AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Moby

 

Artist:Moby f/Gwen Stefani

Song:South Side

Album:Play

Richard Melville "Moby" Hall had great success on the dance charts in the 90s. The 1999 album Play crossed over to mainstream and is his best selling album mostly due to the success of the single South Side. Hall also is a busy producer. He was born Sept. 11, 1965 in Harlem, NY. His father died in a car crash when Hall was two years old but not before he gave his son the nickname Moby. The family ancestors included Moby Dick author Herman Melville. His mother was a drug addict so Hall was raised by his grandparents in Darien, CT. Hall started DJing while he was attending the University of Connecticut. He dropped out of school in 1984 to pursue music full time. He was into electronic music very early on. In 1990 he signed with the small Instinct label and released singles under several names. After his 1991 single Go charted in England, Hall started doing remixes for Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden. He unsuccessfully tried to get out of his contract. Instinct's response was to release an album of his demos. He eventually paid them $10K to leave. Hall signed with Elektra in 1993. He released two albums for Elektra. His 1997 remix of the James Bond Theme topped the dance charts and was a top ten hit in England. He was getting a lot of critical acclaim but it wasn't turning into record sales. Hall abandoned electronic music for the 1997 album Animal Rights. His fans did not want to her alt rock from him and they deserted him. After Hall left Elektra for V2, he returned to electronic music for the 1999 album Play. The album sold 2.7M worldwide. And the single South Side reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's his biggest success to date. Gwen Stefani was supposed to appear on South Side. But she was touring with No Doubt at the time had limited availability. She recorded her vocal but Hall wasn't happy with them and left the vocals off the album version. Her vocals were restored for the single because she was already in the video. I'm surprised that V2 didn't add that to a release of Play. But she doesn't add much to the song and Play is available as a budget CD. After two albums for V2, Hall had mostly recorded for his own label. He's still around. He released a new album in May. His music is mainly ambient these days. Here's the video of South Side by Moby featuring Gwen Stefani.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Leyla Hirsch

 Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Leyla Hirsch from this week's episode of AEW Dark. Leyla is billed as from Russia. She was born there but she was adopted and grew up in New Jersey. She wrestled in high school and her amateur wrestling background is her gimmick. Obviously she has some wrestling skills but she lacks pizzazz. And like it or not, showmanship is an important part of pro wrestling. The match is OK but I think Hikaru lets Leyla have too much offense. Hikaru wins with the Falcon Arrow. She will defend her AEW Women's Championship against Nyla Rose on Nov. 7. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dinosaur Jr.

 Artist:Dinosaur Jr.

Song:Get Me

Album:Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr. started out in the 80s as underground rock darlings. But by the 90s they were on a major label. Most of their success was as an album and touring band. The leader of Dinosaur Jr. was Joseph Mascis from Amherst, MA. He called himself J Mascis. He was lead singer, main songwriter and he played guitar and keyboards. He and bassist Lou Barlow were in the band Deep Wound while still in high school. After Deep Wound split up in 1984, they were trying to figure out what to do next. They brought in drummer Emmett "Murph" Murphy and lead singer Charlie Nakajima. They called themselves Mogo and their first show was at the University of Massachusetts. Apparently Nakajima went on an anti-police tirade that appalled Mascis so much that he disbanded Mogo and formed a new band without telling Nakajima. Mascis says he was too wimpy to fire him. The new band was called Dinosaur. Mascis and Barlow shared lead vocals. Eventually Mascis would be the main lead singer. They released an album in 1985 on Homestead Records owned by their friend Doug Cosloy. They toured with Sonic Youth. They released a second album in 1987 on SST Records. Mascis was a control freak which would be an ongoing problem. And they had to change the band name to Dinosaur Jr. for copyright reasons. They had success in England with the 1988 album Bug and the single Freak Scene. Barlow got tired of Mascis' behavior and he left in 1989 to form Sebadoh. Mike Johnson replaced him. They signed with Sire Records in 1990. They recorded four albums for Sire. Get Me is from the 1993 album Where You Been. Though Dinosaur Jr. never had that big hit single, they appeared a lot on MTV especially the late night alternative rock show 120 Minutes. Murph left and was replaced by George Berz. After the 1997 album Hand It Over, Mascis retired the Dinosaur Jr. name and released albums as J Mascis + The Fog. Dinosaur Jr. reformed in 2005 and they currently record for Jagjaguwar. They are currently recording new music. This comp covers the Sire years. Here's the video for Get Me by Dinosaur Jr.

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Candice Lerae

 Here's the match video of Io Shirai defending her NXT Women's Championship from last night's Halloween Havoc edition of NXT. This does not air live in Canada but I found a stream and cast it to my TV using Roku. They used the WCW Spin The Wheel gimmick to determine the type of match. It was Tables, Ladders and Scares. The most notable thing about this match is the kind of crazy bumps that these two women are willing to take. They have certainly mastered that art. I don't want to give away too much because this is a great match and you should watch it. It starts with Io landing face first on a ladder and goes from there. This included a callback to when Io turned on Candice last year and suplexed her through two chairs. When Candice tried this, Io stopped it and it looks like Candice may have hurt her shoulder when she landed on the chairs. After Candice used a swinging neck breaker on the apron to put both of them through two tables, someone who dressed in a Scream costume came out to help Candice. This person helped Johnny Gargano win his match earlier. We don't know who was in the costume because the intended occupant Indi Hartwell was under quarantine because a WWE PC coach tested positive for COVID-19. I thought Gargano was in the costume. Candice and Io are still out of it after the table bump. And Candice is still out of it when Scream places her on top of a ladder. After Shotzi Blackheart get rid of Scream, Candice wakes up. Io climbs a second ladder. Candice rakes her eyes which is a callback to when Io won a ladder match a few months ago. Io tips the ladder and Candice goes through a ladder placed between the ring and the broadcast table. Io's facial expression is great. Io goes up the ladder and wins the match. This was a great match and it is highly recommended if you want to see two masters of bump taking. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eddy Howard

 

Artist:Eddy Howard

Song:To Each His Own

Album:The Eddy Howard Collection 1939-1955

Eddy Howard was a singer and bandleader who topped the charts with the 1946 single To Each His Own. He's pretty much forgotten today. He was born Sept. 12, 1914 in Woodland, CA which is near Sacramento. He was studying medicine at Stanford when he dropped out to sing on a Los Angeles radio station. He had success singing songs like Careless with a band led by Dick Jurgens. Howard started his own band and recorded for Columbia in the early 40s. But he didn't have chart success until he moved to Majestic in 1946. To Each his Own was written by the veteran songwriting team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for the 1946 film To Each His Own starring Olivia De Haviland. There were several competing versions of the song. Three of them topped the charts. They were by Eddy Howard, Freddy Martin and The Ink Spots. Ray Evans said there were five recordings of To Each His Own in the top ten at the same time. So the song was very popular. Though he sometimes led a big band, it looks like Howard used a small group with Pete Roth on bass and Tom Martin playing the sax solo. Howard moved to Mercury in 1949 and he had a lot of success in the early 50s. His other number one hit was (It's No) Sin in 1951. Howard hosted a TV variety show on NBC in 1954. Of course the rise of Rock 'N' Roll led to Howard's decline. He remained with Mercury until his death from a cerebral hemorrhage on May 23, 1963 at age 48. This 2CD comp from the British label Acrobat Music covers Howard's entire career. Here's a video of To Each His Own by Eddy Howard.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-June Christy

