Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexis Davis vs Sabina Mazo

Here's the match video of Alexis Davis vs Sabina Mazo from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Alexis is a veteran fighter from Port Colborne, ON. She hasn't looked good since returning from pregnancy leave. She recently had shoulder surgery and she moved to Combat Sports Academy in in Dublin, CA with coach Kieran Fitzgibbon. Former UFC fighter Darren Uyenoyama is her main coach. Sabina is from Colombia but she trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA with Rafael Cordeiro. She is mainly a striker. When I first saw this fight announced I thought it was at Flyweight. Alexis' recent fights have been at Flyweight. She asked to move up to Bantamweight. But Sabina is a Flyweight and I don't know why Cordeiro would agree that she would fight at Bantamweight. She's way too small. And that's how the fight went. Alexis mostly controlled Sabina on the ground and won the fight 30-27 on my card. Sabina should not have accepted this fight. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva

Here's the match video of Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Montana and her UFC fighter husband train at Elevation in Denver with Eliot Marshall. She has decent ground skills but her striking is sub par. Mayra was in the Brazilian Contender Series. Then she blew out her knee while winning a fight over Gillian Robertson. She trains at Chute Boxe in Sao Paulo with Diego Lima. The story here is Mayra was deducted a point for fence grabbing to avoid a takedown. Normally refs will issue a warning for fence grabbing. But he had to deduct a point because of the takedown. If not for the deduction, Mayra wins the fight 29-28 though I think she should have won anyway. Mayra did a lot of damage in the clinch with knees and elbows. Montana did get a couple of takedowns. But I didn't think she advanced her position enough to get a lot of credit for that. Her takedowns didn't mean much. I scored round one 9-9 with the point deducted and so did the judges. I scored round two 10-9 for Mayra but the judges all scored it 10-9 for Montana. I scored round three 10-9 for Mayra. So did two of the judges and the third scored it 10-8. So it ended up as a majority draw. I saw some criticism of Mayra's fighting style. She is actually pretty good at the Chute Boxe style similar to Cris Cyborg. She needs work on her takedown defense but I'm sure Lima noticed that. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alfred Drake

Artist:Alfred Drake

Song:Where Is The Life That Late I Led?

Album:Kiss Me, Kate: Original Broadway Cast

Though he is forgotten today, Alfred Drake was a big Broadway star in the 40s and 50s. He starred in several original musicals that became standards including Kiss Me, Kate. He won a Tony for Kismet. And he performed in TV productions of these shows. He was born Alfred Capurro Oct. 7, 1914 in New York City. His parents were Italian immigrants. Drake began performing in musicals while attending Brooklyn College. His first Broadway appearance was in Babes in Arms in 1937. But the show that made Drake a star was Oklahoma in 1943. From there he starred in Kiss Me, Kate, The King and I and he won a Tony for the 1953 show Kismet. Of course Kiss Me, Kate featured songs by Cole Porter. It's basically a backstage musical. It was first produced in 1948 starring Drake and Patricia Morison. Drake did not appear in any of the film versions of these musicals. But he did appear a lot on live TV. The original cast album for Kiss Me, Kate is available on CD. Drake continued to appear on Broadway in the 60s. His final show was in 1975. After a recurring appearance on the daytime soap The Edge of Night and an appearance in the 1983 Eddie Murphy film Trasding Places, Alfred Drake died on July 25, 1992 at age 77. Here's Alfred Drake performing Where Is The Life That Late I Led? on the 1958 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV production of Kiss Me, Kate. This show can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barns Courtney

