JULY 31, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1946 - Bob Welch, singer, guitarist, member of the bands Fleetwood Mac, Paris, Touch and Avenue M as well as being a Capitol Records solo artist, is born Robert Welch in Los Angeles, California

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1942 - Capitol Records' sixteenth ever recording session is held at C. P. MacGregor Studios at 729 South Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Pianist Freddie Slack and His Orchestra (Clyde Hurley, Emanuel "Mannie" Klein, and George Wendt on trumpet, William Anthens and Ed Kusby on trombone, Al Harding, Joe Knechtel, and Henry Evans on reeds, Louis Gonzales on guitar, Fred Whiting on bass, and John Cyr on drums) record the titles "That Old Black Magic" with vocals by Margaret Whiting, "Old Rob Roy" with vocals by Ella Mae Morse, "Hit The Road To Dreamland" with vocals by Margaret Whiting, Johnny Mercer, and the vocal group The Mellowaires (lineup unlisted), and "Get On Board, Little Chillun" again with vocals by Ella Mae Morse and The Mellowaieres between 9:00 AM and 12:30 PM. Later that day Slack and His Orchestra (with the addition of Don Anderson and Bert Harry and minus George Wendt on trumpet, minus Henry Evans on reeds, and the addition of Hubert "Bumps" Meyers on tenor saxophone) are back at C. P. MacGregor studios and record the titles "Waitin' For The Evenin' Mail", "The Wreck Of The Old 97", and "I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City" all with vocals by Johnny Mercer, and "Mr. Anthony Blues" with vocals by Johnny Mercer, Ella Mae Morse, and Freddie Slack. This will be Capitol's last recording session until October 15, 1943 due to the AFM recording strike which starts the next day on August 1, 1942. Capitol Records will issue "That Old Black Magic" and "Hit The Road To Dreamland" together as a single (Capitol 126), "Old Rob Roy" and "Get On Board, Little Chillun" together as a single (Capitol 133), "Waitin' For The Evenin' Mail" as a single (Capitol 137) with "That Old Music Master" (recorded June 12, 1942) on the flipside, and "The Wreck Of The Old 97" and "I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City" together as a single (Capitol 122). Mosaic Select will issue all the titles in the 3 CD box set "Freddie Slack" (MS-018).
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Vocalists Freddie Stewart and The Dream Lady (identity unlisted), with Paul Weston and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "I'll Be There" and "Back In Your Own Backyard" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol 459).
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist Nat "King" Cole, with Nelson Riddle conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "Sweet William", "Because Your Mine", "Sleeping Beauty", and "I'm Never Satisfied" at Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue "Sweet William" and "Sleeping Beauty" on a promo record (4303) and "Because You're Mine" and "I'm Never Satisfied" together as a single (Capitol 2212).
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist June Christy, with Pete Rugolo directing his own arrangements to the orchestra (Mannie Klein, Ollie Mitchell, Carlton McBeath, and Pete Candoli on trumpet, Francis Howard, Ed Kusby, Paul Tanner, and Si Zentner on trombone, Bob Cooper and Maxwell Davis on tenor saxophone, Bob Lawson on baritone saxophone, Buddy Cole on piano, John Collins on guitar, Charles Harris on bass, Lee Young and Alvin Stoller on drums and percussion, Jack Costanzo on congas, Mischa Russell, Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Walter Edelstein, Henry Hill, Harry Bluestone, Erno Neufeld, and Jacques Gasselin on violin,
Stanley Harris and David Sterkin on cello, and Ann Mason Stockton on harp), records the titels "Some Folks Do And Some Folks Don't" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the title as a single (Capitol 2199) with "Bie Mir Bist Du Schoen" (recorded June 30, 1952) on the flipside.
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist Nat "King" Cole, with Billy May conducting his own arrangements to His Orchestra (Leonard Mach, Vito Mangano, Pete Candoli, and Harry "Sweets" Edison on trumpet, William Schaefer, Murray McEachern, and Lloyd Ulyate on trombones, George Roberts on bass trombone, Red Callender on tuba, Willie Smith and Willie Schwartz on alto saxophones, Buddy Collette and Jules Jacob on tenor saxophones, Fred Falensby on baritone saxophone, Jimmy Rowles on piano, John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, Lee Young on drums, Frank Flynn on percussion, and Helen Bliss Hutchison on harp), records the titles "Just One Of Those Things", "I Should Care", "The Party's Over" and a remake of the title "Just For The Fun Of It" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California between 1:25PM and 5:15 PM. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Cole's album "Just One Of Those Things" (W/SW 903).
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist Dakota Staton and pianist George Shearing, with Jean "Toots" Thielemans on guitar, Al McKibbon on bass, and Percy Brice on drums and using arrangements by Shearing, record the titles "Confessin' The Blues", an instrumental version of "The Late, Late Show", and "I'd Love To Make Love To You" in New York City, New York between 12:00 PM and 3:30PM. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on the album "The George Shearing Quintet With Dakota Staton - In The Night" (T/DT 1003).
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Jerry Shard directs an orchestra and chorus (lineups unlisted) as they record the titles "Trombone Rock", "You're The Most", "Fantail", and "Put Your Little Foot" in New York City, New York for Capitol Records which has yet to issue any of the titles.
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Don Carroll, with unlisted others, records the titles "At Your Front Door" and "The Gods Were Angry With Me" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol F3838).
55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Vocalist Bobby Darin, with Walter Rain conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (lineup unlisted), records a remake of the title "The Sermon Of Samson" and the titles "Work Song", "Why Don't You Swing Down", and "Long Time Man" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "The Sermon Of Samson", "Work Song" and "Why Don't You Swing Down" on Darin's album "Earthy!" (T/ST 1826) and have yet to issue the take of "Long Time Man" recorded at this session.
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Dave Cavanaugh and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted) record the titles "There Goes My Everything", "The World We Know", "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", "Spanish Eyes", and "The Happening" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Cavanaugh's album "Hits On Hits" (T/ST 2834).
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Vocalist Ray Pennington, with unlisted others, records the titles "Big Operator", "Who's Gonna Walk The Dog", "Everything Except Our Love (Seems To Be Alright)", and "You Be My Woman (I'll Be Your Man)" and overdubs for the titles "Someday You'll Fall Back To Me" and "You Turned the Lights On" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records will issue "Who's Gonna Walk The Dog" and "You Turned The Lights On" together as a single (Capitol 2006), "Someday You'll Fall Back To Me" as a single (Capitol 2118) with "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" (recorded January 23, 1968) on the flipside, and has yet to issue "Big Operator, "Everything Except Our Love (Seems To Be Alright)", and "You Be My Woman (I'll Be Your Man)".
1968 - The Beatles, with orchestral accompaniment, record the released master track for their song "Hey Jude" using the eight-track recording machine at Trident Studios in London, England.
45 Years Ago Today In 1972 - Alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, with Nat Adderley on cornet, George Duke on piano, Walter Booker on bass, Roy McCurdy on drums, Airto Moreira on percussion and vocals, King Errison Mayuto Correa, and Octavio on percussion, and vocalists Flora Purim and Olga James, records the titles, "The Happy People", "Maria Tres Filhos", "Ela", and, with David T. Walker and Chuck Rainey on electric basses and without Mayuto Correa and Octavio on percussion, "Savior" in Studio A in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Cannonball Adderley's album "The Happy People" (ST-11121).
1976 - Natalie Cole, singer and Capitol Records artist, marries Marvin Yancy, songwriter and producer
1990 - Capitol Records Nashville calls the R.I.A.A. to request that Garth Brooks' self-titled debut album be certified Gold
1994 - Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan, singer, guitarist and Capitol Records artist (1949-1955) dies at age 78
2004 - Capitol Records releases the compilation CD "Cocktails With Cole Porter"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Gary Lewis, singer, drummer, band leader of Liberty Records recording artists Gary Lewis and The Playboys, and son of future Capitol Records artist Jerry Lewis, is born Gary Harold Lee Lewis in Los Angeles, California. Liberty Records catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1995 - Pink Floyd's 2-CD live album "P*U*L*S*E", released by EMI in the U.K. and Columbia in the U.S. is certified Gold, Platinum, and Double Platinum by the R.I.A.A.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1931 - "The Shadow", the mystery-adventure series based on the pulp magazine stories, makes its radio debut
1951 - Ray Charles marries his first wife, Eileen Williams. After having one child, they will divorce in 1952.
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Peggy Lee records the track "San Souci" with Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra for Decca Records
1965 - J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is born Joanne Kathleen Rowling in the General Hospital at Chipping Sodbury, near her parents' home in Yate, Gloucestershire, England
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Judy Garland's variety revue titled, "Judy Garland; At Home at the Palace" opens on Broadway at the Palace Theatre. Joining her onstage to perform were her children, Lorna and Joey Luft. The show ran for 32 performances.
1971 - The first lunar rover is driven on the surface of the moon by astronauts as part of the Apollo 15 mission

JULY 30, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1936 - John W. Anderson (aka KaSandra), songwriter and Capitol Records artist, is born. If anyone has any further information about John W. Anderson, or KaSandra, please post a response or contact me via email.
25 Years Ago Today In 1992 - Zoë Gillespie, Digital Marketing Manager for Capitol Records, is born.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1942 - During a three-way split session, which is Capitol Records fifteenth session, held this day in Los Angeles, California with Gordon Jenkins conducting His Orchestra (lineup unlisted), first Six Hits And A Miss (vocalists Marvin Bailey, Lee Gotch, Tony Parisis aka Tony Paris, Mack MacLean, William Seckler, and Vincent Degen, with featured vocalist Pauline Byrnes) record the titles "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Two On A Bike", then just Jenkins and the orchestra with featured vocalist Bob Carroll record the titles "White Christmas", "Heaven For Two", "There'll Never Be Another You" and "Daybreak", then Six Hits And A Miss are back to record "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" and "Would You Rather Be A Colonel With An Eagle On Your Shoulder, Or A Private With A Chicken On Your Knee". Capitol Records will issue "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Two On A Bike" together as a single (Capitol 135), "White Christmas" and "Heaven For Two" together as a single (Capitol 124), "There'll Never Be Another You" and "Daybreak" together as a single (Capitol 119) and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" and "Would You Rather Be A Colonel With An Eagle On Your Shoulder, Or A Private With A Chicken On Your Knee" together as a single (Capitol 127).
1963 - The Beatles record the titles "It Won't Be Long", "Money (That's What I Want)", and "Please Mr. Postman" at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, England
50 Years Ago Today In 1966 - The Beatles' Capitol Records album "Yesterday And Today" hits #1 on Billboard's album chart

