JULY 3, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
1934 - Donfeld, graphic designer (starting in 1953 at age 19 after graduating from Chouinard Art Institute) for Capitol Records and Emmy nominated television and Academy Award nominated motion picture costume designer, is born Donald Lee Feld in Los Angeles, California
1943 - Judith Duram, lead singer with the Capitol Records recording group The Seekers, is born Judith Mavis Cock in Melbourne, Australia

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - The King Cole Trio (Nat "King" Cole on piano and vocals, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Johnny Miller on bass) record the titles "I Think You Get What I Mean", "(Everyone Has Someone) But All I've Got Is Me", "Now He Tells Me", and "I Can't Be Bothered" at Radio Recorders' studios at 932 North Western Avenue in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue "I Think You Get What I Mean" as a single (Capitol 444) with "I Miss You So" (recorded June 13, 1947) on the flipside, "(Everyone Has Someone) But All I've Got Is Me" and "I Can't Be Bothered" on the compilation album "King Cole 10th Anniversary" (W 514). Mosaic Records will issue all the titles in the box set "The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Nat King Cole Trio" (MR27-138 on vinyl and MD18-138 on CD).
70 Years Ago Today In 1947 - Peggy Lee, with Dave Barbour All Stars (with Barbour on guitar, Ray Linn on trumpet, and unlisted saxophone, piano, celeste, bass, and drum players), records the titles "Why Should I Cry Over You", "It Takes A Long, Long Train With A Red Caboose", and "Just An Old Love Of Mine" in Los Angeles, California with producer Lee Gillette. Capitol Records will issue "Why Should I Cry Over You" Lee's 2000 compilation CD "Rare Gems And Hidden Treasures" (5-27564-2) and "It Takes A Long, Long Train With A Red Caboose" and "Just An Old Love Of Mine" together as single (Capitol 445).
1948 - The King Cole Trio's Capitol Records single "Nature Boy" is still #3 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, The Pied Pipers' Capitol Records single "My Happiness" is #7 up from #8, Pee Wee Hunt's Capitol Records single "Twelfth Street Rag" is #11 up from #14, and The Sportsmen's a cappella Capitol Records single "You Can't Be True Dear" is #15 down from #11
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - Vocalist Kay Starr, with Harold Mooney conducting the orchestra (lineup unlisted) records the titles "Tonight You Belong To Me", "What Can I Say Dear, After I Say I'm Sorry", "Waitin' At The End Of The Road", and a new take of "Three Letters" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the first three titles on Starr's album "The Kay Starr Style" (CDN-363) and "Three Letters" as a single (Capitol 2213) with "Comes A-long A-love" (recorded August 19, 1952) on the flipside.
65 Years Ago Today In 1952 - At two sessions held this day in New York City, New York, Jackie Gleason conducts a large orchestra with a string section (lineup unlisted) records songs "Desire", "Flirtation", "Temptation" and "Enchantment" from C. Dudley King's "Lover's Rhapsody" at the first session and then, with the addition of Bobby Hackett on trumpet, the titles "Dark Is The Night (C'est Fini)", "Tenderly", "I'm Thru With Love", and "When Your Lover Has Gone" at the second session. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Gleason's album "Jackie Gleason Presents Songs From "Lover's Rhapsody"" (H-366).
1954 - Kay Starr (with orchestra conducted by Harold Mooney)'s Capitol Records single "If You Love Me (Really Love Me) is #5 up from #6 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Frank Sinatra (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Three Coins In A Fountain" is still #7, Kay Starr (with orchestra conducted by Harold Mooney)'s Capitol Records single "The Man Upstairs" is #14 down from #9, and Frank Sinatra (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Young At Heart" is #17 down from #11
60 Years Ago Today In 1957 - Vocalist Martha Lou Harp, with Neal Hefti and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "By The Bend Of The River" and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" in New York City, New York. Prep Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, will issue both titles together a single (Prep F113).
1961 - Faron Young's Capitol Records single "Hello Walls" is #27 down from #21 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1966 - The Beatles' Capitol Records single "Paperback Writer", with "Rain" on the flipside, returns to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart
50 Years Ago Today In 1967 - It's a Monday and Capitol Records releases Bobbie Gentry's single "Ode To Billie Joe" with "Mississippi Delta" on the flipside.
1970 - Buck Owens and Susan Raye record the track "The Great White Horse" with producer Ken Nelson that will be the title track of their Capitol Records album that is released on September 8, 1970
45 Years Ago Today In 1972 - Mississippi Fred McDowell, blues guitarist, singer, and a Capitol Records recording artist (a one-off 1969 album, "I Do Not Play No Rock'n' Roll"), dies of cancer at age 68 in Memphis, Tennessee. CradLemoon.net has a good overview of his life and many links to discographies.
