AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Shawn Mendes

Artist:Shawn Mendes
Song:Stitches
Album:Handwritten Revisited





Teen pop singer Shawn Mendes gained a following by posting videos on Youtube and Vine. It got him a record deal and multi platinum record sales. It remains to be seen if he has longevity. The 2015 single Stitches is his biggest hit to date. He was born Aug. 8, 1998 in Toronto. His father is Portuguese and he sells restaurant supplies. His mom is a real estate agent. Mendes grew up in Pickering east of Toronto. Mendes learned to play guitar from Youtube tutorials. Then he started posting videos. A 2013 cover of the Justin Bieber hit Boyfriend on Vine blew up and this led to a contract with Island Records. His debut single Life Of The Party reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by an EP in Aug. 2014. He went on tour and he won a Teen Choice award. The album Handwritten was released Apr. 2015. Stitches was the third single and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Mendes writes most of his songs with whoever the producer is. Handwritten was written and produced by Daniel Parker, Teddy Geiger and Daniel "Daylight" Kyriakides. Geiger is the key person as she has worked on all three of Mendes' albums. She produced most of the 2018 CD Shawn Mendes. Handwritten is available in a Revisited version with four bonus live tracks. So now Mendes is a big star. Except subsequent albums haven't sold as well. And Stitches is still his biggest hit single. Singles from his latest album didn't crack the top ten. He is touring in 2019 to support his latest album. Maybe that will help. But if sales keep sliding, Mendes will have to do something to reverse that. Or maybe try acting. He has done some modelling for Armani. We will see if Mendes has longevity. Here's the video for Stitches by Shawn Mendes.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-System of a Down

Artist:System of a Down
Song:Aerials
Album:Toxicity





The hard rock group System of a Down (SOAD) had success as an album and touring band mostly in the Alternative Rock market. They are still around but they haven't released new music since 2006. SOAD all grew up in the Armenian community in Los Angeles. Serj Tankian is lead singer, songwriter and keyboard player. He met guitarist Daron Malakian at a recording studio in 1992. They formed the band Soil with two other guys but they played one show and split up. That's when SOAD was formed. Shavo Odadjian was Soil's manager but he became SOAD's bassist. The group name came from a poem Malakian wrote called Victims of a Down. Odadjian changed it to System of a Down because he thought it was a better name. Malakian brought in his friend Ontronik "Andy" Khatchaturian to play drums. SOAD started playing Los Angeles clubs in 1995. They recorded some demos. By 1997 they were playing bigger clubs like Whiskey A Go Go and that's when producer Rick Rubin saw them and he signed them to his American label with Colunbia distribution. By that time Khatchaturian was forced to leave due to a hand injury and John Dolmayan replaced him. SOAD's 1998 debut CD System of a Down did well. It was certified Platinum despite no hit singles. Their videos were played heavily on MTV and they toured constantly. They were going to launch the 2001 CD Toxicity with a free concert in Hollywood. It was in a parking lot set up for 3,500 fans. When thousands more showed up, police cancelled the show due to safety concerns. But no announcement was made and it became a riot scene. Toxicity was certified 3XPlatinum so it did well. Aerials is their biggest hit single because it topped the Alternative Rock chart and did well internationally. And their tour was a success. The album is available as a budget CD. They turned some unreleased Toxicity demos into Steal This Album! after the songs were on the internet. They released their next album in stages, first Mezmerize in May 2005 and then Hypnotize in Nov. 2005. The albums did very well. Malakian wrote most of the songs and sang lead. B.Y.O.B. reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it won a Grammy. After touring, SOAD went on hiatus. They reunited in 2010. Since then they have toured but there has been no new music due to internal conflicts. Tankian and Malakian can't seem to agree on what the album should be. And until they do, there will be no new music. Here's the video for Aerials by System of a Down.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Oct. 29, 2018

UFC Fight Night and WWE Evolution review.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane defending her NXT Women's Championship vs Shayna Baszler. The match is very similar to the Brooklyn match. Shayna is the bully but she underestimates Kairi. So I want to talk about the ending. I thought at first it was botched. Now I think they used the wrong camera angle and it made the ref look inept. Jessica Carr has worked NXT TV and this is her first big show. Kairi throws Shayna into the front row. And I remember thinking that Shayna's pals were there. And sure enough Jessamyn Duke attacks Kairi and Kairi lands a back fist. Kairi gets back into the ring and Marina Shafir comes up on the apron and tries to attack Kairi. Kairi hits her with a back fist. The camera angle shows that Jessica sees Marina and we see on TV that she sees her. Maybe the WWE doesn't care if refs look stupid. A DQ probably should have been called. If they didn't use that camera angle it's not an issue. Also Jessica wasn't wearing an earpiece so someone could tell her to change the finish. Kairi went into the ropes where Jessamyn kicked her into Shayna's choke. It doesn't matter much because this feud will expand. You'll have the Horsewomen vs Kairi, Io Shirai and I figure Mia Yim. Also Kairi didn't tap out so that can be used on TV too. I don't like it when the refs are made to look stupid. And I guess in this case it was the TV director who messed up. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Toni Storm Vs Io Shirai

Here's the match video of Toni Storm vs Io Shirai from last night's WWE Evolution. It is the final of the Mae Young Classic. The number one problem with this match is it was too short. So obviously the WWE didn't want these two to steal the show. For that reason they probably should have done a ten minute sprint instead of the slow build that they did. I wanted to note that Io now has a custom Titantron and music. The music sounds too generic for me. She also wore a new robe and a new mask along with higher boots than normal. The match was fine but rushed because of the length. I don't want to give away too much because I want you to watch it. Io showed how a moonsault from the top to the floor should be done followed by a 619 and a springboard sunset flip. Just remember that Io was not supposed to be in the final in the first place except Tegan Nox got hurt. I'm sure she's glad it's over so she can appear on NXT TV. Toni will be on the NXT UK show challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT UK Women's Championship. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Annie Lennox

Artist:Annie Lennox
Song:Walking On Broken Glass
Album:The Annie Lennox Collection





Most music fans know Annie Lennox as one half of the popular 80s group The Eurythmics. She started a solo career when they split up in 1991. Walking On Broken Glass is from her 1992 debut album Diva. It's her biggest hit to date. She was born Dec. 25, 1954 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Annie studied at the Royal Academy of Music. She played the flute in the 70s band Devil's Playground. Then she was lead singer of The Tourists and that's where she met Dave Stewart. And of course they formed The Eurythmics and they were very successful in the 80s. In 1988 Annie recorded a cover of Put A Little Love In Your Heart with Al Green. That was a top ten hit and it's Annie's highest chart hit. It was on the soundtrack of the film Scrooged. It's not on this Annie Lennox comp. It may be what I call an orphan record. If AccuRadio ever plays it I may look at it. The Eurythmics split up in 1990. After giving birth to her eldest daughter, Annie released her 1992 debut CD Diva. The album was produced by Steve Lipson who worked for Trevor Horn in the 80s with Frankie Goes To Hollywood among others. Annie wrote all the songs. Walking On Broken Glass was the third single. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's her biggest hit single to date. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Her 1995 album Medusa was an album of covers. It was also certified 2XPlatinun. Then she reunited with Stewart and The Eurythmics released the 1999 album Peace. Annie's albums since then haven't done as well as her early albums. After two more albums, Annie left RCA for Universal. This budget comp covers her RCA recordings. She is on Island in England and Blue Note in the US. Her latest CD Nostalgia was released in 2015. She also did a special for PBS which is also on DVD. I think she is due for a new album pretty soon. Here's the video for Walking On Broken Glass by Annie Lennox. This video is based on the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons and it features John Malkovich and Hugh Laurie.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Talita Bernardo vs Sarah Moras

