Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Charlotte vs Sasha Banks

Here's the match video of Charlotte vs Sasha Banks from Hell In A Cell. This was the first time women would be in a HIAC match. This show was promoted as a triple main event. HHH wanted the women's match to close the show. Of course Vince McMahon resisted this but eventually agreed to it. So this was the first time ever that women headlined a PPV. Of course there are still double standards. For example, most fans look at a high flyer like Sin Cara and think nothing of his flying stunts. But when Sasha performs similar stunts, these same fans think she will kill herself. It's nonsense. Of course the WWE is aware of this fan perception. And Sasha sure likes to take bumps. So that's how this match started with Sasha going through the announce table. They put her on a stretcher to take her away when she predictably rises from the dead, so to speak. And then the match really gets going. And it's pretty good for the most part. You can watch the match for yourself. They both performed great. Unfortunately, the ending was screwed up. They tried some things with tables that didn't work and then went straight to Charlotte's finisher for the win. It was very flat. So what happened? It turns out the ending was changed on the fly. Sasha was supposed to win and the ref was told that Charlotte would win instead. Why did they do this? You may recall Michael Cole mentioning that Charlotte has never lost a PPV match. The WWE loves pointless winning streaks. UGH! BTW, Sasha was fine afterwards. She didn't kill herself. She's really good at taking bumps. Enjoy the video!
Sasha Banks vs Charlotte - Hell In A Cell Title... by divasfanwwe

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Puff Daddy & The Family

Artist:Puff Daddy & The Family f/Faith Evans and 112
Song:I'll Be Missing You
Album:No Way Out




Sean Combs is a record producer who has occasionally recorded as a rapper. The 1997 chart topper I'll Be Missing you was his biggest hit. He was born Nov. 4, 1969 on Harlem, NY. and he grew up in Mount Vernon. His father was a drug dealer who was murdered when Combs was a child. Combs' childhood nickname was Puff because that's what he would so when he got angry. In 1990 he became an intern at Uptown Records and he produced Mary J. Blige's early records. He started his own label Bad Boy Entertainment with Arista Records in 1993. His most successful artist was rapper The Notorious B.I.G. He had success with other artists like Faith Evans, Carl Thomas, 112 and Total. Then Combs starts thinking about recording as Puff Daddy. After the single Can't Nobody Hold Me Down tops the Billboard Hot 100, Combs recorded the album No Way Out. It was before the album's release that the Notorious B.I.G. was murdered. So Combs decided to turn No Way Out into a tribute. That's when I'll Be Missing You was recorded. It's obviously based on The Police hit Every Breath You Take and Sting got all the songwriting royalties. The song features Faith Evans who was married to B.I.G. and the vocal group 112. Faith's ad libbed bridge of the spiritual I'll Fly Away cost Combs money as the publisher sued him for royalties. Combs may have thought the song was public domain. The single was one of 1997's biggest hits and the album No Way Out was certified 7XPlatinum. Combs has had a few other hit singles. But he doesn't record enough under his own name for Sony to release a comp. No Way out is available on CD. Of course Combs does all kinds of things including acting. He has been working on an album titled No Way Out 2. He says that after that is released, he will quit the music business and concentrate on acting. We'll see what he actually does as he can be flaky. Here's the video for I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy & The Family featuring Faith Evans and 112.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Maroon 5

Artist:Maroon 5 f/Wiz Khalifa
Song:Payphone
Album:Singles





Maroon 5 is one of today's most successful pop groups. They have scored 11 top ten hits including Payphone in 2012. The band has become more popular since Adam Levine's participation in the TV talent show The Voice. They were in high school in Los Angeles when they formed as Kara's Flowers in 1994. The band was Adam Levine on lead vocals and guitar, Jesse Carmichael on guitar, Mickey Madden on bass and Ryan Dusick on drums. Kara's Flowers recorded an album for Reprise in 1997 but it went nowhere and the band split up. They reformed in 2000. MCA signed them to a demo deal but decided not to pick them up. But the new label Octone Records liked the demo. Octone was a joint venture of A&M and Interscope. Octone exec Ben Berkman thought Levine could be a star. But he needed to concentrate on singing. Guitarist James Valentine was brought in to free Levine up. Octone also changed the band name to Maroon 5. The album Songs About Jane was released in 2002. It was slow at first but things picked up with the hits This Love and She Will Be Loved and the album was certified 5XPlatinum. They toured constantly and this led to physical issues for Dusick. He left and was replaced by Matt Flynn. For their 2007 album It Won't Be Soon Before Long, Makes Me Wonder was their first number one hit. They were doing OK but Levine thought that Maroon 5 had maybe one album left. But that all changed when Levine joined The Voice which gave him more visibility and led to the monster hits Moves Like Jagger, Payphone and One More Night. Producer Benny Blanco brought in rapper Wiz Khalifa as a change of pace. Payphone reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. But all three of those songs made the 2012 album Overexposed Maroon 5's most successful album to date. Maroon 5 has been recording a new CD which should be out shortly. You can get all their hits on this comp. Here's the video for Payphone by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frankie Avalon

Artist:Frankie Avalon
Song:Venus
Album:25 All-Time Greatest Hits





Sometimes in the music business it helps to be in the right place at the right time. One fateful day turned Frankie Avalon from journeyman trumpeter to teen idol. Venus was his biggest hit. He was born Francis Avallone Sept. 18, 1939 in Philadelphia. He was a child prodigy trumpeter. He won talent contests and he appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show. He even released a couple of singles on RCA. But that didn't make him a star and he returned to Philadelphia to play in various bands. So one day he's playing in one of those bands when Chancellor Records owner Bob Marcucci walks in and says he's looking for a star. He looked at one kid he didn't like. But when Avalon belted out a couple of songs, Marcucci snapped him up. DeDe Dinah was Avalon's first top ten hit in 1957. Then he scored another hit with Ginger Bread. But Venus was the song that launched Avalon to the top of the charts and set him up for a long career. Venus was written by Ed Marshall and the record was produced and arranged by Lee DeAngelis. Both guys were Marcucci employees. Avalon had a few more hits but by the mid-60s he transitioned to starring in those Beach Party movies with Annette Funicello. This Varese comp has all of Avalon's hits. In the 70s, Avalon did a lot of guest shots on TV. And he recorded occasionally including a disco version of Venus. Avalon still tours and he also sells a line of health products on the Home Shopping Network. Last year he published a cookbook. And this all came from one fateful day. Here's Frankie Avalon performing Venus on the Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech Nut Show Feb. 14, 1959.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Go-Go's

Artist:The Go-Go's
Song:We Got The Beat
Album:Beauty and the Beat





The all girl rock group The Go-Go's scored their biggest hit with We Got The Beat in 1981. They were formed in 1978 in Los Angeles as The Misfits. Guitarist Jane Weidlin was already a big part of the LA punk music scene. Lead singer Belinda Carlisle was a member of The Germs. The other two members were Margot Olavarria on bass and Elissa Bello on drums. Elissa was soon replaced by Gina Schock. And Charlotte Caffey was added on keyboards. Charlotte and Jane wrote most of the band's songs. The Go-Go's big break came when they opened a British tour for the ska revival band Madness and Stiff Records released We Got The Beat as a single. Olavarria was replaced by Kathy Valentine. Olavarria was unhappy with the band's move to a more pop sound. The Go-Go's signed with I.R.S. Records in 1981. Their 1981 debut album Beauty and the Beat was produced by punk music veteran Richard Gottehrer. We Got The Beat was the second single. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album Beauty and the Beat was certified 2XPlatinum. The Go-Go's released three albums. Other hits included Vacation and Head over Heels. We Got The Beat was their biggest hit and signature song. There is no comp in print right now. But Beauty and the Beat is available as a budget CD. There is also a Deluxe Edition with a second live CD. The Go-Go's began to fall apart after Jane Weidlin left in 1984 to go solo. After a brief attempt to tour, The Go-Go's split up in 1985. Of course Belinda Carlisle had a significant solo career. Caffey continued to work with her. Gina Schock released a solo album in 1988. Kathy Valentine went in a blues direction and eventually moved to Austin, TX. The Go-Go's reunited several times. It became more permanent in 1999. They just finished what was called their farewell tour. But you know how the music business is. Never say never. here's the video for We Got The Beat by The Go-Go's.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Thea Trinidad