 

Artist:June Christy

Song:A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

Album:Four Classic Albums

Jazz singer June Christy was best known for her days with Stan Kenton's band. After she left in 1954, she recorded several albums for Capitol Records. She was born Shirley Luster Nov. 20, 1925 in Springfield, IL and she grew up in Decatur. She sang with local bands while she was in high school. After graduating, she moved to Chicago and changed her name to Sharon Leslie. After a stint with Boyd Raeburn, she moved to New York with Benny Strong's band. In 1945, she heard that Anita O'Day had left Stan Kenton's band. She auditioned and got the job. And with that came the name change to June Christy. Though she remained with Kenton until 1954, June started recording her own music on Capitol in 1947. She usually worked with arranger and conductor Pete Rugolo along with her sax player husband Bob Cooper. She worked with Los Angeles session musicians. A Lovely Way To Spend The Evening is from the 1956 album The Misty Miss Christy. The song was written by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson for the 1944 film Higher and Higher where it was sung by Frank Sinatra. The Ink Spots had a hit single with it. The song has become a jazz standard. You can get The Misty Miss Christy on one of Avid's Four Classic Albums as a budget CD. The other albums are Something Cool (1955), Gone For The Day (1957) and Ballads For Night People (1959). June remained with Capitol until 1965. She retired in 1969 mostly due to alcoholism. She only recorded one more album in 1977. But she would tour with west coast jazz musicians like Shorty Rogers in a big band setting. June Christy died on June 21, 1990 at age 64. Here's June Christy performing A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening with Stan Kenton's band in 1965.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

 UFC review and preview.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Valaida Snow

 

Artist:Valaida Snow

Song:You Bring Out the Savage in Me

Album:Until the Real Thing Comes Along

If she had been a man, Valaida Snow would have been hailed as one of the best jazz musicians in the world. She was known as Little Louis and W.C. Handy called her Queen of the Trumpet. Instead Valaida was forced to move to Europe. She was born June 2, 1904 in Chattanooga, TN. Valaida's mother was a music teacher. Her father was leader of the Pickaninny Troubadors, a group of child performers. So Valaida was on the road with her dad as a child. She could play many instruments but settled on the trumpet. She could also sing and dance. At first she performed in revues and cabarets in Harlem. On trumpet, she mostly mimicked Armstrong who called her the world's second best trumpet player besides himself of course. It was obvious that Valaida had the talent to be a great musician. She just wasn't going to get the opportunity to be a bandleader. In the 30s she moved to Europe and became the toast of London and Paris. She finally got to record in 1935 Billy Mason and his Orchestra for Parlaphone. You Bring Out the Savage in Me was written by Sam Coslow for the 1935 British film Oh, Daddy. Frances Day performed the song in the film. So the song was new when Valaida recorded it. She sings and plays the second trumpet solo. This comp is available as a digital download. Valaida also made films with her husband Ananias Berry of the dance act The Berry Brothers. She was on tour in Denmark when Nazi soldiers took over Copenhagen and she was thrown in jail. It happened again in 1941 and she landed in a concentration camp. She was released as part of a 1942 prisoner exchange. Apparently she was never the same after that though she continued to perform. Valaida Snow died of a brain hemorrhage while she was backstage at the Palace Theater in Harlem on May 30, 1956 at age 51. Here's a video of You Bring Out the Savage in Me by Valaida Snow.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The UMC's

 Artist:The UMC's

Song:One To Grow On

Album:Fruits of Nature

The rap duo The UMC's had very brief success with two singles from the 1991 album Fruits of Nature. They were from Staten Island, NY. Carlos "Haas G" Evans and Kim "Kool Kim" Sharpton were both 19 years old when they signed with Wild Pitch Records distributed by EMI. Gang Starr was the best known act on the label. Both guys rap. The two singles from Fruits of Nature were One To Grow On and Blue Cheese. Both songs did well on the Rap and R&B charts and the videos were played on MTV. One To Grow On samples Blue Mitchell's Good Humour Man, Bill Cosby's Ursalena and James Brown's Funky President. The problem with The UMC's is they split up after one album. Sharpton continued and released the 1994 album Unleashed but it was unsuccessful. That was the end for The UMC's. Evans has gone on to a long career as a producer. He has worked a lot with Ghostface Killah. His biggest hit was the 2005 Lil Kim single Magic Stick. When The UMC's ended, Sharpton changed his name to NYOIL an acronym for New York's Original International Lover. Mostly he is an MC in New York clubs. He releases occasional albums along with YouTube videos. His live shows are popular in the New York area. Here's the video for One To Grow On by The UMC's.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Miranda Maverick vs Liana Jojua

 Here's the match video of Miranda Maverick vs Liana Jojua from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Flyweight. Miranda is 23 years old from Springfield, MO. She trains at House of Muay Thai in Norfolk, VA while attending Old Dominion University. She looked good at times in Invicta but we'll see what she looks like in the UFC. Liana is 25 years old from Georgia. She's 1-1 in the UFC. This is her second fight at Flyweight. Miranda won round one mostly because Liana did nothing. When Liana returned to her corner after round one, she was asked what she was waiting for. The problem was a Miranda elbow opened a cut on the bridge of Liana's nose. When her corner couldn't stop the bleeding, the ref called the ringside doctor in and he stopped the fight. Liana did not break her nose. She just needed stitches to close the cut. Some have questioned the stoppage but if the bleeding couldn't be stopped, the fight had to be stopped. Afterwards Miranda declared herself as the next big thing. I think it's a little early for that kind of hubris. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Lauren Murphy vs Liliya Shakirova

 Here's the match video of Lauren Murphy vs Liliya Shakirova from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Flyweight. Lauren's original opponent was Cynthia Calvillo but she tested positive for COVID-19. Liliya is 29 years old from Uzbekestan. She trains at Akhmat Fight Club in Russia. She's 8-1 and she won a championship a couple of weeks ago for Gorilla Fight Club. I watched a couple of her fights. The competition level was so low that it is hard to tell if she is any good. She is mainly a striker. She said this week she was supposed to make her UFC debut in December. Lauren seems to have improved since training at Fortis MMA in Houston. She's on a three fight winning streak but she needs to beat a top five fighter to get into the title picture. Obviously this fight wasn't going to do that. Liliya was moving around a lot in round one but not doing much of anything. Lauren did even less. So I scored the round 10-9 for Liliya. Very marginal. Between rounds, Lauren was told to be more aggressive. And that's what she did. She got a takedown and Liliya's ineptitude ended in a rear naked choke win for Lauren. It was her first ever submission win and it shows what Liliya needs to work on. Lauren had been whining all week about Jennifer Maia getting a title shot and Jessica Andrade getting the title shot after that. Of course Lauren thinks she should get a title shot which she isn't getting. The short version is she hasn't beaten a top five fighter. I will elaborate about this on this week's The Big Topic in WMMA Podcast. Be sure to check that out. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marlena Shaw

 

Artist:Marlena Shaw

Song:Love Dancin'