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1958 - Kate Bush, singer, songwriter and EMI America recording artist, is born Catherine Bush in Bexleyheath, Kent, England. Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns EMI America's catalog.
55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Liberty Records releases Johnny Burnette's last single for the label "Damn The Defiant" (also the first A side of his singles that he wrote himself) with "Lonesome Waters" on the flipside. Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns Liberty's catalog.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1955 - Johnny Cash records the tracks "Folsom Prison Blues", "Mean Eyed Cat," "Luther's Boogie" and "So Doggone Lonesome" for Sun Records

JULY 29, 2017

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Peggy Lee, with arranger and conductor Frank Devol and His Orchestra (Uan Rasey and Lenny Mach on trumpet; Paul Wiegand on trombone; Dick Perissi on french horn; Skeets Herfurt, Julius Kinsler, Lou Palange, and Paul McLarand on reeds; Henry Sugar, Joe Livoti, Victor Arno, Joe Quadri, Walter Edelstein, and Ted Rosen on violin; Paul Lowenkron and Elizabeth Sugar on viola; Julius Tannenbaum on cello; June Weiland on harp; Dave Barbour on guitar; Buddy Cole on piano; Fred Whiting on bass; John Cyr on drums) records the titles "The Best Man", "If You Were The Only Boy", "Love Doesn't Grow On Trees", "I Guess I'll Get The Papers And Go Home", and "My Sugar Is So Refined" to be released by Capitol Records on transcription discs for radio at Radio Recorders studios in Los Angeles, California
1949 - Sammy Davis, Jr. supplies vocals and tap sounds for his tracks "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile", "Dedicated To You", "Azure", and "Inka Dinka Doo" for Capitol Records at Capitol Records' Melrose Studios in Hollywood California with arranger, conductor and tenor saxophonist Dave Cavanaugh, Mickey Mangano on trumpet, Gus Bivona on alto saxophone, Art Hulette on baritone saxophone, Mike Rubin on bass, and Don Lamond on drums
1955 - Frank Sinatra records the tracks "Same Old Saturday Night" "You Forgot All The Words", and "Fairy Tale" with arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle and Mahlon Clark, Justin Gordon, Jerome Kasper, Babe Russin, and Wilbur Schwartz on reeds;, Frank Beach, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clarence "Shorty" Sherock, and Rubin "Zeke" Zarchy on trumpets; Raymond Klein, Jim Priddy, and Si Zentner on trombones; George Roberts on bass trombone; Jack Marshall on guitar; Joe Comfort on bass; Bill Miller on piano; Frank Flynn on vibraphone; Kathryn Julye on harp; Max Albright on drums; Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Harry Bluestone, Henry Hill, Erno Neufeld, Nathan Ross, Mischa Russell, Eudice Shapiro, and Marshall Sosson on violins; Stanley Spiegelman and Dave Sterkin on viola; Armond Kaproff, Ray Kramer, and Edgar Lustgarten on cellos at radio station KHJ's studios (now the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study and the Academy Film Archive) at 1313 North Vine Street, Hollywood, California between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM.
1956 - Capitol Records artist Merle Travis attends a ceremony in his boyhood home town, Ebeneezer, Kentucky, to unveil a granite monument the town built to recognize his accomplishments. In 1991, Travis' ashes were buried under the monument.
1959 - Dean Martin records the track "Things We Did Last Summer" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California with Gus Levene conducting the orchestra
1984 - Fred Waring, band leader, music publisher, co-founder of the National Association of Performing Artists, inventor of the Waring blender, and Capitol Records artist, suffers a massive stroke at age 84 and dies in State College, Pennsylvania
1994 - The Beastie Boys' Capitol Records album "Ill Communication" is certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A.
1994 - Capitol Records releases the CD version of Red Rider's 1980 album "Don't Fight It"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1953 - The Chet Baker Quartet (Chet Baker on trumpet, Larry Bunker on drums, Russ Freeman on piano, and Carson Smith on bass), starts a recording sessions that ends early the next morning waxing two takes of the title "Russ Job", then the title "Imagination", two takes of "Long Ago And Far Away", and then the titles "Carson City Stage", "Easy To Love",  and "Batter Up (Lang's Lou)" with producer Richard Bock in Los Angeles, California for Pacific Jazz Records. Capitol Records currently owns the Pacific Jazz catalog.
1965 - The Beatles' second United Artists film "HELP!" is released
1990 - Dan Seals' EMI America Records single "Good Times" is #1 on the U.S. Country siingles charts. EMI America's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1974 - "Mama" Cass Elliot, motion picture actress, singer as a solo artist and with the group The Mamas And The Papas, dies in bed in Harry Nilsson's apartment in London, England from heart failure at age 32. Four years later, Keith Moon, drummer for The Who, would die in the same bed in the same room.
1983 - Raymond Massey, actor ("Things To Come", "Arsenic And Old Lace", "East Of Eden", etc.), dies at age 86 of pneumonia in Los Angeles, California
1983 - David Niven, actor ("The Bachelor Mother", "Around The World In 80 Days", "The Pink Panther", "Casino Royale", "Murder By Death", etc.), dies at age 73 of ALS at his chalet at Chateau d'Oex in Switzerland
1998 - Jerome Robbins, Broadway choreographer and director ("On The Town", "The Kind And I", "West Side Story", "High Button Shoes", "Wonderful Town", "Bells Are Ringing", "Fiddler on the Roof", the ballet "Fancy Free", etc.) dies of a stroke at age 79 in New York City

JULY 28, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1901 - Rudy Vallee, singer, radio, motion picture, and television actor, leader of the Coast Guard band during the second World War, and a Capitol Records artist, was born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont.
1945 - Rick Wright, with the Capitol Records group Pink Floyd, is born

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1942 - Jack McLean and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted), featuring Don Gilbert, records the titles "I Wanna Go Back To West Virginia" with vocals by Wayne Gregg, "You Can't Take Away My Dreams", "Full Moon And Empty Arms", and "I See It Your Eyes" with vocals by Don Gilbert" in Radio Recorders' studios at 932 North Western Avenue in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue "I Wanna Go Back To West Virginia" and "I See It In Your Eyes" together as a single (Capitol 121) and have yet to issue the other two titles.
1945 - Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Sante Fe", with "Conversations While Dancing" (with Jo Stafford sharing vocals) on the flip side, is #1 on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart
1956 - Capitol Records group Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps appears on "The Perry Como Show"
1958 - Capitol Records releases Nat "King" Cole's album "Cole Español" (W/DW 1031).
1971 - Capitol Records releases George Harrison's Apple Records single "Bangla Desh" with "Deep Blue" on the flipside in the United States
1973 - Capitol Records group The Band, following the Grateful Dead and before the Allman Brothers Band, perform before a crowd of over 600.000 Rock fans at the Watkins Glen Summer Jam held at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway outside Watkins Glen, New York.

2003 - Capitol Records releases The Dandy Warhols' two disc CD single. On the first disc are the tracks "You Were The Last High" with a remix of "We Used To Be Friends" by Brian Coates and Clark Stiles, and Tony Lash's remix of "Every Day Should Be A Holiday". The second disc contains another version of "We Used To Be Friends", along with the tracks "Jim" and a live version of "Good Morning" recorded at the KCRW studios in Santa Monica, California. Capitol also releases a 7" vinyl single of "You Were The Last High" with a version of "We Used To Be Friends", remixed by Kenn Richards, on the flip side.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1936 - Future Capitol Records artist Nat "King" Cole makes his recording debut at age 17 playing piano as part of his older brother's band, Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers (Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on alto and tenor saxophone, Bill Wright on tenor saxophone, Eddie Cole on bass, and Jimmy Adams on drums), recording "Honey Hush" with vocals by Eddie Cole, "Stompin' At The Panama (Skoller's Shuffle)", "Bedtime (Sleepy Moan)" and "Thunder" for Decca Records in Chicago, Illinois using Nat's arrangements. Decca will release "Thunder" and "Honey Hush" together as a single (Decca 7210) and "Bedtime (Sleepy Moan)" and "Stompin' At The Panama (Skoller's Shuffle)" together as a single (Decca 7215).
1938 - George Cummings, composer, lead guitarist and steel guitarist as a solo artist and for the bands Chocolate Papers and future Capitol Records artists Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show (whom he named and co-founded in Union City, New Jersey in 1968 but left in 1975 right before the band signed with Capitol with the shortened name Dr. Hook), is born in Meridian, Mississippi. If anyone knows his middle name, please leave a comment or contact me.
1941 - At age 19, future Capitol Records artist Judy Garland marries her first husband, composer and orchestra leader David Rose, whom she would divorce three years later in 1944
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - The motion picture "The Family Way", with music by Paul McCartney (at the time part of the Capitol Records band The Beatles) and arranged by George Martin, released in the U.K. on December 18, 1966, premieres in New York City, New York
1999 - Simon "Mahlathini" Nkabinde, singer and Earthworks Records recording artist dies. Earthworks was distributed by Virgin Records America in the United States. Virgin is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company. My wife and I went to one of his concerts when he and his band appeared at UCLA's Royce Hall and had the nicest, and most fun, time. Everyone in the audience got along and by the end were all up and dancing to the mighty roar of the Lion of Sowetto.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis appears on national television for the first time when he appears on "The Steve Allen Show" on NBC-TV.

JULY 27, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1933 - Nick Reynolds, singer and guitarist in the Capitol Records group The Kingston Trio, is born Nicholas Wells Reynolds in San Diego, California
1944 - Bobbie Gentry, singer, songwriter and Capitol Records artist, is born Roberta Streeter in Chickasaw County, Mississippi

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1968 - Capitol Records releases Merle Haggard's single "Mama Tried" with "You'll Never Love Me Now" on the flipside
1968 - Capitol Records subsidiary Tower Records releases The Pink Floyd's album "A Saucerful of Secrets"
1969 - Capitol Records releases The Pink Floyd's soundtrack album for Barbet Schroeder's movie "More". This would be the the band's first album without Syd Barrett and the last album where the band was called The Pink Floyd.
1970 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' single "The Great White Horse" with "Your Tender Loving Care", a duet with Susan Raye, on the flip side
2004 - Capitol Records reissues Megadeth's albums, "Countdown to Extinction", "Cryptic Writings", "Peace  Sells ..But Who's Buying?", "Risk; Rust in Peace", "So Far, So Good..So What?!", and "Youthanasia", on CD

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Yeasrs Ago Today In 1942 - In her first recording session, future Capitol Records artist Peggy Lee supplies the vocal for future Capitol Records artist Benny Goodman and His Orchestra's track "Why Don't You Do Right", which would become her first big hit
1976 - John Lennon's application for permanent residency in the United States is approved and he is granted his U.S. green card (A17-597-321).

