Editing Capitol Records (section)

===Founding===
Songwriter [[Johnny Mercer]] founded Capitol Records in 1942<ref name=pc1b>{{Pop Chronicles 40s|1|B |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633237/m1/#track/3 }}</ref> with financial help from songwriter and film producer [[Buddy DeSylva]] and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, owner of [[Wallichs Music City]]. Mercer raised the idea of starting a record company while golfing with [[Harold Arlen]] and [[Bobby Sherwood]] and with Wallichs at Wallichs's record store. On February 2, 1942, Mercer and Wallichs met DeSylva at a restaurant in Hollywood to talk about investment by [[Paramount Pictures]].

On March 27, 1942, the three men incorporated as Liberty Records (not affiliated with Capitol's future sister label [[Liberty Records]]). In May, the application was amended to change the label's name to Capitol Records.<ref name="Fan">{{cite web|title=Happy Birthdays!|url=http://www.popculturefanboy.blogspot.com/|work=popculturefanboy|access-date=April 18, 2013|date=April 18, 2013}}</ref>

On April 6, 1942, Mercer supervised Capitol's first recording session where [[Martha Tilton]] recorded the song "Moon Dreams". On May 5, Bobby Sherwood and his orchestra recorded two tracks in the studio. On May 21, [[Freddie Slack]] and his orchestra recorded three tracks in the studio: one with the orchestra, one with [[Ella Mae Morse]] called "[[Cow-Cow Boogie]]" and "Air-Minded Executive" supervised by Mercer. On June 4, Capitol opened its first office in a second-floor room south of [[Sunset Boulevard]]. On that same day, Wallichs presented the company's first free record to Los Angeles disc jockey Peter Potter. On June 5, [[Paul Whiteman]] and his Orchestra recorded four songs at the studio. On June 12, the orchestra recorded five more songs in the studio, including "Trav'lin' Light" with [[Billie Holiday]]. On June 11, [[Tex Ritter]] recorded "[[Jingle Jangle Jingle|(I Got Spurs That) Jingle Jangle Jingle]]" and "Goodbye My Little Cherokee" for his first Capitol recording session, and the songs comprised Capitol's 110th produced record.

The earliest recording artists included co-owner Mercer, [[Johnnie Johnston]], Morse, [[Jo Stafford]], the [[Pied Pipers]], [[Tex Ritter]], Tilton, [[Paul Weston]], Whiteman, and [[Margaret Whiting]].<ref name=pc1b /> Capitol's first gold single was Morse's "Cow Cow Boogie" in 1942.{{sfn|Gilliland|1994|loc=tape 1, side A}}

Capitol's first album was ''Capitol Presents Songs by Johnny Mercer'', a three disc set with recordings by Mercer, Stafford and the Pied Pipers, all with Weston's orchestra.

Capitol was the first major west coast label to compete with major labels on the east coast such as [[RCA Victor]], [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], and [[Decca Records|Decca]]. In addition to its Los Angeles recording studios, Capitol owned a second studio in New York City and occasionally sent mobile recording equipment to other cities.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}