Artist:Barns Courtney

Song:99

Album:404

Barns Courtney will probably remind fans of Ed Sheeran. I'm not sure the comparison does Courtney any favors. He actually toured with Sheeran a few years ago. Virgin Records keeps placing his songs in movies but he hasn't broken through yet. Courtney was born Nov. 17, 1990 in Aylesbury, England. His family moved to Seattle when he was four and they returned to England when he was 15. Courtney led the band SleeperCell who were featured on Channel 4's Orange Unsigned competition. Then he led Dive Bella Dive. They signed with Island Records and played the 2012 Download Festival. They recorded an album that was never released and Island dropped them. Courtney signed a solo deal with Virgin. The song Fire appeared in the 2015 film Burnt starring Bradley Cooper. It got some radio airplay in the US and Courtney appeared on Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show. He released the album The Attractions of Youth and he went on tour. 99 is from his 2019 album 404. It also got some radio play. Courtney has done well on Spotify but that doesn't seem to have converted to sales. Courtney writes all his songs with Dive Bella Dive bandmate Sam Battle. 99 was produced by Arctic Monkeys producer Mike Crossey. But most of the album was produced by Band of Skulls producer Tom Dalgety. I noticed that Virgin keeps placing Courtney's songs in video games. Maybe it's time for a new strategy Here's the video for 99 by Barns Courtney. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ferrante & Teicher

Artist:Ferrante & Teicher

Song:Exodus

Album:All Time Great Movie Themes

The twin grand pianos of Ferrante & Teicher were a staple of the easy listening charts for three decades. Occasionally they would cross over to pop. Their 1960 recording of the theme from the film Exodus was their biggest hit. Arthur Ferrante was born Sept. 7, 1921 in New York City. Louis Teicher was born Aug. 24, 1924 in Wilkes Barre, PA. They met while attending Juilliard in New York and they performed as a duo while attending school. After graduating Ferrante & Teicher joined the Juilliard faculty and started playing nightclubs as a duo. In the 50s they attempted experimental music and they released a few classical albums on ABC's Westminster label. Success came when they signed with United Artists in 1960. The key elements were the orchestra and chorus arranged and conducted by Nick Pento and the whole idea of having Ferrante & Teicher record popular movie themes. The breakthrough came when their recording of the theme from The Apartment reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. And immediately following Ferrante & Teicher's recording of Ernst Gold's theme from Exodus reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was their biggest hit. These recordings were released as singles and then they appeared on the 1961 various artists album Great Motion Picture Themes which also included Don Costa and Al Caiola. Ferrante & Teicher scored another top ten hit with their 1961 recording of Tonight from West Side Story and then Midnight Cowboy in 1969. All these recordings are on this budget comp. This success was enough to keep them going for years. Their albums were big sellers in easy listening. Ferrante & Teicher remained on United Artists until EMI bought UA and moved them to Liberty in 1980. They retired in 1989. Louis Teicher died in 2008 and Arthur Ferrante died in 2009. Here's Ferrante & Teicher performing Exodus probably in the 80s. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and Invicta's future. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Zoey Stark

Here's the match video of WWE NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai vs Zoey Stark from this week's episode of NXT. This is a non title match. Zoey Stark just signed with the WWE and after her solo debut last week, she was given a match against Io. Zoey wrestled as Lacey Ryan for SHIMMER and Impact among others. She was trained by Cheerleader Melissa. Though she debuted in 2013, Zoey took a couple of years off and returned in 2018. She looks good for someone who doesn't have much experience. So the match really picks up after the commercial break. Zoey probably gets more offense than she should. But Io doesn't like doing squash matches. She wants Zoey to look good and commentary probably tries too hard to put Zoey over. These days I don't care for these kind of matches because inevitably fans will overreact and think Zoey is a prodigy or something when the truth is Io makes her look better than she is. Of course Io won the match with her moonsault. The match is watchable but nothing special. Toni Storm came out afterwards and she will get a title shot in a couple of weeks. As for Zoey, I would like to see her against someone closer to her skill and experience level. Io Shirai can make anyone look like a million bucks. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Zombie Nation