Here's the match video of Talita Bernardo vs Sarah Moras from last night's UFC show in Moncton, NB. Sarah is from Sechelt, BC. She recently moved to Las Vegas with fiancee Cleve Bentley to train at the UFC Performance Institute. He's also a fighter. They trained together at home. Sarah was on TUF 18 and she has had injuries. Since I first saw her in Invicta she's had subpar striking and she has wrestling talent but she needs to learn to control the fight. Judges will score top position more favorably than bottom position. Talita is a Brazilian who looked awful in her first two UFC fights. The only thing I can tell you is I don't see any improvement in Sarah Moras. She is doing the same things that cost her fights in the past. Her striking is not very good. Then she kept winding up in bottom position. Her defense is good because Talita wasn't able to do much with Sarah once Talita took her down. At first Sarah was active on the bottom with elbows but then she got tired. And the judges won't give her much credit for offense from the bottom anyway. Talita was mostly doing lay and pray but it was enough to win the fight 30-27. Two of the judges scored it 30-27 and the third scored it 29-28. It hardly matters because Talita won decisively. It's another disappointing outing for Sarah. She just lost to someone she should have beaten. Check out the video for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-New Found Glory

Artist:New Found Glory
Song:My Friends Over You
Album:Sticks and Stones





New Found Glory are a pop punk band similar to but not as successful as Blink-182. The 2002 single My Friends Over You is probably their best known song. New Found Glory are from Coral Springs, FL. Lead singer Jordan Pundik and bassist Ian Grushka were in the band Flip 60 in 1997. When that band split up, they formed a new band with guitarist Steve Klein. Pundik knew him from another band and they worked together at Red Lobster. The other members were Chad Gilbert on lead guitar and Cyrus Bolooki on drums. Pundik says he wrote the name New Found Glory on a napkin while working at Red Lobster. They released an EP and toured the east coast. Then they released the 1999 album Nothing Gold Can Stay and Drive-Thru Records picked it up for distribution through MCA Records. Signing with a major label meant that New Found Glory was competing with Blink-182 and other similar bands. There were plenty of them at that time. New Found Glory's problem was they couldn't seem to get that big hit single. The 2000 CD New Found Glory was certified Gold and so was the 2002 CD Sticks and Stones. My Friends Over You charted but it didn't chart high enough to help the band. They were on the Warped Tour with Blink-182 and they also opened for Green Day. They tried a hard rock sound with the 2004 album Catalyst but sales leveled off and they left MCA after the 2006 album Coming Home. They signed with Bad Religion owned Epitaph Records. Their 2009 CD Not Without A Fight was produced by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus. They now record for Hopeless Records and their latest CD Makes Me Sick was released in 2017. After being charged in 2013 with inappropriate behavior with a minor, Steve Klein was fired. New Found Glory is currently on tour. They are a successful band but they could have been more successful if they could have distinguished themselves from similar bands. That was always going to be a tall order. Here's the video for My Friends Over You by New Found Glory.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Five Star

Artist:Five Star
Song:Can't Wait Another Minute
Album:The Greatest Hits





The R&B vocal group Five Star had seven top ten hits in their native England in the mid-80s. Can't Wait Another Minute was their biggest international hit. Five Star was Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson from Romford, Essex, England. Three girls, two guys. Their father Buster Pearson was born in Jamaica and he moved to England in the 60s. He was mainly a sideman for reggae artists. He managed Five Star and he started Tent Records in 1982. The 1983 single Problematic got them a record deal with RCA. The 1986 single System Addict from their 1985 debut album Luxury Of Life was their first top ten hit in England. They also had success on the US Dance and R&B charts. This continued with the 1986 album Silk & Steel. There were five British top ten hits from that album including Can't Wait Another Minute which reached #7 on the British singles chart. And at #41 it was their highest chart position on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Paul Chiten and Sue Sheriden. Chiten also wrote the arrangement. The song was first recorded by the shortlived group The Lewis Sisters led by veteran British singer Linda Lewis. The record was produced by Richard James Burgess who had just had great success with Spandau Ballet. Denise Pearson was the lead singer. She sang lead on most of the album. The guitar solo is by legendary session musician Paul Jackson Jr. The family bought a big house complete with recording studio. Things went south for Five Star when for the 1988 album Rock the World they went from their squeaky clean image to wearing leather jackets. They tried for a more adult musical sound too. They were forced to sell the house and Five Star left RCA for Epic Records. Epic dropped them after two unsuccessful albums. This budget comp covers the RCA years. Also they were forced to move to the US after Stedman Pearson pled guilty to a 1990 public indecency charge. They returned to England in 2002. Five Star is still around. Lorraine left in 2013 but the others still play music festivals in England. Dad Buster Pearson died in 2012. Here's the video for Can't Wait Another Minute by Five Star.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Oct. 26, 2018

UFC Fight Night 138 and WWE Revolution preview and Invicta FC 33 analysis

Invicta FC 33 analysis

Yesterday Invicta announced the entire card for Invicta FC 33 Dec. 15 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City. It will air on UFC Fight Pass. The main event will be a rematch of Jinh Yu Frey vs Minna Grusander for the Invicta Atomweight Championship. The general feeling among fans is that Minna won the fight and the Missouri judges botched the decision. Invicta does a lot of shows in Missouri and historically the officiating is inept at best. The judges always seem to get close matches wrong. And of course we get no accountability. But at least we get a rematch. There's a reason why we say don't leave it to the judges. The rest of the show is the usual mixed bag. In the co-main event, Invicta again tries to prop up a failed UFC fighter. It's Danielle Taylor vs Montserrat Ruiz at Strawweight. Danielle was a King Of The Cage champ who was awful in the UFC. She used the dreaded keep away style of fighting. Her ineffectiveness caught up to her and the UFC released her. Danielle is short for a Strawweight but she doesn't want to fight at Atomweight. The most interesting thing about Montserrat is she is the same height as Danielle. And she has never fought at Atomweight. Montserrat is from Mexico. She has a 9-0 record on the Mexican regional circuit. As an unproven fighter, the only reason she is this high up on the card is to prop up Danielle for a title shot. And not every ex-UFC fighter deserves an Invicta contract. They don't seem to get that. in a Strawweight bout, Kanako Murata well face Sharon Jacobson. Kanako is on loan from RIZIN. She was a college wrestler recruited to RIZIN by Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Saori Yoshida. Her record is 8-1. RIZIN has concentrated on Atomweights so they have been bringing over foreigners to fight Kanako. So they might as well loan her to Invicta. They should sell her contract to the UFC. Sharon is from Colorado Springs with 5-3 record. In her last fight, she was loaned to PANCRASE and she lost to Emi Fujino. In an Atomweight bout, Amber Brown will face Alesha Zappitella. Amber is 29 years old with a 7-4 record. She trains at Fit NHB in New Mexico. She has had mixed success in Invicta. Alesha is 23 years old with a 4-0 record. She trains at Scorpion in Michigan. She won her Invicta debut in July. I think they see her as a rising star and that Amber is a good test for her. In a Strawweight bout, Jamie Moyle will face Brianna Van Buren. Jamie is 29 years old. She trains at Syndicate in Las Vegas. Her record is 4-3. She was popular in Invicta before she was in TUF 23. She went 1-2 in the UFC. I understand why Invicta brought her back but she's awful. Brianna is 25 years old with a 4-2 record. She trains at AKA in California. She lost her one Invicta fight in 2015. In a Bantamweight bout, Sarah Kleczka will face Brittney Victoria Grizelle. Sarah is 25 years old with a 2-1 record. She trains at World Class Martial Arts in Tampa. She is 1-1 in Invicta. Brittney is making her Invicta debut. She is 27 years old from Los Angeles. In an Atomweight bout, Ashley Medina will face Anastasia Nikolakakos. Ashley is 22 years old. She lost her Invicta and pro debut in August. She trains with UFC fighter Aspen Ladd at MMA Gold in California. Anastasia is making her Invicta debut. She is from Toronto with a 2-0 record. Her coach is former UFC fighter Sean Pierson. and in the opener at Flyweight, Chantel Coates and Ashlynn Kleinbeck will make their UFC and pro debut. Both are from Kansas City. I like the main event but I don't like the propping up of ex-UFC fighters.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Phil Hartman