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
45 Years Ago Today In 1972 - "The Bobby Darin Amusement Company" debuts for a seven week run on NBC-TV

JULY 26, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
95 Years Ago Today In 1922 - Jim Fogleson, singer, producer, 2004 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame and president of Capitol Records Nashville from 1984-1989, is born in Lundale, West Virginia. The CMHF site has a good biographical article about Jim.
1940 or 75 Years Ago Today In  1942 - Dobie Gray, singer, songwriter and Capitol Records artist (mid 1980s), is born either Leonard Victor Ainsworth or Laurence Darrow Brown in either Brookshire or Simonton, Texas. If anyone knows for sure Gray's exact year of birth, name, and/or place of birth, please leave a comment.
1949 - Roger Taylor, with the former Capitol Records group Queen, is born

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, John Anderson, and Ken Hanna on trumpets; Kai Winding, Harry Forbes, and Miff Sines on trombone; Bart Varsalona on bass trombone; Al Anthony and Boots Mussulli on alto saxophone; Vido Musso and Bob Cooper on tenor saxophone; Bob Gioga on baritone saxophone; Kenton on piano; Bob Ahern on guitar; Eddie Safranski on bass; and Shelly Manne on drums) record the instrumental tracks (arranged by Kenton) "Fantasy" (arranged by Kenton, with solos by Kenton on piano, Safranski on bass, Musso on tenor saxophone, and Mussulli on alto saxophone), "Concerto To End All Concertos - Part 2" (with solos by the trombone section led by Winding, the saxophone section led by Anthony, the trumpet trio (Childers, Wetzel, Alvarez), Safranski on bass, and Manne on drums), and "Concerto To End All Concertos - Part 1" (with solos by Kenton on piano, Musso on tenor saxophone, Wetzel on trumpet, and Mussulli on alto saxophone) at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California with producer Lee Gillette
1950 - Armund Hug's Lousianans/New Orleans Jazzmen (George Girard on trumpet, Santo Pecora on trombone, Bujie Centobie on clarinet, Hug on piano, John Senac on bass, and Fred King on drums) record the tracks "Dustin' Off The Ivory", "Sweetheart Of All My Dreams", "That Old Gang Of Mine", "A Dixie Jam Session" (an alternated take unissued until Mosaic records released it as part of its "Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions" box set in 1997), and the released version of "A Dixie Jam Session", with producer Dave Dexter, Jr., for Capitol Records at WDSU studio in New Orleans, Louisiana
1964 - The Beatles' Capitol Records single "A Hard Day's Night" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1965 - Capitol Records simultaneously releases two albums by Buck Owens - "Before You Go/No One But You" and "The Instrumental Hits Of Buck Owens And His Buckaroos"
1969 - Buck Owen's Capitol Records single "Johnny B. Goode" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
1989 - Capitol Records Releases the compilation CDs "Johnny Mercer" and "Frank Sinatra" as part of its Capitol Collectors Series
1998 - Garth Brook's Capitol Records Nashville single "To Make You Feel My Love" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
2005 - Capitol Records Nashville artist Dierks Bentley is invited to join the Grand Ole Opry Hall of Fame while performing in Los Angeles at the House of Blues

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1939 - Future Capitol Records artist and just seventeen year-old singer Kay Starr, at her first-ever recording session, waxed "Love With A Capital YOU" and "Baby Me", with Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (Harold Tennyson on clarinet, alto saxophone and baritone saxophone, Wilbur Schwartz on clarinet and alto saxophone, Hal McIntyre on alto saxophone, Al Klink and Tex Beneke on tenor saxophone, Al Mastren, Glenn Miller, and Paul Tanner on trombone, Clyde Hurley, Dale McMickie, and Legh Knowles on trumpet, Chummy McGregor on piano, Rowland Bundcock on bass, and Maurice Purtill on drums). They recorded the titles with producer Alan Dell at Victor Studios in New York City, New York for the Bluebird label during Starr's two week stint filling in for an ailing Marion Hutton (sister of future Capitol Records artist Betty Hutton).
Here's "Love With A Capital YOU"
Here's "Baby Me"
1943 - Mick Jagger, singer, songwriter, motion picture actor, solo artist, and member of the Virgin Records group The Rolling Stones, is born

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1973 - Ringo Starr starts a new music publishing company, Wobble Music Ltd.

JULY 25, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1955 - Scott Mathews, producer, Tiki artist, drummer, member of the Capitol Records production and recording duo The Durocs, and who also set up Capitol Records' first video department, is born in Sacramento, California. You can check out what Scott Mathews is currently up to at his own website.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, John Anderson, and Ken Hanna on trumpets; Kai Winding, Harry Forbes, and Miff Sines on trombone; Bart Varsalona on bass trombone; Al Anthony and Boots Mussulli on alto saxophone; Vido Musso and Bob Cooper on tenor saxophone; Bob Gioga on baritone saxophone; Kenton on piano; Bob Ahern on guitar; Eddie Safranski on bass; and Shelly Manne on drums) with vocalist June Christy record the Pete Rugulo arranged tracks "It's A Pity To Say Goodnight" (vocal by Christy and solo by Kenton), "Willow Weep For Me" (vocal by Christy and solos by Kenton, Safranski and Winding), and a version of "Fantasy" that was rejected, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California with producer Lee Gillette
1961 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' single "Under The Influence Of Love"
1966 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' album "Carnegie Hall Concert"
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - The Shag (Ray McCall lead singer, fuzz guitarist and composer of the song, Paul "Green" Greenwald on drums, flute, congas, and vocals, Mike Lamers on guitar, congas, autoharp, percussion, and vocals, and Don Luther on bass guitar, percussion, and vocals) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin record the title "Stop And Listen" in Los Angeles, California with producer Alexis de Azevedo. Capitol Records will issue the title as a single (Capitol 5995) with "Melissa" (recorded on July 24, 1967) on the flipside and will be the group's only release on the label.
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Tommy Duncan, singer, songwriter, original member of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, and Capitol Records artist (1949 as bandleader of Tommy Duncan and His Western All Stars), dies at age 56 in San Diego, California of a heart attack after finishing a performance at Imperial Beach
1989 - Capitol Records releases The Beastie Boys' album "Paul's Boutique".
2006 - Capitol Records releases original Destiny's Child member LaToya Luckett's self-titled album.
2006 - Capitol Records was supposed to release a limited edition version of Grand Funk Railroad's compilation album “Grand Funk Railroad: Greatest Hits” as an expanded CD/DVD set to go with the remastered CD that was released earlier this year. I still haven't seen it in stores.
2010 - From 11:00 AM until 5:30 PM, you can go on a tour of The Capitol Records Tower as part of the 50th anniversary of The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Nori Muster has posted the original tour script from when The Tower first opened on April 6, 1956.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1894 - Walter Brennan, television and three-time Oscar-winning motion picture actor, singer, and Liberty Records artist, is born Walter Andrew Brennan in Swampscott, Massachusetts. Liberty's catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1946 - Future Capitol Records duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis did their first show as a team when they performed at The 500 Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1964 - The Beatles' United Artists soundtrack album "A Hard Day's Night" hits #1 on Billboard's album chart and and will stay there for 14 weeks. Capitol Records currently owns the United Artists catalog.
1986 - Vincente Minnelli, Broadway and motion picture director, one time husband of Capitol Records artist Judy Garland and father of Capitol Records artist Liza Minnelli, dies in Los Angeles, California at age 83 of Alzheimer's disease and is later interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1965 - Dylan goes electric

JULY 24, 2017

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Tex Williams (on vocals and guitar with Cactus Soldi and Harry Simms on fiddle, Ossie Godson on piano, Pedro De Paul on accordion, Smokey Rogers on guitar and banjo, Spike Featherstone on harp, Deuce Spriggens on bass, and Muddy Berry on drums) records the unreleased track "I Got Texas In My Soul" and "Big Bass Polka" at Capitol Records' studios in Los Angeles, California. Capitol will on release "Big Bass Polka" on Williams' album "Polka!" (Capitol AD-56).
1950 - Joshua Johnson (on piano and vocals with Baby Lovett on drums) records the tracks "Battlin' The Boogie", "Ramblin' Woman", "Pile Driver" and "Days When You Feel So Lonely" in Kansas City, Kansas. Capitol Records will release the first and third tracks together as a single (Capitol 1180) and the second and fourth tracks together as a single (Capitol 1396).
1956 - Capitol Records artists Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis make their last appearance as a team with a performance at The Copacabana in New York City, New York
1961 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' single "Under The Influence Of Love" with "Bad Bad Dream" on the flip side
1965 - The Beach Boys' Capitol Records single "California Girls", with "Let Him Run Wild" on the flipside, debuts on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' single "Heroes And Villans" with "You're Welcome" on the flipside
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' single "All You Need Is Love" with "Baby You're A Rich Man" on the flipside
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, releases Pink Floyd's single "See Emily Play" with "The Scarecrow" on the flipside
1995 - A three-night celebration of Capitol Records artist Frank Sinatra's 80th birthday begins at Carnegie Hall in New York City, New York
1998 - Tanya Tucker files a $300,000 lawsuit against Capitol Records Nashville, charging that the label has willfully neglected her career

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1939 - Future Capitol Records artist Kay Starr begins a brief stint with Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with a radio broadcast at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, New York. During that week that Starr, with Miller, has her first recording session, waxing the tunes "Baby Me" (which she sang on the radio broadcast) and "Love With A Capital YOU" (from the picture "$1000 A Touchdown") which are released as a single on Bluebird Records (#10383).
1959 - Sam Cooke records the tracks "Just For You" and "Made For Me" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California for his own label, SAR Records. The single released using the two tracks will be the only one that Cooke releases on his own label with his name on it and has become one of the rarest of Cooke's vinyl releases to find.
1978 - The motion picture version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" opens. I saw it when it opened and it wasn't that bad for a family film. It was kind of fun trying to spot the celebrity cameos and hearing the songs performed by other artists. Hey, it was the late '70s, so they could have done a lot worse things to the material (imagine a disco version instead of the mashup of "A Star Is Born", "The Jazz Singer" and "The Music Man").
1988 - Steve Winwood's Virgin Records America single "Roll With It" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. I worked on the design of the single's packaging, promotional materials and ads.
1994 - Les Baxter, Capitol Records artist, gives his last live performance. It was part of the Los Angeles County Art Museum's Bing Theater's "Sunday’s At Four " series with the Los Angeles Composers Guild Chamber Orchestra. Les performed two original compositions, "Movement" and "Poem." "Poem" was actually Les Baxter’s original song "Rio" from Baxter's Capitol Records album "Tamboo!". Jeff Chenault has an interview with David Goodman, who was musical director for the evening, about that show on Chenault's Exoteque Music site.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1938 - Artie Shaw and His Orchestra record "Begin The Beguine"

