Thursday, May 08, 2025

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jose Jose


Artist:Jose Jose

Song:Lo que No Fue, No Sera

Album:Lo Mejor de Lo Mejor


Jose Jose is a Mexican singer known as El Principe de la Cancion (The Prince of Song). He first had success in the late 70s and was very successful in the 80s and 90s. His decline was mostly due to health problems. He was also a successful actor especially on TV. He was born Jose Romero Sosa Ortiz Feb. 17, 1948 in Claveria, Mexico. This is a suburb of Mexico City. His father was an opera singer and his mother was a pianist. When Jose showed an interest in singing, his parents tried to discourage him claiming it was too difficult. But after his alcoholic father abandoned the family that forced Jose to work to support the family. Jose formed the band Los Peg in 1967. They released two unsuccessful albums. Then Jose was asked to perform at a friend's sister's birthday. She turned out to be secretary the managing director of Orfeon Records. This led to a contract with RCA Records. He decided to call himself Jose Jose as his father was also named Jose. His debut album was released in 1970. He performed at the Il Festival de la Cancion Latina. Then Frank Sinatra wanted to record with him but RCA would not allow it. He was moved to Ariola Records in 1976. RCA was still the distributor. That's when he started having success. Lo que No Fue, No Sera was one of four hit singles from the 1978 album Lo Pasado, Pasado. The song was written by singer songwriter Jose Maria Napoleon. Jose usually produced al his albums. Most of his success was in the 80s and 90s. You can get all his hits on this 2CD budget comp. His decline was he was having trouble with his voice and he was drinking too much. He attempted to continue recording. But he probably should have retired. He died from pancreatic cancer on Sept. 28, 2019 at age 71. Here's Jose Jose performing Lo que No Fue, No Sera on a 1978 TV show. 

Wednesday, May 07, 2025

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cesaria Evora


Artist:Cesaria Evora

Song:Cintuaro Tem Mele

Album:Anthologie: Momas & Coladeras


Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora became an international success in the early 90s almost by accident. A decade earlier she quit singing because she couldn't make a living. The success was short lived due to health problems that led to her 2011 death. She was born Aug. 27, 1941 in Mindelo, Cape Verde one of seven children. Her father was a violinist. But he died and Cesaria's mom worked as a cook and a maid to support the family. She was raised by her grandmother and then moved to an orphanage. At age 16, Cesaria began a romantic relationship with a guitarist who thought she could make money performing in bars. She became the headliner at Mindelo's Cafe Royal and performed on radio. She probably could have performed in Europe but chose not to. It got so bad that she retired from music in the 70s and sunk into alcoholism and depression. Cesaria returned to music in 1985 when the Organization of Cape Verdean Women asked her to appear on an album of women's music. She toured the US and performed with singer Bana at a restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal. And that's when she was discovered by Lusafrica owner Jose da Silva, a Cape Verdean native living in Paris. Cintuaro Tem Mele is from her 1991 album Mar Azul. The album was picked up in the US by Nonesuch. So now she's touring internationally. She even won a Grammy for the 2004 album Voz d'Amor. That's when Cesaria's health started to decline. She suffered a stroke in 2008 while on tour in Australia. And she suffered a heart attack and died on Sept. 17, 2011 at age 70. This 2CD budget comp covers her music. Here's Cesaria Evora performing Cintuaro Tem Mele in Paris 1995. 

Tuesday, May 06, 2025

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-India


Artist:India

Song:Ese Hombre

Album:Grandes Exitos


The single Ese Hombre was one of several hit singles from India's 1994 breakthrough album Dicen Que Soy. She was very popular in the Latin market for a couple of decades. Back then she was known as the Princess of Salsa. She was born Linda Bell Viera Caballero Mar. 9, 1969 in Rio Pedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico but she grew up in the South Bronx area of New York City. She started singing as a child. The name India was given to her by her grandmother because of her straight black hair. India was 16 years old when she was a member of the freestyle group TKA. She appeared on a couple of singles then she signed with Warner Reprise. Their idea was to turn her into the Latin Madonna. John "Jellybean" Benitez and Little Louie Vega were among the producers brought in for the 1990 album Breaking Night. The album was unsuccessful. India decided she wanted to sing Salsa. She recorded with Eddie Palmieri and again Vega (her husband). But India's big break came when she signed with Ralph Mercado's label RMM and started working with his house producer Sergio George. He produced the 1994 album Dicen Que Soy. Ese Hombre was one of five chart singles from the album. India became one of the top selling Latin artists. She continued to work with George until RMM closed in 2001. Since then, India has recorded for Sony, Universal and a couple of albums for George's new label Top Stop. She last recorded in 2015. You can get all of India's RMM hits on the 2CD comp. Here's the video for Ese Hombre by India. 


