MAY 26, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1914 - Ziggy Elman, trumpet player, bandleader, songwriter (best known for "And The Angels Sing" which he co-wrote with Capitol Records' co-founder Johnny Mercer and was sung by future Capitol Records artist Martha Tilton), part of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, and Mickey Katz and His Orchestra as well as a Capitol Records session musician (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra, Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra, and others), is born Harry Aaron Finkelman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1920 - Peggy Lee, songwriter, cartoon voice artist, vocalist with Benny Goodman and His Orchesra, and a solo artist on Capitol and Decca Records, is born Norma Delores Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota.
90 Years Ago Today In 1926 - Miles Davis, trumpet player, composer, bandleader, film scorer, television actor, and Capitol Records artist (1948) was born Miles Dewey Davis III in Alton, Illinois. 1942 - Levon Helm, drummer, mandolin player and singer with the Captiol Records recording group The Band, as well as Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks, The Canadian Squires, and The Hawks, is born Mark Levon Helm in Marvell, Arkansas

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1945 - Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Candy" is #4 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records charts, The Pied Pipers (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)' Capitol Records single "Dream" is #5, and Johnny Johnston (with orchestra conducted by Paul Baron)'s Capitol Records single "Laura" enters the chart at #9
70 Years Ago Today In 1946 - Johnny Mercer, with The Pied Pipers (June Hutton, Clarke Yocum, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry) on the first three tracks and Paul Weston and his Orchestra (Bruce Hudson, Charlie Griffard, Ray Woods, and Ray Linn on trumpet; Allan Thompson, Bill Schaefer, and Elmer Smithers on trombone; Hap Lawson, Matty Matlock, Fred Stulce, Lenny Hartman, Eddie Miller, and Artie Quenzer on reeds; Charles LaVere on piano; Dave Barbour on guitar; Jack Ryan on bass; and Nick Fatool on drums) on all titles, records "My Sugar Is So Refined", "Baby I'm True To You", "Sugar Blues" (this version features a rare vocal by drummer Nick Fatool who's identified by name by Mercer and the version released by Capitol will be recorded on July 1, 1947) and "Mindin' My Business" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "My Sugar Is So Refined" as a single (Capitol 268) with "Ugly Chile (You're Some Pretty Doll)" (recorded May 23, 1946) on the flipside and "Mindin' My Business" on Mercer's album "Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers With Paul Weston Orchestra" (CD-36). Mosaic Records will issue all the titles on the compilation CD set "Mosaic Select - Johnny Mercer" (MS-028).
1949 - Woody Herman and His Orchestra (Stan Fishelson, Al Porcino, Ernie Royal, Charlie Walp, and Shorty Rogers on trumpet; Bill Harris, Earl Swope, and Ollie Wilson on trombone; Bart Varsalona on bass trombone; Herman on clarinet, alto saxophone, and vocals; Sam Marowitz on alto saxophone; Gene Ammons, Buddy Savitt, and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor saxophone; Serge Chaloff on baritone saxophone; Terry Gibbs on vibraphone; Lou Levy on piano; Oscar Pettiford on bass; Shelly Manne on drums; and Mary Ann McCall on vocals) record the tracks "The Crickets" arranged by Ralph Burns with Herman and McCall on vocals and "More Moon" arranged by Shorty Rogers, in Chicago, Illinois for Capitol Records
65 Years Ago Today In 1951 - Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "How High The Moon" is #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole (with orchestra conducted by Les Baxter)'s Capitol Records single "Too Young" is #2, and Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "Mockin' Bird Hill" is #7
1953 - Skeets McDonald and Helen O'Connell, with producer Ken Nelson, record the tracks "Hi Diddle Dee (My Way)" and "Worried Mind" at Capitol Records' Melrose studio in Hollywood, California. The tracks will be released as the A & B sides of the same single and issued in the 78 and 45 rpm formats.
60 Years Ago Today In 1956 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Poor People Of Paris" is tied at #3 with Morris Stoloff and His Orchestra's single "Moonglow and Theme From 'Picnic'" on Billboard's Best Selling Retailing Records chart, Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Lisbon Antiqua" is #17, Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Too Young To Go Steady" is #32, and Dean Martin (with Dick Stabile and His Orchestra with Chorus)'s Capitol Records single "Standing On The Corner" is # 39
1958 - Laurie London's Capitol Records single "He's Got The Whole World In His Hand" is tied for #5 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart with Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back", Dean Martin (with Gus Levene and His Orchestra and Chorus)'s Capitol Records single "Return To Me" is #7, The Four Prep's Capitol Records single "Big Man" is #10, and Ed Townsend's Capitol Records single "For Your Love" is #15
50 Years Ago Today In 1966 - The Beatles begin recording tracks for the title "Yellow Submarine" at Abbey Road Studios and would finish the title at another session on June 1, 1966.
1968 - Glen Campbell's Capitol Records single "I Wanna Live" returns to the #1 spot on the U.S. Country singles charts
1968 - An early version of The Beach Boys' track "Do It Again" is recorded and, with new vocals and a guitar track, will be the basis for the version released later in 1968 as part of their "Wild Honey" album. The single will go to #1 in the U.K.
1969 - Capitol Records releases John Lennon and Yoko Ono's second album, "Unfinished Music No. 2 - Life with the Lions" in the U.S. and the couple begin their second "bed-in" for peace in a 29th-floor room at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada
1970 - The Beatles' last album "Let It Be", released by Capitol Records in the United States, is certified Gold by the R.I.A.A.
1973 - The Beatles' Apple Records compilation double album "The Beatles 1967-1970" (aka "The Blue Album") hits #1 on Billboards Top 200 Albums chart