OBTW
Once again (thankfully), it's my birthday

JULY 23, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1933 - Bert Convy, singer, Broadway and television actor, television game show host, and a Capitol Records artist as part of the group The Cheers (best know for the track "Black Leather Jacket and Motorcycle Boots"), is born Bernard Whalen Convy in St. Louis, Missouri

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1955 - Frank Sinatra (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s single "Learnin' The Blues", with "If I Had Three Wishes" on the flip side, peaks at #2 on Billboard's singles chart. It's kept out of the #1 spot by Bill Haley and The Comets single "Rock Around The Clock"
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist Skeets McDonald, with unlisted others, records the titles "Fingertips", "I'm Hurtin'", "Bless Your Little Ol' Heart (You're Mine)", and "Love Wind" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue "Fingertips" and "Bless Your Little Ol' Heart" together as a single (F3778) and "I'm Hurtin'" and "Love Wind" together as a single (Capitol F3833).
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Harpist Marcel Grandjany records Rameau's "Egyptienne (From 'Pièces de Clavecin')" and Prokofiev's "Prelude In C Major, Op. 12 N° 7 (From Suite For Piano, Op. 12)" and "Divertissement" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue Egyptienne (From 'Pièces de Clavecin')" on Grandjany's album "Pour La Harpe" (P-8401) and "Prelude In C Major, Op. 12 N° 7 (From Suite For Piano, Op. 12)" and "Divertissement" on Grandjany's album "Music For The Harp" (PAO-8420).
55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Vocalist Bobby Darin, with Jimmie Haskell conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "A True, True Love", "If A Man Answers", and "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "A True, True Love" and "If A Man Answers" together as a single (Capitol 4837), "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" as a single (Capitol 5126) with "As Long As I'm Singing" (recorded July 25, 1962) on the flipside, and all the titles on the CD "Capitol Collectors Series - Bobby Darin" (7-91625-2).
1963 - Johnny Burnette has his first session as a Capitol Records artist when he records the tracks "It Isn’t There", "Wish It Were Saturday Night", "I’ll Give You Three Guesses", "All Week Long", and "Congratulations You’ve Hurt Me Again" with producers Jim Economides and Jimmie Haskell at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California
1963 - Judy Garland records a live version of the song "Maybe I'll Come Back" for her CBS television series that is later included on her Capitol Records album "Just For Openers"
1973 - Helen Reddy is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame just outside The Capitol Tower
1986 - Capitol Records re-releases The Beatles' single "Twist And Shout", with "There's A Place" on the flipside, after the song is used in the motion pictture "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" when Matthew Broderick lip syncs to John Lennon's vocals during the parade sequence
30 Years Ago Today In 1987 - Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley proclaims it "Capitol Tower Day", characterizing the building as "one of Los Angeles' most distinguishable landmarks" which has become "almost as recognizable as the Hollywood sign itself". Ella Mae Morse, whose 1942 recording of "Cow Cow Boogie" was Capitol Records' first hit single, is presented with a plaque commemorating the accomplishment during an evening celebration marking the the renovation of the Capitol Records Tower. The 31-year-old building was recently repainted and the beacon on top of the 13-story structure has been wired so it once again will blink out the the word Hollywood in Morse Code. Joe Smith, vice chairman and chief executive of Capitol, will host the reception that will also honor such other past and present Capitol artists as Peggy Lee, Yma Sumac, Martha Davis of the Motels and members of the band Duran Duran.
30 Years Ago Today In 1987 - Megadeth (lineup unlisted) records the title "Mary Jane" for their Capitol Records album "So Far, So Good, So What" (7-48148-2).
1996 - Capitol Records releases "Organs In Orbit", volume 11 of its compilation Ultra Lounge series
1996 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Suzy Bogguss' first single for the label (after its named had been changed from Liberty Records) "Give Me Some Wheels" with "Far And Away" on the flipside

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1898 - Fred Gaisberg, a young recording engineer and talent scout, who previously worked for Emile Berliner, leaves New York for London to join The Gramophone Company (which would later become EMI, Capitol Record's owner) as its first recording engineer
1951 - Pianist Thelonius Monk (with Art Blakey on drums, Milt Jackson on vibraphone, Sahib Shihab on alto saxophone, and Al McKibbon on bass) records the title "Criss Cross" with producer Alfred Lion, recording engineer Doug Hawkins, and master engineer Rudy Van Gelder at WOR Studios in New York City, New York. The track would be released on the Blue Note Records album "Thelonius Monk: Genius Of Modern Music: Volume 2 (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition). Blue Note Records' catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records.
1965 - United Artists premieres The Beatles' second movie "Help!". Capitol Records will release the soundtrack album for the movie in the United States.
1989 - Capitol Records artist Anne Murray helps christen the new Anne Murray Center, which displays memorabilia of her career, in her home town of Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1999 - The 30th anniversary Woodstock concert begins the first of 3 days of concerts at Griffiss Air Base, in Rome, New York

JULY 22, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
100 Years Ago Today In 1917 - Lou McGarity, trombonist, with Capitol Records group Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1946) and session musician, is born in Athens, Georgia
1924 - Margaret Whiting, singer, daughter of composer Richard Whiting, niece of vaudeville and Broadway performer Margaret Young, goddaughter of singer and actress Sophie Tucker, former wife of Capitol Records executive Lou Busch (aka Capitol Records artist Joe "Fingers" Carr), motion picture, television, and Broadway actress, president of The Johnny Mercer Foundation, and a Capitol Records artist, is born in Detroit, Michigan.
1940 - George Clinton, singer, bandleader, and Capitol Records artist (1982-1989), is born in Kannapolis, North Carolina

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1945 - Johnny Mercer's Capitol Records single "On The Atchison, Topeka, And The Santa Fe" is #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist Rufe Davis, with unlisted others and using a script written by Warren Foster, records the title "The Little Engine That Could" in Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood. California. Capitol Records will issue the title on the children's album "Rufe Davis" (CAS-3142) with "The Old Sow Song" (recorded July 17, 1952) on the flipside.
1955 - Yma Sumac, 5 octave singer and Capitol Records artist, becomes a citizen of the United States
1963 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' single "Surfer Girl"
1963 - Capitol Records releases The Kingston Trio's album "Sunny Side"
1971 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono direct and star in the documentary film "Imagine"
1990 - Capitol Records releases a promo only CD of Buck Owens' song "Forever Yours"
2001 - Bob Ferguson, songwriter (best known for Ferlin Husky's Capitol Records track "Wings of A Dove") and record producer, dies in Jackson, Mississippi at age age 73
2003 - Capitol Records releases Jane's Addiction's album "Stray" which had the working title "Hypersonic"
2003 - Capitol Records releases Yellowcard's debut album "Ocean Avenue" as an enhanced CD that includes a video entitled "The Making of "Ocean Avenue" and a previously unreleased video of the song "Powder"
2005 - Capitol Records Nashville artists Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand make their Grand Ole Opry debut

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1960 - Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson (with Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass, Al Harewood on drums and Ray Barretto on congas) records the tracks "The Squirrel", "Si Si Safronia", "Dog Walk", "Exactly Like You", "Avalon", "Midnight Sun" (the only track without Barretto on congas), and "Candy" with producer Alfred Lion and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder. The tracks would not be released for 20 years until they appeared on the Blue Note Records album "Midnight Sun" which was released in 1980.
1963 - VeeJay Records releases The Beatles' first U.S. album - "Introducing The Beatles"
2005 - Eugene Record, singer, founding member of the "Chi-Lites", songwriter ("Have You Seen Her" which MC Hammer covered on his Capitol Records album "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em"), dies of cancer at age 64

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
85 Years Ago Today In 1932 - Florence Ziegfeld, Broadway producer and at the time husband to motion picture actress Billie Burke, dies at age 65 and is later buried at Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, West Chester County, New York

JULY 21, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
95 Years Ago Today In 1922 - Kay Starr, singer and multi-million selling Capitol Records artist, is born Katherine LaVerne Starks in Dougherty, Oklahoma
1931 - Plas Johnson, tenor saxophonist, Capitol Records solo artist and session player (on recordings by Peggy Lee, Nat "King" Cole, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and many others), Imperial Records session player (on recordings by Rick Nelson), and motion picture studio session artist (best known for his solo on the soundtrack of the title song for "The Pink Panther), is born John Johnson, Jr. in Donaldsonville, Louisiana

