JANUARY 26, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1880 - Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army General (5 star General of the Army), Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific, and Capitol Records artist (an album of a collection of speeches), is born in Little Rock, Arkansas
1913 - Jimmy Van Heusen, songwriter (including the Academy Award winning songs "Swinging on a Star" [1944], "All the Way" [1957], "High Hopes" [1959], and "Call Me Irresponsible" [1963], and, with lyricists Johnny Burke and Sammy Cahn, wrote over 75 songs recorded by Frank Sinatra for Capitol Records and other labels including "My Kind of Town" and "Second Time Around"), is born Edward Chester Babcock in Syracuse, New York
1924 - Bob Bain, guitarist on the soundtrack of many movie and television series, on many early Capitol Records sessions, and a solo Capitol Records artist, is born Robert Bain in Chicago, Illinois.
1950 - Paul Pena (aka Earthquake), songwriter ("Jet Airliner"), guitarist, singer (self-taught Tuvan throat singer which later became the basis for the documentary "Genghis Blues"), and Capitol Records artist (1972-1973), is born in Hyannis, Massachussets
1951 - David Briggs, guitarist with the Capitol Records group "Little River Band", is born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Tex Ritter's Capitol Records single "You Will Have to Pay", with "Christmas Carols By The Old Corral" is still #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1951 - Margaret Whiting (on vocals), with Frank De Vol directing the orchestra (lineup unlisted) and uncredited other backing singers, records the titles "Lonesome Gal", "Sing You Sinners", and "You Are The One" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "Lonesome Gal" as a single (Capitol 1391) with "Faithful" (recorded January 20, 1951) on the flipside and the last two titles together as a single (Capitol 1417).
1951 - Pianist Joe "Fingers" Carr, with Dottie O'Brien (on vocals), records the titles "The Chicken Song (I Ain't Gonna Take It Settin' Down)" and "If You Want Some Lovin'" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol 1409).
1951 - Harry Stewart (on vocals as Yogi Yorgesson), with Johnny Duffy and The Scandahoovians (lineup unlisted), records the title "Cookies, Pie And Cake" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "Cookies, Pie And Cake" as a single (Capitol 1410) with "Vot Skall We Do?" (recorded on July 17, 1950) on the flipside.
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Trumpeter Ray Anthony and His Orchestra (Bruce Brukert, Dean Hinkle, Chris Griffin, Jack Laubach, and Marty White also on trumpet, Keith Butterfield, Tom Oblak, Ken Trimble, and Dick Reynolds on trombone, Earl Bergman and Jim Schneider on clarinet and alto saxophone, Bob Hardaway and Bill Usselton on tenor saxophone, Leo Anthony on alto and baritone saxophone, Fred Savarese on piano, Al Hendrickson on guitar, Billy Cronk on bass, and Archie Freeman on drums) record the titles "Dardanella", "Canzonetta", "You're Driving Me Crazy" with vocals by Marcie Miller, and Midnight Alley" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue "Dardanella" on Anthony's album "Arthur Murray Favorites: Fox Trots" (T 258), "You're Driving Me Crazy" as a single (Capitol 2058) with "Trumpet Boogie" (recorded June 25, 1951) on the flipside, and has yet to issue "Canzonetta" and "Midnight Alley".
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Pianist George Shearing, with Emil Richards on vibraphones, Jean "Toots" Thielemans on guitar and harmonica, Al McKibbon on bass, Percy Brice on drums, and The Jud Conlon Singers (Loulie Jean Norman, Marni Nixon, Sue Allen, Betty Noyes Hand, Peggy Clark, Dorothy McCarty, Clark Yocum, Charles Parlato, William Reeve, Mack McLean, Allan Davies, Bill Brown, Thurl Ravenscroft, Charles Schrouder, and Jud Conlon), using arrangements by Shearing, record the titles "Where Are You", "A Handful Of Stars", "In Other Words", and "Darn That Dream" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Shearing's album "Night Mist" (T/DT 943).
55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Guitarist John Gray, with Herb Ellis also on guitar, Don Bagley on bass, and Bob Neal on drums, records the titles "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Cherokee", "Comme Ci, Comme Ça", Memphis In June", and "Blues" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles, except "Blues" which remains unreleased, on Gray's album "The New Wave" (T/ST 1852).
55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - The Brothers Castro (vocalists Arturo Castro, Jorge Castro, Walter Castro, and Xavier Castro), with Jack Marshall conducting the orchestra (lineup unlisted) using arrangements by Arturo Castro, record the titles "Bernie's Tune", "Lullaby Of Birdland" ,"Perdido", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Angel Eyes", and "Stella By Starlight" in Los Angeles, California with producer Tony Newman. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on the group's album "Latin & Hip" (T/ST 1706).
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Vocalist Tina Mason, with H.B. Barnum conducting his own arrangements to unlisted musicians, records the titles "You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)", "Life and Soul Of The Party", "Just Like A Man", and "The Good Kind Of Hurtin'" in Los Angeles, California with producer David Axelrod. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Mason's album "Tina Mason Is Something Wonderful" (T/ST 2785).
