APRIL 21, 2018

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
1924 - Ira Louvin, singer, songwriter, guitarist, 2001 Country Music Hall Of Fame inductee, a part of the Capitol Records duo The Louvin Brothers with his brother Charlie and a solo Capitol Records artist, is born Ira Lonnie Loudermilk in Rainsville, near Section, Alabama. Ira was inducted with his brother into the Alabama Hall of Fame in 1991 with a Lifework Award for Performing Achievement. They have a great biography of the brothers on their website.
50 Years Ago Today In 1968 - Michael Franti, poet, songwriter, musician, singer, member of the Island Records group The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and the Capitol Records group Spearhead, is born in Oakland, California

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1947 - Vocalist Peggy Lee, with guitarist Dave Barbour and His Orchestra and a male chorus (lineups unlisted), records the titles "Ain'tcha Ever Comin' Back" and "Chi-Baba-Chi Baba (My Bambino Go To Sleep)" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol 419).
1949 - Mel Blanc starts recording tracks for the Capitol Record Reader "Bugs Bunny In Storyland" and will finish the next day. The sessions are produced by Alan Livingston, with music by Billy May. The story is by Tedd Pierce and Warren Foster with illustrations for the attached booklet by Robert McKimson and Richard Thomas. Also on the record, but uncredited, were Arthur Q. Bryan (Elmer Fudd) and June Foray. Jack Tatay maintains a great site about all the Capitol children's records with Warner Brothers cartoon characters, with lots of images and sound clips.
1951 - Capitol Records releases Les Paul and Mary Ford's single "Mockin' Bird Hill", with Les Paul's "Chicken Reel" on the flipside.
65 Years Ago Today In 1953 - Vocalist Mel Blanc, with Lou Busch and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "Somebody Stole My Gal" and "I Love Me" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol 2470 on shellac and F2740 on 7" vinyl).

65 Years Ago Today In 1953 - During two sessions held this day at The Riverside Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York, Joseph Levin conducts The Ballet Theatre Orchestra (lineup unlisted) as they record William Schuman's "Undertow, Part 1" at the first session and "Undertow, Part 2" at the second session. Capitol Records will issue both parts on the orchestra's album "William SCHUMAN - Undertow/COPLAND - Billy The Kid" (P-8238).

60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back" is #17 on WMGM's Top 40 Survey in New York City, New York.
50 Years Ago Today In 1968 - Merle Haggard's Capitol Records single "The Legend Of Bonnie And Clyde" with "I Started Loving You Again" on the flip side, is #1 on the U.S. Country Singles Chart
1975 - Merle Haggard's Capitol Records single "Always Wanting You", with "I've Got A Yearning" on the flipside, is #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
35 Years Ago Today In 1983 - The Motels (featuring Martha Davis on vocals with unlisted others) record the title "Where Do We Go From Here" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the title on the group's album "Little Robbers" (ST-12288 on 12" vinyl and 7-46020-2 on CD).
2000 - Neal Matthews, singer with the Capitol Records group The Jordanaires, dies in Nashville, Tennessee at age 70

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
110 Years Ago Today In 1908 - Alfred Lion, record producer and founder of Blue Note Records, is born in Berlin, Germany. Blue Note Records is currently a division of Capitol Music Group and its catalog is currently owned by Capitol's parent company, EMI Music Group
1931 - The Gramophone Company Ltd and The Columbia Gramophone Company Ltd merge and register a holding company - "Electric and Musical Industries Ltd". Alfred Clark (The Gramophone Company) becomes Chairman, and Louis Sterling (The Columbia Company) becomes Managing Director. In 1955 E.M.I., under the helm of then managing director Joseph Lockwood (later chairman Sir Joseph Lockwood), bought controlling interest in Capitol Records for $3 million dollars, and Glenn Wallichs joined the board of E.M.I.. Lockwood was criticized for paying so much but, within 4 years, Capitol would be worth an estimated $85 million. The E.M.I. Archive Trust's website has a good history section.
1955 - Capitol Records artist Bob Hope's NBC radio program airs its last segment
55 Years Ago Today In 1963 - Future Capitol Records artists The Beatles and future Virgin Records artists The Rolling Stones meet for the first time at a Rolling Stones performance at The Crawdaddy Club, in Richmond, England
35 Years Ago Today In 1983 - EMI America registers Kate Bush's title "James And The Cold Gun", which was recorded live in England sometime in 1980, and will issue the title on Bush's self-titled mini-LP "Kate Bush" (MLP-19004).
25 Years Ago today In 1993 - The Junko Onishio Trio (Junko Onishi on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums), records the titles "Eulogia", "The Shepard", "Summertime", "Congeniality", "Melancholia" without Higgins on drums, "Caravan", "Roz", "Switchin' In", and "Blue Seven" at  the Power Station Studio in New York City, New York at an extended session that will go into April 22, 1993. Blue Note Records will issue all the titles on the trio's album "Crusin'" (9-28447-2 on CD).

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1985 - Irving Mills, music publisher, dies in Palm Springs, California at age 91