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1942 - At Capitol Records' 15th (chronologically) session, trumpet player Billy Butterfield and His Orchestra (listed as probably Ed Bailey, Bob Thorne, and Gerald Brooks on trumpets, Nick DiMaio, Si Zentner, and Les Jenkins on trombones, Steve Madrick and Abe Most on clarinets and alto saxophones, Wolfe Tannenbaum on tenor saxophone, Eddie Scherr on soprano, tenor, and baritone saxophone, Butch Stone on clarinet and alto and baritone saxophone, Bill Rowland on piano, Joe Tetrow on guitar, Arnold Fishkin on bass, and Nat Polen on drums), with vocals by Johnny Mercer's god-daughter Margaret Whiting making her debut as a vocalist for Capitol Records, records the titles "Without Love" and "My Ideal" (a song written by Whiting's father, Richard A. Whiting with Leo Robin and Newell Chase) in the C. P. MacGregor studios at 729 South Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California with producer Johnny Mercer. Capitol Records will issue "Without Love" and "My Ideal" together as a single (Capitol 134).
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist and guitarist Gene O'Quin, with Harold Glenn Hensley on fiddle, Les Taylor on piano, Jimmy Bryant and Billy Strange on guitar, Wesley "Speedy" West on steel guitar, and Paul Toenniges on bass, records the titles "I'm Gettin' Rid Of You", "I Don't Want You Kisses (If I Can't Have Your Heart)", "Close You Eyes (And I'll Be There)", and "My Tennessee Talkin' Doll" in Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California between 2:30 PM and 5:30 PM. Capitol Records will issue "I'm Gettin' Rid Of You" as a single (Capitol 2843) with "Tired" (recorded January 27, 1953) on the flipside, "I Don't Want You Kisses (If I Can't Have Your Heart)" as a single (Capitol 2490) with "I'll Stop Loving You" (als recorded on January 27, 1953) on the flipside, "Close You Eyes (And I'll Be There)" as a single (Capitol 2344) with "I'm Gonna Take My Baby Dancin'" (recorded June 11, 1952) on the flipside, and "My Tennessee Talkin' Doll" as a single (Capitol 2210) with "You're Gonna Be Sorry" (recorded January 30, 1952) on the flipside.
1956 - Capitol Records releases Wynn Stewart's first single "Waltz Of The Angels" with "Love's Gonna Happen To Me" on the flipside. "Waltz" was recorded February 8, 1956 with producer Ken Nelson and with session musician Lewis Talley and Joe Maphis on guitar, Ralph Mooney on steel guitar, Pee Wee Adams on drums and Bud Dooley on bass. The track would peak at #14 for one week on the Country Music charts.
1956 - Capitol Records releases Wanda Jackson's first single for the label "I Gotta Know" with "Half As Good A Girl" on the flipside
1969 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' single "Tall Dark Stranger" with "Sing That Kind Of A Song" on the flipside
30 Years Ago Today In 1987 - Megadeth records the title "Set The World Afire" for their Capitol Records album "So Far, So Good, So What" (7-48148-2).
30 Years Ago Today In 1987 - Capitol Records releases on CD the soundtrack to The Beatles' motion picture "HELP!" with its original UK track line up versus the US album version released in 1965 that contained instrumental tracks, which was released on April 11, 2006 as part of the "The Beatles The Capitol Albums Volume 2" CD box set.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1924 - Don Knotts, comedian, motion picture and Emmy Award-winning television actor, and United Records artist (the 1961 album "An Evening With Me"), is born Jesse Donald Knotts in Morgantown, West Virginia.
1971 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono film driving and rowing sequences for the “Jealous Guy” sequence of their “Imagine” film.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1931 - Ted Husing is master of ceremonies for the very first CBS-TV program, a gala show featuring singer Kate Smith, composer George Gershwin and New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker
1956 - Johnny Cash's Sun Records single "I Walk The Line", with "Get Rhythm" on the flip side, becomes his first #1 on the Country Records chart and would peak at #17 on the Pop charts.

JULY 20, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1945 - Kim Carnes, singer, songwriter, and EMI/Capitol Records artist, is born in Pasadena California

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1942 - Capitol Records' 14th session (going in chronological order) is a split session in the C. P. MacGregor studios at 729 South Western Boulevard in Los Angeles, California where first pianist Freddie Slack and His Orchestra (George Wendt, Don Anderson, and Clyde Hurley on trumpet, Bill Anthens and Ed Kusby on trombone, Blake Reynolds on alto saxophone and clarinet, Bumps Meyers on tenor saxophone, Art Smith and Al Taylor on reeds, T-Bone Walker on guitar, Fred Whiting on bass, and Rich Cornell on drums) record the titles "He's My Guy" (with vocals by Ella Mae Morse), "Mr. Five By Five" (with vocals by Ella Mae Morse and Johnny Mercer), "The Thrill Is Gone" (with vocals by Ella Mae Morse), and, using an arrangement by Gaye Jones, "Riffette" and then guitarist and vocalist T-Bone Walker, with just Freddie Slack on piano, Fred Whiting on bass, and Rich Cornell on drums records the titles "I Got A Break Baby" and "Mean Old World". Capitol Records will issue "He's My Guy" as a single (Capitol 113) with "Doll Dance" (recorded May 12, 1942) on the flipside, "Mr. Five By Five" and "The Thrill Is Gone" together as a single (Capitol 115), "Riffette" as a single (Capitol 129) by Johnny Mercer with "They Didn't Believe Me" (recorded April 6, 1942) on the flipside, and "I Got A Break Baby" and "Mean Old World" as a single (Capitol 15033) and on the multi-artist compilation album "History Of Jazz, Volume 3 - Then Came Swing" (CE-18).
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist Nat "King" Cole, with Johnny Green conducting The MGM Studio Orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the title "The Song Of Raintree County" at MGM Studios in Culver City, California. Capitol Records will issue the song as a single (Capitol F3782), with "With You On My Mind" (recorded May 14, 1957) on the flipside, and on Cole's album "Cat Ballou" (T 2340). Also, Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Send For Me" is #14 and its flipside, "My Personal Possession" with The Four Knights, is #30 on Cash Box magazine's Best Selling Singles chart. "Send For Me" is also #2 on The Billboard magazine's R&B Best Sellers In Stores chart, #3 on the magazine's Most Played R&B By Jockeys chart, #7 on the magazine's Top 100 Sides chart, and #14 on the magazine's Most Played By Jockeys chart.
1958 - It's a Sunday night, and at 9:00 PM Capitol Records artist Nat "King" Cole appears on ABC Radio's show "Treasury Of Stars".
1959 - Capitol Records releases Rose Maddox's second single for the label "My Little Baby" with "Custer's Last Stand" on the flipside
1959- Faron Young's Capitol Records single "Country Girl", with "I Hear You Talkin'" on the flip side, enters the U.S. Country singles charts
1964 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' album "Something New" as well as their singles "I'll Cry Instead", with "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" on the flipside, and "And I Love Her" with "If I Fell" on the flipside
1964 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' album "Together Again/My Heart Skips A Beat"
1969 - Capitol Records producer Dave Dexter, Jr. is at Mission Control in Houston, Texas coordinating recordings of communications between Earth and Apollo 11's lunar module Eagle, with pilot Neil Armstrong and co-pilot "Buzz" Aldrin, as it lands on the Moon in Tranquility Bay and as, later that day, Armstrong becomes the first human to step foot on the moon's surface. Dexter's recordings, with narration by Paul Haney, will become the Capitol Records album "We Have Landed On The Moon" as well as a differently edited version that is released as an album by Capitol Records Special Markets.
2005 - Capitol Records Nashville artist Dierks Bentley records the track “Murder on Music Row” with Country Music legend George Jones
2006 - According to Scott Sparling's The Seger File website, Bob Seger's new album "Face The Promise" is being mastered today.
2013 - Gladys Mary Beck (nee Higgins), Capitol Records comptroller from the mid-1940s to the early 1950s, passes away peacefully in Seattle, Washington with her family by her side.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1911 - Madame Tetrazzini lays the corner stone of The Gramophone Company (which will become E.M.I.)'s new cabinet factory at Hayes
1921 - The Gramophone Company (which will become E.M.I.)'s new retail store on Oxford Street is opened by Sir Edward Elgar
1956 - Paul Cook, drummer with the EMI and Virgin Records group The Sex Pistols, is born in London, England
1961 - The Beat Brothers (aka The Beatles) sign a German recording contract with producer/bandleader Bert Kaempfert
1968 - Jane Asher, BBC Television variety show host and sister of Peter Asher of the Capitol Records group Peter & Gordon, announces that Paul McCartney, member of the Apple and Capitol Records group The Beatles, has broken off their engagement.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1940 - Billboard magazine publishes the first US weekly pop singles chart. Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra has the first #1 with 'I'll Never Smile Again' featuring vocals by future Capitol Records artists Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers
1969 - Apollo 11's lunar module Eagle, with pilot Neil Armstrong and co-pilot "Buzz" Aldrin, lands on the moon in Tranquility Bay. Later that day, Armstrong will become the first human to step foot on the moon's surface.

JULY 19, 2017

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1945 - Cootie Williams and His Orchestra (with Williams, E. V. Perry, George Treadwell, Billy Ford, and Clarence "Gene" Redd on trumpet; Ed Burke, Dan Logan, Bob Horton on trombone, Rupert Cole on alto saxophone; Eddie Vinson alto saxophone; Sam Taylor and Lee Pope on tenor saxophone; George Favors on baritone saxophone; Arnold Jarvis on piano; Jimmy Glover on bass; and Sylvester Payneon drums), record the tracks "House Of Joy", "Mood For Coot" (arranged by Bill Doggett), "When My Baby Left Me (vocal by Eddie Vinson)", "When My Baby Left Me (vocal by Eddie Vinson)", and two versions of "Everything But You" for Capitol Records
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Tex Williams' Capitol Americana Records single "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)", with "Roundup Polka" on the flipside, is #1 on the U.S. Country charts
1949 - Harry Belafonte has his first recording session as a Capitol Records artist, recording the tracks "They Didn’t Believe Me" and "Close Your Eyes"
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist Nat "King" Cole, with Billy May conducting his own arrangements to his Orchestra (Mannie Klein, Conrad Gozzo, Uan Rasey, and Harry "Sweets" Edison on trumpet, Si Zentner, Murray McEachern, and Ed Kusby on trombone, George Roberts on bass trombone, Red Callender on tuba, Willie Smith and Willie Schwartz on alto saxophone, Buddy Collette and Jules Jacob on tenor saxophone, Fred Falensby on baritone saxophone, Jimmy Rowles on piano, John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, Lee Young on drums, Lou Singer on percussion, and Helen Bliss Hutchison on harp), records a mono take of "Who's Sorry Now?", a stereo take of "Who's Sorry Now?", "These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)", and "Once In A While" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California between 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM. Capitol Records will issue the mono version of "Who's Sorry Now" and the last two songs on the mono version of Cole's album "Just One Of Those Things" (W 903) and the last three tracks on the stereo version (SW 903).
1961 - Nat "King" Coler re-records the tracks "To The Ends Of The Earth", "Non Dimenticar (Don't Forget)", "Blue Gardenia", "Night Lights", "Calypso Blues", and "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" for his stereo album "The Nat "King" Cole Story" with Ralph Carmichael conducting the original arrangements of Nelson Riddle, Frank DeVol, Billy May, Dave Cavanaugh and Pete Rugolo
1965 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' single "Help!" with "I'm Down" on the flip side
1966 - Wanda Jackson begins three consecutive days of recording sessions with producer Ken Nelson for her Capitol Records album "Wanda Jackson Salutes The Country Music Hall Of Fame" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood California
1975 - Wings' Apple Records single "Listen to What the Man Said", distributed by Capitol Records with "Love In Song" on the flip side in the United States, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, and their album "Venus and Mars" is #1 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart
1988 - Capitol Records releases Rigor Mortis' self-titled debut album
25 Years Ago Today In 1992 - Garth Brooks' Liberty Records (later renamed Capitol Records Nashville) single "The River", with "We Bury The Hatchet" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1963 - The Joe Pass Quartet (Joe Pass on guitar, Clare Fischer on piano and organ, Albert Stinson on bass, and Colin Bailey on drums) record the tracks "Catch Me", "Summertime", and "Falling In Love With Love" for their Pacific Jazz Records album "No Cover No Minimum" at the Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Richard Bock who was also the recording engineer along with Dino Lappas. Pacific Jazz Records catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1966 - Johnny Rivers records the title "Poor Side Of Town" which Imperial Records will release as a single with "A Man Can Cry" on the flipside. Imperial Records catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1999 - Dr. Dre (Andre Young) files suit against Priority Records and Death Row Records, alleging that the recent Priority-distributed Death Row album "The Chronic 2000" infringes on a trademark held by Dre. "The Chronic" was the title of Dre's 1992 album. Priority Records is now a division of Capitol Music Group.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1883 - Max Fleischer, animator and film producer, is born in Kraków, then part of the Austrian-Hungarian province of Galicia
1954 - Sun Records releases Elvis Presley's debut single "That's All Right (Mama)" with "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" on the flipside
1966 - Former Capitol Records artist Frank Sinatra marries his third wife, motion picture actress Mia Farrow
15 Years Ago Today In 2002 - Alan Lomax, who traveled all over America with his father John Lomax, discovering and recording folk music artists in their home towns, including Capitol Records artist Leadbelly, dies at age 87