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Thea Trinidad from last night's episode of NXT. I am posting all of Asuka's matches for those who don't have the WWE Network. Thea was known as Rosita in TNA. Her former tag team partner Sarah Stock is a trainer at NXT. The match is nothing special except for Asuka's transition from an ankle lock to a German suplex to an armbar for the finish. I don't know of anyone else who can do that kind of transition. It confuses the opponent and the only thing Thea can do is tap out. It was all a preamble to the announcement that Mickie James will be Asuka's opponent at NXT Takeover Toronto. Asuka was very excited. My guess is this is a one shot appearance for Mickie. With a son at home and her singing career, I doubt she would want to work a full time schedule. A lot of fans don't know about this but in 2011, Mickie was booked to work for SMASH in Japan probably to work a program with SMASH's top heel Kana. But Mickie pulled out and Serena Deeb replaced her. This may explain Asuka's excitement. In other news, it has come to my attention that the WWE has made contract offers to STARDOM's Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo after their contracts run out in January. Apparently Io has already given her notice to STARDOM owner Rossy Ogawa. Kairi's status is more complicated because it's my understanding that her STARDOM contract is with her modelling agency. So I'm not sure how that would work. And she has suffered two concussions this year. Maybe she won't pass the physical. I expect to hear more about this in the new year. Enjoy the video!
Thea Trinidad vs. Asuka by therackattackvideos

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sparkle

Artist:Sparkle f/R. Kelly
Song:Be Careful
Album:Sparkle





Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards topped the R&B charts with Be Careful. She was an R. Kelly protege. She was born May 13, 1975 in Chicago. She grew up singing in church and in her family gospel group. Stephanie first met R. Kelly in 1989 and then she sang backup vocals for Aaliyah. In 1998, Kelly started Rockland Records with Interscope. Stephanie was the first artist signed to the label. He decided to call her Sparkle. Kelly wrote and produced her 1998 album Sparkle. And he also appears on the single Be Careful. It topped the R&B Singles chart and it was a top 40 pop hit. The album was certified Platinum. It is available as a budget CD. For her second album, Sparkle wanted to work with her producer boyfriend Steve "Stone" Huff. Kelly said no and Sparkle asked for her release. She signed with Motown and Huff produced her 2000 CD Told You So. It didn't sell and that was Sparkle's final album. Sparkle testified at Kelly's 2008 child pornography trial as the girl in the video was her niece. The jury found Kelly not guilty. Sparkle still does occasional backup vocals. She was in Toni Braxton's Las Vegas show Toni Braxton Revealed. She's probably a good subject for a Where Is She Now feature. Here's the video for Be Careful by Sparkle featuring R. Kelly.

Viviane Pereira in for Poliana Botelho on Dec. 10 UFC show

Valerie Letourneau, Viviane Pereira

TSN and RDS reported this afternoon that Poliana Botelho is injured and has pulled out of her fight with Valerie Letorneau on UFC 206 Dec. 10 at Air Canada Center in Toronto. Her replacement is another Brazilian Viviane Pereira. At 5 feet tall, Viviane is a lot shorter than Poliana. I'm not sure if that matters or not. Her record is 11-0 and she won over Poliana in 2014. She's fought quite a bit for XFC in Brazil. She's 23 years old. I watched one of her fights and she swarmed her opponent with strikes to get a TKO. Valerie is a lot more experienced so I don't see Viviane doing anything like that. But you never know.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Terry Jacks

Artist:Terry Jacks
Song:Seasons In the Sun
Album:Seasons In The Sun





Seasons In The Sun was a worldwide chart topper in 1974. It was the only big hit for Canadian singer songwriter Terry Jacks. He was born Mar. 29, 1944 in Winnipeg. He moved to Vancouver in the 60s. He had some success in the mid-60s with his group The Chessman. Then he met Susan Pesklevits. They married and formed The Poppy Family. After several hits including the worldwide smash hit Which Way You Goin', Billy?, they divorced and The Poppy Family ended. Seasons In The Sun was written by legendary French songwriter Jacques Brel. Poet Rod McKuen wrote the English lyrics as he did for many of Brel's songs. It had been recorded in the 60s by The Kingston Trio and The Fortunes. Jacks recorded Seasons in the Sun in his Vancouver studio. He pitched it to The Beach Boys. He was good friends with Al Jardine. They recorded it with Jacks producing. They decided not to release it. So Jacks decided to release it on his own label Goldfish Records. Bell Records picked it up for the US. Like most of Brel's songs, Seasons in the sun is supposed to be sardonic. But Jacks decided to give the song a more sentimental tone. He was criticized for that. But it didn't matter as Seasons in the Sun was a worldwide chart topper. Otherwise Jacks had modest success at the time. He recorded two albums and the produced Chilliwack, Nana Mouskouri and later on The Beach Boys. Seasons In The Sun was released on CD with bonus tracks in 2008. After recording a couple of albums in the 80s, Jacks left the music business to concentrate on producing films about the environment. This mostly has to do with pulp mill pollution in BC. He has won awards for his work. He continues to do that today. Here's Terry Jacks performing Seasons in the Sun on Beat Club in Germany 1974. This video is not on Youtube.
Terry Jacks | Seasons In The Sun by phatt

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mickey & Sylvia

Artist:Mickey & Sylvia
Song:Love Is Strange
Album:Love Is Strange





The 1956 classic Love Is Strange was the biggest hit for Mickey & Sylvia. Guitarist Mickey Baker was a very busy session musician in the early 50s. He worked with Atlantic Records artists like Ray Charles, Ruth Brown and Big Joe Turner. He also taught guitar to make extra money. Inspired by Les Paul & Mary Ford, he decided to form a duo with one of his students Sylvia Vanderpool. Mickey & Sylvia signed with RCA distributed Groove Records. The story goes that Mickey & Sylvia were opening for Bo Diddley in Washington, DC. Baker heard a guitar riff by Diddley's guitarist Jody Williams and Baker wrote Love Is Strange around that guitar riff. So the songwriting credit is Mickey & Sylvia and Ethel Smith who was Diddley's wife. Diddley recorded Love is Strange first but it was never released. Love Is Strange was the duo's third single. It topped the R&B charts and reached #11 on the pop charts in 1956. It's an all time classic record. They also charted with There Ought To Be A Law. But they only really had the one big hit. This CD covers Mickey & Sylvia's entire late 50s run. They split up in 1959 though they would reunite a couple of times. Sylvia married Joe Robinson and she became a hop hop pioneer as owner of Sugar Hill Records. As a recording artist, Baker went in a jazz direction. Then he moved to France in the early 60s and remained there until his 2012 death. He produced all kinds of French artists including Sylvie Vartan and Ronnie Bird. So Baker was a big part of the 60s French sound that is highly acclaimed today. Here's Mickey & Sylvia performing Love Is Strange on The Steve Allen Show 1956.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Monica