Artist:Phil Hartman
Song:You Bet Your Life
Album:Flat TV





Phil Hartman was a very talented guy best known for his 80s run on Saturday Night Live. And his 1998 murder. He recorded this album in the late 70s and it went unreleased until 2002. Now there are plans to turn it into an animated film. He was born Feb. 24, 1948 in Brantford, ON. His family moved to the US and Hartman went to high school in Los Angeles. He studied art in college and also worked as a roadie for bands. He opened a graphic arts studio and he became known for designing album covers and band logos. On 1975 he joined The Groundlings comedy group. It was while he was in The Groundlings that he recorded Flat TV. It's supposed to be a day of 1950s TV. So it's a series of audio sketches similar to what National Lampoon was doing on radio. Hartman performs all the voices. It looks like it was recorded for George Carlin's Little David label but it sat on the shelf until Carlin released it on laugh.com in 2002. A few years ago Hartman's brother John Hartmann discovered the Flat TV master tapes and he licensed the album to the reissue label Rockbeat. And he is producing an animated film with director Brian LeMay and there are several clips online including You Bet Your Life. Of course this was recorded before Hartman had success first with Pee Wee Herman and then Saturday Night Live. And he did plenty of voice work especially on The Simpsons. His impression of President Bill Clinton was notable. And he was on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio. Sadly Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife Brynn after an argument about her drug abuse on May 27, 1998. Hartman was one of the nice guys of the entertainment business and an underrated talent. If he had lived, he would still be successful performing, writing or designing. Here's the video for You Bet Your Life by Phil Hartman directed by Brian LeMay for the proposed Flat TV film.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Oct. 25, 2018

Asuka, Mae Young Classic and new fight announcements.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley

Here's the match video of Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley from the semi finals of the Mae Young Classic. If you recall, Tegan Nox destroyed her leg during he quarter final match vs Rhea. The match was stopped and Rhea won. Reports indicate that Tegan was supposed to win that match and possibly win the tournament. Tegan worked for Stardom so they know each other and I'm sure their match was already planned. This change meant that Io is working with someone she doesn't know and she only had an hour to lay out this match. Rhea has been to Japan but she never worked for Stardom. You wouldn't know any of that by watching this match. Because of Rhea's size and also because she's a heel, Io kept the match very simple. Rhea beat the crap out of Io for the first half of the match. Then the worm turned and Io turned things around with a hurricanrana and a 619. When Rhea couldn't win with a superplex, that led to Io's trademark moonsault for the win. Kudos to both ladies for great performances in less than ideal circumstances. And now Io goes on to the finals vs Toni Storm at Evolution. I expect them to steal the show as they know each other very well. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Toni Storm vs Meiko Satomura

Here's the match video of Toni Storm vs Meiko Satomura in the semi final of the Mae Young Classic. Because these two were given a lot more time, they were able to do an extended slow build to a finishing crescendo that had the fans in Full Sail go nuts. The pacing was deliberate for the first half of the match. Things picked up after Meiko escaped an STF by reaching the ropes. Meiko really sold that move. Then Toni kicked out of a death valley driver. Then she got another near fall with a pele kick. Then I thought it was smart to have Meiko kick out of Toni's power bomb finisher. Now that both have kicked out of finishers the fans don't know who will win. The answer comes when Toni kicks out of the Scorpio Rising. Another power bomb follows and Toni Storm is in the Mae Young Classic final. Not that I was surprised but it was a great match. I've seen enough of these two to know what to expect. Both are tremendous performers. And at 22 years old, Toni is something else. Fans have asked me if the WWE would sign Meiko. When Meiko's participation in the MYC was first reported in Japan, she told Tokyo Sports she has no plans to leave Japan. Of course she owns Sendai Girls. But she says she is open to making occasional WWE appearances. So I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the WWE again. I am happy anytime Meiko appears on my TV. She has many matches available online. Also, be sure to watch Meiko in the 2000 documentary Gaea Girls on Youtube. You should watch them. Meanwhile, this match is essential viewing so enjoy!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Weezer

Artist:Weezer
Song:Buddy Holly
Album:Weezer (Blue Album)





Though Buddy Holly was not their biggest chart hit, it is the song that made Weezer successful because of a brilliant Spike Jonze directed music video. Weezer was formed in 1992 in Los Angeles. Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Rivers Cuomo led the band Avant Garde. They moved from Connecticut to Los Angeles in 1988. They changed their name to Zoom and split up in 1990. He formed Weezer in 1992 with bassist Matt Sharp, drummer Patrick Wilson and guitarist Jason Cropper. Weezer was Cuomo's childhood nickname. Cuomo knew Sharp and Wilson from other bands and they were good friends. Weezer signed with Geffen Records and Ric Ocasek was brought in to produce their debut album. Cropper was replaced by Brian Bell during the recording of the album when Cropper's pregnant girlfriend showed up unannounced at the recording studio. Cuomo didn't like Cropper's behavior and he knew Bell from the band Carnival Art. Their 1994 album Weezer is known as the blue album because they have released several albums titled Weezer with different color covers. Buddy Holly was the second single. The Spike Jonze directed music video placed Weezer in an episode of Happy Days. It won four MTV Music Video Awards. Buddy Holly didn't chart but the music video drove album sales and it was certified 3XPlatinum. Though Weezer has had other successes like the 2005 top ten hit single Beverly Hills, the blue album is still their most successful album. It is available as a budget CD. Weezer recorded seven albums for Geffen. Sharp left Weezer in 1998 due to creative differences. Scott Shriner has been Weezer's bassist since 2001. Weezer currently records for Atlantic. They have a new album coming out in 2019. Here's the music video for Buddy Holly by Weezer.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka and The Miz vs Naomi and Jimmy Uso

Here's the match video of Asuka and The Miz vs Naomi and Jimmy Uso from last night's episode of Mixed Match Challenge. This airs on Facebook Watch which is not available in a lot of places including Canada. This was better than last week but there's still too much comedy for me. The silliness with the hugging is funny. Asuka and The Miz win when The Miz pulls Asuka in front of him to block Naomi. Then The Miz wins over Jimmy with his finisher. Asuka was upset with The Miz for pushing her and she continued to yell at him in a post match interview. I'm not exactly sure where that is going but it won't be good for this team. At least they are still undefeated. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Johnny Desmond

Artist:Johnny Desmond w/Gene Krupa and his Orchestra
Song:Keep 'Em Flying
Album:The Complete Early Sides




