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The Capitol News from Hollywood

The Capitol News from Hollywood was a promotional magazine run by Capitol Records and edited by Dave Dexter Jr. in Hollywood, California. Early issues were published twice monthly and contained less than 10 pages, but it expanded to a consistent 16-page monthly until January of 1952. In March of 1952 Capitol Records, Inc. changed its title to Music News for six issues (through August 1952) and then Music Views, which ran until 1959. The magazine was primarily comprised of short human-interest stories about Capitol Records-signed artists, small for the ease of carrying in one’s pocket, and was distributed through record stores, generally on a complimentary basis. Expanded profiles covered local concerts and events in both Los Angeles and the broader commercial entertainment industry including new film score commissions, artist activities, and record releases across genres.

During its roughly nine-year run, The Capitol News from Hollywood included short-form columns such as: “Pop-Offs,” reader letters printed near the front of each issue; Dave Dexter’s “Surface Noise,” which focused on artist contracts and careers from his perspective as editor and music producer; “Off the Cuff,” a column of news in brief including local music-adjacent events such as jazz lectures at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA); the “Camera!” section which featured larger images of celebrity musicians in the centerfold, and was later labeled with seasonal blurbs or celebrity quotes; “Sunset and Vine” which tracked Los Angeles-specific curios; and “Who’s Where,” which listed where bandleaders and ensembles performed during the month.  In addition, “Movie Music” reviewed on-screen performances in Hollywood; “Meet the Jockey!” profiled radio disc jockeys; “Vine at Sunset” captured general updates on musician contracts and bookings; and “Singers’ Stuff” was devoted exclusively to celebrity vocalists fronting major ensembles and crafting their media personas (this column later appeared as “Strictly Singers” and “What’s With Warblers”). A “New Books” column made its appearance in summer of 1950. Other columns that appeared between 1950 and January 1952 were “Ad Libs,” and “Clips” both seemingly filling the purpose of recounting more musicians’ news in brief. Throughout the magazine’s run, small ads for hit singles and LP’s on the Capitol Records label appear in the lower left- and right-hand corners of almost every page.

Dave Dexter Jr. served as editor and was a prolific journalist, music critic, and record producer who spent 31 years working at Capitol Records. Dexter is best known for his work as Executive Producer for Artists and Repertoire and is credited with signing Frank Sinatra, Stan Kenton, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, and The Beatles with Capitol Records. He is less fondly remembered for his reluctance to pick up The Beatles’ early singles, as well as his unpopular alterations to their recordings for American release. Though he criticized the record label’s growing catalog of rock-and-roll, he was tireless in promoting jazz and international music through the Capitol of the World LP’s. As his interests in jazz outpaced that of Capitol Records, Inc., he held progressively less influential positions until his departure in 1974. Dexter continued to write for significant music periodicals such as Billboard magazine and devoted his late career to covering the jazz scene in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. (See Dave E. Dexter Jr. Collection, MS-0021. University of Missouri-Kansas City Special Collections and Archives.)

World War II

The Capitol News from Hollywood’s near-decade run spanned a significant series of events in United States and most notably captured the war-time musical zeitgeist and major changes in the post-war entertainment industry.

The first issue was published in spring of 1943 and reflects the United States’ recent entry into the Second World War. Early issues covered artists donning khaki as they were drafted into armed service, dance bands that traveled abroad to boost morale, and featured letters from servicemen and women abroad. Mentions of the war were otherwise limited, but the cover of the May 1945 issue features singer Peggy Lee posing with a large cut-out “V,” marking “Victory in Europe,” after Germany’s surrender on 8 May and “Victory over Japan” was reported in the August issue.

Jazz’s Postwar Stylistic Transition

The Capitol News from Hollywood also captured the emergence of bebop and waning popularity of dance bands after the war. One article in 1947 describes the “furore” insighted by Louis Armstrong’s pronouncements against bebop as a viable “progressive music[al]” form. In an accompanying column, various other Capitol-signed artists were asked about their opinions on the topic and whether they agreed or disagreed with Armstrong. The debate about bebop and other “progressive” music did not re-emerge in subsequent issues, but the focus of the magazine continued to transition to bebop’s idiomatic smaller ensembles and solo artists.

Media Market

Finally, the periodical also reflected a rapidly changing media market and the attendant anxieties of musicians and industry professionals. American Federation of Musicians (AFM) president from 1940-1958 James Petrillo forced two bans on vinyl recording with far-reaching effects felt throughout the record industry, which were covered closely by the magazine. In the earlier strike, newly formed Capitol Records, Inc. was one of the first record companies to settle with the union, ending their part in the strike in October 1943. (The record company released its first wax cuttings in July 1942, just prior to the start of the strike.) When Petrillo issued a second ban to begin at midnight 31 December 1947, he was met with far less support from the thousands of union musicians fearing for their jobs. The second strike ended the following December (1948).

There is a marked increase in “girlie” iconography from July 1950’s “Midsummer Girlie Issue” forward. The magazine reports that Judy Garland trimmed down in “poundage,” a starlet is described as shapely at age 15, and beginning in July 1950, the small column “Spot News” which previously made a small highlight of interesting artists was exclusively devoted to scantily clad women and starlets.

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