Album:Take A Bite: Expanded Edition

Marlena Shaw is best known as a jazz singer. Her late 60s recordings on Cadet like California Soul became popular in the 90s through DJs resurrecting them. When they were originally released, her recordings did not sell. So it's not surprising that in the 70s, she got into disco. That happened with a lot of jazz musicians. After two albums on Cadet, Marlena moved to Blue Note in 1972. After recording two jazz albums and a live album, she decided to try disco for the 1975 album Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?. After the 1976 single It's Better Than Walkin' Out from the 1976 album Just A Matter of Time was a dance hit, she moved to Columbia mostly for better distribution. The 1979 single Love Dancin' was one of three singles that charted on the dance and R&B charts. It's from Marlene's 1979 album Take A Bite, her third and final album for Columbia. The album was produced and arranged by Harold Wheeler who had previously worked with Gloria Gaynor and Meco Monardo and his disco version of the Star Wars theme. So the guys who worked on Meco's album are the same guys who worked on this album. Love Dancin' was written by Gary Knight and Gene Allan. These Brill Building songwriters worked frequently as a team. Allan had a lot of success in the 60s with Bobby Vinton. Knight wrote songs for Connie Francis. The British label Soulmusic released Take A Bite on CD in 2011 with a couple of bonus tracks including a remix of Love Dancin'. Sony has released a Marlena Shaw comp as a digital download. After leaving Columbia, she returned to jazz in the 80s for Verve and Concord and the small Eighty-eight's label. Her most recent recording was recorded in Japan in 2007 with Freddy Cole. Here's a video of Love Dancin' by Marlena Shaw.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Staple Singers

 

Artist:The Staple Singers

Song:Let's Do It Again

Album:The Ultimate Staple Singers: A Family Affair 1955-1984

The Staple Singers are best known for their Stax Records hits of the early 70s. I'll Take You There topped the charts in 1972. Their other #1 hit Let's Do It Again came after Stax went bankrupt in 1974. And it was the only album The Staple Singers recorded for Curtom Records before signing with Warner Bros. So that makes it a discography orphan. Of course when Stax went bankrupt, all the artists were forced to go elsewhere. Curtis Mayfield approached them about signing with his label Curtom. After success composing the music for the 1972 film Super Fly, Mayfield worked on the 1973 film Claudine. And that was followed by Let's Do It Again directed by Sidney Poitier and starring Poitier, Bill Cosby and Jimmie Walker. The film was a surprise hit after the theme Let's Do It Again topped the charts in 1974. Screenwriter Richard Wesley credited the success of the song for the film becoming a success. The Staple Singers only recorded the one album for Curtom before signing with Warner Bros. Let's Do It Again does not appear on most Stax Staple Singers comps. The Let's Do It Again soundtrack is available on CD. But I recommend this career spanning 2CD comp from the British label Ace. Though the Staple Singers continued until Pops Staples' 2000 death, Let's Do It Again was their final big hit. Here's a video for Let's Do It Again by The Staples Singers.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billy Dean

 

Artist:Billy Dean

Song:We Just Disagree

Album:Love Songs

Billy Dean had a string of top ten country hits in the 90s including this 1993 cover of the Dave Mason hit We Just Disagree. He was born Apr. 2, 1962 in the Tallahassee suburb of Quincy, FL. His father Billy Dean Sr. led a band in his spare time. At age eight, Dean started playing in his dad's band. And he played in other bands while in high school. He attended East Central Community College in Decatur, MS on a basketball scholarship. After a year, he left and moved to Nashville. Dean was a finalist on the 1982 Wrangler Country Star Search. And he won Male Vocalist on the 1988 season of the TV show Star Search. This led to a publishing deal with EMI and then a record deal. His first two albums were on Capitol. He was moved to Liberty for two albums and then back to Capitol for his final two albums. After the 1990 single Only Here for a Little While reached #3 on the Country Singles chart, Dean had seven straight top ten hits. His first three albums were certified Gold. We Just Disagree is from the 1993 album Fire in the Dark. It reached #9 on the Country Singles chart. It's a straight cover. That album was produced by Jimmy Bowen who was head of Capitol Nashville at the time. He also worked with veteran producers Tom Shapiro and Chuck Howard. After taking a break to raise his family, Dean returned with the 1996 album It's What I Do. When that and the 1998 album Real Man didn't do as well as earlier albums, Dean left Capitol. Then he got into acting and he made guest appearances with Crystal Bernard, Alison Krauss, Kenny Rogers and Suzy Bogguss. He released two albums on Curb Records. He hasn't recorded much since then though he still tours. This comp covers the Capitol years. Here's the video for We Just Disagree by Billy Dean.

The Big Topic in WMMA

 UFC review and preview and Ham Seo Hee update.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bomshel

 

Artist:Bomshel

Song:Fight Like A Girl

Album:Fight Like A Girl

The country music girl group Bomshel had their biggest hit with the 2009 single Fight Like A Girl. After one album and three EPs, they split up. Kristy Osmunson moved from Idaho to Nashville in 2002. Originally from Lexington, KY, Buffy Lawson was a backup singer and aspiring songwriter. Bob Gaudio spotted her and she appeared on the 1996 Neil Diamond album Tennessee Moon. She sang on the duet Marry Me. Buffy and Kristy met at Fan Fair in Nashville. They played local clubs and that led to Curb Records signing them. They released the 2006 EP Bomshel Stomp. They were getting radio play and were on tour with their own bus. But Buffy decided it wasn't for her and eventually she moved back to Lexington. She has recorded a couple of albums and continues to write songs. She was replaced by 19 year old Detroit native Kelley Shepherd. The album Fight Like A Girl was released in 2009. The single reached #30 on the Country Singles chart. Kristy and Kelley wrote most of the songs usually with a third writer. Fight Like A Girl was co-written by Bob Regan who is in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He co-wrote several songs on the album. The album was produced by Curb house producer Chuck Howard. After the 2012 EP Halleluy'all was unsuccessful, Bomshell split up. Kristy went on to form American Young with Jon Stone. They released a 2016 album on Curb. It looks like Kelley left the music business. Here's the video for Fight Like A Girl by Bomshel.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jason Nelson

 

Artist:Jason Nelson

Song:Forever

Album:The Answer

After gospel singer Jason Nelson wrote hits for Marvin Sapp and others, he started recording his own albums. He has had success on the gospel charts with hits like Forever. He was born Nov. 10, 1974 in Baltimore. His twin brother Jonathan is also a gospel singer. Their father Bishop James D. Nelson Sr. was pastor at Greater Bethlehem Temple Church from 1977-2007. Jason Nelson is now the pastor. So obviously the twins grew up singing in church. After releasing two albums independently, Nelson signed with Verity Records for the 2012 album Shifting the Atmosphere. All three of his albums have done well on the gospel charts. Forever is from Nelson's latest album The Answer released in 2018. It reached #3 on the Gospel Singles chart. Nelson wrote it with his wife Tonya. As is common with gospel albums, The Answer is a live recording. Nelson currently records for RCA Inspiration which is Sony's gospel label after they bought Verity's parent company Jive. It looks like he has new music coming soon. Gospel fans should check him out. Here's the video for Forever by Jason Nelson.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

 Hikaru Shida, Asuka, UFC review and preview and Ham Seo Hee.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Lana