Though crooner Johnny Desmond had post World War II (WWII) solo success, he is probably best known as a singer with Gene Krupa and Glenn Miller during WWII. He sings lead on Keep 'Em Flying which was very popular in 1941. He was born Giovanni Alfredo De Simone Nov. 14, 1919 in Detroit. As a teen he worked at his father's grocery store. But Desmond wanted to be a singer so he went out on the road. In 1939 he formed the vocal group The Downbeats. When Bob Crosby hired them for his band in 1940, he renamed them The Bob-O-Links. They appeared on Crosby hits like You Forgot About Me and Do You Care?. He left Crosby in 1941 to replace Howard Dulaney as a featured singer in Gene Krupa's band. Krupa was the first star drummer and his appearance in the 1941 film Ball Of Fire made him a huge star. Keep 'Em Flying is from the 1941 Abbott and Costello film Keep 'Em Flying. It was written by Don Raye and Gene de Paul. In the film it was sung by veteran character actor Dick Foran and big band singer Carol Bruce. Krupa recorded Keep 'Em Flying featuring Desmond on lead vocals and a trumpet solo by Roy Eldredge. Keep 'Em Flying was released on the B side of Thanks For The Boogie Ride. And that was a big hit for Krupa. So I think Keep 'Em Flying piggybacked on that success and it reached #21 on the charts. Desmond's singing style was so smooth he was known as The Creamer. And while touring with Miller during WWII, Desmond was called the GI Sinatra. This budget CD from Collector's Choice covers Desmond's recordings with Krupa. Desmond enlisted in the US Army in 1942 and he sang with Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces Orchestra until Miller's death. Desmond went solo after WWII and he had success mostly during the early 50s. He also appeared on TV, in movies and on Broadway. Johnny Desmond died on Sept. 6, 1985 at age 65. Here's a video of Keep 'Em Flying by Johnny Desmond with Gene Krupa and his Orchestra.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Crystal Method

Artist:The Crystal Method
Song:Keep Hope Alive
Album:Vegas





The electronic music duo The Crystal Method are frequently described as American counterparts to The Chemical Brothers. And like The Chemical Brothers, most of The Crystal Method's success has been on the dance charts with singles like Keep Hope Alive. They are from Las Vegas. Ken Jordan was a local DJ and program director of the UNLV radio station. He taught Scott Kirkland to DJ and then they both moved to Los Angeles and formed The Crystal Method in 1993. They bought a home in Glendale that had an underground shelter. They turned it into a recording studio. British DJ Justin King discovered them and released the 1994 single Now Is The Time. Keep Hope Alive was released in 1995. While that single reached #14 on the Club chart, The Crystal Method worked on their debut album Vegas which was released in 1997 on Outpost Recordings. That album was eventually certified Platinum and the single Comin' Back topped the Club chart. That got them a deal with Geffen for the 1999 album Tweekend which included guest appearances by Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello and Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland. Morello was featured on the single Name Of The Game which reached #5 on the Club chart. The 2004 CD Legion Of Boom was released on V2 featuring Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit and Kyuss lead singer John Garcia. Garcia was featured on the single Born Too Slow which reached #3 on the Club chart. The album was nominated for a Grammy. Then the Crystal Method started their own label Tiny E Records and they composed the theme for the TV series Bones and the score for the 2006 film London. They also released some music for Nike. They released the 2009 CD Divided By Night. The single Come Back Clean featuring Emily Haines of Metric reached #4 on the Club chart. They released an album in 2014. Jordan retired from music in 2017. But Kirkland released the CD The Trip Home July 2018 and The Crystal Method toured to support it. EDM fans already know about The Crystal Method. I don't know if I would recommend them to anyone else. Here's the video for Keep Hope Alive by The Crystal Method. You may recognize some of the actors in the video. It was directed by film actor and director Doug Liman.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James McMurtry

Artist:James McMurtry
Song:Hurricane Party
Album:Just Us Kids





After an attempt was made in the early 90s to turn him into a mainstream music star, James McMurtry settled into being a singer songwriter. I guess his music could be described as folk or alt country. He was born Mar. 18, 1962 in Fort Worth, TX and he grew up in Leesburg, VA. His dad is famed novelist Larry McMurtry. His mother was an English professor and she taught him to play guitar. McMurtry started performing while studying English at the University of Arizona. Then he moved back to Texas and he took odd jobs while performing at night. In 1987 McMurtry won a songwriting contest at the Kerrville Folk Festival. At the time, John Mellencamp was in Texas shooting the film Falling From Grace written by Larry McMurtry. Mellencamp got McMurtry a record deal with Columbia. Mellencamp also produced McMurtry's three Columbia albums. McMurtry was also in the supergroup Buzzin Cousins with Mellencamp, John Prine, Joe Ely and Dwight Yoakam that appeared in Falling From Grace. After his three albums didn't sell, McMurtry recorded for the Sugar Hill bluegrass label. Hurricane Party is from the 2007 CD Just Us Kids on the Lightning Rod label. The special guest on the album is Faces pianist Ian McLagen. The rest of the band is McMurtry's usual band of Jon Dee Graham on steel guitar, Ronnie Johnson on bass and Daren Hess on drums. McMurtry's latest album Complicated Game was released in 2015. McMurtry plays a regular weekly gig at the Continental in Austin. His son Curtis McMurtry sometimes performs with him. Here's James McMurtry performing Hurricane Party on Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour 2008.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tanya Tucker

Artist:Tanya Tucker
Song:Texas (When I Die)
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Tanya Tucker




Tanya Tucker became a star as a teen with hits like Delta Dawn and What's Your Mama's Name for legendary producer Billy Sherrill at Columbia Records. She suffered from what I call The Jackson 5 syndrome. Motown owner Berry Gordy didn't want them to grow up so they had to leave Motown. Sherrill probably had the same feelings about Tanya. So in 1975 Tanya left Columbia for MCA Records. Lizzie and the Rainman and San Antonio Stroll were #1 country hits from her 1975 album Tanya Tucker produced by Snuff Garrett. Her next three albums were produced by another veteran producer Jerry Crutchfield. Here's Some Love topped the country charts in 1976. But at 19 years old Tanya wants a more adult image and she doesn't want to be typecast as a country singer. So for the 1978 album TNT she brought in producer Jerry Goldstein best known for producing the group War. So the album was more rock then country. She had also moved to Los Angeles. And Tanya started wearing sexy clothes. She wanted to show she was an adult. The album did well. It was her first Gold album for MCA. The single Texas (When I Die) reached #5 on the Country Singles chart. The song was called When I Die I Want To Go To Texas when Ed Bruce wrote it with his wife Patsy and Bobby Borchers and Bruce recorded it on his 1978 album The Tennessean. Texas was supposed to to be the B side of a cover of Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away. I guess radio stations preferred the country sound of Texas. And that was the problem with TNT. It didn't cross over to pop despite using a rock producer. So for her next album, Tanya returned to Crutchfield. Things went south at MCA when Tanya began her relationship with Glen Campbell. And she also had drug and alcohol problems. Tanya left MCA in 1982. She recorded one album for Arista and then she revived her career in the late 80s on Capitol again working with Jerry Crutchfield. You can get Texas on this budget comp. This is the original recording. She did re-record the song for Capitol. There have been career spanning Tanya Tucker comps but all are out of print. She might be ripe for a Bear Family box set. Here's Tanya Tucker performing Texas (When I Die) on Church Street Station in the 80s.