Artist:Monica
Song:Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)
Album:Miss Thang




R&B singer Monica Arnold was 15 years old when her debut single Don't Take it Personal was a top five pop hit. She became one of the best selling recording artists of the late 90s. She's still around but things ain't what they used to be. She was born Oct. 24, 1980 in College Park, GA. Her mom sang in church so of course Monica picked up that habit. She also entered a lot of talent contests. She sang with the gospel choir Charles Thompson and the Majestics. Monica was 11 when producer Dallas Austin saw her and signed her to his new label Rowdy Records. Austin was known for his success with TLC and Rowdy was distributed by Arista. He also asked Queen Latifah to be Monica's manager. Most of Monica's 1995 debut album Miss Thang was produced by Austin and the team of Tim & Bob. They took their time with it. Monica insisted on songs that were appropriate for teenagers. Don't Take It Personal was the debut single and it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Austin wrote and produced it. There are samples from LL Cool J's Back Seat of my Jeep and Public Enemy's Bring The Noise. Miss Thang was certified 3XPlatinum. But creative differences between Austin and Arista owner Clive Davis forced Davis to pull the plug on Rowdy. Monica moved to Arista. Austin still produced a lot of Monica's second CD This Boy Is Mine but Davis was running the show. Of course that album had Monica's biggest hit to date This Boy Is Mine, a duet with Brandy. That was a worldwide chart topper. Sony has released two Monica comps But neither one is any good. Miss Thang is available as a budget CD. Subsequent albums weren't as successful. Monica also dabbled in acting and reality TV. She still records for Sony. Her 2015 CD Code Red was on RCA. I just don't see her returning to her success of the 90s. She has had some success recording with gospel artists like James Fortune & FIYA. Monica is married to former NBA player Shannon Brown and they have three kids. Here's the video for Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days) by Monica.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Avril Lavigne

Artist:Avril Lavigne
Song:Complicated
Album:Let Go





For a few years, Canadian singer songwriter Avril Lavigne was one of the biggest stars in music. Now she's on the comeback trail after health problems. Complicated was her first big hit in 2002 and it really paved the way for her success. She was born Sept. 26, 1984 in Belleville, ON and she grew up in Napanee. Her dad played bass in the local church choir. He saw that Avril had talent so he brought her to sing in church. She performed country music covers at local fairs. In 1999, Avril won a radio contest to appear on stage with Shania Twain in Ottawa. She then worked with local singer Stephen Medd. She was spotted by a local manager and that led to Avril going to New York to audition for Arista Records president LA Reid. He signed her immediately. Then they had to figure out what to do with her. She worked with several different producers and Arista wasn't happy with the results. They brought in Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards and Scott Spock AKA The Matrix. After a modest singing career, Lauren formed The Matrix with ex-husband and session musician Edwards and recording engineer Spock. They had worked with Cristina Aguilera and O-Town. But Avril was their first big project. They wrote and produced six of the songs on Let Go including Complicated. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 6XPlatinum. Complicated had the skater punk edge that allowed Arista to sell Avril as the "anti-Britney", the opposite of processed pop music. Of course this was nonsense but music fans bought it at the time. Avril blamed the media for the false impression but Arista was behind it. For her 2004 album Under My Skin, Avril worked with singer songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk and husband Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace. They produced a mature harder sound. Don't Tell Me and Nobody's Home were hits but the album wasn't as successful as Let Go. By the time Avril recorded her 2007 album The Best Damn Thing, she was married to Sum 41 lead singer Deryck Whibley. So his influence was felt. The single Girlfriend was Avril's only number one hit and the album was successful. It took her three years to record her next album. And she also divorced Whibley. So by the time Goodbye Lullaby was released in 2011, fans forgot about Avril. And that's where she's at today. She married Nickelback leader Chad Kroeger and they are now divorcing. Avril suffers from Lyme's Disease but she is recovering. Last year she announced plans to record a Christmas album but there has been no release date set. Sony hasn't released an Avril Lavigne comp but Let Go is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Complicated by Avril Lavigne.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marcy Playground

Artist:Marcy Playground
Song:Sex and Candy
Album:Marcy Playground





Marcy Playground scored a top ten hit with Sex and Candy in 1997. Their debut CD was certified Platinum. But they never charted again. So Marcy Playground turned out to be a one hit wonder. The leader of Marcy Playground was lead singer, guitarist and songwriter John Wozniak. He grew up in Minneapolis and Marcy Playground is named after his grade school. Wozniak started out recording in  his bedroom studio with his girlfriend Sherry Fraser and her brother. The music was good enough that Wozniak decided he needed to move to New York to make it in the music business. So he moved to Long Island with his friend Jared Kotler. They recorded and played New York clubs. Capitol Records was interested in the demos and eventually signed Marcy Playground. But Wozniak found that he didn't get along with Kotler on the road. He brought in Dylan Keefe to play bass. Kotler played drums on Marcy Playground's debut album. But then he was replaced by Dan Rieser. I guess Wozniak didn't want Kotler on tour. But he continued to work with the band. Meanwhile Sex and Candy reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it was a worldwide hit. They released their second album Shapeshifter in 1999. By this time Kotler left Marcy Playground. The album didn't do well and there were no hit singles. So Capitol dropped them. Marcy Playground is available as a budget CD. Wozniak continued Marcy Playground. They toured as recently as 2012. But it looks like the band is defunct. And that means they are officially a one hit wonder. Here's the video for Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lee Wilkof and Michael Mulheren

Artist:Lee Wilkof and Michael Mulheren
Song:Brush Up Your Shakespeare
Album:Kiss Me, Kate: The New Broadway Cast Recording




Brush Up Your Shakespeare is a song from the musical Kiss Me, Kate that is used as comedy relief to set you up for the ending. Character actors not known for singing usually perform it. In the 1953 film, Brush Up Your Shakespeare is performed by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore. In this 1999 Broadway revival, it's performed by Lee Wilkof and Michael Mulheren. This successful revival won several Tony Awards and Wilkof and Mulheren were among those who got nominations. I would describe them as very versatile character actors. Wilkof was born June 25, 1951 in Canton, OH. His first big role was as Seymour in the 1982 off-Broadway musical Little Shop Of Horrors. Since then he has appeared in all kinds of Broadway revivals like Sweet Charity, Kiss Me, Kate and most recently Breakfast At Tiffany's. He has done film and TV. His best known role was as DA Nixon in the TV series Ally McBeal. Mulheren is from Middletown, NJ. He started out off-Broadway in the 80s in The Fantasticks. He made his Broadway debut in On The Waterfront in 1995. He also appeared in  Kiss Me, Kate, The Boy From Oz, La Cage Aux Folles and Spiderman: Turn Out The Dark. Most of his TV work has been guest shots though he is a regular on the WGN America series Salem. Neither guys would normally seek the spotlight. But those are the kind of actors who perform Brush Up Your Shaekespeare. And they got Tony nominations. Now get back to work. Here's Lee Wilkof and Michael Mulheren performing Brush Up Your Shakespeare on the 2000 Tony Awards broadcast.