 Here's the match video of Asuka defending her RAW Women's Championship against Lana who won a battle royal by hiding after Nia Jax put her through the broadcast table...again. It;s very unsatisfying when battle royals end that way. Plus Lana should stick to acting and forget about wrestling. The match was a two minute waste of Asuka's talent. Afterwards, Nia put Lana through a table...again. Then she and Shayna Baszler tried to attack Asuka but she got away. And that led to four way clusterf**k tag team match. Asuka deserves better than this. Check out the video for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Love Song

 

Artist:Love Song

Song:Little Country Church

Album:Love Song

When I wrote about Chuck Girard last year, I mentioned that he was in the very first Christian rock band. That band was Love Song. Little Country Church was their best known song. Before Girard formed Love Song in 1970, he was in the surf music scene. He was a member of The Hondells. Girard was already a Christian and a member of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA. Girard was the lead singer and played keyboards in Love Song. Other members were Tommy Coomes and Fred Field on guitar, Jay Truax on bass and John Mehler on drums. Truax was a one time member of The Surfaris. Wall, Field and Mehler left and then returned. The 1971 album Love Song features Little Country Church. Girard remastered the album and released it on CD in 2011. Love Song recorded two albums followed by a live album. They split up in 1976. Of course Girard was very successful recording solo. He was a big part in developing CCM. Coomes joined The Maranatha Singers as a producer and songwriter. He recorded a solo album in 1981 and later led The Tommy Coomes Band. Field and Truax formed Fred Field and Friends. They recorded a 1976 album. Truax went on to The Richie Furay Band. Love Song reunited in 1994 and released a live album. There is currently a Love Song documentary in production scheduled for release vert soon. Here's Chuck Girard performing Little Country Church at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA 1979.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Elvis Presley

 Artist:Elvis Presley

Song:Crying in the Chapel

Album:Peace in the Valley

Elvis Presley scored a top five hit in 1965 with the gospel song Crying in the Chapel. It was a surprise hit that came at a time when Presley's recording career was in a slump. His last top five hit was in 1963. He was doing a lot of movies with terrible songs. And Beatlemania was a factor too. Presley's first gospel album His Hand in Mine was released in 1960. Presley and The Jordanaires all grew up singing in church. And Presley wanted to record an album for his mother. Crying in the Chapel was recorded for this album but Presley wasn't happy with the three takes and it did not appear on the album. Country musician Artie Glenn wrote Crying in the Chapel and his son Darrell Glenn had a hit with it in 1953 and so did pop singer June Valli. Recordings by Rex Allen, The Orioles and Ella Fitzgerald also charted. With Presley in a recording slump, his manager Colonel Tom Parker thought that the time might be right to record a new gospel album. As a test, RCA released Crying in the Chapel as an Easter single with a Gold Standard label to distinguish it from current songs like Do the Clam. Crying in the Chapel reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then Presley recorded the 1967 gospel album How Great Thou Art. Crying in the Chapel appears on that album. Presley wouldn't have another top ten hit until 1969. So I don't think Crying in the Chapel ended his recording slump. Presley recorded a third gospel album He Touched Me in 1972. All three albums plus bonus tracks are on this 2CD comp. Unfortunately Presley never performed Crying in the Chapel live. So here's a video for Crying in the Chapel by Elvis Presley.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Big Swole

 Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship against Big Swole from this week's episode of Dynamite. Big Swole looks good but she is sluggish in the ring and she makes a lot of mistakes. Hikaru tries to cover up her mistakes but she can only do so much. It's an OK match but it's lacking and I think Big Swole has trouble keeping up with Hikaru. Of course she slips while attempting a sunset flip power bomb. But Swole does not do the little things that can result in a good match. Of course Hikaru wins with a Shining Wizard. And now they are having Penelope Ford criticizing Swole for her performance after Penelope had a great match against Hikaru a few weeks ago. I think AEW needs to beat the bushes for wrestlers who can work good matches with Hikaru. Because right now their options are limited. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Gillian Robertson vs Poliana Botelho

 Here's the match video of Gillian Robertson vs Poliana Botelho from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Flyweight. Gillian is a grappling whiz originally from Niagara Falls, ON but she has been training for years with Din Thomas in Florida. She earned her BJJ black belt this week. Her striking is subpar. Poliana started out at Strawweight but she has now moved up Flyweight. She's 3-1 in the UFC but all three fighters that she beat have been released. She is primarily a striker who needs to improve her takedown defense and ground game. Poliana said in an interview that she has been working with WMMA pioneer Ana Michelle Taveras at Nova Uniao. Poliana has a significant size advantage. What she needs to do is keep the fight standing. She is able to do this in round one because Gillian doesn't use striking to set up her takedowns. She finally does get a takedown at the end of the round but I scored the round 10-9 for Poliana. In round two, Gillian catches a kick to get a takedown and she controls rounds two and three on the ground. She couldn't get a submission or a finish with ground and pound. I scored the fight 29-28 for Gillian. Afterwards she called out Antonina Shevchenko. I still think Gillian will have problems with the better fighters in the division until she improves her striking significantly. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jessica Andrade vs Katlyn Chookagian

 Here's the match video of Jessica Andrade vs Katlyn Chookagian from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This is Jessica's debut at Flyweight. Katlyn is the #1 contender though she has already lost a title fight. Obviously she wants another shot. But if Jessica wins, she will get that title shot. Though Katlyn is much taller than Jessica and has a significant reach advantage, I didn't think she would be able to keep Jessica at bay for three rounds. Jessica wastes no time closing the distance and Katlyn is already backpedaling. She's in trouble already. Jessica lands a body shot that sends Katlyn running to the other side of the cage. Jessica hunts her down and lands a knee. And then instead of going headhunting, she lands another body shot and the ref stops it. Jessica said afterwards that she deliberately went after Katlyn's body because her weight cut leaves her vulnerable to body shots. Jessica is the first female fighter to win in all three UFC weight classes. She got a performance bonus. And she's going to get that Flyweight title shot. Katlyn has been talking retirement recently. That time may be now. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Youngblood Brass Band

 

Artist:Youngblood Brass Band

Song:Ain't Nobody

Album:Pax Volumi

The Youngblood Brass Band are a New Orleans style brass band mixed with jazz and soul. Like a lot of similar bands, they are worth seeing live. They usually record for their own label. They are from Oregon, WI which is a suburb of Madison. Drummer David Henzie-Skogen and sousaphonist Nat McIntosh went to high school together. When the band first formed in 1995, they were called One Lard Biskit Brass Band. After one album the name was changed to Youngblood Brass Band. They released a couple of albums on their own label. The 2000 album Unlearn featured guest appearances by Taleb Kweli and Mike Ladd. So that generated interest in the hip hop community. Henzie-Skogen started his own Layered Music label in 2005. Since then most Youngblood Brass Band albums are on that label. The exception is the 2013 album Pax Volumi which was on the British label TruThoughts. Though Henzie-Skogen and McIntosh write most of the band's songs, the lead single from Pax Volumi was a cover of the Chaka Khan classic Ain't Nobody. This album marked McIntosh's return after his 2004 departure. Pax Volumi is available as a digital download. Though they have released a couple of EPs, this is their latest album. Obviously they aren't on tour right now. But the Youngblood Brass Band will return when the pandemic ends. They are worth checking out. Here's the video for Ain't Nobody by Youngblood Brass Band.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast-Special Edition

 BREAKING-RIZIN announces that Ham Seo Hee has relinquished the Superatomweight Championship. I discuss this story with my friend Charlie who lives in Japan. We are the most knowledgeable guys on this subject which is why I asked him to join me.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freeez

 Artist:Freeez

Song:I.O.U.

