MQ19-170 on vinyl and MD12-170 on CD).
65 Years Ago Today In 1961 - During two sessions held today at Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California, pianist Leonard Pennario records Franz Liszt's "Sonetto Del Petrarca #104 (From 'Années De Pèlerinage - 2ème Année - Italie') St. François d'Assise Prédicant Aux Oiseaux (#1 of "Deux Légendes") (Grove's #57)" in two parts, and "Hungarian Rhapsody #12 In C Sharp Minor" in two parts at the first session and "Sonata In B Minor" in five parts at the second session. Capitol Records will issue all the titles and parts on Pennario's album "Liszt (Selections)" (P-8136).
1960 - Capitol Records opens a new pressing plant in Los Angeles, California. It has been closed for a while but there's a recent photo of the site on Flickr.com.
50 Years Ago Today In 1966 - The Wrecking Crew (Hal Blaine on drums, Frank Capp on percussion, bells, and tympani, Roy Caton on trumpet, Jerry Cole on detuned 12-string guitar, Steve Douglas and Plas Johnson on tenor saxophone, Jay Miglioni on baritone saxophone, Carl Fortina and Frank Marocco on accordion, Carol Kaye on electric bass, Barney Kessel and Ray Pohlman on mandolin, Larry Knechtel on organ, Al de Lory on piano, and Lyle Ritz on string bass) record 21 takes of the instrumental track for The Beach Boys' title "Wouldn't It Be Nice" at Gold Star Recording Studios with engineer Larry Levine and producer Brian Wilson. The vocal tracks will be recorded on March 10 and April 11, 1966 at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, California with engineer Ralph Balantin. The finished song will be released on July 18, 1966 as a single (Capitol 5706), with "God Only Knows" on the flipside, and will be included on their Capitol Records album "Pet Sounds" (T2458).
50 Years Ago Today In 1966 - The Beatles' Capitol Records single "Day Tripper" peaks at #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. On the same date, the single's flip side, "We Can Work It Out", is currently #11 on the chart, after peaking at #1 on January 8, 1966.
50 Years Ago Today In 1966 - The Checkmates, Ltd. (vocalists Sonny Charles, Bobby Stevens, Harvey Trees, Bill Van Buskirk, and Marvin Smith), with unlisted musicians, records the title "Do The Walk (The Temptation Walk)", a as yet unissued take of the title "Searching For Love", and the titles "Glad For You" and "Mastered The Art Of Love" in Los Angeles, California with producers Nancy Wilson and David Cavanaugh. Capitol Records will issue the first and third titles together as a single (Capitol 5603) and the last title as a single (Capitol 5814) with "Please Don't Take My World Away" (recorded November 11, 1966) on the flipside.
1969 - The Beatles record the tracks for the songs "I Dig A Pony", "I've Got A Feeling", and "Don't Let Me Down". On the same day, George Harrison, at a meeting held at the Apple Corps. offices, persuades Billy Preston to join The Beatles' "Get Back" sessions, which will later be released by Capitol Records in the United States as the album "Let It Be"
1969 - Glen Campbell's Capitol Records single "Wichita Lineman", the flipside of "Fate Of Man" is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1977 - Wings' Capitol Records album album "Wings Over America" hits #1 on Billboard's album chart
1982 - The J. Geils Band's Capitol Records single "Centerfold", the flip side of "Rage In The Cage" is #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
2004 - Billy May, trumpet player, composer, arranger, band leader, conductor, and Capitol Records recording artist, dies of a heart attack at his home in in San Juan Capistrano, California at age 87

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1914 - Frank and Ethel Gumm, a vaudeville team known as Jack and Virginia Lee, and parents of the vaudeville team The Gumm Sisters which included Capitol Records artist Francis Gumm (aka Judy Garland) and grandparents of Capitol Records artist Liza Minnelli, are married in Superior, Wisconsin.
85 Years Ago Today In 1931 - Sam Cooke, singer, songwriter and record executive, is born Samuel Cook in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He would later record at two sessions at The Capitol Tower Studios for his own record company.
1963 - Gerry and The Pacemakers, at their first session for Parlophone Records, record the track "How Do You Do It?" (which had been recorded by The Beatles in 1962 but not released until the "Anthology 1" albums came out in 1995) written by Mitch Murray and Pete Callendar (who went on to write songs for other acts like Mud and Tony Christie) as well as the tracks "Away From You" and "Pretend", with producer George Martin
1968 - Apple Corps (home of the boutique and the label) opens its first London headquarters at 95 Wigmore Street, Marylebone, London, 4th floor
1972 - Don McLean's United Artists Records album "American Pie" hits #1 on Billboard's album chart
1977 - The Sex Pistols leave the EMI label 3 1/2 months after signing with label and will later write and record the song "EMI" about their experiences with the label which will be released on the band's Virgin Records album "Never Mind The Bollocks". Virgin Records catalog is currently owned by EMI Music and the label is now owned by EMI.
1985 - Zak Starkey, eldest son of Ringo Starr, marries Sarah Menikides at a private ceremony in a registry office in Bracknell, Berkshire, England

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1875 - D.W. Griffith, playwright, actor, director, film producer, and one of the four founders (Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin were the other three) of United Artists Studios (which many years later would release three movies and one soundtrack by The Beatles as well as the James Bond franchise and spawn the United Artists Records label whose catalog is currently owned by EMI Music, Capitol Records' parent company), is born David Llewelyn Wark Griffith in La Grange, Kentucky.
1889 - The Columbia Phonograph Company is formed in Washington, DC. The record label would eventually morph into the Columbia Broadcast System, better known today as CBS. The record label is currently owned by Sony.
1947 - KTLA, Channel 5 in Hollywood, California, broadcasts for the first time, becoming the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River
1968 - "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In", filmed in "beautiful downtown Burbank", California, debuts on NBC-TV