Alexis Davis vs Sara McMann added to Dec. 3 UFC show

Sara McMann, Alexis Davis

Yesterday Brett Okomoto of ESPN reported that Alexis Davis vs Sara McMann has been added to The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale Dec. 3 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. This will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. Alexis is coming off of a pregnancy layoff. The last time we saw her she won over Sarah Kaufman by armbar in Apr. 2015. Alexis is from Port Colborne, ON but she trains at Gracie in Lodi, CA which means she's a Diaz sister. Her record is 17-6. She is most effective when she takes the fight to the ground and uses her jiu jitsu to get a submission. She has problems when she deviates from that. As a 2004 Olympic Silver medallist, Sara was highly touted. But she has been disappointing as an MMA fighter. She just doesn't seem to have the proper mentality for MMA to the point where she saw a sports psychologist before her last fight against Jessica Eye in May. It didn't seem to help much as both of them did so little in the first round that ref Big John McCarthy warned them at the beginning of round two. Sara won the fight but she didn't look good. She will need to be more aggressive to beat Alexis. BTW, Jessica said afterwards she let her friendship with Sara affect her performance in that fight. Now Jessica has announced she is taking a year off of MMA. I hear she might try acting. We'll see how this goes. You never know what a fighter will be like post pregnancy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-A Flock Of Seagulls

Artist:A Flock Of Seagulls
Song:I Ran (So Far Away)
Album:The Best Of A Flock Of Seagulls





I guess it could be said that the Synth Pop of A Flock Of Seagulls typifies the music of the early 80s. I Ran was their only big hit in the US but a couple of their other songs charted so they aren't a one hit wonder. Don't forget the goofy haircuts. A Flock Of Seagulls were from Liverpool, England. The group leader was lead singer and keyboard player Mike Score. He was a hairdresser which explains their haircuts. He says the name A Flock Of Seagulls comes from The Stranglers song Toiler of the Sea. Other members were Mike's brother Ali Score on drums and Frank Maudsley on bass. Guitarist Willie Woo was soon added and then replaced by Mark Reynolds. They practiced above Score's hair salon. They got a record deal with Cocteau Records owned by Be Bop Deluxe guitarist Bill Nelson and he sold their contract to Jive Records. After a couple of singles, they recorded the 1982 album A Flock Of Seagulls with producer Mike Howlett, bassist for the group Gong. The single I Ran (So Far Away) did OK in England. But it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was an international hit. This was probably because MTV played it to death which was not unusual in those days. The album A Flock Of Seagulls was certified Gold. Follow up singles Space Age Love Songs and Wishing charted. But they faded after that. You can get their hits on this budget comp. A Flock Of Seagulls recorded four albums. After personnel changes, they decided to move to Philadelphia in 1985. But Maudsley got homesick and the Score brothers were bickering. A Flock Of Seagulls split up in 1986. Mike Score formed a new version of A Flock Of Seagulls in 1989. And they've been around ever since. They last recorded in 1995 but they still tour. Here's the video of I Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock Of Seagulls.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Idris Muhammad

Artist:Idris Muhammad
Song:Power Of Soul
Album:Power Of Soul





Drummer Idris Muhammad was known as The King Of Groove. For most of his career, he was a sideman. But in the 70s, he recorded a series of albums for CTI's Kudu label that are greatly admired by hip hop guys. He was born Leo Morris Nov. 13, 1939 in New Orleans. As a teen, he played with Art Neville and Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield. Then he moved to New York and married The Crystals lead singer Dolores Brooks. They converted to Islam and Leo Brooks became Idris Muhammad. In the late 60s, Muhammad was in Leo Donaldson's band and he also played with George Benson and Pharoah Sanders. And he was the drummer for the Broadway musical Hair. Then he signed with Prestige Records and made his recording debut as a leader in 1970. And he recorded with Gene Ammons, Charles Earland, Melvin Sparks, Leon Spencer and Sonny Stitt. Then he moved to CTI Records and he recorded with Grover Washington Jr. and Hank Crawford. He also went on the road with Roberta Flack. The 1974 album Power Of Soul was Muhammad's first album on Kudu. Today his albums for Kudu are considered very influential on funk and Muhammad is frequently sampled by hip hop guys. Musicians on Power Of Soul are Grover Washington Jr. on sax, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Bob James on piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Gary King on bass and Ralph McDonald on percussion. This classic album is available as a budget CD. Muhammad left Kudu in 1978. After a couple of albums for Fantasy, Muhammad rarely recorded as a leader. He recorded with Pharoah Sanders and then he toured and recorded with pianist Ahmad Jamal for many years. Muhammad retired and moved to Florida. He died on July 29, 2014 at age 74. Here's a video for Power Of Soul by Idris Muhammad.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Millicent Martin

Artist:Millicent Martin
Song:I'm Still Here
Album:Side by Side by Sondheim:Original London Cast Recording




Millicent Martin is a very versatile performer equally adept in stage musicals, TV sitcoms and films. She has spent most of her career in England. But she scored a Tony nomination for her performance in the 1977 Broadway musical Side by Side by Sondheim. She was born June 8, 1934 in Romford, Essex, England. She started out on the stage and she made her first Broadway appearance in the 1954 musical The Boy Friend with Julie Andrews. She returned to England and appeared in shows like Expresso Bongo and The Crooked Mile. But what really got Millicent noticed was as a regular on the 1962 BBC weekly comedy show That Was The Week That Was. This led to her own series Mainly Millicent for three years in the 60s. Millicent also appeared in films like Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, Stop The World-I Want To Get Off and Alfie. In 1975, singer Cleo Laine and husband John Dankworth asked actor David Kernan to put together a revue for a benefit show. He decided to do a Stephen Sondheim revue and he invited some of his friends to perform including Millicent Martin. When producer Cameron Mackintosh saw the show, he decided to bring it to London's West End and then Broadway. It was a huge success and Millicent, Kernan, Ned Sherrin and Julia McKenzie all scored Tony nominations. The show contains songs from various Sondheim shows. I'm Still Here is from Follies. The original cast album is from the London show but the cast was the same on Broadway. It is not available on CD but you can get it on mp3. Millicent also got a Tony nomination for the 1978 show King Of Hearts. She returned to England and appeared a lot on British TV in the 80s. She continues to do that and she also appears on US TV. Fans of Frasier with recognize her as the recurring character Gertrude Moon (Daphne's mother). Recently she has appeared on Modern Family, Hot In Cleveland and 2 Broke Girls. So Millicent Martin is still in demand at age 82. That's pretty good. Here's Millicent Martin performing I'm Still Here on the 1977 Tony Awards broadcast.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dan Hill

Artist:Dan Hill
Song:Sometimes When We Touch
Album:Love Of My Life: The Best Of Dan Hill





Canadian singer songwriter Dan Hill scored his biggest hit with the unabashed weeper Sometimes When We Touch. He had some other hits but this is his most memorable song. He was born June 3, 1954 in Toronto. His father Daniel Hill was the first commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. His brother and sister are writers. Hill dropped out of high school at age 17 to work for RCA Canada as a songwriter. In 1975, he signed with GRT Records in Canada and 20th Century in the US. GRT was a US audio tape manufacturer who had success in Canada as a record label in the 70s. Hill had success in Canada with the 1975 single You Make Me Want To Be. Hill had written Sometimes When We Touch for an unattainable girlfriend. He took it to legendary songwriter Barry Mann who reconfigured the song. Hill recorded it for his 1977 album Longer Fuse in Toronto with producer Matthew McCauley. The musicians who are in the video below include Don Potter and Bob Mann on guitar, Bobby Ogdin on piano, Tom Szczesniak on bass, Larrie Londin on drums and Fred Mollin on percussion. Sometimes When We Touch topped the Canadian charts and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's one of those songs that still gets played despite being thought of as one of the worst records of all time. Even Hill got tired of hearing it but it sure made him a lot of money. Soon after, GRT and 20th Century both closed and Hill signed with Columbia. His second big hit came in 1987 with the top ten hit Can't We Try, a duet with Vonda Shepherd. The song was used in the daytime soap Santa Barbara. Hill wrote that song with his wife. You can get both hits on this comp. Dan Hill last recorded in 2010 so he's still around. But most of his recent success has been as a songwriter, most significantly the 1999 hit I Do (Cherish You) by 98 Degrees. So yeah, he still writes weepy songs. Here's the video for Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Dwarf Chorus