Album:The Funkin 80s

The British group Freeez started out as a jazz funk group in the late 70s. They had success when they got into dance music in the 80s. Most of their success was in Europe. But the 1983 single I.O.U. topped the US Club Play chart. John Rocca started Freeez in 1978. After releasing a couple of albums on his own label, he signed with Beggars Banquet. The 1983 album Gonna Get You was the first album for Beggars Banquet. The album was produced by Arthur Baker who also produced Afrika Bambaataa. He also wrote I.O.U. with his usual writing partner John Robie. The female singer is Baker's wife Tina B. Rocca is the male singer. Other musicians are Andy Stennett on electric piano, Charles Street on guitar, Peter Maas on bass and Everton McCalla on drums. Stennett, Robie and Fred Zarr played synthesizer. On the album I.O.U. is eight minutes long. After Beggars Banquet released a radio edit, I.O.U. reached #3 on the British Singles chart and it topped the Billboard Club Play chart. It charted internationally. Rocca went solo and charted with the 1984 single I Want It To Be Real. He continued to record into the 90s until he quit the music business in 1993 and went into IT. Maas continued Freeez with the 1985 album Idle Vice. But it was unsuccessful and Freeez split up for good. You can get I.O.U. on this 2CD various artists budget comp that was sold on TV in Europe. Here's the video for I.O.U. by Freeez.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eric Reed

 Artist:Eric Reed

Song:Ruby, My Dear

Album:The Dancing Monk

Pianist Eric Reed is probably best known for his days in Wynton Marsalis' 90s band. He has recorded as a leader since the 90s and in recent years he has recorded several Thelonious Monk tribute albums. He was born June 21, 1970 in Philadelphia. He's a Preacher's Kid. He was five years old when he started playing piano in his father's church. But then he got interested in jazz. His family moved to Los Angeles and Reed attended R.D. Colburn School of Arts. And that's where he met Wynton Marsalis. While attending Cal State Northridge in 1988, Reed toured briefly with Marsalis and then he was hired to permanently replace Marcus Roberts in 1989. Reed was in that band off and on until 1995. He also toured with Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard and he was in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He also recorded as a leader for MoJazz and Impulse and he toured to support those albums. Reed still works as a sideman occasionally. But since 1999, he has led his own band and recorded for Nagel-Hayer, MAXJAZZ, Pony Canyon, WJ3 and Savant. Reed has recorded four Thelonious Monk tribute albums. Ruby, My Dear is from the 2011 album The Dancing Monk on Savant. Musicians are Ben Wolfe on bass and McClenty Hunter on drums. Reed's latest album Everybody Gets The Blues was released last year. Reed plays organ on that album. Here's Eric Reed with Mike Gurrola on bass and Wesley Anderson on drums performing Ruby, My Dear at SF Jazz Oct. 10, 2014.

The Big Topic in WMMA

 UFC review and preview.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nick Jonas

 

Artist:Nick Jonas f/Tove Lo

Song:Close

Album:Last Year Was Complicated

Of course Nick Jonas is one of The Jonas Brothers who had success with the Disney Channel crowd ten years ago. After they split up in 2013, Nick had success as a solo artist. The Jonas Brothers reunited last year. He was born Sept. 16, 1992 in Dallas. He is the youngest of the three brothers. There is also a fourth younger brother. His father is a one time musician and minister. Nick was performing on Broadway at age seven. After writing a song for a Christmas album, Columbia Records and the CCM label INO signed him. The 2004 album Nicholas Jonas was never released as Columbia didn't like the album. But they liked Jonas and his brothers so they signed them as a group. After releasing one album, The Jonas Brothers signed with Disney owned Hollywood Records to tap into the Disney Channel. After releasing four albums on Hollywood, The Jonas Brothers took a break. Nick formed Nick Jonas & The Administration with guys who played with Prince. After one album, The Jonas Brothers reformed and while working on a new album, they decided to split up in 2013. Nick signed with Island Records and released the album Nick Jonas in 2014. The single Jealous reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Last Year Was Complicated was released in 2016. It didn't do as well as the first album. The single Close reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of the album was produced by Jason Evigan who has worked a lot with Disney. Close was written and produced by the Swedish duo Mattman & Robin (Mattias Larsson, Robin Fredrikssen) who have worked a lot with Taylor Swift. The guest singer is Tove Lo from Sweden. After releasing a few singles, Nick rejoined The Jonas Brothers and they released a very successful 2019 album. Jonas has also acted in films and TV, most notably the Direct TV series Kingdom where he played an MMA fighter. The first season is pretty good and it can streamed on Amazon. He also appeared in the 2019 films Midway and Jumanji: The Next Level. And he was a coach on the latest season of The Voice. With all that going on, Nick Jonas' solo recording career is on hold. But I'm sire he will return to it down the road. Here's the video for Close by Nick Jonas featuring Tove Lo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Konono No 1

Artist:Konono No 1

Song:Lufuala Ndonga

Album:Congotronics

Konono No 1 started out as an attempt to play traditional Congolese music using what we call thumb pianos. It is called Iikembe in the Congo. Attempts to amplify the music turned them into a mix of Congolese music, electronics and junkyard percussion. The 2005 album Congotronics made them an underground sensation in Europe. Right now the band's future is uncertain. Iikembe player Mingiedi Mawangu formed Konono No 1 in 1966 as a tribute to legendary Congolese musician Franco. Mawangu was a truck driver so the music was in his spare time. A track on the 1989 various artists album Zaire: Musiques Urbaines A Kinsasha was produced by Belgian producer Vincent Kenis. He owns Crammed Discs and works with Zap Mama among others. To amplify their music, Konono No 1 raided junkyards for car radios and also things they could use for percussion. This led to the 2005 album Comgotronics which was enthusiastically received by the international music press. Konono No 1 toured internationally. They won the Newcomer award on the 2006 BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music. They appeared on Bjork's 2007 album Volta. Konono No 1's 2008 album Live at Couleur Cafe was nominated for a Grammy. And they appeared on Herbie Hancock's 2010 album The Imagine Project which also got a Grammy nomination. Mawangu retired from touring in 2009 though he continued to appear on recordings. His son Augustin Mawangu Mingiedi became the new leader of Konono No 1. After a couple more albums, Mingiedi Mawangu died on Apr. 15, 2015 at age 85. Then Augustin died on Oct. 16, 2017 at age 56. It was announced at the time that his son Makonda would lead Konono No 1. It doesn't look like that is happening. They have a Facebook page that has been inactive since Dec. 2019. And their website is kaput. Maybe something will emerge from the ashes. It doesn't look good. Here's the video for Lufuala Ndonga by Konono No 1.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

 UFC review and preview.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Janie Fricke

 