JULY 18, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1899 - D Kilpatrick, considered the first salaried producer based in Music City and who produced Hank Thompson, Tex Ritter and Jimmie Skinner, a music executive from the 1940s to the 1960s in Nashville, is born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He got into the record business as a salesperson for Capitol Records in his hometown. By the late 1940s, he was producing acts for the label, including James and Martha Carson. By 1951, he moved over to Mercury Records in an A&R slot. He focused on recording Johnny Horton, Jimmy Dean, Benny Martin, Jerry Byrd and Bill Carlisle and the Carlisles. In 1956, Kilpatrick became manager of the Grand Old Opry, bringing in acts such as Porter Wagoner, the Everly Brothers and Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper. In 1958, he helped found the Country Music Association. He left the Opry in 1959 to form Acuff-Rose Artists Corp., a booking agency for Opry acts and pop stars such as Roy Orbison. He later returned to sales and promotion for Warner, Philips and Mercury Records. He eventually left the music business to run a drapery and fabrics business.
1910 - Lou Busch, Capitol Records A&R man, pianist, arranger, composer, one-time husband of Capitol Records artist Margaret Whiting, father of their daughter Deborah, and a Capitol Records artist (as Joe "Fingers" Carr), is born Louis Ferdinand Bush in Louisville, Kentucky
100 Years Ago Today In 1917 - Joe Comfort, bass player with The King Cole Trio (1948-1951) and Capitol Records session artist (as part of Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra, Dick Stabile and His Orchestra, Big Dave and His Orchestra, Billy May and His Orchestra, The Four Freshmen, Van Alexander, Ray Anthony and His Orchestra), is born in Alcorn, Mississippi
1949 - Wally Bryson, guitarist with the Capitol Records group The Raspberries, is born Wallace Bryson in Gastonia, North Carolina

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Vocalist Clark Dennis, with Billy May and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "The Shiny One", "Linger Awhile", and "Tell Me (Tell Me Why)" at Radio Recorders' studio at 932 North Western Avenue in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue "The Shiny One" and "Linger Awhile" together as a single (Capitol 458). Note: Capitol's artist files give it as "With Paul Weston And His Orchestra" but the label for the single read "With Billy May And His Orchestra".
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - At two sessions held this day in New York City, New York, The King Cole Trio (Nat "King" Cole on piano, John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass) with Bunny Shawker on drums, are remaking titles they originally recorded on April 3, 1952 with "Penthouse Serenade", "Rose Room" with Jack Costanzo on bongos, "Down By The Old Mill Stream" also with Costanzo on bongos, and "Laura" recorded at the first session and "Polka Dots And Moonbeams", "Somebody Loves Me" and "(Melody In F) Once In A Blue Moon" both with Costanzo on bongos, and "If I Should Lose You" at the second session. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on the group's album "Penthouse Serenade" (EBF-332, H-332, and T-332).
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist Rufe Davis, with unlisted others, records the title "Swingin' On A Star" at Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue the title on the children's album "Rufe Davis" (CAS 3141) with "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" (recorded July 17, 1952) on the flipside.
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist Ferlin Husky, with an orchestra and chorus (lineups unlisted), records the titles "I Feel Better All Over" and "Pick-A-Nickin'" in Los Angeles, California Capitol Records will issue both titles together on Husky's EP "Ferlin Husky Hits" (Capitol EAP-1-837).
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist and guitarist Joel Grey, with the Jack Marshall Orchestra and chorus (lineups unlisted), records the titles "I Lost Her To Him", "A Moonlight Swim", "Everytime I Asked My Heart", and "Steppin' Out" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "I Lost Her To Him" as a single (Capitol F3821) with "My Goose Is Cooked" (recorded September 9, 1957) on the flipside and "A Moonlight Swim" and "Everytime I Asked My Heart" together as a single (Capitol F3777), and have yet to issue "Steppin' Out".
1971 - Sonny James' Capitol Records single "Bright Lights Big City", with "True Love Lasts Forever" on the flipside, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
1995 - Capitol Records releases Megadeth's EP "Hidden Treasures"
2000 - Capitol Records re-releases The Beach Boys' Brother Records albums "Sunflower", "Surf's Up" together on a single CD and "In Concert" on its own CD. I helped track down art elements for this release, going to record stores and swap meets in the Los Angeles area, looking for the best copies of the albums to see how they were originally packaged, in case we couldn't find existing elements with the printers or in archives. Much of the art in these re-releases was obtained from the albums' Japanese CD releases, as we couldn't find any existing U.S. film. The re-issues were co-ordinated by Paul Atkinson, former Zombies guitarist and then VP of Catalog A&R at Capitol.
2006 - Capitol Records finally releases The 30th Anniversary Special Edition CD/DVD set of "Fly Like An Eagle" from The Steve Miller Band, which was pushed from its original June 28, 2006 release date
2006 - Capitol Records Nashville releases Eric Church's debut album "Sinners Like Me"

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1909 - Harriet Nelson (aka Harriet Hilliard), singer, motion picture, radio and television actress, and mother radio and television actor David Nelson and Imperial and Capitol Records artist Rick Nelson, is born Peggy Lou Snyder in Des Moines, Iowa
1939 - Dion Dimucci, singer, guitarist, and Laurie Records artist as as a solo act and as lead singer of Dion and The Belmonts, is born. Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns the Laurie Records catalog.
1943 - Robin MacDonald, rhythm guitarist with the Parlophone Records group Billy J. Kramer And The Dakotas, is born
1950 - Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records is born in Naim, England
1961 - Singer Dinah Washington, with Mundell Lowe on guitar and George Duvivier on bass, records the tracks "My Favorite Things", "Great Day", and "In A Sentimental Mood" at RKO Pathe Studios in New York City with producer Teddy Reig for her Roulette Jazz album "After Hours". Roulette's catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1963 - The Joe Pass Quartet (Joe Pass on guitar, Clare Fischer on piano and organ, Albert Stinson on bass, and Colin Bailey on drums) records the tracks "Just Friends", "Walking Up", and "Peri's Scope" for their Pacific Jazz Records album "No Cover, No Minimum" at the Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Richard Bock who was also the recording engineer along with Dino Lappas. Pacific Jazz Records catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1988 - Richard Marx's EMI Manhattan Records single "Hold On To The Nights", with "Lonely Hearts" on the flipside, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. EMI Manhattan's catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
2006 - Virgin Records releases Summer Obsession's first single "Do You Remember" from their upcoming album “This Is Where You Belong” which is set to be out on August 29, 2006

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1929 - Screamin' Jay Hawkins ("He's a wild man, so bug off"), singer and actor, is born Jalacy J. Hawkins in Cleveland, Ohio
1966 - Bobby Fuller, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and founder The Bobby Fuller Four, is found dead in his mother's car in Los Angeles
1968 - Former Capitol Records artist Bobby Darin announces the formation of his own label, Direction Records

JULY 17, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
105 Years Ago Today In 1912 - Art Linkletter, talk show host and Capitol Records artist (1958-1969), is born Gordon Arthur Kelly in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
1935 - Diahann Carroll, singer, motion picture, Broadway, and television actress and Capitol Records artist (on the original Broadway cast album "No Strings"), is born Carol Diahann Johnson in The Bronx, New York

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Guitarist and bandleader Alvino Rey and His Orchestra (Dick Cathcart, Russ Granger, and Frank Nelson on trumpet, Billy Young on trumpet and vocals, Tasso Harris, Roger Thorndyke, Moe Schneider, and Ed Kiefer on trombone, Buff Estes and John Gruey on alto saxophones, Herbie Steward and Zoot Sims on tenor saxophone, Lee Yardum on baritone saxophone, Rocky Coluccio on piano and vocals, Chick Parnell on bass, and Don Lamond on drums) record the titles "Oh Peter (You're So Nice)" with vocals by The Blue Reys (Jimmy Joyce, Tom Kenny, Ralph Hall, and Blossom Dearie) and "Near You" with vocals by Jimmy Joyce in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol 452).

70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - The Ernie Felice Quartet (Ernie Felice on accordion, Dick Anderson on clarinet, Dick Fisher on guitar, and Rolly Bundock on accoustic double bass) records the titles "Stumbling", "Hickory, Dickory Dock", and "O Sole Mio" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "Stumbling" and "O Sole Mio" together as a single (Capitol 453) and has yet to issue "Hickory, Dickory Dock". 

Dick Anderson, clarinet; Claude Williamson, piano, music director; Ernie Felice, accordion; Dick Fisher, guitar; Rolly Bundock, acoustic double bass.

70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - During two sessions for The Capitol Records Transcription Service held this day in Los Angeles, California with pianist Buddy Cole firs four unlisted titles are recorded with vocals by Clark Dennis then four additional unlisted titles are recorded with just Cole. No issuing information is listed.