Artist:The Dwarf Chorus
Song:Heigh-Ho
Album:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Story




Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the very first movie with a soundtrack release. Movie soundtracks were not common until the 50s. But today it's unusual for a film to not have a soundtrack CD. Just another Walt Disney innovation. Of course Snow White was the very first full length animated feature. Obviously it was a huge hit. The film score was written by Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith. Harline, Frank Churchill and Larry Morey wrote the songs. Heigh-Ho is one of the most popular songs from the film performed by The Dwarf Chorus. So who was in The Dwarf Chorus? Well, there was Roy Atwell who played Doc, Pinto Colvig who played Grumpy. Colvig is best known as the voice of Goofy and he is one of the all time great voice actors. There was Billy Gilbert who played Sneezy. Gilbert was a comic actor known for his work with Laurel and Hardy. Otis Harlan played Happy and Scotty Mattraw played Bashful. Disney has this bad habit of releasing CDs and DVDs of its films for a limited time and they are out of print for years. Back in 1937, the soundtrack was released on 78s. They released a full soundtrack on CD for Snow White in 1993. But it is out of print and this 1987 version which comes with a storybook is the only version available. Maybe it's time for a rerelease. Here's The Dwarf Chorus performing Heigh-Ho from the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Teddy Riley

Artist:Teddy Riley f/Tammy Lucas
Song:Is It Good To You
Album:Juice: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack




Of course Teddy Riley invented New Jack Swing. He was the leader of Guy and Blackstreet. But he has rarely recorded as Teddy Riley. Is It Good To You is from the 1992 film Juice and the soundtrack was very successful. Riley was born Oct. 8, 1967 in Harlem, NY. As a child, Riley played piano in church. His uncle owned the club The Rooftop and he built a studio in the club and Riley spent a lot of time there. He formed a partnership with Gene Griffin and they formed Guy. The group was successful but Riley and Griffin split up and that killed Guy. Meanwhile Riley was producing all kinds of hits for Keith Sweat, Johnny Kemp, Bobby Brown, The Winans and Michael Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous. After Guy folded and before Riley started Blackstreet, the soundtrack for the 1992 film Juice was being put together by producers Gary G-Wiz and Hank Shocklee and MCA Records exec Kathy Nelson. The goal was to produce a film soundtrack that would outsell New Jack City. So Riley was asked to contribute a song. Others on the soundtrack include Eric B & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Aaron Hall and Salt N' Pepa. Riley was between groups so this was the first time he recorded as Teddy Riley. The singer Tammy Lucas sounds great but she recorded a total of one single as a solo artist. She did appear on the 1996 A Tribe Called Quest single 1nce Again. But she had success writing songs usually with Riley. She wrote songs for Stephanie Mills, The Winans and Starpoint. The rapper in the video is Aqil Davidson of Wrecks-N-Effect. He appears in the remix that is not on the Juice soundtrack CD. Is It Good To You was one of four singles from the Juice soundtrack that charted. So it was successful and it's recommended to New Jack Swing fans. Riley returned to his production schedule and of course Blackstreet. Here's the video for Is It Good To You by Teddy Riley featuring Tammy Lucas and Aqil Davidson.

Analysis of Invicta FC 20 full card

Yesterday it was announced that Invicta FC 20 will be Nov. 18 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City. This show will be headlined by two title matches. My first reaction to the card is that the title matches are weak and of course that makes the card weak. The first of two title matches will have Tonya Evinger defending her Invicta Bantamweight Championship against Yana Kunitskaya. Who? That was my initial reaction. And after examining her fight record, Yana Kunitskaya has no business getting a title shot. Not only is it her Invicta debut but it's her first fight outside Europe. It makes no sense. Yana trains in Lithuania. Her record is 9-2. She is 26 years old. Most of her fights have been on the Russian regional circuit. Her latest fight is a win over Yanan Wu on the Sept. 4 Fightspirit show in Russia. I don't see any justification for this matchmaking. And in a main event championship match. In the co-main event, Angela Hill will defend her Invicta Strawweight Championship against Kaline Medeiros. Of course the problem here is the top two contenders aren't available. Alexa Grasso is now in the UFC and MIZUKI blew out her knee. The problem is Kaline's two Invicta fights were over subpar competition. In an Atomweight match former Invicta Atomweight champ Herica Tiburcio will face Simona Soukupova.  Herica needs a win as she is on a two fight losing streak. Simona is 39 years old so you know I don't like that. She tends to alternate wins and losses. And in a Strawweight bout, Ashley Yoder will face Amber Brown. Ashley was in TUF 23. Most of the fighters from the show weren't very good. This is her Invicta debut. I like Amber as an Atomweight but not as a Strawweight. I wouldn't book her in a 115lb fight. Now the prelims. In a Bantamweight bout, Jessy-Rose Clark AKA Jessy Jess will face Pam Sorenson. Jessy in an internet favourite from Australia. Her record is 6-2 but she lost her previous Invicta fight last year. From what I have seen, most of the Aussie fighters should move to the US for better training. I don't see her as any different. I wouldn't bring her back. Pam is from Minnesota. All her fights were for King Of The Cage in the Midwest. She is making her Invicta debut. In a Strawweight bout, Lynn Alvarez will face JJ Aldrich. I don't like either of them. Lynn made her pro debut in 2007 and her record is 6-4. She hasn't impressed me when I have seen her. If a fighter has been around that long and is still in the prelims, maybe someone is telling you something. JJ is another fighter from TUF 23. She's been in Invicta before. I'm not crazy about her. A fight was announced for Swiss Featherweight Stephanie Egger. Opponent TBA. And the opener will be a Strawweight bout. Miranda Maverick will face Stephanie Diaz. Both fighters will be making Invicta debuts. Miranda is also making her pro debut. She is 19 years old from Springfield, MO. Stephanie is 23 years old from Chicago. Her record is 5-0 and she has fought for King Of The Cage. So there you have it. As I said, the challenger in the main event really kills this show. Never book an unknown fighter in a main event championship match.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Lloyd & Le Disc

Artist:Michael Lloyd & Le Disc
Song:De Todo Un Poco
Album:20th Anniversary Edition





Michael Lloyd is a music producer best known for his work in films. He's not a film composer like Jerry Goldsmith. But what he usually does is compile music for soundtracks. The 1987 film Dirty Dancing is probably Lloyd's biggest success. He also performed some Latin music in the film as Michael Lloyd & Le Disc though it is not known who is actually performing. He was born Nov. 3, 1948 in New York City. Lloyd studied piano as a child. He was in bands as a teen. Tower Records was a Capitol Records subsidiary specializing in soundtracks. Lloyd was hired to work with Mike Curb and Kim Fowley and that's what he did in the 60s. He worked on all kinds of crazy things including the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and all kinds of Fowley projects. Lloyd went to MGM Records with Curb and produced The Osmonds among other groups in the 70s. His first big hit was the 1971 Lou Rawls hit Natural Man. His group Cotton Lloyd and Christian had chart success with their 1976 cover of the Del Shannon song I Go To Pieces. He also produced Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett. In the 80s, he was hired to produce the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. It became the best selling soundtrack of all time. There were a lot of oldies on that soundtrack. But Lloyd produced all of the original music including the hit Time Of My Life. Lloyd also recorded the Latin music used in dance contest sequences as Michael Lloyd & Le Disc. These recordings first appeared on the album More Dirty Dancing and also appear on the 20th Anniversary Edition which is available as a budget CD. From what I can tell, the musicians are not identified. So I can only assume that Lloyd used studio musicians. Lloyd still works on the occasional film soundtrack. But there's no question Dirty Dancing was his biggest success in his career. Here's Michael Lloyd & Le Disc performing De Todo Un Poco as it appeared in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.