Artist:Janie Fricke

Song:Let's Stop Talkin' About It

Album:It Ain't Easy: The Complete Hits

Janie Fricke started out as a Nashville session singer in the 70s. This led to some duets and then a string of hits in the 80s. The 1984 single Let's Stop Talkin' About It was one of her seven #1 country hits. She was born Dec. 19, 1947 in South Whitley, IN. It's in northern Indiana. The population is 1,700. She's the most famous person from that town. Janie learned piano as a child and she liked Joan Baez and Judy Collins. While studying elementary education at Indiana University, Janie sang with The Singing Hoosiers and got a job as a jingle singer. After graduating, she moved to Nashville and joined the Lea Jane Singers. Then she got into session singing and that led to her 1977 duet with Johnny Duncan called Stranger. Listeners wondered who the singer was as she wasn't identified. This got her a deal with Columbia and legendary producer Billy Sherrill. Sherrill was best known for producing Tammy Wynette. Janie had modest success at first. Then Sherrill suggested she concentrate on singing ballads. After she had two top five hits from the 1980 album I'll Need Someone To Hold Me When I Cry, Janie had a string of 16 top ten country hits including seven #1 hits. She was named Female Vocalist of the Year in 1982 and 1983. Let's Stop Talkin' About It is from the 1983 album Love Lies. It was written by Deborah Allen, Rafe Van Hoy and Rory Bourke. Deborah had success as a songwriter before having a successful solo career. She recorded the song in 1982. Van Hoy and Bourke are veteran Nashville songwriters. Of course nothing lasts forever in the music business. Janie faded by 1987 and she left Columbia in 1989. In recent years Columbia has licensed Janie's recordings to outside record companies. This 2CD comp from Real Gone Music has all her hits. In 1991 Janie became a regular on the TNN series The Statler Brothers Show until 1998. She started her own label in 2000. She last recorded in 2012. Though Janie appears on the RFD-TV show Country's Family Reunion, I would say she is semi-retired at this point. She has a ranch in Lancaster, TX. Here's Janie Fricke performing Let's Stop Talkin' About It on the 1984 American Music Awards broadcast.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fifth Harmony

Artist:Fifth Harmony f/Ty Dolla $ign

Song:Work From Home

Album:7/27

Fifth Harmony was a girl group that was put together for season two of Simon Cowell's TV talent show X-Factor. After finishing third on the show, they recorded three albums and scored a 2016 top five hit with Work From Home. They split up in 2018. The five girls were Ally Brooke, Camilla Cabello, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and Normani. They all auditioned solo for season two of X-Factor. When each failed to progress, they were thrown together as a group. They couldn't figure out a name for them. Fifth Harmony was chosen by X-Factor viewers. After finishing third on the show, Fifth Harmony signed with Cowell's label SYCO and Epic which was run at the time by X-Factor judge LA Reid. After releasing a couple of EPs, their debut album Reflections was released in 2015. The single Worth It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. The Swedish production group Stargate produced Worth It. They were chosen to produce the 2016 album 7/27. That album sold 1.6M copies worldwide. Work From Home reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was written and produced by Joshua "Ammo" Coleman who has produced hits for Kesha and Katy Perry. After Fifth Harmony toured, Camilla left to go solo. And of course she has been very successful. After the 2017 album Fifth Harmony didn't do as well as the first two albums, Fifth Harmony officially went on hiatus. But they have all signed solo record deals and all of them have albums on the way. Ally Brooke is on Atlantic. Dinah Jane is on LA Reid's HitCo label. Lauren Jauregui is on Columbia and Normani is on RCA. And that's the problem with X-Factor. You can't throw total strangers together and expect any kind of longevity. These girls all wanted to be solo artists. We'll see how they do. Here's the video for Work From Home by Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tracy Cortez vs Stephanie Egger

 Here's the match video of Tracy Cortez vs Stephanie Egger from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Bantamweight. When Bea Malecki pulled out of this fight, Stephanie was brought in on short notice. She is from Switzerland. She has fought in Invicta and RIZIN but mostly she has fought at home. She is a BJJ black belt and she has a size advantage over Tracy. And that's because Tracy was a Flyweight when she was in Invicta. She trains at Ready Fight in Scottsdale, AZ. Her coach George Corrales wasn't in her corner as he is preparing The Korean Zombie for his fight next week. This is the second straight time Tracy faced a short notice replacement. Based on this fight, Tracy is very well coached. She took Stephanie down and dominated her for three rounds. Stephanie even landed an upkick to the side of Tracy's head in round two and that didn't faze her. So I scored the fight 30-27 for Tracy. Obviously I would like to see her against better opposition. It was mentioned on the broadcast that Tracy went to the UFC PI to help her cut weight. If she has mastered that, I would like to see her go back to Flyweight because she is undersized as a Bantamweight. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Fatback Band

 Artist:The Fatback Band

Song:Backstrokin'

Album:Hustle! The Ultimate Fatback 1969-84

The Fatback Band had success on the R&B charts in the 70s and early 80s. The 1980 single Backstrokin' was their biggest hit. By this time the band name was shortened to Fatback. They were formed in New York City in 1970 by drummer Bill "Fatback" Curtis. He was already playing sessions when he wanted to merge the "fatback" jazz beat of New Orleans with funk. On lead vocals, bass and keyboards was Johnny Flippen. Curtis and Flippen wrote most of the songs. The rest of the band through 1979 was Earl Shelton on sax, Johnny King on guitar and Gerry Thomas on keyboards. The Fatback band signed with Perception Records. They were a jazz label but they occasionally signed pop acts like King Harvest. They were distributed by A&M. The Fatback Band recorded three albums for Perception. They scored a top 30 R&B hit with Street Dance in 1973. When Perception closed, The Fatback Band signed with Polydor's Event label. after three albums on Event, they were moved to Spring Records and the band name was shortened to Fatback. And that's when they had more consistent success on the R&B charts. The 1980 album Hot Box was their biggest success. Gotta Get My Hands On Some and Backstrokin' were top ten R&B hits. Backstrokin' reached #3 on the R&B Singles chart. They faded after that and after recording for Cotillion and Start, Fatback ended in 1985. The Fatback Band's back catalog is owned by Ace Records and they released this 2CD comp. Bill Curtis has reunited Fatback a couple of times. He has done some writing and producing but nothing notable. His songs are sampled by hip hop guys so I'm sure he makes money from that. Here's a video of Backstrokin' by The Fatback Band.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Airborne Toxic Event

 