Hannah Cifers in for Maia Stevenson at UFC Fight Night 139

Freelance reporter James Lynch reported that Maia Stevenson is injured and will be replaced by Hannah Cifers at UFC Fight Night 139 Nov. 10 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The opponent is Maycee Barber and the fight is at Strawweight. If you are not familiar with Maycee, she made a big splash on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. This is her UFC debut. She's 20 years old with a 5-0 record from Fort Collins, CO. I thought she looked really good for a young kid. Hannah may be a tougher opponent than Maia. She is 26 years old from Oxford, NC. Her record is 8-2. She has wins over Kali Robbins and Celine Haga who both fought for Invicta. One of her losses was to UFC fighter Gillian Robertson. Hannah is a striker and that's how she wins fights. Her loss to Gillian was by rear naked choke. Hannah recently signed with Invicta but she had not fought for them. Invicta contracts are not exclusive. So it looks like Hannah would want to keep the fight standing as she may not have the greatest ground skills. She's coming in on short notice and it's a home game for Maycee. Hannah may be better than Maia but I still don't like her chances.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Deep Forest

Artist:Deep Forest
Song:Sweet Lullaby
Album:Essence of the Forest





The French duo Deep Forest mix electronica with World Music. They scored a top ten hit in England with Sweet Lullaby in 1993. Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet are both classically trained pianists. After a trip to Africa, Sanchez wanted to mix Baka pygmy spoken word with contemporary music. Deep Forest was born. They brought in Dan Lackman from the group Telex to produce. Deep Forest's music is ambient electronica with samples of African music. But the big surprise was when Sweet Lullaby became a dance club hit and reached the top ten in England. It did chart in the US but it was not a hit. The record is based on a traditional Baegu lullaby called Rorogwela and it uses a sample of a woman called Afunakwa singing that was recorded in the wild by ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp in 1970. Their album did particularly well in Europe and it won a Grammy in 1995. The video directed by Tarsem Singh was nominated for an MTV Award. You can get two versions of Sweet Lullaby on this comp, the original and a 2004 version with a vocal by Ana Torroja. Deep Forest continued to have success sampling World music with electronica. They recorded four albums from 1992-2002. Sanchez and Mouquet have also released solo albums. And they have recorded with Catherine Lara, Josh Groban, Joe Zawinul and most recently Italian producer Daniele Gaudi on the 2018 album Epic Circuits. Here's the video for Sweet Lullaby by Deep Forest.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Oct. 19, 2018

Asuka, Meiko Satomura and Io Shirai, new fight announcements, Evolution update and my take on WWE Saudi Arabia.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes

Artist:Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Song:The Fever
Album:The Best of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes




Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes attempted to ride the late 70s Bruce Springsteen wave to success. But they never got that hit single to put them over the top. Their music is worth checking out. Johnny Lyon was part of the early 70s New Jersey bar band scene along with Steve "Little Steven" Van Zandt, Springsteen, Garry Tallent, David Sancious, Bobby Williams, Vini Lopez, Kevin Kavanagh and others. A lot of these guys wound up in Springsteen's E Street Band when John Hammond signed Springsteen to Columbia Records. Meanwhile Lyon and Van Zandt led the Blackberry Booze Band until Van Zandt joined Springsteen in 1975. Lyon changed the band name to Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Van Zandt got them a deal with Epic Records and he produced the 1976 album I Don't Want To Go Home. Kavanagh was still playing keyboards. Other members were Billy Rush on guitar, Alan Berger on bass, Kenny "Popeye" Penifallo on drums, Carlo Novi on tenor sax and the Miami Horns. Van Zandt wrote some songs for the album including I Don't Want to Go Home. The Fever is a Springsteen song that he recorded and performed but it was never on one of his albums. It was only sent to radio stations as a demo. That recording is on the 1999 Springsteen rarities CD 18 Tracks. The Southside Johnny recording is probably the best known version of The Fever. The Pointer Sisters also recorded it. Southside Johnny's music was great but the band was never able to score a hit single and Epic dropped them after three albums. This budget comp covers those recordings. Then they signed with Mercury Records. They recorded three albums. The first one was produced by Barry Beckett at Muscle Shoals. Rush took over as co-leader of the band. Lyon recorded a couple of solo albums in the late 80s. Lyon still leads a version of the Asbury Jukes. But obviously things would have been different if they had got that big hit single. Here's Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes performing The Fever on the Old Grey Whistle Test Apr. 5, 1977.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Deonna Purrazzo

Here's the match video of Io Shirai vs Deonna Purrazzo from this week's episode of the Mae Young Classic. Deonna is an experienced wrestler so the match was reasonably competitive. I know some fans really like her. I guess she's OK but I'm not crazy about her. Deonna got her armbar finisher on Io a couple of times but Io wouldn't tap out. Io did sell her left shoulder again. After Io escaped the second armbar, she put Deonna in a position for the moonsault. She almost missed it but I think Io is getting used to the larger ring. Io will face Rhea Ripley in the semi final. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Meiko Satomura vs Lacey Lane

Here's the match video of Meiko Satomura vs Lacey Lane from this week's episode of the Mae Young Classic. As has been the case with a lot of these matches, Michael Cole's commentary was awful. Fans are not idiots. They know that Lacey winning would be a big upset. You don't have to say it over and over. Lacey is under an NXT contract. She's from Winter Park, FL which is where this was taped. She has athletic ability but she is very green. She can learn plenty by spending five minutes in the ring with Meiko. The match went as expected. Meiko could have squashed her in two minutes. But as she did earlier with Killer Kelly, Meiko wanted Lacey to look good. So the match was semi competitive but that's what was needed. Meiko wins with the Death Valley Driver and she will face Toni Storm in the semi final. That will be a tremendous match. Enjoy the video!

Lauren Mueller in for Shana Dobson at UFC Fight Night 141

Shana Dobson announced on Instagram that she is injured and out of her match at UFC Fight Night 141 Nov. 24 at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. She will be replaced by Lauren Mueller. That's probably bad news for her opponent Yanan Wu. Lauren is 26 years old from San Diego. Her record is 5-0. She came to the UFC through Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. And she won her UFC and Flyweight debut over Shana Dobson. So obviously Lauren is a much better fighter than Shana. And that's bad news for Yanan who is 22 years old from Chaoyang, China. Her record is 8-2 and she lost her UFC debut to Gina Mazany last year. That fight was at Bantamweight so this will be her Flyweight debut. Obviously the competition level is a little low for Lauren. But taking a short notice fight will pay off for her down the road.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka and The Miz vs Lana and Rusev

Here's the match video of Asuka and The Miz vs Lana and Rusev from this week's episode of Mixed Match Challenge. This does not air live in a lot of places including Canada. I haven't watched a lot of this season of MMC because there is way too much comedy and I have never been a big fan of comedy in wrestling. This match is pretty much all comedy. And that is something The Miz is good at. So the best bit is when the fans boo The Miz and cheer the other three. The rest of the match is not memorable. I just watched it and I forgot most of the match. The end came when The Miz tried to distract Rusev by imitating Aiden English. And that worked well enough for Asuka to win with the Asuka Lock. You'll notice the video is titled wrong but the match is correct. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Anita Carter