Milana Dudieva vs Marion Reneau added to Nov. 19 UFC show

Today the UFC announced that Milana Dudieva vs Marion Reneau has bern added to UFC Fight Night 99 Nov. 19 at the SSE Arena in Dublin, Ireland. This show will air on UFC Fight Pass. The Russian Dudieva is coming back from maternity leave. Her UFC record is 1-1 but she looked terrible in both fights. And I had seen her before she came to the UFC and she's just not very good. Marion is from California trained by Bellator fighter Doug Marshall. She won her first two UFC fights. But she lost her last two. And in her Feb. fight against Ashlee Evans-Smith, they both looked bad doing this light sparring nonsense. Ashlee won by split decision but it was one of those fights that should be a no decision for inactivity. And Marion is 39 years old. So the clock is ticking. So I'm not expecting much from this potential snoozer.

Paige VanZant vs Michelle Waterson to main event Dec. 17 UFC show

On last night's episode of UFC Tonight, UFC President Dana White announced that Paige VanZant vs Michelle Waterson will main event UFC on FOX 22 Dec. 17 at the Golden1 Center in Sacramento. This show will air on CTV2 in Canada. It's a home game for Paige as she trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. The last time we saw Paige she did nothing for one round. Then she came out for the second round and knocked out Bec Rawlings with a switch kick to the head. A spectacular finish to be sure. But I don't think it helped Paige much. And afterwards, Bec told anyone who would listen "She still hasn't beaten anyone". And when Paige did fight a top fighter, she lost badly to Rose Namajunas. She was terrible in that first round against Bec. She was trying to do too much fancy stuff. And her corner told her to knock it off between rounds. So maybe that mainstream success on Dancing With The Stars is influencing her fighting. Of course Michelle is a veteran. She is a former Invicta Atomweight Champion. So she is undersized for a Strawweight and in the past she has had problems at 115. Also, Michelle sometimes fights this Greg Jackson light sparring style that results in boring fights. Michelle was supposed to fight Aisling Daly in September in Hamburg, Germany but both fighters got injured. Michelle broke her hand and posted the x-ray on Twitter. So this is a five round fight that could be a major league snoozer if both of them go the light sparring route. I sure hope not.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Badly Drawn Boy

Artist:Badly Drawn Boy
Song:Once Around The Block
Album:The Hour of Bewilderbeast





British singer songwriter Damon Gough calls himself Badly Drawn Boy. Though he has had some commercial success in England, he has a loyal cult following and he doesn't seem to care much about hit singles. He was born Oct. 2, 1969 in Dunstable, England and he grew up in Bolton. Gough says that Bruce Springsteen is his main influence. The name Badly Drawn Boy is from the TV show Sam and the Magic Ball. Gough was playing clubs in Manchester when he met DJ Andy Votel and the two decided to form Twisted Nerve Records. They are distributed by XL Recordings, best known as Adele's label. They tend to leave their artists alone and not put pressure on to have commercial success. After releasing a couple of EPs, Badly Drawn Boy released his debut album The Hour of Bewilderbeast in 2000. Once Around The Block was the first single. He won the Mercury Prize so it charted in England but where he's had most of his success is in the Indie Rock market. So he has a very loyal cult following. Gough composed the score for the 2002 film About A Boy and he's worked on a couple more film scores since then. In fact his latest CD Being Flynn is the score for a 2012 film. Gough Told The Guardian he has been dealing with depression and a creative dry spell. In 2015 he released an expanded 15th anniversary edition of Hour of the Bewilderbeast and he has been touring England. Here's the video for Once Around The Block by Badly Drawn Boy.

Amanda Nunes vs Ronda Rousey set for Dec. 30 UFC show

UFC President Dana White went on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports 1 to announce that Amanda Nunes will defend her UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Ronda Rousey on UFC 207 Dec. 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. I guess Ronda's return is a big surprise to some but I always thought she would return in 2017 and I have known about this fight for a month. White always said that Ronda would get a title shot when she returns. So I don't know why anyone would be surprised by this. The PPV buys for this fight will probably set a new record. Now if Ronda wasn't returning until the summer then Juliana Pena would have got the title shot. Now she's threatening to leave the UFC. Money talks. This fight is scheduled for five rounds. But neither fighter likes to dance around so I don't expect it to get out of the first round. Someone is going down early but I don't know who. White also said that Ronda will fight Cris Cyborg. Of course he didn't say when or at what weight. So I don't take that seriously yet. I'm sure we will all tune in to see the New Year's Eve fireworks.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Raitt and Doris Day

Artist:John Raitt and Doris Day
Song:There Once Was A Man
Album:The Pajama Game: Original Film Soundtrack




John Raitt is best known as Bonnie Raitt's father. But he was one of the all time great Broadway musical performers. And though he appeared on TV frequently, he rarely appeared in a film version of a Broadway musical...except for The Pajama Game. Usually the film studio wanted a movie star to sell the film. and as great as he was, Raitt was not a movie star. The Pajama Game premiered on Broadway in 1954. The music was written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is about labour unrest at a pajama factory. But that's just a backdrop for a lot of great musical numbers. The show was a big hit on Broadway. Raitt starred with Janis Paige. Warner Bros. decided to keep most of the Broadway cast for the 1957 film. But they needed a movie star for one of the leads. Their plan was for Frank Sinatra to star with Janis Paige. When Sinatra turned it down, the female lead was offered to Doris Day and Raitt was kept to star with her. Of course the film is great fun and it was a big success. And the soundtrack is available as a budget CD. Raitt also starred in the Broadway productions of Carousel and Oklahoma. But The Pajama Game was the only time he got to do the film version of one of those shows. So it's a great chance to watch John Raitt in the context of an entire show. Normally you have to watch clips of TV appearances on Youtube. It's too bad he didn't get to do more films. Here's John Raitt and Doris Day performing There Once Was A Man from the 1957 film The Pajama Game.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tom Tom Club

Artist:Tom Tom Club
Song:Genius Of Love
Album:Tom Tom Club





Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer husband Chris Frantz formed Tom Tom Club as something to do when Talking Heads weren't touring. So they were very surprised when Genius Of Love topped the dance charts in 1981. It was a little embarrassing because there was a time when Tom Tom Club did better on the charts than Talking Heads. The Tom Tom Club came out of the Compass Point All Stars built in the Bahamas by Island Records owner Chris Blackwell. The idea was for CPAS to be a Jamaican version of studio groups like Muscle Shoals in Alabama or The Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles. The CPAS worked on albums by Grace Jones and Robert Palmer among others. So the 1981 debut album Tom Tom Club was recorded at CPAS featuring British guitarist Adrian Belew, Tina's three sisters on vocals and CPAS regulars Tyrone Downie on keyboards and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson on percussion. So obviously Tom Tom Club was supposed to have a Reggae vibe that Talking Heads didn't have. The big surprise was when the singles Wordy Rappinghood and Genius Of Love both topped the dance charts and Genius Of Love reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's also one of the most sampled songs in history, most notably by Mariah Carey on her 1995 hit Fantasy. The song was never intended to be that big. The Tom Tom Club CD is available on CD and it's also available in an expanded Deluxe Edition. Tom Tom Club have recorded occasionally usually when Talking Heads is on hiatus. But none of their albums have had the success of that first album and the single Genius Of Love. Here's the video of Genius Of Love by Tom Tom Club.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Blackfoot

