MAY 30, 2018

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
115 Years Ago Today In 1903 - Alex J. Kramer, a vocal coach and composer (best known for co-writing Margaret Whiting's  Capitol Records hit "Far Away Places", with lyrics by his wife, Joan Whitney, and Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford, and The Pied Pipers' Capitol Records hit "Candy" with lyrics by Joan Whitney and Mack David) was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
110 Years Ago Today In 1908 - Mel Blanc, cartoon voice artist, radio and television performer, and Capitol Records artist, is born Melvin Jerome Blank in San Francisco, California
1909 - Benny Goodman, a clarinetist, singer, composer, bandleader, and Capitol Records artist from January 1947 to 1964 is born Benjamin David Goodman in the Maxwell Street ghetto of Chicago, Illinois
1911 (some listings give 1914) - Bobby Sherwood, trumpet, trombone, guitar and piano player, bandleader, Capitol Records artist as Bobby Sherwood and His Orchestra, is born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sherwood's Capitol Records single "The Elks' Parade", with "I Don't Know Why" on the flipside, was Capitol's seventh single, part of the label's first release schedule, and one of the top three hits the label had in its first year after "Strip Polka" and "Cow Cow Boogie". If anyone knows for sure which year Sherwood was born, please leave a comment.
1945 - Meredith MacRae, motion picture and television actress, daughter of future Capitol Records artists Gordon and Sheila MacRae, and a Capitol (1968) and Imperial Records artist, is born in Houston, Texas.

1969 - Spragga Benz, dancehall DJ, and Capitol Records artist (1995), is born Carlton Grant in Kingston, Jamaica

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1941 - Stan Kenton and his Orchestra make their debut at the Rendezvous Ballroom on Balboa Island, California
65 Years Ago Today In 1953 - Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "April In Portugal" is #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart, Nat "King" Cole (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Pretend" is #9, Les Baxter and His Orchestra's Capitol Records single "Ruby" (theme from the movie "Ruby Gentry" is #12, and Jane Froman (with orchestra conducted by Sid Feller)'s Capitol Records single "I Believe" is #13. Also, Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Pretend" is #7 on Cash Box magazine's Best Selling Singles and The Billboard magazine's Most Played In Juke Boxes charts, #11 on The Billboard magazine's Most Played By Jockeys chart. Cole's Capitol Records single "My Flaming Heart" debuts at #15, its flipside, "I Am In Love" debuts at #36, and Cole's single "Can't I" is #41 also on Cash Box magazine's Best Selling Singles chart.
65 Years Ago Today In 1953 - Vocalist Dorothy Shay, with Russ Black directing the orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the titles "Sagebrush Sadie", "Don't You Think You Should've Mentioned It Before?", "If It Wasn't For Your Father", "Why Shore", and "Howlinest, Hootinest Gal" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Shay's album "The Park Avenue Hillbillie" (EBF-444 in a 7" EP set and H-444 on 10" vinyl) and "Why Shore" also as a single (Capitol 2597 on 10" shellac and F2597 on 7" vinyl) with "Sugarplum Kisses And Vinegar Tears" (recorded May 28, 1953) on the flipside.
60 Years Ago Today In 1958 - Vocalist Peggy Lee, with Jack Marshall's Music (Jack Marshall directing Uan Rasey, Pete Candoli, 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, Barney Kessel on guitar, Joe Mondragon on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums), records the titles "Alone Together", "It's A Wonderful World", and "I'm Beginning To See The Light" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Miss Lee's album "Things Are Swingin'" (T/ST 1049).
1962 - Capitol Records artist Benny Goodman turns 53 and leads the first American Jazz band to play in the Soviet Union on the first of six dates
1966 - The Beatles' Capitol Records single "Paperback Writer", with "Rain" on the flipside, is released in the U.S.
1967 - Claude Rains, Broadway, motion picture, and radio actor and Capitol Records artist ("Bible Stories" series of children's records), dies at age 77 in Laconia, New Hampshire and is later interred in the Red Hill Cemetery, Moultonborough, New Hampshire
40 Years Ago Today In 1978 - King Of Hearts (lineup unlisted) records the titles "Ridin' On", "Love For Hire", and "Fancy Dancer" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on the group's album "Close But No Guitar" (SW-11848).

35 Years Ago Today In 1983 - Industry (lineup unlisted) records the title "Communication" at an unlisted studio. Capitol Records will issue the title on the group's album "Stranger To Stranger" (ST-12316) and will also issue the title as a single (Capitol 5268) with "State Of The Nation" (recorded May 27, 1983) on the flipside.

1989 - Dave Coleman, a drummer in Capitol Records group Freddie Slack and His Orchestra, dies in Seattle, Washington at age 65

1995 - Capitol Records, as part of its "Spotlight On Great Ladies Of Song" series releases separate compilations of greatest hits featuring Nancy Wilson and June Christy

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1919 - Joe Gaines, lead vocalist with the Imperial Records group The Hawks, is born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1922 - Future Capitol Records artist "Smilin’" Ed McConnell debuts on radio, smiling and playing his banjo
60 Years Ago In 1958 - Marie Fredriksson, a singer, songwriter, and member of the EMI America Records duo Roxette, is born in Östra-Ljungby, Sweden
1969 - The Beatles' Apple Records single "The Ballad of John and Yoko", with "Old Brown Shoe" on the flipside, is released in the U.K.
45 Years Ago Today In 1973 - Vocalist Marlena Shaw, with Derek Smith on clavichord, electric piano, and piano, Cornell Dupree, Carl Lynch, Hugh McCracken, and Gene Bertoncini on guitars, Wilbur Bascomb on electric bass, Ron Carter on bass, Grady Tate, Herbie Lovelle, and Charles Collins on drums, Gene Bianco on harp (possibly harmonica), George Jenkins and George Devens on percusssion, and Arthur Jenkins on congas, records the titles "Easy Evil", "The Laughter And The Tears", "The Feeling's Good", "I Just Don't Want To Be Loneley", "Waterfall", and "Time For Me To Go" at A & R Studios in New York City, New York. Blue Note Records will issue all the titles on Miss Shaw's album "From The Depths Of My Soul" (BN-LA143-F).
1986 - Hank Mobley, tenor saxophonist and Blue Note Records artist, dies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at age 55
15 Years Ago Today In 2003 - Mickie Most (born Michael Peter Hayes) founder of RAK Records (whose catalog was bought by EMI in 1983), record producer, with a string of Number 1 hit singles with his own label and for acts such as The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Donovan and Hot Chocolate, father of Calvin Hayes (member of the Virgin Records group Johnny Hates Jazz), dies of mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, in his home in London, England at age 64

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1899 - Irving Grant Thalberg, a motion picture producer and the head of production for both Universal and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, is born in Brooklyn, New York
1954 - Bing Crosby's last original show for CBS Radio is broadcast with Bing's sons Gary and Lindsay as guests
1961 - My wife, Kristine Heimback-Nielsen, is born Kristine Ann Heimback in Glendale, Arizona. Without her love, support and friendship, I wouldn't be possible.
1989 - The 33 foot high "Goddess of Democracy" statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square, China by student demonstrators