Artist:Anita Carter
Song:Ring Of Fire
Album:Ring Of Fire





Most music fans recognize Ring Of Fire as one of Johnny Cash's signature songs. But you probably don't know that Ring Of Fire was first recorded by Cash's sister-in-law Anita Carter. Anita had the talent to be a huge country music star but she preferred playing in the family band. She was born Mar. 31, 1933 in Maces Springs, VA. She is the youngest daughter of Ezra and Maybelle Carter. Maybelle was in country music pioneers The Carter Family with Ezra's brother A.P. Carter and his wife Sara.  When A.P. Carter retired in 1943, Maybelle started Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters with daughters Anita, Helen and June. Anita played bass. They moved to Nashville in 1950. Anita charted with the 1951 single Bluebird Island, a duet with Hank Snow. She also performed with the teen trio 'Nita, Rita & Ruby. But mostly she recorded and toured with her family. The group name changed to The Carter Family after A.P. Carter's 1960 death. Then they began touring regularly with Johnny Cash. Cash was already a big star. But he was having personal problems and drug addiction. Then he started a relationship with June Carter. Meanwhile Anita recorded a 1962 album with Hank Snow. And then she recorded two albums for Mercury Records. June wrote Love's Ring Of Fire with Merle Kilgore about her relationship with Cash. Anita recorded Love's Ring Of Fire on the 1962 album Folk Songs Old And New. When Cash heard the record, he dreamed that he recorded the song with mariachi horns. He told Anita that if her version wasn't a hit, he would record it. And so he did. And the rest is history. Anita recorded two albums for Mercury. This Bear Family comp combines those two albums. After those albums, Anita returned to The Carter Family. Though she scored a top ten hit with I Got You in 1968, a duet with Waylon Jennings, she didn't really pursue a solo career. She recorded an album for Capitol in 1972 and then a 1995 album for the family label. Anita Carter died on Jan. 29, 1999 at age 66. Here's a video of Ring Of Fire by Anita Carter.

Cat Zingano vs Megan Anderson added to Dec. 29 UFC show

Last week Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported that Cat Zingano vs Megan Anderson was likely to be added to UFC 232 Dec. 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC confirmed the match today. This fight will be at Welterweight. Cat has been talking for the last year about moving up to Welterweight. She has fought her whole career at Bantamweight. She won her last fight over Marion Reneau. But she's 36 years old and 3-3 in the UFC. I think injuries have slowed her down and she isn't as good as she used to be. That doesn't mean she can't win this fight. Megan didn't look very good when she lost her UFC debut to Holly Holm. So I don't know if she will be any better against Cat. Megan is 28 years old from Australia. She trains with UFC fighter James Krause in Kansas City. When she was in Invicta I thought she improved a lot. Now I'm not so sure though she was inactive for over a year so maybe it was cage rust. I don't think either of them can beat Cris Cyborg so I don't think it matters much who wins.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Four Lads

Artist:The Four Lads
Song:Standing On The Corner
Album:Moments To Remember: The Fabulous '50s




The Four Lads were a popular 50s vocal group similar to other groups especially The Crew Cuts as both groups were from Toronto. They had a few hits including Standing On The Corner in 1956. All four members attended St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto. The original members were Connie Codarini, Bernie Toorish, Rudi Maugeri and John Perkins. At first they called themselves The Otnorots (Toronto backwards) and then The Jordonaires. Maugeri and Perkins left and later formed The Crew Cuts. They were replaced by Jimmy Arnold and Frank Busseri. Their main influence was the gospel group The Golden Gate Quartet. In 1950 The Four Lads started singing in local clubs and then they went to New York. They were spotted by Columbia Records A&R head Mitch Miller. He hired them to back up Johnny Ray on his 1951 hits Cry and The Little White Cloud That Cried. The Four Lads started recording their own singles in 1952. Their first top ten hit was Istanbul (Not Constantinople) in 1953. Their biggest hits were Moments to Remember in 1955 and No, Not Much and Standing on The Corner in 1956. Standing On The Corner reached #3 on the pop charts. The song was written by Frank Loesser for the Broadway musical The Most Happy Fella. Columbia house producer Ray Ellis wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra. Several Four Lads hits were only released as singles until Columbia assembled them on a 1958 Greatest Hits album. This 2CD comp from Jasmine has all their hits. Of course the rise of Rock 'N' Roll was the end of many vocal groups like The Four Lads. They left Columbia in 1961 to record for Kapp, Dot and United Artists. Busseri still leads a version of The Four Lads on the oldies circuit. Here's a video of Standing On The Corner by The Four Lads.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Starland Vocal Band

Artist:Starland Vocal Band
Song:Afternoon Delight
Album:Afternoon Delight





Afternoon Delight was one of the biggest hits of 1976. It was the only big hit for Starland Vocal Band. They got to that point mostly through a close association with John Denver. Starland Vocal Band was led by Bill Danoff who wrote most of the songs including Afternoon Delight. He was born May 7, 1946 in Springfield, MA. While in high school, he was in The Reflections. They released a few singles and had local success. Danoff moved to Washington where he met Taffy Nivert in the local folk music scene. They began writing songs and John Denver recorded I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado. Then they wrote Take Me Home, Country Roads which was a huge hit for Denver. They married in 1972. They recorded as Fat City for Paramount with Denver's producer Milton Okun. Denver was starting his own label Windsong with RCA and the Danoffs recorded two albums as Bill & Taffy. On that second album they worked with a young pianist Jon Carroll. He brought in Margot Chapman and Starland Vocal Band released an album in 1976. Afternoon Delight topped the charts and it was one of the biggest hits of 1976. They even won a couple of Grammys. Eric Weissberg played the dobro solo. And they hosted a summer replacement variety show in 1977. Subsequent albums didn't do nearly as well. And then the Danoffs divorced and Starland Vocal Band split up in 1982. This CD contains their first two albums. They have reunited occasionally. The Danoffs' son Owen Danoff appeared on The Voice. The Carolls' son Ben Carroll was a member of the group Ra. Here's the video for Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Janelle Monae

Artist:Janelle Monae
Song:Make Me Feel
Album:Dirty Computer





Janelle Monae Robinson is an R&B singer who emphasizes her visual style. She has had some success mostly as an album artist. But she is getting into acting so I get the sense that may be her long term future. She was born Dec. 1, 1985 in Kansas City, KS. She dreamed of performing on Broadway so she moved to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She moved to Atlanta in 2001 where she met Antwan "Big Boi" Patton of OutKast. She appeared on the OutKast album Idlewild. Patton told Sean "Puffy" Combs about Janelle and she signed with Bad Boy Records in 2006. The EP Metropolis was released in 2007 and the single Many Moons was nominated for a Grammy. This was a concept album loosely based on Fritz Lang's legendary film. Janelle's 2010 album The ArchAndroid was the second part of that concept. It did OK but there were no hit singles. She did appear on the fun. 2011 number one hit We Are Young. While Janelle was recording her 2013 album The Electric Lady, she became a spokeswoman for CoverGirl. The Electric Lady was a continuation of her Metropolis concept. The single Q.U.E.E.N. featuring Erykah Badu was supposed to be a big hit. It charted in R&B but it didn't cross over to pop. In 2015 Janelle signed with Epic Records and released the EP The Eephus. Then she got into movies appearing in the 2016 films Moonlight and Hidden Figures. After that she released the 2018 album Dirty Computer. The single Make Me Feel is obviously influenced by Prince. Janelle wrote and produced it with Swedish producers Mattman & Robin. She revealed later that Prince helped her with the song just before he died. She usually works with the production group Deep Cotton. Now she's getting into movies. The Robert Zemeckis film Welcome to Marwen starring Steve Carell will be released Christmas 2018. Janelle's voice will be in the upcoming remake of Lady and the Tramp. And she is appearing in the Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet set for release next year. She is touring to support her latest album. Her music has done OK. But if she gets more film work, she might not have the time to do music anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if she turns up on Broadway. That's what she wanted as a little girl. Here's the video for Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ana Gabriel

Artist:Ana Gabriel
Song:Quien Como Tu
Album:Mi Regalo, Mis Numero 1...