Artist:Blackfoot
Song:Train, Train
Album:Greatest Hits





The Southern rock group Blackfoot started out in the 70s and had success beginning with the 1979 album Strikes featuring the hits Highway Song and Train, Train. The success continued into the 80s and they are still around today. Blackfoot is from Jacksonville, FL led by lead singer and guitarist Rickey Medlocke. He is the grandson of bluegrass music legend Shorty Medlocke and Train, Train was written by Shorty Medlocke. In 1969, Medlocke and bassist Greg T. Walker formed the band Fresh Garbage with guitarist Charlie Hargrett. When that didn't work out, they formed a new band called Hammer with drummer Jakson Spires. When they found there was already a band called Hammer, they changed their name to Blackfoot when it was discovered that three of the four had American Indian heritage. But things weren't going well and for a while Medlocke was a member of an early version of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Blackfoot reformed in 1974 and they recorded a couple of albums at Muscle Shoals, AL. The problem was the albums were on two different labels and they went nowhere. They got a break while backing up former Black Oak Arkansas backup singer Ruby Starr. They met Brownsville Station producer Al Nalli and he got them a deal with Atco Records. The 1979 album Strikes did well and the singles Highway Song and Train, Train both charted. So now they are touring successfully opening for big name bands. Medlocke decided to tinker with Blackfoot's sound by adding former Uriah Heep keyboard player Ken Hensley. He also brought in Bobby Barth to replace Hargrett in 1984. But their albums weren't selling and Blackfoot disbanded in 1986. But Medlocke formed a new Blackfoot in an attempt at a more mainstream rock sound. It didn't work out and Atco dropped them in 1987. This budget comp covers Blackfoot's Atco recordings. Blackfoot continued in the 90s. Medlocke joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1996 and soon disbanded Blackfoot. In 2004, the other members of Blackfoot reformed for a few years. Medlocke continues with Lynyrd Skynyrd and he produces a new version of Blackfoot. He's not actually in the band because he's busy with his other gig. This version of Blackfoot released a new CD in August and they are on tour. Here's Blackfoot performing Train, Train at the Hammersmith Odeon in London 1983.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tag Team

Artist:Tag Team
Song:Whoomp! (There It Is)
Album:ABC Monday Night Football Jamz





Here's a record that was one of the biggest hits of 1993 and a big party and sports anthem. The Green Bay Packers and The New York Yankees have used it extensively. But it was also a one hit wonder that bankrupted its record company. The two guys behind Tag Team went to high school together in Denver. There was Cecil Glenn AKA DC The Brain Supreme and Steve Gibson AKA Steve Roll'n. Both guys became DJs and moved to Atlanta. Whoomp! (There It Is) was based on the 1980 disco hit I'm Ready by the Italian group Kano and the song Whoot, There It Is by the Miami group 95 South. The phrase Whoomp! (There It Is) comes from Florida strippers working in Atlanta. Of course the record was a huge hit. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it also became a big sports anthem. The song is on this Monday Night Football CD. Tag Team were everywhere for a while. But afterwards Tag Team's label Bellmark owned by former Stax exec Al Bell was sued by Kano for an illegally used sample and that forced Bellmark into bankruptcy. And that was the end of Tag Team. They recorded two albums and they were officially a one hit wonder. Glenn went back to DJing. But Gibson got into selling drugs and that landed him in jail. They made some money when Will Ferrell used Whoomp! (There It Is) in the 2003 film Elf. Then more recently someone at Gawker thought he saw President Barack Obama in the video. It was actually a rapper named LA Sno. So the song still makes Tag Team a few bucks once in a while. It's better to be a one hit wonder than a no hit wonder. Here's the video for Whoomp! (There It Is) by Tag Team. Thanks to Denver's 5280 Magazine for the info about Tag Team.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frankie Valli

Artist:Frankie Valli
Song:Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Album:The Very Best Of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons




Of course Frankie Valli is best known as lead singer of The Four Seasons, And most fans should be familiar with Valli's 70s solo recordings. But the 1967 top five hit Can't Take My Eyes Off You was Valli's first solo hit. Most fans probably think it was a Four Seasons song. Of course The Four Seasons were one of the top groups of the 60s. Before that Valli recorded unsuccessfully as Frankie Valley and Frankie Tyler. The Four Seasons recordings were written and produced by Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio and veteran producer Bob Crewe. Apparently Gaudio always planned to spin Valli off as a solo artist. One would think he would wait until The Four Seasons ended their successful run before doing that. But Gaudio wanted off the road so he decided to do things differently. Of course the risk was fans wouldn't recognize Valli as a solo artist. The records weren't much different except Valli sang in falsetto with The Four Seasons and he sang in his natural voice as a solo artist. Mercury Records agreed to release Valli's solo album on Smash while The Four Seasons were on Philips. At the time, The Four Seasons were on the charts with Let's Hang On. The Frankie Valli album was called Solo. But when the first four singles weren't hits, Valli thought it was because Mercury didn't promote them so they wouldn't detract from The Four Seasons. So for Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Valli hired his own promotion team. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Valli then released a second solo album Timeless in 1968. But by this time, music had changed and The Four Seasons faded. Valli's next solo hit was My Eyes Adored You in 1975. You can get both hits on this budget comp. Can't Take My Eyes Off You is still a popular song. But I think most fans think it is a Four Seasons hit, not a Frankie Valli Solo hit. Here's Frankie Valli performing Can't Take My Eyes Off You 1967.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jackie Mittoo

Artist:Jackie Mittoo
Song:P Cafe
Album:The Keyboard King at Studio One





Jackie Mittoo was an important figure in Jamaican music first as co-founder of The Skatalites and then as musical director at Studio One in the mid-60s. Then he moved to Toronto and was a big part of the music scene there. Though Mittoo recorded under his own name, most of his contribution to Jamaican music was as a producer and arranger. He was born Mar. 9, 1948 in Brown's Town, Jamaica. He started playing piano at age four and as a teen, he played in groups like The Vagabonds and The Vikings. He started hanging around Federal Studios where he met Coxsone Dodd and Dodd would use Mittoo when the scheduled pianist didn't show up. In the early 60s, Mittoo had success with The Shieks. But when Dodd opened Studio One in 1963, he hired Mittoo as musical director. So he produced all the singers that came through Studio One. And he formed the pioneering group The Skatalites with Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Lloyd Brevitte, Lester Sterling, Lloyd Knibb and Johnny Moore. After The Skatalites split up in 1965, Mittoo continued to produce Studio One artists and release music as Jackie Mittoo and under other group names. This was mostly instrumental music. P Cafe was on The Soul Bros. 1967 album Hot Shot. Musicians were Dennis Campbell on sax, Bobby Ellis on trumpet, Harry Haughon on guitar, Bryan Atkinson on bass and Joe Isaacs on drums. Mittoo's organ is really sweet. The Soul Bros. had different musicians depending on who was in the studio at the time. This CD is a good sampling of Mittoo's Studio One work. Mittoo moved to Toronto in 1969. He continued to record and produce local reggae artists. And he owned his own record shop on Eglinton Ave. W. in the heart of Toronto's Jamaican community. Mittoo was supposed to be a part of the 1989 Skatalites reunion. But poor health forced him to back out and he died of cancer on Dec. 16, 1990 at age 42. A sad and premature end for a Jamaican music legend. Here's a video of P Cafe by Jackie Mittoo.