Monday, May 05, 2025

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James "Stump" Cross

 


Artist:James "Stump" Cross

Song:What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear

Album:Composers on Broadway: Irving Berlin


Most classic film fans have probably seen the 1943 film This Is the Army. The film is Public Domain so it can be viewed on YouTube. This is Irving Berlin's all star WWII tribute to the US Army. It was a Broadway show and then a film. The film stars George Murphy and Joan Leslie with musical appearances by Kate Smith, Frances Langford and Berlin himself. If you have seen the film, you probably remember the all black number What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear. But you know nothing about James "Stump" Cross who performed it. That's who I'm going to discuss. Back in those days, most black performers were anonymous anyway. And don't forget when this film was shown in the segregated South, the scene was deleted. This was common practice. James Cross was one half of the duo Stump and Stumpy with Harold J. Cromer. Cromer was replaced in the film by William Wycoff probably because Cromer refused to appear in drag. Heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis makes a special appearance. Cross was born Jan. 17, 1902 in Clarksville, TN. Both guys were great tap dancers. So Stump and Stumpy were a mix of tap dancing, music and comedy. They were very popular on the chitlin circuit. But they were never big stars as they had a limited audience. After Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis became popular, Lewis admitted that he stole many of their routines from Stump and Stumpy. And in his autobiography, Sammy Davis Jr. wrote that Cross was supposed to be part of The Rat Pack. But he was an alcoholic so Frank Sinatra chose Davis instead. So I guess Cross is an example of great talent killed by racism. Cross appeared in a few other films. But this appearance in This Is the Army is his most memorable appearance. He died on Dec. 5, 1969 in St. Louis. This Is the Army is available on CD but expensive. Decca released a Composers on Broadway 6CD box set in 2000. That is available on CD. But this individual album featuring Berlin from that collection is available as a digital download. Here's James "Stump" Cross performing What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear from the 1943 film This Is the Army. The audio is very low on this clip.

Sunday, May 04, 2025

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Juliana Miller vs Ivana Petrovic

Here's the fight video of Juliana Miller vs Ivana Petrovic from last night's UFC show in Des Moines, IA. This fight is at Flyweight. Juliana is 28 years old from San Diego. She trains at Team Hurricane Awesome with coach Manny Hernandez. Her UFC record is 1-2. She won TUF 30. Remember that? Me neither. Ivana is 30 years old from Norway. I think her brother is her coach. They are a traveling road show. I know she trained some with Valentina Shevchenko. Her UFC record is 1-2. I haven't seen enough of these two to see if they have potential. But based on this fight, they both stink. So little happened in the first two rounds that when Ivana scored a takedown, I scored round one 10-9 for Ivana. Round two was the same but this time Juliana got a takedown. So I scored it 10-9 for Juliana. Round three wasn't any better but all three judges scored it 10-9 for Juliana. So she won it 29-28. Just an awful fight.  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Gillian Robertson vs Marina Rodriguez

Here's the fight video of Gillian Robertson vs Marina Rodriguez from last night's UFC show in Des Moines, IA. This fight is at Strawweight. Gillian is 29 years old from Niagara Falls, ON. Din Thomas has been her coach since she was a teen. Her UFC record is 12-6. But she's been a lot better since moving to Strawweight. Gillian is on a three fight winning streak. She's a wrestler who likes to finish. A win should get her ranked. Marina is 38 years old from Brazil. She trains with coach Marcio Malko at Thai Brasil in Florianopolis, Brazil. Her UFC record is 7-5. All the fighters at this gym are kickboxers. They can't afford a grappling coach. I'm not kidding. So Marina needs to keep it standing. But Gillian is a really good wrestler. And she took Marina down in round one and stayed in top position. She just wasn't able to get a finish. I scored it 10-9 for Gillian. She did the same thing in round two. But this time she was able to mount Marina and pound her until she won by TKO at 2:07 of round two. So a big win for Gillian over a ranked fighter. Afterward, Marina retired. She announced that she plans to coach at her gym. And she's auctioning her gloves to raise money for the gym. Maybe they will hire a grappling coach. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Yana Santos vs Miesha Tate

Here's the fight video of Yana Santos vs Miesha Tate from last night's UFC show in Des Moines, IA. This fight is at Bantamweight. Of course these are veteran fighters. Yana is 35 years old from Saint Petersburg, Russia. She trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. Her UFC record is 5-5. And that's the kind of fighter Yana is. She's just not very good. And the best part is she's ranked ninth. Miesha is 38 years old from Tacoma, WA. She trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. She's a former Bantamweight champ. Her UFC record is 7-6. Since returning in 2021, Miesha has gone 2-2 including a loss at Flyweight. And she's ranked 12th. Ten years ago, Miesha would have beaten Yana easily. But Miesha ain't who she used to be. The first two rounds show that Miesha doesn't have the quickness she once had as Yana wins both rounds with evasive action. Miesha couldn't do anything with her. Finally, Miesha takes Yana down in round three. Remember, she needs a finish. She has the opportunity to finish Yana with ground & pound. But instead she goes for a rear naked choke and never gets it. That's an inexcusable stupid mistake by a veteran fighter who should know better. I scored the fight 29-28 for Yana and so did all three judges. Miesha should retire but she didn't do that last night. Enjoy the video!  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oscar Isaac