65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist and guitarist Billy Strange, with instrumental accompaniment (lineup unlisted but includes steel guitar, piano, drums, and fiddle), records the titles "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss", "Crazy Quilt Rag" and "Just Bummin' Around" in Los Angles, California. Capitol Records will issue "Kiss Kiss Kiss" and "Crazy Quilt Rag" together as a single (Capitol 2228) and "Just Bummin' Around" as a single (Capitol 2357) with "New Carroll County Blues" (recorded February 28, 1952) on the flipside.

65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist Rufe Davis, with unlisted others, records the titles "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" and "The Old Sow Song" in Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" as a children's album "Rufe Davis" (CAS-3141) with "Swingin' On A Star" (recorded July 18, 1952) on the flipside and "The Old Sow Song" as a children's album also titled "Rufe Davis" (CAS-3142) with ",  both titles together as a children's album "Rufe Davis" (CAS-3142) with "The Little Engine That Could" (recorded July 22, 1952) on the flipside.

65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Billy May conducts his own arrangements to His Orchestra (lineup unlisted) as they record the titles "Sad Sax Soliloquy", "Cute Piece Of Property", "You Turned The Tables On Me", and "Private Eye" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records has yet to issue any of the takes of the titles recorded on this day but May and His Orchestra re-recorded "Cute Piece Of Property" in Hollywood on October 22, 1952 which was released as a single (Capitol 2297) with "Driftwood" (recorded at the same session) on the flipside.

65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Pianist Lou Busch, with unlisted others, recorded the titles "Boys From Syracuse", "Music In The Air", "Babes In Arms", and "Porgy And Bess" for The Capitol Records Transcription Service at "The Chateau" on De Longpre Avenue in Hollywood, California. No issuing information is listed.

60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalists Frank Sinatra and The Ralph Brewster Singers (Ralph Brewster, Loulie Jean Norman, Norma Zimmer, Barbara Ford, Thora Mathiason, Betty Noyes, Sue Allen, Gloria Wood, Betty Allan, Betty Wand, Dorothy McCarty, Ginny Rees, Beverly Jenkins, Peggy Clark, Robert Stevens, Bill Thompson, Bob Wacker, Max Smith, John Mann, Lee Gotch, Bill Lee, Gene Lanham, Thurl Ravenscroft, Jimmy Joyce, and Ray Linn Jr.), with Gordon Jenkins conducting His Orchestra (Bill Miller on piano, Allan Reuss on guitar, Jack Ryan and Nathaniel

Gangursky on bass, Ralph Hansell on drums, Kathryn Thompson Vail on harp and a string section with Victor Arno, Harry Bluestone, Walter Edelstein, David Frisina, Sol Kindler, Joseph Livoti, Nicholas Pisani, Joseph Quadri, Lou Raderman, and Mischa Russell on violins, William Baffa, Louis Kievman, Paul Robyn, and David Sterkin on viola, and Cy Bernard and Armand Kaproff on cello) record the titles "Mistletoe And Holly", "The Christmas Song", "Silent Night, Holy Night", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Sinatra's album "A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra" (W/DW 894). Sinatra would later mix this recording of "The Christmas Song" with vocals by recorded at a different session by Nat "King" Cole to create a faux duet that appeared on the CDs "Duets II" and "Frank Sinatra 80th - All The Best" (8-28103-2 and 8-35952-2 respectively)

60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - The Al Belleto Sextet (Willie Thomas on trumpet and fluglehorn, Jimmy Guinn on trombone and vocals, Al Belletto on alto and baritone saxophones, Fred Crane on baritone saxophone and piano, Kenny O'Brien on bass, and Tommy Montgomery on trumpet and drums), records the titles "All For The Blues", "Sixty-Four", and "Whisper Not" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue all the titles Belleto's album "Whisper Not" (T 901).

1959 - Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan), singer and Decca, Capitol (on the 1942 single "Trav'lin' Light"), and Verve Records artist, dies at age 44 from liver and heart disease at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, New York and is later interred in St. Raymond's Cemetery, Bronx, New York.

55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Bandleader and trumpet player Ray Anthony and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted) record the titles "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" arranged by Jimmie Haskell, It Do Me No Good" also arranged by Jimmie Haskell, "I Almost Lost My Mind", "Long Lonely Nights", and "Trouble In Mind" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Anthony's album "I Almost Lost My Mind - The Soul Of Big City Rhythm & Blues" (T/ST 1783).

55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Dean Elliott and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted) record the titles "You Do Something To Me", "Trees", "Baubles, Bangles And Beads", and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on group's album "Zounds! What Sounds!" (T/ST 1818).

50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Vocalist Lou Rawls, with H. B. Barnum conducting the orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "Merry Christmas Baby", "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town", "Little Drummer Boy", and "Christmas Is" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Rawls' album "Merry Christmas Ho! Ho! Ho!" (T/ST 2790).

50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, with Ralph Carmichael directing the orchestra and chorus (lineups unlisted), records the titles "Silent Night", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", "Angels We Have Heard On High", and "We Three Kings" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Fitzgerald's album "Christmas"(T/ST 2805).

50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' single "All You Need Is Love" with "Baby You're A Rich Man" on the flipside (Capitol 5964).

45 Years Ago Today In 1972 - Capitol Records registered the masters for the original film soundtrack "The Hero" with music composed and conducted by Johnny Harris and featuring vocals by The Bloomfields and Heads, Hands & Feet and will release the thirteen titles on the soundtrack album "The Hero" (SW-11098).

45 Years Ago Today In 1972 - Billy May and The Time-Life Orchestra (lineup unlisted) record the titles "Love Letters", "'Mission Impossible' Theme", "Stella By Starlight", and "The High And The Mighty" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Time-Life Records, as part of its "As You Remember Them" Series of 3 LP sets, will issue "Love Letters" and "'Mission Impossible' Theme" in the set "Volume 2 - Billy May" (STL 242), "Stella By Starlight" in the set "Volume 4 - Billy May" (STL 244), and "The High And The Mighty" in the set "Volume 3 - Billy May" (STL 243).

1974 - Don Rich (born born Donald Eugene Ulrich), fiddle player, guitarist, singer with the Capitol Records group The Buckaroos (which backed up Rich's good friend Buck Owens and recorded on their own), dies at age 33 when he loses control of his motorcycle and strikes a guard rail on Highway 99, north of Bakersfield, California, after a recording session at the Buck Owens Studios in Oildale, California. He is later interred at Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery on Kern Canyon Road (Highway 184) in the foothills of northeast Bakersfield, California
1985 - Wynn Stewart (born Winford Lindsey Stewart), singer, songwriter, guitarist and Capitol Records country artist (1956-1958, 1964-1971), dies of a heart attack at age 51 at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee the day he was going to leave to start a four-day tour in Louisiana and Texas to promote his upcoming, self-released album. There will later be graveside services at Rose Hill Cemetary, north of Willard, Tennessee
2009 - Gordon Waller, lead singer in the Capitol Records vocal duo Peter And Gordon, died of cardiovascular disease at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut at age 64.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1941 - Spencer Davis, harmonica player, guitarist, and founder of the United Artists Records group, is born in South Wales, United Kingdom
1950 - "The Colgate Comedy Hour" makes its television debut with hosts comedy team and Capitol Records artists Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Arthur Blanch, Australian country singer and future EMI and Capitol Records artist (1968), has his first recording session, recording six tracks including two of his own compositions, one of which, "Shearing Time", was his earliest hit, for Rodeo Records
1956 - MGM releases the motion picture "High Society" whose soundtrack, featuring Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby (who gets the gold record in his career for the single "True Love"), Grace Kelly, and Celeste Holmes, is released by Capitol Records
1963 - Tenor saxophonist Harold Land, with Carmell Jones on trumpet, John Houston on piano, Jimmy Bond on bass and Mel Lee on drums, records the tracks "Take This Hammer", "Hava Na Gila", "Foggy, Foggy Dew", "On Top Of Old Smokey", and "Blue Tail Fly" for his album "JAZZ IMPRESSIONS OF FOLK MUSIC" for Imperial Records, whose catalog was acquired by Capitol Records.
1966 - Frank Sinatra marries his third wife, actress Mia Farrow in a private ceremony in Las Vegas
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - John Coltrane, saxophonist, composer, and Blue Note Records artist, dies at age 40 from liver cancer at Huntington Hospital in Long Island, NY
1968 - United Artists premieres The Beatles' animated feature motion picture "The Yellow Submarine" in London, England
1988 - Richard Marx's EMI Manhattan Records single "Hold On To The Night", with "Lonely Heart" on the flipside, is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1955 - Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California

