MAY 19, 2018

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL HISTORY
1945 - The King Cole Trio (Nat "King" Cole on piano and vocals, Oscar Moore (on guitar and Johnny Miller on bass) record the tracks "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You", "Don't Blame Me", "I"m In The Mood For Love", "What Can I Say Dear After I Say I'm Sorry" and "I'm Thru With Love" at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California
1951 - Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "How High The Moon" is #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole (with Les Baxter conducting the orchestra using a Nelson Riddle arrangement)'s Capitol Records single "Too Young" is #3, and Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "Mockin' Bird Hill" is #5
1952 - Mickey Katz and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted) record the titles "Kiss Of Meyer (Kiss of Fire)", "Schvitzburgh, Pennsylvania", and "A Schmo Is A Schmo (A Guy Is A Guy)" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "Kiss Of Meyer (Kiss of Fire)" and "Schvitzburgh, Pennsylvania" together as a single (Capitol 2124) and "A Schmo Is A Schmo (A Guy Is A Guy)" as a single (Capitol 2169) with "The Downtown Strutter's Ball" (recorded January 9,1952) on the flipside.
65 Years Ago Today In 1953 - Vocalist Jean Shepard, with Bill Woods on piano, Charles Lee "Fuzzy" Owen, Leonard "Tommy Collins" Sipes, and Lewis Talley on guitars, and Herman "Herman The Hermit" Snyder on bass, records the titles "I'd Rather Die Young", "A Dear John Letter" with Ferlin Husky on recitation and also guitar, "My Wedding Ring", and "With All These Memories" at Capitol Records' studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California with producer Ken Nelson. Capitol Records will issue "I'd Rather Die Young" and "A Dear John Letter" together as a single (Capitol 2502 on 10" shellac and F2502 on 7" vinyl) which would go on to spend six weeks at #1 on the country charts and "My Wedding Ring" as a single (Capitol 2586) with "Forgive Me John" (recorded August 18, 1953) on the flipside. Bear Family Records will issue all the titles in Germany in Shepard's five-CD box set "The Melody Ranch Girl" (BCD 15905).
1956 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Poor People Of Paris" is #3 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Lisbon Antiqua is #10.
60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Laurie London's Capitol Records single "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" is #5 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Dean Martin (with Gus Levine and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Return To Me" is #6, Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back" is #8, and The Four Prep's Capitol Records single "Big Man" is #14. "Looking Back" is also #18 on WMGM's Top 40 Survey in New York City, New York.
60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Pianist and bandleader Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (Jules Chaikin, Billy Catalano, Lee Katzman, and Phil Gilbert on trumpets, Archie Le Coque, Kent Larsen, Don Reed, and Jim Amlotte on trombones, Ken Shroyer on bass trombone, Lennie Niehaus on alto saxophone, Bill Perkins and Richie Kamuca on tenor saxophone, Bill Robinson and Steve Perlow on baritone saxophone, Red Kelly on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums) record the titles "Early Autumn", "More Than You Know", and "The Night We Called It A Day" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Kenton and his orchestra's album "The Ballad Style Of Stan Kenton" (EAP-1/2-1068 on 7" vinyl EPs and T/ST 1068 on 12" LP).
60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Vocalist Peggy Lee, with Jack Marshall's Music (Marshall conducting Conrad Gozzo, Don Fagerquist, and Mannie Klein on trumpets, Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone, Milt Bernhart on trombone, Justin Gordon and George Smith on reeds, Joe Harnell on piano, Howard Roberts on guitar, Joe Mondragon on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums), records the titles "Things Are Swingin'", "Lullaby In Rhythm", "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me", and, with just Lee on vocals, Joe Mondragon on string bass, Shelly Manne with fingers on snare drums with the snares turned off, and finger snapping that may have been provided by guitarist Howard Roberts, the title "Fever" using an arrangement initially credited to Jack Marshall but probably by Lee who also wrote additional lyrics and possibly with Jack Bennett who brought Little Willie John's version to Lee's attention, in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California with producer "Big Dave" Cavanaugh. Capitol Records will issue "Things Are Swingin'", "Lullaby In Rhythm", and "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me" on Lee's album "Things Are Swingin'" (T/ST 1049) and "Fever" on Lee's 7" EP "Fever" (EAP-1-1052) and also as a single (Capitol F3998) with "You Didn't Know" (recorded May 25, 1958) on the flipside and, during its 14 week-long run on Billboard's Hot 100 charts, would peak at #8 on August 25, 1958. Gino Falzarano wrote a great article for "Fever"'s 30th anniversary that appeared in the July/August edition of Discoveries magazine, and was reproduced on peggylee.com. For more information about this and many other tracks, go to Iván Santiago and Steve Albin's amazing discography site created as a test for Brian, a discography database application.
60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Vocalist Judy Garland, with Nelson Riddle conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (lineup unlisted) records the titles "Day In, Day Out", "This Is It", and "Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart" which she first sang in the 1938 film "Listen, Darling" and first recorded in 1939 for Decca Records in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California with producer Voyle Gilmore. The songs would be among the first Judy would record, outside of a film soundstage, in stereo and will be part of her first stereo Capitol album "Judy In Love", released on November 3, 1958 (EAP-1/2-1036 on 7" EPs and T/ST 1036 on 12" LP).
60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Pianist Leonard Pennario records the second part of Frederic Chopin's "Sonata N° 3 In B Flat, 2nd Movement" (he recorded the first part on May 17, 1958) in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the entire piece on Pennario's album "CHOPIN - Sonata In B Flat/LISZT - Sonata In B Minor" (P-8457).
I wonder if Stan, Judy, Peggy, and/or Leonard ran into each other or heard each other's sessions on that day?