Artist:Oscar Isaac

Song:Green, Green Rocky Road

Album:Inside Llewyn Davis: Original Soundtrack Recording


Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He's not really a singer. But he did a great job in the 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis. He was born Oscar Isaac Hernandez Estrada Mar. 9, 1979 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. His Cuban father is a pulmonologist. His family moved to the US and Isaac grew up mostly in Miami. He got interested in films at an early age and he made home movies. He was also in a punk band. After graduating from high school in 1998, Isaac joined the ska punk band The Blinking Underdogs. They released a 2001 album and opened for Green Day. Meanwhile, Isaac took an acting workshop and appeared in a couple of plays. Isaac considered joining the US Marines. But instead he studied performing arts at Miami Dade College and appear in plays. After playing Fidel Castro in an off Broadway production of When It's Cocktail Time in Cuba, Isaac successfully auditioned to study at Juilliard. He appeared in the 2002 film All About the Benjamins and graduated from Juilliard with a Fine Arts degree in 2005. Isaac continued to play small roles on stage, in films and on TV. His first major film role was in the 2012 film The Bourne Legacy. And that's when he got the starring role in the 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis. So he was an unknown at the time. The film was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It's a fictional film set in the early 60s folk music boom in New York's Greenwich Village. The basis of the film is a biography about folksinger Dave Van Ronk. So the Llewyn Davis character is supposed to be like Dave Van Ronk. The film was very successful and it established Isaac as a star. The music is folk music standards produced by T-Bone Burnett. Green, Green Rocky Road was usually performed by Dave Van Ronk. So that was the whole point of the film. It was supposed to be an authentic look at Greenwich Village in the early 60s. The soundtrack album is available on CD. Since then Isaac has been very busy. He's got a big film coming up. He's starring in Guillermo Del Toro's interpretation of Frankenstein. Here's Oscar Isaac performing Green, Green Rocky Road on an Inside Llewyn Davis documentary. 


Saturday, May 03, 2025

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Matt Hires


Artist:Matt Hires

Song:Restless Heart

Album:The World Won't Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend


Matt Hires is a singer songwriter who had a record deal with Atlantic Records fifteen years ago. It looks like they were trying to sell him to Adult Oriented Radio (AOR). But after two albums, it wasn't working out and they released him. I think it was a case where they liked him but they didn't know what to do with him. He was born Aug. 5, 1985 in Tampa, FL. His father was a musician and gave him a guitar. At first, Hires liked punk and emo. But then he started listening to Tom Petty and Bob Dylan and that's the basis of his style. He started out leading the band Brer and they released an album independently. Atlantic Records A&R exec Gregg Nadel loved Hires' sound and signed him to Atlantic's new label F-Stop. He brought in producer Eric Rosse. He is best known for producing Tori Amos. He produced the 2008 EP Live from the Hotel Cafe. It got positive critical response comparing Hires to Jack Johnson and John Mayer. He opened for Dave Matthews and Marc Broussard and got a good response. Then they released the 2009 album Take Us To the Start. These days record companies sell artists by placing songs on popular TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. That's what they did with Hires. The problem with this strategy is it's hit and miss and probably more miss than hit. So the album didn't sell. I don't think Atlantic had a marketing plan for Hires. And if you don't have a plan, why did you sign him? Restless Heart is from the 2013 album This Won't Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend. Again Rosse produced with help from Alex Dezen. But again the album didn't sell. And that was it for Hires. He released the 2016 album American Wilderness on the much smaller label Rock Ridge Music. He released a Christmas single in 2024. He's not on tour right now but he streams on his Facebook page. I don't think Atlantic knew what to do with him. Here's the video for Restless Heart by Matt Hires. 


 

Friday, May 02, 2025

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tony Trischka


Artist:Tony Trischka f/Alison Brown

Song:Arcadia

Album:Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular


Bluegrass legend Tony Trischka has been around since the 60s and he's still going strong today. This 2007 album is all duets with other bluegrass legends. He was born Jan. 16, 1949 in Syracuse, NY. He got interested in the banjo by listening to The Kingston Trio's 1963 recording of Charlie and the MTA. Then he joined the Down City Ramblers from 1965-71. He recorded with the band Country Cooking and was also in the band Country Granola. He joined the experimental bluegrass band Breakfast Special in 1973. They mixed bluegrass with other kinds of music. They also never recorded. Meanwhile Trischka recorded three solo albums for Rounder. Then he was musical director of the Broadway musical The Robber Bridegroom. He started his band Skyline in the 80s and they recorded four albums for Flying Fish Records. And he continued to record solo. Arcadia is from the 2007 album Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. This is an all star album of duets with other banjoists. Arcadia features Alison Brown. Other musicians are Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Tim Stafford on guitar, Sam Bush on mandolin and Byron House on bass. Arcadia is an original song written by Trischka with Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn. Trischka and Fleck produced the album. Fleck also plays on the album. Guests include Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin and Bill Emerson of The Country Gentlemen. Trischka has written instructional books and videos so check that out if you want to learn to play the banjo. He was musical director of the 2011 PBS special Give Me the Banjo. He just released a new album called Earl Jam on a new label Down the Road started by the founders of Rounder Records. It's an all star tribute to Earl Scruggs. And he still performs live so go see him if he's coming your way. Here's Tony Trischka with Michael Daves performing Arcadia at Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth, GA Sept. 17, 2016.