Artist:Zombie Nation

Song:Kernkraft 400

Album:Leichenschmaus

Here's a song you may have heard at a sporting event. But you don't know the title of the song or the name of the artist. Kernkraft 400 was an international dance club hit in 1999. It's become a cash cow for German DJ Florian Senfter AKA Zombie Nation. He also calls himself John Starlight and Splank!. Senfter is from Munich, Germany. He is mostly a remix guy. Kernkraft 400 appeared on a 1999 EP credited to Zombie Nation. After it was a hit in Europe, the record reached #2 on the British Singles chart. Then it crossed the pond and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles chart. After that the song became a sports anthem. It was first used by the Chicago Rush Arena Football team. Then it migrated to NHL, NBA and NFL teams. The song is normally played during time outs and commercial breaks. But remember every time the song is played Senfter's cash register rings. So the money is still rolling in. Teams that have used Kernkraft 400 include the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, Penn State football, Welsh soccer and plenty more. Kernkraft 400 was number eight in a top ten sports anthems list done by Sports Illustrated in 2015. You can get it on the 2003 Zombie Nation album Leichenschmaus which is available as a digital download. Florian Senfter continues to do remixes. He has released five albums as Zombie Nation. Here's the video for Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation. That is Senfter playing the host in the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-OMC

Artist:OMC

Song:How Bizarre

Album:How Bizarre

Most music fans probably remember hearing How Bizarre but know nothing about the group. The song was an international hit in 1997 and it's even had a revival on TikTok. The two guys behind this record are New Zealand natives Pauly Fuemana and producer Alan Jansson. Pauly had a band in the early 90s with siblings Phil, Tony and Christina called Houseparty and then Fuemana. Phil and Pauly recorded a couple of singles with Jansson. Jansson produced the 80s band Body Electric. They called themselves The Otara Millionaires Club which is a joke about how their hometown is the poorest suburb in Aukland. They shortened it to OMC. After Phil left to start his own record label, Pauly became the frontman of OMC. He and Jansson wrote and produced the 1997 album How Bizarre. After How Bizarre was a hit single in Australia and New Zealand, PolyGram's Mercury label picked it up for international distribution. Because How Bizarre was not released as a single in the US, it was not eligible for the Billboard Hot 100. But it did reach #4 on the Billboard Radio Songs chart and it topped the Billboard Mainstream Top 40. The girl singer in the video is Sina Saipaia. The album was certified Gold and it is available on CD. After a couple more singles charted in New Zealand, Fuemana and Jansson split up over a royalty dispute that wound up in court. They reunited in 2005 to release the single 4 All of Us featuring Xena star Lucy Lawless. Pauly Fuemana died on Jan. 31, 2010 at age 40. How Bizarre is still a memorable song. And it recently became a hit again when TikTok users did videos to How Bizarre. The hashtag generated over a billion views. That's crazy for a one hit wonder. Here's the video for How Bizarre by OMC. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka, UFC review and preview and the future of Invicta. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka

Here's the match video of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka. This was a non title match. After Lacey Evans announced her pregnancy last week, the WWE said nothing about a replacement to face Asuka on Elimination Chamber until they announced there would be no match just before the show started. They could have announced that last week. Now of course Charlotte and Asuka will split up leading to a title match at Wrestlemania. So other than the finish, this match is nothing special. After Shayna kicks Asuka so hard that she loses a tooth, Charlotte accidently kicks Asuka and Nia pins her. Afterwards Asuka was pissed. Obviously she will need to see a dentist. As tough as she may act, Shayna is aware that she is not supposed to do stuff like that. I guarantee Asuka will give her a receipt. She's done it before. I won't say where or when it happened before but I know about it. Later in the show, Charlotte bawled out her dad. That's probably the end of that and the beginning of the Charlotte Asuka split. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-SAINT JHN

Artist:SAINT JHN

Song:Roses

Album:Collection One

Carlos St. John Phillips has had success as SAINT JHN. Roses was a top five hit in 2019. It's too soon to know if that will be his only hit. He was born Aug. 26, 1986 in Brooklyn, NY. His parents are Guyanese and he would split time between the US and Guyana. His older brother influenced him to start rapping. But it's his songwriting thatb got him attention. Phillips moved to Los Angeles and several of his songs were recorded, most notably by Usher. Phillips released Roses as a single in 2016. Though it wasn't a hit, it got LA Reid's attention and he signed Phillips to his Hitco label. Roses appeared on Phillips' 2018 debut album Collection One. The album was produced by Lee "f a l l e n" Stashenko who worked with Phillips on those Usher songs. A DJ from Kazakhstan named Imambek did a remix of Roses and that became a worldwide hit. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Collection One is available as a digital download. It was not released on CD. Since then Phillips has released two albums but he hasn't had the same success. So Roses might have been a fluke hit and Phillips' future may be as a songwriter and producer. Here's the video for Roses by SAINT JHN. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Towner Gallaher

