Friday, July 24, 2020

JULY 24, 2020

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).
70 Years Ago Today In 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

60 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Exactly on the day of my birth, vocalist Peggy Lee, with Joe Harnell's Music (Harnell conducting his own arrangements to unlisted musicians and male background singers) and producer Dave Cavanaugh, records the titles "Just Squeeze Me (Don't Tease Me)", "Non-Dimenticar", "Olé", and "By Myself" in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Lee's album "Olé A La Lee!" (T/ST 1475).
1961 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' single "Under The Influence Of Love" with "Bad Bad Dream" on the flipside
55 Years Ago Today In 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
1967 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' single "Heroes And Villains" with "You're Welcome" on the flipside
1967 - Capitol Records releases The Beatles' single "All You Need Is Love" with "Baby You're A Rich Man" on the flipside
1967 - Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, releases Pink Floyd's single "See Emily Play" with "The Scarecrow" on the flipside
25 Yeas Ago Today In 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 the 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. It's number 60. Therapy begins soon. :)

Sunday, July 05, 2020

JULY 5, 2020

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
85 Years Ago Today In 1935 - Richard Levitt, countertenor soloist with the Capitol Records group The Roger Wagner Chorale (1964) is born in Los Angeles, California
1943 - Robbie Robertson, a guitarist, singer, songwriter, member of the Capitol Records group The Band, and a solo artist, is born Jaime Robert Robertson in Toronto, Canada