Artist:The Airborne Toxic Event

Song:Sometime After Midnight

Album:The Airborne Toxic Event

The Airborne Toxic Event is an indie band that will remind you of other more successful bands. I think they sound too much like U2. Sometime After Midnight is from their 2008 debut album. They have bounced around too many record labels since then. They are from Los Angeles led by lead singer and songwriter Mikel Jollett. While attending writing workshops, Jollett decided to try music instead of trying to be a novelist. This was after going through a romantic breakup, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and Jollett was diagnosed with alopecia. He was introduced to drummer Daren Taylor and they started writing together. Jollett met Anna Bulbrook at a restaurant. She is a classically trained violinist who brought an orchestral sound to the band. They added bassist Noah Harmon who was a jazz musician and guitarist Steven Chen was friends with Jollett but had been living in San Francisco. The Airborne Toxic Event started playing local gigs and released a single. Sometime Around Midnight was getting radio play. They signed with The Shout Factory label Majordomo and released the 2008 album The Airborne Toxic Event. Though they didn't really have a distinctive sound, the album was favorably reviewed except by Pitchfork who said they sounded too much like other bands. This eventually got them a deal with Island Records who rereleased the album. Sometime Around Midnight was a top five Alt Rock hit and it reached the Bubbling Under section of the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted internationally. They released three albums on Island and then switched to Epic for the 2015 album Dope Machine. Harmon was replaced by Adrian Rodriguez. They recorded two albums for Epic and their latest album Hollywood Park is on Rounder Records. Anna Bulbrook left and was not replaced. She is now part of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Why have they switched record companies so much? Probably poor record sales. Labels like Island and Epic have expectations. They cut bands if those expectations aren't met. There is less pressure on a smaller label like Rounder. I just don't think The Aitborne Toxic Event is distinctive enough to be really successful. Check them out for yourself. Here's the video for Sometime After Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event. This is the first of two videos for this song. The girl is Icelandic actress Anna Briem from the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bill Doggett

 

Artist:Bill Doggett

Song:Honky Tonk Pt. 1

Album:Leaps and Bounds

Organist Bill Doggett is best known for his 1956 top five hit Honky Tonk Pt. 1, one of the all time great instrumental hits. But he was really a jazz musician who was an in demand sideman and accompanist. He was born Feb. 16, 1916 in Philadelphia. Doggett wanted to play the trumpet. But his parents couldn't afford one. His mother was church pianist and she convinced him to try the piano. By age 15 he led his own band. Doggett's first job was in Lucky Millender's band in 1938. He was in that band for four years. He was the pianist and arranger for The Ink Spots from 1942-44. He continued to work as a sideman for Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton. In 1947 Doggett replaced Wild Bill Davis in Louis Jordan's band and he was on hits like Saturday Night Fish Fry. That's when he started playing the organ. While still recording as a sideman with Ella Fitzgerald and others. Doggett signed with King Records in 1953 and started releasing singles. He had some success on the R&B charts until Honky Tonk reached #2 on the pop charts in 1956. It topped the R&B Singles chart for three weeks. It was the biggest R&B hit of 1956. Part 1 was the A side. Part 2 was the B side. Doggett wrote Honky Tonk with his band of Billy Butler on guitar, Clifford Scott on sax and Shep Shepherd on drums. Honky Tonk has been frequently covered, most notably by James Brown in 1972. Though Honky Tonk was Doggett's only big hit single, he continued to have success in the R&B charts until he left King in 1961. He wanted more money and King owner Syd Nathan refused. This Charly Records budget comp has all of his King hits. In the 60s Doggett recorded for Warner Bros., Columbia, Verve, ABC-Paramount and Roulette. He returned to King in the late 60s and he recorded for the French label Black and Blue in the 70s. It doesn't look like Doggett moved to Europe but he certainly toured there a lot in the 70s. It looks like he semi-retired in the 80s. After one final album for Ichiban Records in 1991, Bill Doggett died on Nov. 13, 1996 at age 80. Here's Bill Doggett with Billy Martin on sax, Benny Goodwin on guitar, Walter McMahon on bass and Kenny Clayton on drums performing Honky Tonk on the French TV show Jazz Harmonie 1972.

The Big Topic In WMMA

 UFC review and preview.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Peter Nero

 

Artist:Peter Nero

Song:Theme from Summer of '42

Album:Peter Nero's Greatest Hits

Peter Nero is a classical pianist who has recorded pop instrumental albums since the 60s. Normally he covers pop songs or movie themes. His cover of Michel Legrand's theme from the 1971 film Summer of '42 was a top 30 pop hit. Like many instrumental artists, his albums sold well. He was born Bernard Nierow May 22, 1934 in Brooklyn, NY. He studied at Brooklyn College and Juilliard. Nero could have been a virtuoso classical pianist. But he liked jazz and he wanted to mix jazz with classical music. So he was playing New York clubs when he was discovered by RCA Records executive Stan Gleeson. Gleeson signed Nierow and changed his name to Peter Nero. Nero's 1961 debut album Piano Forte won him a Best New Artist Grammy. Nero recorded 23 albums for RCA. He moved to Columbia in 1969. Nero also composed the score for the 1963 film Sunday in New York. But for the most part, Nero was an instrumental album artist. Summer of '42 was a very popular 1971 film. Michel Legrand composed the score. There was a soundtrack album but there wasn't much music in the film other than the theme. It looks like pianist Roger Williams and Nero got the idea to cover the theme at the same time. Williams' recording was released first but it didn't chart. Nero's recording reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it was a top ten Adult Contemporary hit. With a guy like Nero, consistent album sales was more important than a hit single. So the success of Summer of '42 was a surprise. Nero conducted and arranged with veteran arranger Lee Holdridge. The album was produced by Wally Gold and Paul Leka. Leka became a producer after the success of Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye). You can get Summer of '42 on this comp. Beware of re-recorded versions. Nero left Columbia in 1973. He recorded sporadically after that. Nero was director of the Philly Pops Orchestra from 1979 until his 2013 retirement. Here's Peter Nero performing Theme from Summer of '42.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Monty Alexander

Artist:Monty Alexander

Song:Renewal

Album:The River

Because he was born and raised in Jamaica, jazz pianist Monty Alexander brings a Caribbean vibe to his music. He has recorded as a leader since the 60s. He likes to perform with a trio of piano, bass and drums. He was born June 6, 1944 in Kingston, Jamaica. He took piano lessons as a child. He got interested in jazz as a teen and played local clubs. He also played on sessions with pianist Aubrey Adams. Alexander moved with his family to Miami in 1961. While playing in a local club, Frank Sinatra came to see a Sinatra impersonator. Someone suggested Sinatra check out the pianist playing in the other room. Sinatra liked Alexander so much that he got his pal Jilly Rizzo to hire Alexander as house pianist for his New York club Jilly's. Alexander became friends with Ray Brown and Milt Jackson and he watched boxing with Miles Davis. Alexander signed with Pacific Jazz and made his recording debut in 1964. He also recorded for RCA and Verve. As a sideman, Alexander recorded with Milt Jackson and Quincy Jones. In the 70s he recorded for the German label MPS. This is when he started working with bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton. Alexander signed with Concord in 1979. Most of his Concord albums were trios, most frequently with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown. He toured with Brown. Renewal is from the 1985 album The River with John Clayton on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums. This song has become a standard part of Alexander's repertoire. The River is available as a budget CD. After Alexander left Concord, he recorded the 1996 reggae album Yard Movement for Island. He also recorded a Bob Marley tribute album for Telarc in 1999. Since Telarc closed, Alexander recorded for Chesky, Jazz Legacy and Motema. He now records for his own label and his latest album was released last year. Here's Monty Alexander with Hassan Shakur on bass and Obed Calvaire on drums performing Renewal at the 2011 San Javier Jazz Festival in Spain.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Io Shirai, a look at the WWE draft and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cilla Black

 