Ana Gabriel has been a very popular singer in Mexico since the late 80s. Quien Como Tu was a number one hit in 1990 and it is one of her signature songs. Though she has recorded with Juan Gabriel, they are not related. She was born Maria Guadalupe Araujo Dec. 10, 1955 in Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico. She began performing at age six as Ana Gabriel. At age 15, she moved to Tijuana to pursue a singing career. Her big break came when she represented Mexico at the 1986 OTI Festival in Portugal. Her recording of Ay Amor topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for 14 weeks. She has recorded for Columbia Records her entire career. The 1990 single Quien Como Tu established her as a star in Mexico. In the 90s she recorded an album a year. Ana can sing traditional Mexican music but she seems to prefer pop songs like Quien Como Tu which she wrote. She had a big hit in 1991 singing with Vicki Carr called Cosas del Amor. She has also recorded with Juan Gabriel, Placido Domingo and especially ranchero legend Vicente Fernandez as she is a big fan of his. This budget comp is a good intro to her music. Ana last recorded in 2015. But she appeared in the 2017 documentary The American Epic Sessions along with Taj Mahal, Bettye LaVette, Alabama Shakes, Elton John, Jack White, Nas, Los Lobos, Rhiannon Giddens, Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell and Raphael Saadiq. So she's in pretty good company. Here's the video for Quien Como Tu by Ana Gabriel.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sylvester

Artist:Sylvester
Song:You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
Album:Mighty Real: Greatest Dance Hits





You Make Me Feel is probably one of the defining songs of the late 70s disco era. It topped the dance charts in 1978 and it's still popular today. That Sylvester James Jr. was gay and a cross dresser only added to his aura. He was born Sept. 6, 1947 in Los Angeles. He was raised by his aunt who moved from Arkansas to the Watts section of LA. She was a devout Christian so not surprisingly James grew up singing in church. But his family found out he was gay, they didn't take it well and he went to live with his grandmother. James frequented gay clubs as a teen and this led to membership in a group of cross dressers known as the Disqotays. James frequently appeared in drag. He moved to San Francisco to join the drag art performance group The Cockettes. Though they were impressed with his falsetto singing voice, James didn't really fit in with The Cockettes and he left after moving to New York with them. When he returned to San Francisco, his manager put a band together that recorded two albums for Blue Thumb Records called Sylvester and his Hot Band. After that flopped, James tried other things. What worked was meeting backup singers Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes known as Two Tons O' Fun. Later they became famous as The Weather Girls. They formed a band led by guitarist James "Tip" Wirrick. This got the attention of leader of the doo wop group The Moonglows Harvey Fuqua. He had just left Motown and had taken a job with Fantasy Records. the album Sylvester was released in 1977. You Make Me Feel is from the 1978 album Step II. It topped the dance charts and crossed over to mainstream. James and Wirrick wrote and Wirrick arranged it. As I said, it turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the disco era. You can get the original version and a remix on this comp. James left Fantasy in 1982 accusing them of not paying him. He sued them but he couldn't prove anything. James signed with Megatone Records founded by his friend Patrick Cowley. The label produced music for the gay community. When Cowley died of AIDS in 1982, James took over the label. He continued to record until he got AIDS himself in 1985. James died on Dec. 16, 1988 at age 41. Byron Stingley's 1998 cover of You Make Me Feel topped the dance charts. I guess this is a song that will always live. Here's the video for You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester.

Katlyn Chookagian vs Jessica Eye added to Dec. 8 UFC show

Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported this afternoon that Katlyn Chookagian vs Jessica Eye has been added to UFC 231 Dec. 8 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. This fight will be at Flyweight. Originally Jessica was supposed to fight Sijara Eubanks though that was never announced. Then the UFC decided to give Sijara a title shot though most of us don't think she's any good. It just shows how half assed the UFC has handled this. They took that away but Jessica still needed an opponent. Katlyn is 29 years old from Philadelphia. Her record is 11-1. She's 2-0 in the UFC as a Flyweight. She's a points fighter who uses a keep away strategy. That can win fights but it results in boring fights. Jessica is 32 years old from Cleveland. She's 2-0 since moving to Flyweight. She's not a finisher either. So I expect this to be a close fight that will go the distance. Neither fighter has shown an ability to finish fights. Supposedly this fight is a backup if something goes wrong with the title fight. Geez, I hope it doesn't come to that.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Oct. 12, 2018

Io Shirai and new fight announcement.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Zeuxis

Here's the match video of Io Shirai vs Zeuxis from this week's episode of the Mae Young Classic. Of course Io is probably the tournament favorite. Zeuxis is from Puerto Rico but she wrestles in Mexico. She won her first round match over Ariel Monroe. But I didn't think she looked very good. They made a big deal on commentary that Zeuxis had been to Japan. That is true. She worked for Reina as part of their working agreement with CMLL. What they tried to say was that gave Zeuxis an advantage over Io because Io isn't familiar with lucha libre. Silly WWE commentators. Any Io Shirai fan knows that she left Triple Tails to train in Mexico and she joined Stardom upon her return. The match was fine. Io really tried to sell Zeuxis' offense but Zeuxis just isn't that good. I liked the ending though. They teased Zeixis' Spanish Fly finisher which Io turned into a hurricanrana. And of course Io's moonsault which she almost missed for the win. Io will face Deonna Purazzo in the next round. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea

Artist:Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea
Song:Someday My Prince Will Come
Album:A Jazz Collection





Of course Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea are legendary jazz pianists best known as jazz fusion pioneers in the 70s. But their longevity is because both guys can play any kind of music on any kind of keyboard. This recording is from a 1978 tour they did together. As I said, both guys were very successful in fusion music. Hancock had great success with his band The Headhunters which mixed jazz and funk. Corea's band Return To Forever had similar success. But by the late 70s both guys were getting back into jazz. Hancock was touring with his band V.S.O.P. and Return To Forever had become a jazz group featuring Corea's singer wife Gayle Moran. The video clip is from a 1974 episode of the PBS series Soundstage. This broadcast encouraged Hancock and Corea to tour together. And that's what they did in 1978. There is no band. It's just the two of them playing grand pianos which is a little different than the electronic keyboards they used on Soundstage. The concerts were recorded. Hancock was on Columbia and Corea was on Polydor. So the deal was each label would release a 2LP set of the recordings. Columbia released An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert and Polydor released CoreaHancock. Someday My Prince Will Come is from the Columbia album. Of course Someday My Prince Will Come is from the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Miles Davis turned it into a jazz standard and Hancock and Corea performed it as a tribute to Davis. Unfortunately the Columbia album is out of print. But three songs from the album including Someday My Prince Will Come are on this 1991 Herbie Hancock budget comp. Corea also recorded Someday My Prince Will Come with his 80s Chick Corea Akoustic Band and later with The Peace Band featuring John McLaughlin. After the tour, Hancock and Corea returned to their individual careers and both guys are still going strong today. Here's Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea performing Someday My Prince Will Come on PBS Soundstage 1974.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Meredith Brooks