ON THIS DAY IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1946 - Cootie Williams and His Orchestra (Williams and Bob Merrill on trumpet and vocals; E. V. Perry, Otis Gamble, and Billy Ford on trumpet' Clarence "Gene" Redd on trumpet and vibraphone' Ed Burke, Edward Johnson, and Julius "Hawkshaw" Watson on trombone; Rupert Cole and Daniel Williams on alto saxophone; Chuck Clarke and Edwin Johnson on tenor saxophone; Bob Ashton on baritone saxophone; Arnold Jarvis on piano; Pee Wee Tinney on guitar; Norman Keenan on bass; and Butch Ballard on drums) record the tracks "Wrong Neighborhood", "Piney Brown's Gone", "I May Be Easy But I'm No Fool" (all with vocals by just Bob Merrill), the instrumental "Vibraphobia", and "Let's Do The Whole Thing Or Nothing At All" (with vocals by just Cootie Williams) at WMCA Studios in New York City. Capitol Records will release "Wrong Neighborhood" as a single (#289) with "Let's Do The Whole Thing Or Nothing At All" on the flip side, and "I May Be Easy But I'm No Fool" as a single (#314) with "Ain't Got No Blues Today" (recorded September 11, 1946) on the flip side. The remaining tracks will finally be released in 1997 on Mosaic Records box set "Classic Capitol Jazz Session".
1947 - Red Ingle and The Natural Seven (with vocals by Cinderella G. Stump aka Jo Stafford)'s Capitol Records single "Tim-Tay-Shun" (aka "Temptation) enters the top 5 of Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart at #5
1949 - Capitol Records artist Yogi Yorgesson (aka Harry Stewart) sings "Object Of My Affection" on "Command Performance" with Shirley Ross, Errol Garner, Arthur Stevens and Mark Stevens
70 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Mel Blanc overdubbed his vocals, using a script adaptation by Alan Livingston, on to instrumental tracks recorded June 29, 1950 by arranger Billy May, who conducted the orchestra, for the titles "I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat" and "Yosemite Sam" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the final mixes of both titles together as a single (Capitol 1360) which will go on to be Blanc's biggest seller for the label.
70 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Vocalist Margaret Whiting, with pianist Joe "Fingers" Carr and His Orchestra (lineup unlisted), records the title "Funny Bunny Hug" and, with additional vocals by Gillette & The Peppers (lineup unlisted), the titles "Let's Do It Again" and "Closer, Closer, Closer" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "Let's Do It Again" as a single with "Friendly Star" (recorded July 7, 1950) on the flipside and has yet to issue "Funny Bunny Hug" or "Closer, Closer, Closer".
70 Years Ago Today In 1950 - Bandleader and trumpet player Ray Anthony and His Orchestra (Woody Fansler, Chuck Mederios, and Marty White also on trumpet, Keith Butterfield on trumpet and trombone, Tom Oblak and Bob Quatsoe on trombones, Dick
Reynolds on trombone, Earl Bergman on alto saxophone, Steve Cole on clarinet and alto saxophone, Tom Arthur and Bob Tricarico on tenor saxophones, Leo Anthony on alto and bass saxophones, Ray Browne on piano, Danny Gregus on guitar, Al Simi on bass, and Buddy Lowell on drums) records the titles "Skycoach", "Harlem Nocturne", and "Dixie Doodle" with vocals by Gene Reynolds and The Skyliners (lineup unlisted) using arrangements by George Williams and, with Betty Holliday on vocals and arrangements by Dick Reynolds, the titles "I'm Gonna Tell My Mommy On You" and "Marshmallow World" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue "Skycoach" as a single (Capitol 1131) with "Can Anyone Explain No No No" (recorded July 6, 1950) on the flipside, "Harlem Nocturne" as a single (Capitol 1249) with "My Heart Is Out Of Town" (recorded August 20, 1950) on the flipside, "Dixie Doodle" as a single (Capitol 1169) with "All Of A Sudden" (recorded July 6, 1950) on the flipside, and has yet to issue "I'm Gonna Tell Mommy On You" and "Marshmallow World".
1952 - Jane Froman (with orchestra conducted by Sid Feller)'s Capitol Records single "I'll Walk Alone" is still #14, Nat "King" Cole (with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra)'s Capitol Records single "Somewhere Along The Way" (with "What Does It Take" on the flipside) debuts on the top 20 at #16, Al Martino (with orchestra conducted by Monty Kelly)'s Capitol Records single "Take My Heart" (with "I Never Cared" on the flipside) debuts at #17, and Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol Records single "Smoke Rings" (with "In The Good Old Summertime" on the flipside) debuts at #20  on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart.
1956 - During two sessions held this day in Los Angeles, California, The Four Freshmen (Bob Flanigan on vocals, trombone and base; Don Barbour on vocals and guitar; Ross Barbour on vocals and drums; and Ken Albers on vocals, trumpet, mellophone and bass), with arranger Dick Reynolds conducting the studio orchestra (Uan Rasey, Ray Triscari, Joe Triscari, Buddy Childers, and Mannie Klein on trumpets, Jack Marshall on guitar, Milt Raskin on piano, Don Simpson on bass, and Frank Carlson on drums), record the titles "Everytime We Say Goodbye", "Someone Like You" and the first rejected take of "For Sentimental Reasons" at the first session, and a second take of "For Sentimental Reasons" (which will remain unissued until it appears on Mosaic Records' 2000 box set "The Complete Capitol Four Freshmen Sessions April 1950-July 1960"), "Got A Date With An Angel", "Goodnight Sweetheart", and "Laughing On The Outside (Crying On The Inside)" at the second session. Capitol Records will issue "Everytime We Say Goodbye", "Someone Like You", "Got A Date With An Angel", "Goodnight Sweetheart", and "Laughing On The Outside (Crying On The Inside)" on the group's album "The Four Freshman And Five Trumpets".
1958 - Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records single "Looking Back" is #30 on Cash Box magazine's Best Selling Singles chart
1959 - Nat "King" Cole's Capitol Records album "To Whom It May Concern" is #45 on The Billboard magazine's Top LPs - Best Selling Monophonic LPs chart.
60 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Vocalist Nat "King" Cole", with pianist Ralph Carmichael conducting the orchestra and chorus (lineups unlisted), records the titles "Away In A Manger", "I Saw Three Ships" with no orchestra, "Silent Night" with the orchestra, and "The First Noel" also without the orchestra in The Capitol Tower Studios at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California between 1:00 PM and 4:30 PM. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Cole's album "The Magic Of Christmas" (W/SW 1444).
60 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Vocalist Mark Murphy, with Bill Holman conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (Jimmy Rowles on piano and unlisted other musicians playing trumpets, saxophones, guitar, bass, and drums) records the titles "Put The Blame On Mame" with uncredited female voices, "My Gal's Come Back", "Playing The Field" with Murphy also whistling, "Swingin' On A Star", "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing", and "Heart And Soul" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Mark Murphy and Bill Holman's Orchestra's album "Playing The Field" (T/ST 1458).