1976 - A memorial service for Johnny Mercer, Broadway, radio, and motion picture singer, actor and songwriter, and co-founder of Capitol Records, is held in his hometown, Savannah, Georgia.
1985 - John Aquilino, lead singer for the Capitol Records band (1984-1985) Icon, leaves the group and Capitol drops the band
1986 - Rudy Vallee, singer, saxophonist, bandleader and radio, television and movie actor, and Capitol Records recording artist (1954), dies at age 84 in North Hollywood, California and will be interred in St. Hyacinth's Cemetery, Westbrook, Maine where his headstone was later stolen
2000 - At 11pm EDT Turner Classic Movies shows "The Wizard Of Oz" with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" on the Second Audio Program (SAP) channel to see if the two really do sync' up.
2001 - Roy Nichols, guitarist and 22-year member of Merle Haggard and The Strangers, dies in a hospital in Bakersfield, CA of a heart attack at age 68
2001 - Capitol Records and Chrysalis Records release the Jethro Tull compilation album "The Very Best Of  Jethro Tull" which features 20 tracks that have been digitally remastered at 24-bit at Abbey Road Studios in London, England
2001 - Capitol Records releases a digitally remastered and enhanced version of Duran Duran's 1982 album "Rio" in a standard jewel case and in a 7,500 unit limited edition mini-sleeve
2008 - Larry Harmon, entrepreneur, television show producer and licensor, and owner of the rights to Bozo The Clown and Laurel and Hardy, dies of heart disease at age 83 at his home in Los Angeles, California.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1919 - Fred Maddox, singer, guitarist, member of the band The Maddox Brothers and Rose, and brother of Capitol Records artist Rose Maddox, is born Fred Roscoe Maddox
1935 - Webley Edwards' radio show spotlighting authentic island performances, "Hawaii Calls", begins broadcasting from Waikiki's Moana Hotel, and will run for 37 years. Webley would compile and produce a series of albums of Hawaiian music for Capitol Records
1961 - Ricky Nelson's Imperial Records single "Travelin' Man" is #7 down from #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 single chart, its flip side "Hello Mary Lou" is #15 up from #16, and Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "It Keeps Rainin'" is #24 up from #28. Imperial Records' catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
55 Years Ago Today In 1962 - Dinah Washington, with arranger Don Costa conducting an unknown studio orchestra, records the tracks "Someone Else Is Taking My Place" and "He's Gone Again" (which will both appear on the Roulette Records album "Dinah Washington"), as well as "I Didn't Know About You" (released on the Roulette Records album "Three Of Us", which also featured tracks by Sarah Vaughan and Joe Williams), "There I Go" (finally released on Mosaic Records' 2004 box set "The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Recordings"), "You're A Sweetheart", and "I'll Close My Eyes" (both also released on the Roulette Records album "Three Of Us") with producer Henry Glover and recording engineer Eddie Smith at Bell Sound in New York City, New York. Roulette Records' catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
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 "Tom Dooley", "Scarlet Ribbons" and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" for his Imperial Records album "Jazz Impressions Of Folk Music" with engineer Bones Howe at Radio Recorders, in Los Angeles, California. Imperial Records' catalog is currently owned by EMI Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.
1968 - John Maddox, guitarist with the group The Maddox Brothers & Rose and brother of Capitol Records artist Rose Maddox, dies at age 52
1969 - Capitol Records artist Gordon MacRae performs "America The Beautiful" live on "The Ed Sullivan Show"
1976 - Brian Wilson performs onstage as a member of The Beach Boys, for the first time in twelve years, at concert given before 74,000 fans at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1878 - George M. Cohan, vaudeville and Broadway performer, singer, dancer, songwriter, playwright, director and producer, and a motion picture actor, is born George Michael Cohan in Providence, Rhode Island. The motion picture "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is loosely based on events from Cohan's life.
1965 - Trigger, motion picture actor and Capitol Records artist Roy Rogers' horse, dies at age 33 and is latter stuffed and put on display at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans museum in Victorville, California
1971 - Jim Morrison, poet, songwriter and lead singer of the band The Doors, is found dead (really) at age 27 by his girlfriend, Pamela Susan Courson, at 5:00 AM in a bathtub in Paris, France from a heart attack and was buried at at Pere-Lachaise cemetery, also in Paris
1989 - Jim Backus, writer as well as a motion picture, television, radio and cartoon voice actor, dies at age 76 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California from complications of pneumonia after suffering from Parkinson's disease for many years and is later buried in Westwood Memorial Park, Westwood, California