60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Vocalist Ferlin Husky, with unlisted others, records the titles "I Saw God" and "I Feel That Old Heartache Again" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records will issue both titles together as a single (Capitol F4000) and also on Husky's album "Gone" (T/DT 1383).

55 Years Ago Today In 1963 - Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer" is #24 on KRLA's Tune-Dex in Los Angeles, California.

55 Years Ago Today In 1963 - During three sessions held this day in New York City, New York, Stanley Lebowski directs the orchestra (lineup unlisted), using music by Lee Pockriss and lyrics by Anne Croswell as they record the titles "Say You'll Stay" with vocals by Louise Kirtland and George S. Irving, "That Face" with vocals by Louise Kirtland, the instrumental "Overture, "It Used To Be Me" with vocals by Michael Kermoyan, Gene Varrone, Louise Troy, and Paul Michael, "Nitchevo" with vocals by Jean-Pierre Aumont, Michael Kermoyan, Gene Varrone, Rita Metzger, and The Ensemble (lineup unlisted), and "Uh-Oh!" with vocals by Margery Gray and Byron Mitchell at the first session, the titles "Stuck With Each Other" with vocals by Margery Gray and Byron Mitchell, "A Small Cartel" with vocals by Louise Kirtland, George S. Irving, and The Ensemble, "Make A Friend" with vocals by Vivien Leigh, Margery Gray, Louise Troy, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Byron Mitchell, Michael Kermoyan, Gene Varrone, and The Ensemble, "Wilkes-Barre, Pa." with vocals by Vivien Leigh and Byron Mitchell, "No! No! No!" with vocals by Margery Gray and Jean-Pierre Aumont, and "I Know The Feeling" with vocals by Vivien Leigh at the second session, and the titles "I Go To Bed" with vocals by Jean-Pierre Aumont, "The Only One" with vocals by Vivien Leigh, and "You Love Me" and "All For You" with vocals by Vivien Leigh and Jean-Pierre Aumont at the third session. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on the original Broadway cast album "Tovarich" (TAO/STAO 1940).

1969 - Coleman Hawkins, Capitol artist (1945), tenor saxophonist and leader of the first bebop recording session, dies of pneumonia in New York City at age 64 and is interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

45 Years Ago Today In 1973 - Glenn Martin, with unlisted others, records the titles "Dad's Old Fiddle", "If She Keeps Loving Me", "You Ain't Missed A Thing", and "Billy Ray Wrote A Song" in Nashville, Tennessee. Capitol Records will issue "Dad's Old Fiddle" and "Billy Ray Wrote A Song" together as a single (Capitol 3655) and "If She Keeps Loving Me" and "You Ain't Missed A Thing" together as a single (Capitol 3719).

40 Years Ago Today In 1978 - Darlene Edwards, aka Jo Stafford, gives her last public performance at a 25th-anniversary celebration of SHARE, an organization devoted to working with mentally handicapped children, sharing the spotlight with Jo's old bandmate, Frank Sinatra.
1987 - The Beatles' album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is released worldwide on CD
30 Years Ago Today In 1988 - Mother's Finest (lineup unlisted) records the title "Your Wish Is My Command" in an unlisted studio. Capitol Records will issue the title on the group's album "Looks Could Kill" (C1-48988 on 12" LP and 7-48988-2 on CD).
20 Years Ago Today In 1998 - Dorothy Donegan, pianist, leader of The Dorothy Donegan Trio, and a Capitol Records artist, dies at age 77 in Los Angeles, California
1999 - Capitol releases the original soundtrack to the motion picture "Hope Floats"
2004 - Keith Urban's Capitol Records Nashville single "You'll Think of Me" is #1 on the U.S. Country singles charts
2006 - Freddie Garrity, milkman, brush salesman, songwriter, singer and founder of Tower Records (a subsidiary of Capitol Records)' first released group Freddie and The Dreamers, dies at Bangor in North Wales, at the age of 69, after being taken ill while on holiday.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1932 - Alma Cogan, a singer and an HMV and EMI Records artist, is born Alma Angela Cohen in St. John's Wood, England
1956 - Fats Domino's Imperial Records single "I'm In Love Again" is #1 on the U.S. R&B singles charts and tied for #21 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart with Pat Boone's single "Long Tall Sally". Waller's other Imperial Records single "My Blue Heaven" is tied for #40 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart with Elvis Presley's RCA single "I Was The One"
60 Years Ago 1958 - David Seville's Liberty Records single "Witch Doctor" is #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Believe What You Say" is #25, and its flip side "My Bucket"s Got A Hole In It" is #29
1962 - Jay and The American's United Artists Records single "She Cried" is #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, Walter Brennan's Liberty Records single "Old Rivers" is #7, Joey Dee and The Starlighter's Roulette Records single "Shout (Part 1)" is #12, Dick and DeeDee's Liberty Records single "Tell Me" is #22, and Rick Nelson's Imperial Records single "Young World" is #31
50 Years Ago Today In 1968 - Bobby Goldsboro's United Artists Records single "Honey", with "Danny" on the flipside, hits #1 on the U.S. Country singles chart
35 Years Ago Today In 1983 - EMI-America purchases the masters for Combo Audio's titles "Romanticide", "Military English", "Hi Fidelity Situations", and "Shadow Occupations" and will issue all the titles on the group's self-titled album "Combo Audio" (DLP-19005).

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
145 Years Ago Today In 1873 - Sime Silverman, founder of the trade magazine Variety, is born in Cortland, New York
60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Atco Records releases future Capitol Records artist Bobby Darin's single "Splish Splash", the first eight-track recording ever released on a 45 RPM 7" single.