JANUARY 31, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
125 Years Ago Today In 1892 - Eddie Cantor, Vaudeville, Broadway, motion picture, radio and television actor, singer, songwriter, and Capitol Records artist, is born Edward Israel Iskowitz in the Lower East Side of New York City, New York.
1915 - Bobby Hackett, coronet, trumpet and guitar player, member of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (played at the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert), and Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (initally as a guitarist while his lip was healing, then on short solos such as on "String Of Pearls"), band leader, a Capitol Records solo artist, and on Jackie Gleason's Capitol Records albums, is born Robert Leo Hackett in Providence, Rhode Island

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - During a split session held at Radio Recorders' studios in Hollywood, California, first Paul Weston and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted) record the titles "Nobody Else But Me" with vocals by Lou Dinning and "Full Moon And Empty Arms" featuring Lyle "Skitch" Henderson on piano then vocalist Martha Tilton, with Paul Weston directing the orchestra and vocal octet (lineups unlisted), records the titles "Ah Yes, There's Good Blues Tonight" and "As If I Didn't Have Enough On My Mind". Capitol Records will issue the first two titles together as a single (Capitol 245) and the second two titles together as a single (Capitol 244).
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Dorothy Lamour signs with Capitol Records
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Vocalist Hal Derwin, with unlisted others, records the titles "It Might Have Been A Different Story" and "You Can Take My Word For It Baby" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol 377).
1951 - Vocalist and pianist Nellie Lutcher, with a unlisted trio of other musicians, records the titles "Pa's Not Home And Ma's Upstairs", "I Really Couldn't Love You", "(I Need) Body And Fender Work", and "He Couldn't Care Less" at Radio Recorders' studios in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue the first two titles as a single (Capitol 1420). Bear Family Records will issue all the titles in the CD boxset "Nellie Lutcher And Her Rhythm" (BCD 15910).
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Billy May, using his own arrangements, conducts an orchestra (Conrad Gozzo and Mannie Klein on trumpet,  Ed Kusby and William Schaefer on trombone, John Graas on French horn, Arthur "Skeets" Herfurt, Jules Kinsler, Gordon Green, and Fred Falensby on saxophones, Lou Busch on piano, Vincent Terri on guitar, Phil Stephens on bass, John Cyr on drums, Kathryn Thompson on harp, and a string section with Ben Gill, Lou Raderman, and Felix Slatkin on violin, Paul Robyn on viola, and Eleanor Slatkin on cello) as they record the titles "Bozo Has A Party: Part 1", "Bozo Has A Party: Part 2", "Bozo Has A Party: Part 3", and "Bozo Has A Party: Part 4" at Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California between 8:30 PM and 11:30 PM. After Pinto Colvig records vocal overdubs on February 11 and 13, 1952, Capitol Records will issue all the parts on the children's album "Bozo Has A Party" (DBX-3133).
1953 - Nat "King" Cole's single "Pretend", with "Don't Let Your Eyes Go Shopping" on the flipside, enters the top 40 of the U.S. Pop singles chart
1956 -  Trombonist and vocalist Jack Teagarden, with Van Alexander's Orchestra (Mannie Klein and Charlie Teagarden on trumpet, Francis "Joe" Howard and Ben Benson on trombone, Gus Bivona and Wilbur Schwartz on alto saxophone, Eddie Miller on tenor saxophone, Jules Jacob on baritone saxophone, Ray Sherman on piano, Mike Rubin on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums), records the titles "Aunt Hagar's Children Blues", "After You've Gone", "A Monday Date", and "Sheik Of Araby" at Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Teagarden's album "This Is Teagarden" (T 721).
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Pianist Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (Bob Fitzpatrick, Kent Larsen, John Halliburton, and Jim Amlotte on trombone, George Roberts on bass trombone, Bill Perkins on tenor saxophone, Ralph Blaze on guitar, Curtis Counce on bass, and Larry Bunker), with vocal group The Modern Men (lineup unlisted), record the titles "Woman Usually Do" and "Opus In Chartreuse" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California between 3:30 PM and 6:30 PM. Both titles were rejected and have not yet been issued.
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Trumpet player and vocalist Louis Prima and vocalist Keely Smith, with tenor saxophonist and vocalist Sam Butera & The Witnesses (James "Litle Red" Blount Jr. on trombone, William "Willie" McCumber on piano, Jack Marshall on guitar, Amado Rodrigues on bass, and Robert "Bobby" Morris on drums), record the titles "I've Got The World On A String", "Much Too Young To Loose My Mind" featuring vocals by Sam Butera, "Don't Let A Memory" featuring vocals by Keely Smith, and "Pennies From Heaven" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California between Midnight and 3:00 AM. Capitol Records will issue "I've Got The World On A String" and "Pennies From Heaven" on Prima's album "The Call Of The Wildest" (T 836). Bear Family Records will issue all the titles in Germany in the 8 CD box set "Louis Prima, Sam Butera & Keely Smith - Their Capitol Recordings" (BCD 15776).
1963 - The Beach Boys record the tracks "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Shutdown"
1968 - Merle Haggard records the track "The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde" with producer Ken Nelson at Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood. Merle wrote the song, which will enter the U.S. Country charts in March 1968 and will become Haggard's 4th #1 hit.
1969 - The Beatles record tracks for the songs "The Long And Winding Road", "Let It Be", and "Two Of Us"
1970 - Glen Campbell's 17th Capitol Records single to chart, "Honey Come Back" with "Where Do You Go" on the flip side, peaks at #2 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1990 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' last single for the label, "Tijuana Lady", with "Brooklyn Bridge" on the flipside

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1894 - Isham Jones, fiddler, tenor saxophonist, bandleader (whose members would include future Capitol Records artists Benny Goodman and Woody Herman), songwriter ("I'll See You In My Dreams", "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else" which was covered by Capitol Records artist Nellie Lutcher and became one of her biggest hits, "It Had To Be You" which was covered by Capitol Records artist Betty Hutton, and others) is born in Coalton, Ohio
1956 - Johnny Rotten, lead singer with the EMI and Virgin Records group The Sex Pistols and Virgin Records Group Public Image Ltd. (aka PIL), is born John Lydon in Finsbury Park, London, England
1969 - Billy Preston signs with Apple Records
1981 - Blondie's Chrysalis Records single "The Tide Is High" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
35 Years Ago Today In 1982 - The J. Geils Band's EMI America single "Centerfold" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1876 - On a black day in the country's history, the government of the United States of America orders all Native Americans to move into reservations.
1936 - "The Green Hornet" radio show debuts on WXYZ radio in Detroit, Michigan and was created by George Trendle and Fran Striker who also created The Lone Ranger which also was broadcast from the same station. A further tie-in is that the Hornet's alter-ego, Britt Reed, is the great nephew of The Lone Ranger's young sidekick Dan Reed.
1945 - On another black day in U.S.A. history, U.S. Army Private Eddie Slovik becomes the first American soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion
1961 - Ham the Chimp travels into outer space on an early version of NASA's Mercury rocket, performs well on some response tests and returns safely to Earth
1990 - The first McDonald's opens in Moscow, Russia
2004 - Mystery Science Theater 3000 ends its run on the Sci-Fi Channel.