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1942 - Ray Ennis, guitarist and singer with the Capitol Records Canada group The Swinging Blue Jeans, is born in Liverpool, England
60 Years Ago Today In 1956 - Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm In Love Again" is #19 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, and Domino's Imperial Records single "My Blue Heaven is #38
1958 - David Seville's Liberty Records single "Witch Doctor" is #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Believe What You Say" is tied for #31 with it's flipside "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It", Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "Sick And Tired is #34, and Dion and The Belmonts' Laurie Records single "I Wonder Why" is tied at #35 with Andy Williams (with Archie Blyer and His Orchestra)' single "I Wonder Why"
1962 - Walter Brennan's Liberty Records single "Old Rivers" is #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Jay and The Americans' United Artists Records single "She Cried" is #7, Dion's Laurie Records single "Lovers Who Wander" is #10, Joey Dee and The Starlighters' Roulette Records single "Shout (Part 1)" is #19, and Dick and DeeDee's Liberty Records single "Tell Me" is #26. EMI Music Group, parent company of Capitol Music Group, currently owns the catalogs of Liberty, United Artists, Laurie and Roulette Records.
1964 - Lenny Kravitz, Virgin Records America artist, is born Leonard Albert Kravitz in New York City, New York
1982 - Bobby Darin's star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame is unveiled
1994 - Future Capitol Records artist Lisa Marie Presley secretly marries Michael Jackson in the Dominican Republic

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
130 Years Ago Today In 1886 - Al Jolson, singer, Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion picture actor (best known as star of the first popular talking film "The Jazz Singer"), and first popular music superstar of the 20th century, is born Asa Yoelson in Seredzius, Lithuania. For just about everything you might want to know about Jolson, check out Dr. Marc I Leavy's massive tribute website.
1932 - My grandparents, Martin and Marie Nielsen set sail from Hamburg, Germany on the S.S. New York bound for Ellis Island and eventually Chicago, Illinois.
1942 - Joan Fontaine, actress, puts her handprints in cement outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California
1948 - Stevie Nicks, songwriter, solo artist, and vocalist with the bands Fritz, Buckingham Nicks, and Fleetwood Mac, is born Stephanie Lynn Nicks in Phoenix, Arizona