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Vocalist Ferlin Husky and The Hush Puppies (lineup unlisted) record the titles "It's Teardrop Time", "I'll Sail My Ship Alone", "You've Pushed Me Too Far", and "That's My Desire" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records has yet to issue "It's Teardrop Time" and will will issue "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" on Husky's album "What Am I Gonna Do?" (T/ST 2705), "You Pushed Me Too Far" as a single (Capitol 5938) with "The Bridge I Have Never Crossed" (recorded January 24, 1957) on the flipside, and "That's My Desire" on Husky and The Hush Puppies' album "That's Why I Love You So Much" (ST-239).
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Capitol Records purchases the master for The Standells' title "Riot On Sunset Strip" which it will release as a single (Tower 314) with "Blackhearted Woman" (whose master it purchased on August 11, 1966) and on the group's album "Try It" (ST 5098) through its subsidiary label Tower Records.
1969 - The Beatles record tracks for the songs "Dig It", "Let It Be", and "The Long And Winding Road" which will end up on their Apple Records album "Let It Be" that will be released in the United States by Capitol Records
1970 - John Lennon writes the song "Instant Karma" in the morning and records it in the afternoon with producer Phil Spector, who mixes it the same day. The single will be released in just 10 days.
1974 - Ringo Starr's Apple Records single "You're Sixteen", with "Devil Woman" on the flipside, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
40 Years Ago Today In 1977 - White Horse (lineup unlisted) records the titles "Can't Stop Loving You" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the title on the group's self-titled album "White Horse" (ST-11687).
40 Years Ago Today In 1977 - Mink DeVille, with unlisted others, records the titles "Venus Of Avenue D", and "Can't Do Without It" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both titles on DeVille's self-titled album "Mink DeVille" (ST-11631).
35 Years Ago Today In 1982 - After 30 years with Capitol Records, vocalist Al Martino, at his final session for the label, records the titles "Warm Is When You Touch Me", "If I Should Love Again", and "You And I" with the session's producer Peter De Angelis conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (lineup unlisted) in the Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue "Warm Is When You Touch Me" as a single (Capitol 5191) with "What Your Love Did For Me on the flipside, and "If I Should Love Again" and "You And I" together as a single (Capitol 5094).
35 Years Ago Today In 1982 - Vocalist Anne Murray, with unlisted others, records the titles "I Believe In Believing" and "That Will Keep Me Dreamin'" at Producers' Workshop in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "That Will Keep Me Dreamin" on Murray's album "The Hottest Night Of The Year" (ST-12255) and has yet to issue "I Believe In Believing".
1985 - Tina Turner's Capitol Records single "Private Dancer" enters the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
25 Years Ago Today In 1992 - Jose Ferrer (born José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón), Broadway, motion picture, and television actor and director, one-time husband of Capitol Records artist Rosemary Clooney, father of motion picture and television actor Miguel Ferrer, and Capitol Records artist (on the soundtrack to "Cyrano de Bergerac") dies, following a brief battle with colon cancer, in Coral Gables, Florida and will later be interred in Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
10 Yeas Ago Today In 2007 - EMI Group chairman Eric Nicoli announces the merger of Capitol Records and Virgin Records into a new company called Capitol Music Group. Virgin Records president Jason Flom is named head of the combined group. Capitol Records president Andrew Slater is let go six months into a five year contract renewal. I rode by The Tower that morning on the bus at about 7:50 AM and it looked like the flag was at half mast and wrapped around the pole. Probably just a coincidence. I found out later that the flag was at half staff as part of an ongoing tribute to former United States president Gerald Ford who had recently died.
2011 - Charlie Louvin, singer, songwriter, musician, Capitol Records solo artist and part of the Capitol Records duo The Louvin Brothers, died today at age 83 at his home at Wartrace, Tennessee of complications of pancreatic cancer. Here's a link to the obituary in The New York Times.

ON THIS DAY IN NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1915 - William Hopper, actor ("Public Wedding", "The Bad Seed", and Paul Drake on "Perry Mason") and son of actress and gossip columinist Hedda Hopper (whose estate had offices in The Capitol Tower), is born William DeWolf Hopper, Jr. in New York City, New York
1963 - "Jazzie B.", singer and founding member of the Virgin Records America group Soul II Soul, is born Beresford Romeo in Finsbury Park, London, England. I adapted the packaging designs for the U.S. market for the band's first two albums and as well as designing packaging for their first few promotional U.S. CD singles
1970 - "The Magic Christian", starring EMI artist Peter Sellers and Apple/Capitol Records artist Ringo Starr, as well as featuring music by Apple/Capitol Records artist Paul McCartney which is performed by Apple/Capitol Records group Badfinger, premieres in Beverly Hills, California
1981 - Blondie's Chrysalis Records album "Auto American" is certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A. Chrysalis' catalog was once owned by Capitol Records' former parent company EMI Music but is now under the control of Warner Music Group.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1934 - The Apollo Theatre opens in Harlem, New York City