60 Years Ago Today In 1960 - The George Shearing Quintet (Eddie Costa on vibraphones, George Shearing on piano, Dick Garcia on guitar, and listed as probable George Duvivier on bass and Walter Bolden on drums) records the titles "On Green Dolphin Street", "Let's Live Again", and "Ghost Of Yesterday" with vocalist Nancy Wilson and the instrumental "Whisper Not" in New York City, New York. Capitol Records will issue "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Let's Live Again" on George Shearing and Nancy Wilson's album "The Swinging's Mutual" (T/ST 1524) and all the titles on the CD "The George Shearing Quintet With Nancy Wilson" (5-97935-2).
60 Years Ago Today In 1960 - At two sessions held this day in New York City, New York Jackie Gleason conducts a large orchestra (lineup unlisted but featuring woodwinds and two trumpets) as they record the titles "Will You Still Be Mine" and "How High The Moon" at the first session and the titles "Everybody Loves My Baby" and "By Myself" at the second session. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Gleason's album "Jackie Gleason Presents: The Gentle Touch" (W/SW 1519).
60 Years Ago Today In 1960 - Capitol Records releases the original motion picture soundtrack of "Bells Are Ringing" which stars Judy Holliday and Capitol Records artist Dean Martin and The Charlie Barnet Quartet's album "Jazz Oasis" (ST 1403).
1963 - Pianist George Shearing (along with Gary Burton on vibraphone, Ron Anthony on guitar, Gene Cherico on bass, Vernel Fournier on drums, and Armando Peraza on congas), begins the first of two straight days of live sets at The Blackhawk, in San Francisco, California which will be recorded and released by Capitol Records on the album "Rare Form".
55 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Organist Eddie Lund and an uncredited quartet record the titles "Pearly Shells", "Blue Coral Sea", "Bora Bora", "Tahiti Is Blue", "Island Angel", "The Far Land", "Lovely Hula Girls", "Blue Hawaii", "Mareva", "Lovely Lotus Flower", "Hinano Lei", and "How High The Moon" at an unlisted studio. Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, will issue all the titles on Lund's album "Mai Tai Time" (T/ST 5001).
55 Years Ago Today In 1965 - Capitol Records releases Buck Owens' single "Only You (Can Break My Heart)" with "Gonna Have Love" on the flipside and The Beach Boys' album "Summer Days (And Summer Nights)"
1966 - Capitol Records releases The Beach Boys' compilation album "Best Of The Beach Boys" as well as Peter & Gordon's compilation album "The Best Of Peter & Gordon" on it's The Star Line subsidiary
1967 - Mariano Moreno, with unlisted others, records the titles "Don't Sleep In The Subway", "Windy", "Up, Up And Away", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on Moreno's album "Mariano Moreno And The Unbelievables" (T/ST 2831).
1967 - The Lettermen (vocalists Jim Pike, Tony Butala, and Bob Engemann), with Dick Hazard conducting his own arrangements to the orchestra (lineup unlisted), record the titles "Just One Smile", "I Have Love", "No Other Love", and "For All We Know" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "No Other Love" as a single by Jim Pike (Capitol 2203) with "Holly" (recorded January 20, 1968) on the flipside and have yet to issue the other three titles.
1967 - The Beach Boys record the title "She's Goin' Bald" (originally titled "Untitled #1") in Los Angles, California. Capitol Records will issue the title on the group's album "Smiley Smile" (ST 2891).
1967 - Vocalist Kay Adams, with Cliffie Stone and His Group (lineup unlisted), records the titles "Alcohol & Tears", "I Let A Stranger (Buy The Wine)", "The Day You Left Me", and "Close Up The Honky Tonk" in Los Angeles, California. After overdubs are recorded for "I Let A Stranger (Buy The Wine)" on August 5, 1967, Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, will issue all the titles on Adams' album "Alcohol & Tears" (ST 5087).
1967 - Capitol Records purchases the masters for the soundtrack of "Albert Peckingpaw's Revenge", aka "Jennie, Wife/Child", which includes Don Epperson's titles "Gonna Have A Good Time", "Lord Have Mercy On Me", "Please Mrs. Peckingpaw", and "Revenge", Davie Allan And The Arrows' titles "Mario's Theme", "Lulu's World", and "Peckinpaw's Theme", Lydia Marcelle's "My Birthday Suit", Jimmy August's "Tender Grass", and Jan Sweet's title "Love Me Now And Forever". Sidewalk Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, will issue all the titles on the soundtrack album "Albert Peckinpaw's Revenge" (ST-5907).
1969 - Merle Haggard's Capitol Records single "Working Man Blues" enters the U.S. Country singles charts
50 Years Ago Today In 1970 - At the International Pop Festival in Atlanta, Georgia Grand Funk Railroad's (Mark Farner and keyboard, guitar, and vocals, Mel Schacher on bass, and Don Brewer on drums and vocals) performance of the titles "Are You Ready", "Paranoid", "In Need", "Heartbreaker", "Inside Looking Out", "Mean Mistreater", "Mark Says Alright", "T.N.U.C.", "Into The Sun", "Introduction" and "Words Of Wisdom" are recorded. Capitol Records will issue all the titles on the group's album "Live Album" (SWBB-633).
1972 - The Lettermen (vocalists Jim Pike, Tony Butala, and Gary Pike), with unlisted others, record the titles "Sandman", "Maybe We Should" and "Everything That Touches You" in Los Angeles, California. After overdubs are recorded for all the titles on July 10 and 25, 1972 and August 2, 1972, Capitol Records will issue all the titles on the group's album "Spin Away" (SW-11124).
1972 - Capitol Records purchases the masters Goose Creek Symphony (lineup unlisted)'s titles "Mary", "Cindy", and "Tulsa Turnaround" but have yet to issue any of the titles.
1977 - Richard Torrance, with unlisted others, records the titles "Main Squeeze" and "Keep On Running" in Los Angeles, California for Capitol Records. No issuing information is listed.
1977 - Vocalist Juice Newton, with unlisted others, records the titles "The Fire Down Below" and "Your Place Or Mine" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue "The Fire Down Below" on Juice Newton And Silver Spur's album "Come To Me" (ST-11682) and has yet to issue "Your Place Or Mine".
1977 - Lee Clayton, with unlisted others, records the title "Tequila Is Addictive" in Los Angeles, California. Capitol Records will issue the title on Clayton's album "Border Affair" (ST-11751).
1983 - Harry James, a trumpeter, bandleader, actor and Capitol Records artist (1955-1958), dies of lymphatic cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada at age 67 just nine days after his last concert appearance held in Los Angeles, California
35 Years Ago Today In 1985 - W.A.S.P. records the title "Widowmaker" at an unlisted studio. Capitol Records will issue the title on the group's album "The Last Command" (ST-12435).
1987 - Heart's Capitol Record single "Alone" is #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart
1992 - A bus carrying the Capitol Records band Helix, as well as its roadies, goes off the road near Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, and plunges down a 40-foot precipice. Two roadies were seriously injured and the band's bassist Daryl Gray escaped with minor injuries, but the band's guitarist and co-founding member Paul Hackman was killed at age 39
2006 - Eight days after it's scheduled release, the 30th anniversary edition of The Steve Miller Band's album "Fly Like An Eagle" still isn't in stores.