JULY 16, 2017

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1942 - At Capitol Records' first session in New York City, New York, drummer Ray McKinley and His Orchestra (Larry Brooks, Dick Cathcart, Jack Steele, and Pete Candoli on trumpet, Bill Corti, and Jim Harwood on trombone, Brad Gowans on valve trombone, Joe Park on tuba, Mahlon Clark on clarinet and alto saxophone, Herb Tompkins on alto saxophone, Jerry Feld and Paul Thatcher on tenor saxophone, Walt Wegner on baritone saxophone, Lou Stein on piano, Dennis Sandoli on guitar, and Gus Van Camp on bass), record the titles "Big Boy" (with Imogene Lynn on vocals), "Hard Hearted Hannah" (with Ray McKinley on vocals), "Cheatin' On Me" (with Lynn on vocals), and "Long Island Clarinet" and may have also recorded at the same session "Manhattan Serenade" (with Lynn on vocals), "Rock-A-Bye Baby" (with Lynn on vocals), "That Russian Winter" (with McKinley on vocals), and "Without A Song", but some discographies give the last four titles as being recorded on July 18, 1942. Capitol Records will issue "Big Boy" and "Hard Hearted Hannah" together as a single (Capitol 131), "Manhattan Serenade" and "Without A Song" together as a single (Capitol 117), and "Rock-A-Bye Baby" and "Without A Song" together as a single (Capitol 128). The take of "Long Island Clarinet" was rejected and destroyed. Mosaic Records will issue all the remaining titles as part of its Mosaic Select series in the box set "Freddie Slack" (MS-018). Here's "Big Boy" as performed for a video "Soundie".
1946 - Peggy Lee (on vocals with Buddy Cole's Four Of A Kind: Dave Barbour on guitar, Phil Stephens on bass, Cole on piano, celeste and organ, and Tommy Romersa on drums) records the tracks "Lullaby Of Broadway", "Solitude", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Lover, Come Back To Me", "I Don't Know Enough About You" , "Oh! Look At Me Now", "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", and "Someday Sweetheart" with recording engineer John Palladino for Capitol Records Transcription Service at Radio Recorders, 7000 Santa Monica, Hollywood, California. The tracks will be issued on the 1998 Mosaic Records box set "The Complete Peggy Lee & June Christy Capitol Transcription Sessions"
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Frank Sinatra with The Ralph Brewster Singers (Sue Allen, Betty Allen, Ralph Brewster, Peggy Clark, Barbara Ford, Lee Gotch, Beverly Jenkins, Jimmy Joyce, Gene Lanham, Bill Lee, Ray Linn, Jr., John Mann, Thora Mathiason, Dorothy McCarty, Loulie Jean Norman, Betty Noves, The Ralph Brewster Singers: Thurl Ravenscroft, Ginny Roos, Max Smith, Bob Stevens, Bill Thompson, Bob Wacker, Betty Wand, Gloria Wood, and Norma Zimmer), records the tracks "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Jingle Bells", "The Christmas Waltz", and "The First Noel", which are arranged by Gordon Jenkins who also conducts the orchestra (Victor Arno, Harry Bluestone, Walter Edelstein, Sol Kindler, Joseph Livoti, Nick Pisani, Joseph Quadri, Lou Raderman, Mischa Russell, and Marshall Sosson on violins; William Baffa, Louis Kievman, Paul Robyn, and David Sterkin on violas; Cy Bernard and Armand Kaproff on cellos; Bill Miller on piano; Nathan Gangursky and John Ryan on bass; Allen Reuss on guitar; and Kathryn Thompson on harp), in Studio A of The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California for Sinatra's Capitol Records album "A Jolly Christmas" with producer Voyle Gilmore
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - The Four Freshmen (Bob Flanigan on vocal, trombone, bass; Don Barbour on vocal and guitar; Ross Barbour on vocal and drums; Ken Albers on vocals, trumpet, mellophone, and bass) with arranger Pete Rugalo conducting the studio orchestra (Pete Candoli, Conrad Gozzo, Ray Linn, Buddy Childers, and Don Fagerquist on trumpet; Milt Bernhart, Frank Rosolino, Herbie Harper, and Tommy Pederson on trombone; George Roberts on bass trombone; Clarence Karalla on tuba; Bud Shank, Harry Klee, Herbie Mann, Bob Cooper, and Chuck Gentry on saxophones and flutes; Laurindo Almeida on guitar; Jimmy Rowles on piano; Red Mitchell on bass; Shelly Manne on drums; Bernie Mattinson on vibraphone and percussion; Milt Holland on percussion; Chico Guerrero on bongos and percussion; and Carlos Vidal on congas and percusssion) record the tracks "The Breeze And I", "Brazil", and "Tangerine" (all three of which Capitol Records will release on the group's album "Voices In Latin"), as well as "Julie Is Her Name" (without the percussionists and with arranger Dick Reynolds replacing Rugolo as conductor, which Capitol Records will release as a single [F3779] with "Sometimes I'm Happy" recorded May 24, 1957 on the flip side) at the Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California. I wonder if they or Sinatra listened in to each others sessions as they were held the same day.
1958 - The Four Freshmen (Bob Flanigan on vocal, trombone, bass; Don Barbour on vocal and guitar; Ross Barbour on vocal and drums; Ken Albers on vocals, trumpet, mellophone, and bass) with arranger Dick Reynolds conducting the studio orchestra (Al Viola on guitar; Geoff Clarkson on piano; Red Mitchell on bass; Shelly Manne on drums and an uncredited string section) record the tracks "Time Was", "I Heard You Cried Last Night", and "I'll Remember April" at The Capitol Tower Studios in Hollywood, California. All the tracks will appear on the group's Capitol Records album "Voices In Love".
55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - The Beach Boys sign a long-term contract with Capitol Records
1963 - The Beatles record, for radio broadcast on the BBC, the tracks "I Got A Woman", "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)", "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", "To Know Her Is To Love Her", "Long Tall Sally", "The Honeymoon Song", "Glad All Over", "I Just Don't Understand", a medley of "Kansas City" and "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!", "Slow Down", that were released by Capitol Records in 1996 on the 4 CD set "The Beatles Live At The BBC", and and "Devil In Her Heart" that was one of three B sides (whose A-Side was "Baby It's You" that was recorded on June 1, 1963) on a CD-Single released to promote the 4 CD album.
1963 - Judy Garland and her daughter Lisa Minnelli, at the time both Capitol Records recording artist, make live recordings of a medley of the songs "Together We Could Make Such Beautiful Music", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)" and "Bye Bye Baby" as well as the songs "Together (Wherever We Go)", "Let Me Entertain You", "Two Lost Souls" and the show's closing theme song "Maybe I'll Come Back" in Studio 43 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California for episode #3 of "The Judy Garland Show". This would be the first time they worked together professionally for a rehearsed scheduled performance. Judy, on her own, would also record the tracks "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)", "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and "As Long As He Needs Me" for the show. The live recording of "As Long As He Needs Me" would appear on the Capitol Records album "Just For Openers".
1969 - Merle Haggard records the track ""Okie From Muskogee" which Capitol Records will release with "If I Had Left It Up To You" on the flip side on September 15, 1969
1980 - Linda McCartney starts recording the track "Loves Full Glory" (finishing it October 1980) with lead guitar played by her son James McCartney and pedal steel guitar played by Lloyd Green. The track will be released by Capitol Records and MPL Communications in 1998 on McCartney's posthumous compilation album "Wide Praire".
20 Years Ago Today In 1997 - Capitol Records releases the video for Foo Fighter's single "Everlong" directed by Michel Gondry
2008 - Jo Stafford, Capitol Records artist, both as a member of The Pied Pipers and as a solo artist, and wife of Capitol Records artist and the label's first music director, dies of congestive heart failure at her home in Century City, California at age 90.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Bob Brookmeyer (on valve trombone and piano) records (with Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone; Jim Hall on guitar; Ralph Pena on bass; and Dave Bailey on drums) the track "Honeysuckle Rose", with producer Richard Bock and recording engineer Al Schmitt, at Costal Studios in New York City for his Pacific Jazz album "Traditionalism Revisited". Pacific Jazz's catalog is currently owned by Capitol Records' parent company, Universal Music Group.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1951 - Cary Grant leaves his hand and footprints in cement at ceremony #94 at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California

JULY 15, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1946 - Linda Ronstadt, vocalist with the Capitol Records group The Stone Poneys and also a Capitol, Asylum, and Elektra Records solo artist, is born Linda Marie Ronstadt in Tucson, Arizona.

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
75 Years Ago Today In 1942 - "New Capitol Records Splendid" writes Mike Levin in Down Beat Magazine's first review of Capitol and the label's first set of released singles
1944 - Andy Russell (with orchestra conducted by Al Sack)'s Capitol Records single "Amor" is #7 up from #10 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Jo Stafford (with Paul Weston and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Long Ago And Far Away" is still at #9
1946 - Peggy Lee records the title "A Nightingale Can Sing The Blues" with arranger Frank DeVol conducting his orchestra and an uncredited string section and producer Lee Gillette in Los Angeles, California. Capitol will release the title as a single (#15001) with "There’ll Be Some Changes Made" (recorded on August 17, 1947) on the flipside
1950 - Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Mona Lisa" is still #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Les Paul's Capitol Records single "Nola" is #14 up from #20, and Kay Starr (with Lou Busch and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Bonaparte's Retreat" is still #16
1953 - The new lineup of The Four Freshmen (now Bob Flanigan on vocals, trombone, and bass; Don Barbour on vocal and guitar; Ross Barbour on vocal and drums: and Ken Errair on vocal, trumpet, mellophone, and bass), at their first session, record the tracks "It Happened Once Before" and "Holiday" at Fulton Studios in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will release on the tracks on the band's album "Voices In Modern".
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Send For Me" is #14 up from #24 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart and Tommy Sands Capitol Records single "Goin' Steady" is tied for #40 down from #36 with Perry Como (with Mitchell Ayers and His Orchestra)'s single "Girl With The Golden Braids"
1968 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' single "Do It Again" with "Wake The World" on the flipside. The single will peak at #20 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.
1968 - Capitol Records releases Tennessee Ernie Ford's compilation album "The Best Of Tennessee Ernie Ford's Hymns"
1971 - Harvest Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, releases "Relics", Pink Floyd's first compilation album
45 Years Ago Today In 1972 - Buck Owens and The Buckaroos' Capitol Records single "Made In Japan" with "Black Texas Dirt" on the flip side, hits #1 on Billboard's Country Singles chart. It will be Owen's last #1 single.
1979 - Anne Murray's Capitol Records single "Shadows In The Moonlight" with "Yucatan Cafe" on the flipside, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
1984 - Anne Murray's Capitol Records single "Just Another Woman In Love", with "Heart Stealer" on the flipside, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
20 Years Ago Today In 1997 - Capitol Records releases The Dandy Warhols' album "...The Dandy Warhols Come Down"
15 Years Ago Today In 2002 - Kenny Hollis, vocalist for Capitol Records Canada group (1975-1976) Copperpenny, dies of a heart attack after being hit by a car
2005 - Donald Plunkett, former Capitol Records recording engineer along with being a Charter Member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), as well as its executive director for 20 years and past president, passes away suddenly in New York at age 81

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1905 - Dorothy Fields, lyricist (with Cy Coleman wrote the Broadway shows "Sweet Charity" and "Seesaw", with Jerome Kern wrote ""The Way You Look Tonight" which won the 1936 Academy Award for Best Song, and with Jimmy McHugh wrote "I Can’t Give You Anything But Love", "I’m in the Mood for Love", and "On the Sunny Side of the Street") and the daughter of Vaudeville and Broadway comedian Lew Fields, is born in Allenhurst, New Jersey. Many Capitol Records artists have covered Fields' songs.
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Teenager's Romance" is tied for #21 down from #12 with Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "Valley Of Tears" down from #17. Imperial Records' catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1970 - Blue Note Records releases Bobby Hutcherson's album "San Francicso featuring Harold Land". Blue Note Records' catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1983 - Linda Ronstadt on her 37th birthday, makes her film debut in the motion picture version of "The Pirates of Penzance", recreating her role as Mabel which she played in the 1980 New York Shakespeare Festival stage production of the operetta.
20 Years Ago Today In 1997 - Capitol Records releases on CD for the first time Charles Mingus' Roulette Records album "Mingus Three". Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns the Roulette Records catalog.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS
1994 - Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves his footprints in cement at ceremony #159 at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California