Artist:Cilla Black

Song:You're My World

Album:Cilla in the 60's

Cilla Black was England's most popular singer in the 60s because of her association with The Beatles, their manager Brian Epstein and their producer George Martin. The 1964 single You're My World was her biggest hit and her signature song. She had great success in England before turning to TV in the 70s. She was born Priscilla White May 27, 1943 in Liverpool, England. She worked as a cloakroom attendant at The Cavern Club in Liverpool where the Beatles played. They liked her and encouraged her to play local clubs. When the local music paper Mersey Beat featured her, they accidently called her Cilla Black. She decided to keep the name. John Lennon introduced Cilla to The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. He signed her, got her a record deal with EMI and sent her to the recording studio to work with George Martin. Cilla's first #1 hit in England was her cover of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song Anyone Who Had a Heart. It was her second single. You're My World was the third single. It also topped the British singles chart and it reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 mostly because she was on tour with The Beatles. You're My World was called Il Mio Mondo when it was written and recorded by Italian singer songwriter Umberto Bindi. Martin thought it would be a great song for Cilla. But he needed English lyrics and he hired veteran songwriter Carl Sigman to do that. He specialized in writing lyrics for old or foreign language songs like the 1958 Tommy Edwards hit It's All In the Game. Johnny Pearson conducted the orchestra. You're My World was the biggest hit in Cilla's career though she continued to have chart success in England through the 60s. This budget comp covers her 60s recordings. Her final top ten hit in England was Something Tells Me in 1971. She already had her own variety show on BBC called Cilla which ran from 1968-76. Most of her TV work was as a host and performer. She recorded her final album in 2009. ITV aired a 50th anniversary special, a biopic and documentary. Cilla Black died on Aug. 1, 2015 at age 72. Here's Cilla Black performing You're My World on The Royal Variety Performance 1964.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Candice Lerae

 Here's the match video of Io Shirai defending her NXT Women's Championship against Candice Lerae from last night's Takeover show. These two had a great match last year. The big difference is that Candice is now a heel taking shortcuts with the help of her husband Johnny Gargano. Io wrestles the same whether she is a heel or babyface. She is very precise in her movement. It's a great match well worth watching. Not surprisingly, Gargano interferes at the end. The ref gets knocked out and Candice lays out Io. Gargano comes out wearing a ref's shirt like Bayley did at Extreme Rules. We all know what happened there. Io kicks out of a fast count. Gargano grabs the championship belt and gives it to Candice. While the ref throws Gargano out, Candice hits Io with the belt. Io kicks out again. And after a Spanish Fly, Io hits her moonsault for the win. Afterwards, Toni Storm appears on the videotron and then Ember Moon returns from injury. It looks like Io will have a full dance card. Of course Io knows Toni very well and has wrestled her many times. But I did a quick search and Io gas never crossed paths with Ember though Ember is close friends with Asuka so Io can ask her. We'll see what happens with the draft this week. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-*NSYNC

 

Artist:*NSYNC

Song:Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Album:Home for Christmas

Anyone familiar with this blog will know that I start looking at Christmas music in October. So here's my first Christmas song of the 2020 season. It could be the last because the music plays at random. This album was probably the biggest seller of the 1998 Christmas season. *NSYNC had become one of the hottest acts in music after appearing on The Disney Channel in July. So it's not surprising that crook Lou Pearlman wanted *NSYNC to record a Christmas album. Strike when the iron is hot. They actually recorded two Christmas albums. Home for Christmas was released Nov. 10, 1998. The album reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 200. It was certified 2XPlatinum. That's really good for a Christmas album. The Winter Album was released Nov. 17, 1998 but in Germany only. It was *NSYNC's thank you to Germany for supporting *NSYNC before they were successful elsewhere. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a couple of other songs are on both albums. But the albums are different and available so I assume completists would want both. German producer Veit Renn produced about half of the album including Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. And he also wrote that song with Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez and they sing lead on the record. *NSYNC do a couple of Christmas standards but the album looks to be mostly original material. Of course soon after this *NSYNC sued Pearlman for fraud and we all know how that ended. Here's the video for Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by *NSYNC with a guest appearance by Gary Coleman.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loma Lookboonmee vs Jinh Yu Frey

 Here's the match video of Loma Lookboonmee vs Jinh Yu Frey from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Strawweight. Loma is from Thailand. She is a veteran Thai fighter but very inexperienced at MMA. She trains at Tiger Muay Thai with George Hickman. She fought at Atomweight in Invicta. Jinh is a former Invicta Atomweight Champion. She tends to work at a distance and go in and out. That may work in Invicta but I don't think that will work in the UFC. They said on the broadcast that Jinh is training at Fortis MMA in Houston and Saif Saud may be trying to fix some of her bad habits. The story of this fight is once Loma got Jinh in the clinch, she went to work with knees and elbows. And Jinh didn't have an answer for any of that. So I scored the fight 30-27 for Loma. But it doesn't make me think that Loma can have success against ranked fighters. I guess we will find out. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Germaine De Randamie vs Julianna Pena

 Here's the match video of Germaine De Randamie vs Julianna Pena from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. It's possible that the winner of this fight is heading for a Bantamweight title shot. Germaine is a kickboxer from The Netherlands. Her rep is she is a great kickboxer but not so good at other things. And her fights tend to be boring which is why she wasn't in the main event. Julianna bow lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter. But for a fight camp, she goes home to Sikjitsu in Spokane. She is a BJJ black belt. Her striking is not so good. Julianna needs to get it to the ground as she is not going to win a striking contest with Germaine. Julianna has difficulty closing the distance in round one. I scored round one 10-9 for Germaine. Julianna does better in round two as she gets a takedown and controls Germaine so I scored the round 10-9 for Julianna. In round three, Julianna knows she has to get another takedown. They are clinching on the fence. If Julianna doesn't get a takedown, ref Jason Herzog will break them up. Julianna goes for a takedown, stumbles and that gives Germaine the opportunity to hook a guillotine and put Julianna to sleep. This is probably the biggest win of Germaine's career and her first submission win. After watching the finish a second time, I still think Germaine was more lucky than good. I doubt that she knew what she was doing and it's doubtful she could do that again. It's one of those things. And I also think Julianna forced the takedown when it probably wasn't happening. But I don't think she had much of a choice. She had to try. We not only have Germaine and Holly as possible title contenders. But Ketlen Vieira is also in the picture. There is plenty of time to sort that out. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Holly Holm vs Irene Aldana

 Here's the match video of Holly Holm vs Irene Aldana from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. It's possible that the winner of this fight is headed for a Bantamweight title shot. Irene knocked out Ketlen Vieira with one punch in her last fight. There's always an overreaction to something like that. She needed to show me that it wasn't a fluke. Holly is mainly a counterpuncher. She has had mixed success she was Bantamweight Champion. That title is why this match was the main event. The problem with this fight was Irene kept circling in one direction. And when that didn't work she didn't make any adjustments. As a result, Holly won easily. It wasn't even close. I scored it 50-45 for Holly. Irene's problem came down to poor coaching. She wasn't given any kind of direction. She trains at Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, Mexico with Alexa Grasso. Lobo is owned by Alexa's father and the coach is Alexa's brother Francisco Grasso. I think these girls need better coaching to become elite fighters. But because it's family, I doubt they will ever get it. Because Amanda Nunes will defend her UFC Featherweight Championship first, I think we might see a couple contender matches first. Holly says she's up for that but her manager Lenny Fresquez usually handles that. Enjoy the video!