ON THIS DAY NOT QUITE IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1952 - Al Martino (with orchestra conducted by Monty Kelly)'s BBS Records single "Here In My Heart" is #3 down from #2 on Billboard's Best Selling Retail Records chart.
1952 - Gerry Mulligan (with Chet Baker on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Joe Mondragon on bass) records two sides for Pacific Jazz. Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company, currently owns Pacific Jazz's catalog.
1954 - The Bob Brookmeyer Quartet (Brookmeyer on valve trombone, John Williams on piano, Bill Anthony on bass, and Frank Isola on drums) record the tracks "Liberty Belle", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "Traditional Blues" with Brookmeyer producing and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder at the Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey for their self-titled album released by Pacific Jazz Records, whose catalog is now owned by Capitol Records
1962 - Dinah Washington, with arranger Don Costa, records the tracks "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me", "My Devotion", " If It's The Last Thing I Do", and "Our Love" (which Roulette Records will release on the album "In Love"), "It's A Mean Old Man's World" (which will appear on the Roulette Records album "Back to the Blues", and "Was It Like That?" (which will also be on the album "In Love") at Bell Sound, in New York City, New York. EMI Music Group currently owns Roulette's catalog and re-releases the albums on the Capitol Jazz label, a division of Blue Note Records, which is a division of Capitol Music Group.
45 Years AGo Today In 1975 - Pink Floyd, The Steve Miller Band, and Captain Beefheart perform at a live concert at the Knebworth Festival in Hertfordshire, England
1978 - The City of Los Angeles declares The Pantages Theatre a historic landmark. Capitol Records would store items in space below the theatre and, in one instance, used one of its staircases leading up from the basement, which had a great view of The Capitol Tower, for a publicity photoshoot for The Beach Boys
1981 - Capitol Records group America joins Three Dog Night, former Liberty Records duo Jan and Dean, and John Sebastian in commemorating The Beach Boys' twentieth anniversary with a concert on a barge next to The Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, California. The concert is hosted by Wolfman Jack and broadcast via satellite worldwide.
1982 - Michael Johnson, with unlisted others, records the title "City Of Angels" in an unlisted location. EMI-America, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, will issue the title on Johnson's album "Lifetime Guarantee" (SN-16390).
2001 - Ernie K-Doe (aka Ernest Kador, Jr.), who scored a #1 in 1961 with the Minit Records single "Mother-In-Law", written by Allen Toussaint and with "Wanted" on the flip side, dies at age 65 and, after a traditional jazz funeral, was interred in the 200-year-old Duval tomb in Saint Louis Cemetery #2, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Minit Records' catalog is currently owned by Universal Music Group, Capitol Music Group's parent company.

ON THIS DAY NOT IN CAPITOL RECORDS HISTORY
1954 - 19-year-old Elvis Presley records the title "That's All Right (Mama)" at his first session at Sam Phillips' Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Sun Records will issue the title as a single two weeks later on July 19, 1954, with "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" (also recorded during this two-day session, along with the titles "I Love You Because" and "Harbor Lights") on the flipside.
1976 - At approximately 9:00 a.m. I met my future wife, Kristine Heimback, on the first day of a summer school musical theater class taught by Bernie Green at Amherst Central Junior High School. She was going to Bishop Neumann High School.