The Capitol [complete year 1944]

Hollywood: Capitol Records, Inc.. Very Good. 1944. (Vol. 2, Nos. 1-12). Hardcover. [good solid copy with a little wear to the spine ends, a couple of tiny scrape marks on the front cover; title, date and one-time owner's name stamped in gold on front cover]. (B&W photographs, advertisements) A bound volume containing all 1944 issues of this monthly promotional publication from Capitol Records, bringing "News from Hollywood" to its readers. It's essentially a small-format trade paper (not unlike The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety, both of which were published within walking distance of the Capitol headquarters at 1483 N. Vine Street), presenting news items about concert gigs, music-related film production and castings, talent signings , and just general publicity of all kinds -- exclusively about Capitol recording artists, naturally. And what a lineup! The comings and goings and doings of Stan Kenton, Paul Whiteman, Artie Shaw, Betty Hutton, Harry James, Benny Goodman, Johnny Mercer, Frances Langford, Peggy Lee, and many others are covered throughout -- and because the publication was also paying a lot of attention to the jazz scene (in Los Angeles and elsewhere), there are a significant number of African-American musicians depicted in the photographs that are scattered throughout. Most issues are 16 pages in length, with occasional slight deviations. (It should be noted that even though this was a monthly publication, there are actually 13 issues in the volume, the "extra" being dated July 24, 1944 (Vol. 2, No. 8-B) and apparently keyed to the National Association of Music Merchants convention then in session in Chicago.) This trim little volume is gold-stamped with the name Bernis Sullivan on the front cover; I'm afraid I've been unable to determine who that was. Exceedingly scarce; the publication was renamed The Capitol News in 1946, and while five U.S. libraries have at least some holdings under that title, apparently only one (Rutgers University) holds any issues prior to that date. .