Tatiana Suarez vs Juliana Lima added to Dec. 9 UFC show

Tatiana Suarez, Juliana Lima

Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting reported today that Tatiana Suarez vs Juliana Lima has been added to UFC Fight Night 102 Dec. 9 at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. Tatiana is from California. She won TUF 23 with a submission win over Amanda Bobby Cooper in the finale. Most of the fighters from that show weren't very good but Tatiana is really good. I don't expect her to have much trouble with Juliana. The Brazilian is 2-2 in the UFC. Her last fight was a loss to Carla Esparza. She's not very good and doesn't belong in the UFC. I don't think TV coverage for this show has been announced but I expect this fight to air on the prelims.

Valerie Letourneau vs Poliana Botelho added to Dec. 10 UFC show

Valerie Letourneau, Poliana Botelho

Last night the UFC announced that Valerie Letourneau vs Poliana Botelho has been added to UFC 206 Dec. 10 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto. I expect this to air on the prelims on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. This was first reported last week by Combate in Brazil but I wanted to know the weight class. The UFC has decided to do this at Strawweight though it should be at Flyweight. I thought we all agreed that we didn't want Valerie dropping to 115 anymore. Her last fight against Joanne Calderwood was at 125. And all of Poliana's fights have been at 125. Her record is 6-1 and she is the XFC Flyweight Champion. She trains at Nova Uniao. Valerie is a Montreal native but she now trains at American Top Team in Florida. So we have two fighters who would be better off fighting at 125. So why is this fight at 115? I know what you're thinking. Didn't Dana White recently say they won't start any new weight classes? I think a lot of you just read the headlines and don't read the full article. Because if you read the full article, he actually says there are no plans to start a 145lb division but starting a 125lb division is inevitable. Well if it's inevitable, stop forcing Valerie to drop to 115. Normally I wouldn't think that the UFC newcomer is the favourite. But Poliana is from a great camp and she has won some high profile fights in Brazil. This will be her first fight outside Brazil. And she has won most of her fights by TKO. We'll see how hard she can punch.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Herbie Nichols Trio

Artist:Herbie Nichols Trio
Song:Lady Sings The Blues
Album:Herbie Nichols Trio





Pianist Herbie Nichols is forgotten because he only recorded a handful of albums for Blue Note in the 50s and then he died prematurely. His music is worth checking out. Lady Sings The Blues is his best known composition. He was born Jan. 3, 1919 in the San Juan Hill section of Manhattan in New York City. His parents were from the Caribbean. Nichols began playing piano at age nine and he studied at the Community College of New York. After serving in World War II, Nichols played for several bands on the emerging bebop scene. But to make a living as a musician, he was a member of the Dixieland band Rex Stewart and his Dixielanders. Nichols wrote the music for Lady Sings The Blues and then he gave it to Billie Holiday and she wrote the lyrics. He did not appear on her 1956 recording of the song. But Nichols did get a deal with Blue Note Records. The 1956 album Herbie Nichols Trio was his third and final album on Blue Note with Al McKibbon on bass and Max Roach on drums. After one more album on Bethlehem, Nichols was diagnosed with leukemia and he died on Apr. 12, 1963 at age 44. Blue Note has released some comps but all are out of print. Herbie Nichols Trio is available on CD. Jazz fans should check it out. Jazz musicians know about Nichols. In the 90s, Ben Allison led the tribute band The Herbie Nichols Project. Here's a video for Lady Sings The Blues by Herbie Nichols Trio.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lou Gramm

Artist:Lou Gramm
Song:Just Between You And Me
Album:Long Hard Look





Of course Lou Gramm is best known as the lead singer of the popular 80s group Foreigner. But he had success as a solo artist in the late 80s. He had two top ten hits including Just Between You And Me in 1989. He was born Louis Grammatico May 2, 1950 in Rochester, NY. His mom was a singer and his dad played trumpet. He started out playing in bands in high school. And one of those bands Black Sheep released two albums on Capitol in the mid-70s. They split up after their equipment truck wrecked and they couldn't afford to tour. Gramm had gone to a Spooky Tooth concert and he gave Mick Jones a copy of Black Sheep's album in hopes of touring with them. When Spooky Tooth split up, Jones was looking for a lead singer for a new band. That band was Foreigner and Gramm was lead singer. Foreigner was very successful for the next decade. But Jones and Gramm had a very volatile relationship. Gramm released the solo album Ready Or Not in 1987. Gramm produced the album and wrote most of the songs with Black Sheep bassist Bruce Turgon including the top five hit Midnight Blue. Gramm's dad even played trumpet on the album. So Jones kicked Gramm out of Foreigner. He returned to finish the 1987 album Inside Information. Gramm released his second solo album Long Hard Look in 1989. By then, he left Foreigner. This album was produced by Peter Wolf of J. Geils Band. Just Between You And Me reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm sure Gramm could have been successful if he had continued his solo career. But instead he formed Shadow King. They released a 1991 album and split up when guitarist Viv Campbell joined Def Leppard. Gramm went into rehab and was a born again Christian when he got out. He reluctantly rejoined Foreigner in 1998. By then Gramm had surgery for a brain tumour and he has had health problems since then. He left Foreigner in 2003 to form a band with his brothers. Gramm released a Christian rock album in 2009. He currently tours as Lou Gramm the voice of Foreigner playing his old hits on the nostalgia circuit. Here's the video for Just Between You And Me by Lou Gramm.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sasha Banks vs Charlotte

Here's the match video of Sasha Banks vs Charlotte. It was the main event of last night's episode of RAW. This was the first time since 2004 that women were in the main event of RAW. And that alone makes it worth posting on the blog. So Sasha won the title in August and then Charlotte regained it at SummerSlam. Apparently the WWE was concerned about Sasha's back. But it wasn't serious and Sasha got the rematch last night. Thirty seconds into the match, Sasha hits a suicide dive to the outside. For a change, Charlotte catches her properly. Then they go for a commercial. When we return, Charlotte is in control working on Sasha's back. Sasha gets a few hope spots. But for the most part, Charlotte is in control. At one point, Charlotte goes to the top turnbuckle probably to do a moonsault. Instead she does a Sky Twister Press and she was offline but Sasha catches her. I don't expect Michael Cole to know what a Sky Twister Press is but long time joshi puroresu fans will know that it was the signature move of 90s All Japan Women wrestler Chapparita ASARI. So someone backstage (probably Sara Del Ray) knew that. And the ironic thing is ASARI usually missed that move and would then lose the match. I'm pretty sure Charlotte didn't know that. The turning point of the match is when Sasha kicks out of Charlotte's Natural Selection finisher and then Sasha wins with her Banks Statement finisher. The post match reaction from both wrestlers is perfect. And there are rumours that they will do a Hell In A Cell match. The WWE has never done a women's HIAC match. HHH is probably pushing for it over the objections of Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn. It will be very interesting to see if they actually do this. Meanwhile, enjoy the video of this historic match.
Raw Women's Championship: Charlotte © vs... by therackattackvideos