Artist:Meredith Brooks
Song:Bitch
Album:Now That's What I Call The 1990s





I'm sure you all remember Bitch because it was a top five hit in 1997. It was Meredith Brooks' only big hit. She's not technically a one hit wonder. She was born June 12, 1958 in Corvallis, OR. She had an all female band called Sapphire in the 70s. They released an album and then moved to Seattle. They split up in 1982. Meredith moved to Los Angeles and she released an album in Spanish that was released only in Mexico in 1986. Then she formed The Graces with Charlotte Caffey and Gia Ciambotti. They released the album Perfect View on A&M in 1989. The single Lay Down Your Arms reached #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Graces split up when Gia joined Bruce Springsteen's band in 1992. Meredith signed with Capitol Records and the album Blurring The Edges was released in 1997. Bitch reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Alanis Morissette was very popular at the time and many thought she recorded Bitch. Producer Geza "Gexa X" Gedeon admitted that Bitch's resemblance to Alanis was deliberate. He says Capitol really wanted a hit single. Meredith wrote Bitch with songwriter Shelley Peiken who has written hits for Christina Aguilera. The song was nominated for a Grammy. Meredith wrote all the songs on the album. One of her other singles charted and then Capitol dropped her after two albums. You can get Bitch on this various artists comp. She recorded an album in 2002 for a label that promptly went out of business. She also produced an album for Jennifer Love Hewitt. And she recorded a children's music album in 2007. That's the last time she recorded. She seems to be retired. Meredith's problem was similar to Shawn Colvin. She was 39 years old when Bitch was a hit. So she was already too old to be an aspiring pop star. There isn't much upside for that. Here's the video for Bitch by Meredith Brooks.

Sijara Eubanks vs Roxanne Modafferi added to Nov. 3 UFC show

A funny thing happened on the way to UFC 230 after Valentina Shevchenko vs Sijara Eubanks for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship was announced. The UFC came to the conclusion that no one wanted to see this fight. I also think the possibility of Sijara missing weight was a big concern. Katlyn Chookagian was to be brought in as a standby. They decided to book Daniel Cormier vs Derrick Lewis for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. And Valentina was moved back to UFC 231 where she will now face Joanna Jedrzejczyk. So what to do with Sijara. Then Dustin Poirier pulled out of his match with Nate Diaz. They didn't consider replacing Poirier. It's unlikely Diaz would have accepted a new opponent. So they have announced that Sijara will now face Roxanne Modafferi on the UFC Fight Pass prelims. You may recall that Sijara beat Roxanne in the TUF 26 semi final. Then when Sijara couldn't make weight, Roxanne replaced her in the title match. They should still be concerned about Sijara making weight because she's really a Bantamweight. And as I said before, the real solution would have been to rebook Nicco Montano vs Valentina for UFC 230. The UFC only complicated things by being assholes.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Matt Nathanson

Artist:Matt Nathanson
Song:Come On Get Higher
Album:Some Mad Hope




Singer songwriter Matt Nathanson is probably best known for the 2008 single Come On Get Higher which did particularly well on the Adult Contemporary chart. It's probably a song you have heard but you don't know the artist. He was born Mar. 28, 1973 in Lexington, MA. Nathanson moved to California to study literature at Pitzer College. He released his debut album Please in 1993 on Acrobat Records. Then he moved to San Francisco. He released four albums for Acrobat. Then he signed with Universal for the 2003 album Beneath These Fireworks. This should have been Nathanson's commercial breakthrough. But things didn't go well at Universal. It's not clear if they released him or he wanted to leave. But Nathanson left and signed with Vanguard Records for the 2007 album Some Mad Hope. His folk rock music was more suited to Vanguard. The single Come On Get Higher reached #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's his biggest hit to date. After a few more albums, Nathanson left Vanguard when it was purchased by Concord in 2015. Last week he released a new CD Sings His Sad Heart on his own label. Nathanson is touring to support the album. Here's the video for Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charles Lloyd

Artist:Charles Lloyd
Song:Requiem
Album:Voice In The Night





I guess it could be said that at 80 years old sax player Charles Lloyd is the current elder statesman of jazz. He has a new album out and he's been touring with his current band The Marvels. I first heard of Lloyd in the 60s when he was experimenting with jazz rock for Atlantic Records. These days his music is straight ahead jazz. He was born Mar. 15, 1938 in Memphis. He was given his first sax at age 9. He listened to Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins on the radio. His closest friend was trumpeter Booker Little. And they would usually play gigs together with George Coleman, Harold Mabern, B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland. Lloyd moved to Los Angeles in 1956 to earn a music degree at USC. He played clubs with Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry among others. In 1960 Lloyd replaced Eric Dolphy as music director in Chico Hamilton's band. Then he joined Cannonball Adderley's band in 1964. He started his own band after recording as a leader for Columbia. Then he moved to Atlantic and had a lot of success with the 1966 album Forest Flower: Live At Monterey. Lloyd mixed jazz with psychedelic rock and that got him gigs with rock acts like The Doors and The Byrds. This was before jazz rock became popular which makes Lloyd a pioneer. In the 70s Lloyd recorded occasionally. But mostly he was music director for The Beach Boys. He returned to jazz in 1986 after a serious illness and he signed with ECM Records in 1989. He formed a new band with Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson. Requiem first appeared on the 1992 album Notes From Big Sur. That album is not available. But he recorded the song again on the 1999 album Voice In The Night with John Abercrombie on guitar, Dave Holland on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. That one is available on CD. In 2007 Lloyd formed his current band with Jason Moran on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums. He left ECM for Blue Note in 2015. That band's latest CD Passin' Thru was released in 2017. On his latest album Vanished Gardens, Lloyd adds to his usual band guitarist Bill Frisell, pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz and singer Lucinda Willams. Charles Lloyd and The Marvels are currently on tour. Lloyd has received several honors but I guess the big one is he was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall Of Fame in 2016. Here's Charles Lloyd with John Abercrombie on guitar, Jeffrey Littleton on bass and Billy Hart on drums performing Requiem in Vienna, Austria 1999.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Exile

Artist:Exile
Song:Kiss You All Over
Album:Retro Rock Dance Hits





Kiss You All Over topped the pop charts in 1978. It's one of those songs that is perceived as a one hit wonder. But Exile had some other songs that charted. And they were very successful on the country charts in the 80s. Exile is from Richmond, KY led by singer Jimmy Stokley and guitarist J.P. Pennington. They were formed in 1963 as The Exiles. Pennington says they all had long hair at the time and they thought they were exiles from society. The Exiles toured with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars for a couple of years. They also released a few singles for Date and Columbia. They changed their name to Exile when they signed with Wooden Nickel/RCA in 1973. Their debut album did not do well. But things would improve. Veteran producer Mike Chapman was born in Australia but he moved to England in the 60s. He usually works with Nicky Chinn. They produced The Sweet among others. He came to the US looking for a self contained group meaning they write their own songs. He heard an Exile demo and then attended one of their concerts. He produced the 1978 album Mixed Emotions and it was released on Curb Records. Kiss You All Over topped the Billboard Hot 100. Though Pennington wrote most of the songs on the album, Kiss You All Over was written by Chapman and Chinn. Pennington and Stokley shared lead vocals. They recorded a couple more albums for Curb. But then Stokley was forced to leave Exile due to health problems. He died in 1985. His replacement Les Taylor helped Exile transition to country with producer Buddy Killen. They signed with Epic in 1983. They had a total of ten number one country hits in the 80s. Exile split up in 1993. Most pop fans will only be interested in Kiss You All Over. So I recommend this Curb Records various artists budget comp. Beware because Exile re-recorded Kiss You All Over and many various artists comps contain that version. This CD has the original recording. Pennington released a solo album in 1991. He formed Burnin' Daylight with another former Exile member Sonny Lemaire and Kurt Howell of Southern Pacific. They released an album in 1997. Pennington and Taylor reformed Exile in 2008 and they still tour. They released a Christmas album in 2015. Here's Exile performing Kiss You All Over on The Midnight Special 1978.