Artist:Towner Gallaher

Song:Courageous Hearts

Album:Courageous Hearts

Drummer Towner Gallaher is mostly an educator and he plays New York clubs. But occasionally he records an album and he gets big names to appear on his albums. Gallaher was born in Portland, OR in 1955. He was age nine when he first picked up the drums. He attended an alternative high school so he practiced the drums six hours a day. After graduating he went straight to the local club scene. His main mentor was Mel Brown who toured with The Temptations and The Supremes. Gallaher moved to New York in 1986. He gives drum lessons in his home studio and he also teaches in public schools and community centers. Gallaher continues to play clubs. And he has recorded a couple of albums as a leader. Courageous Hearts was released in 2009 on his own label. He wrote most of the songs. Musicians are Craig Handy on tenor sax, Fred Wesley on trombone and Brian Lynch on trumpet. Lynch also wrote the horn arrangements. Other musicians are George Coligan on piano, Charles Fambrough on bass and Ze Mauricio on percussion. The album is available as a budget CD. Gallaher has released three albums and he continues to play New York clubs and teach. Here's Towner Gallaher performing Courageous Hearts in the recording studio Apr. 28, 2008. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Casey O'Neill vs Shana Dobson

Here's the match video of Casey O'Neill vs Shana Dobson from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Shana is from Baltimore but she now trains at Elevation in Denver. She won her last fight but I don't believe she is a UFC caliber fighter. Casey is making her UFC debut. She is 23 years old. She was born in Scotland but she lives in Australia. She trains at Tiger Muay in Thailand with George Hickman. She is 5-0. Her last fight was in UAE Warriors in Abu Dhabi. None of her fights are on video so I didn't get to watch her. She's very aggressive and she dominates Shana in round one. This continues in round two until the ref stops it. Casey wins by TKO. Obviously I would like to see her against better competition. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Yana Kuniskaya vs Ketlen Vieira

Here's the match video of Yana Kunitskaya vs Ketlen Vieira from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Yana is from Russia but she now trains at ATT in Florida with her UFC fighter boyfriend Thiago Moises. She's a midcard fighter at best. Ketlen trains at Nova Uniao in Brazil. She is excellent on the ground. This fight was the product of really terrible judging. Robbery is not too strong a word to use. Ketlen won round one very easily with ground control. I scored it 10-9 for Ketlen. Two judges scored it 10-9 for Ketlen and the third scored it 10-9 for Yana. There is no way that round should have been scored for Yana. In round two, Ketlen initiated a takedown but wound up on the bottom. She kept trying for submissions but as Michael Bisping mentioned on the broadcast, she needed to get out from under. So I scored the round 10-9 for Yana for maintaining top position and so did all three judges. In round three, Ketlen maintained top position and attempting submissions for most of the round until Yana reversed it in the last minute and cut Ketlen with an elbow. I scored it 10-9 for Ketlen for maintaining top position for most of the round. Two judges scored it 10-9 for Yana and the third judge who scored round one for Yana scored it 10-9 for Ketlen. So all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Yana. So how does Yana get credit for top position in round two and Ketlen not get credit for top position in round three. That's called round stealing which I don't believe in. But sometimes judges make stupid mistakes and this was pretty bad. The judging was awful. Check out the video for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ted Winn

Artist:Ted Winn

Song:More

Album:Stand in Awe

Gospel music fans will remember Ted Winn from the popular duo Ted & Sheri. Since they split up, Winn has started his own label with Shanachie distribution. Winn is from Memphis. He took piano lessons as a child. After graduating from Overton Creative and Performing Arts High School, he joined the US Air Force. Upon his return in 1995, he joined Kevin Davidson and the Voices of Binghampton. That's where he met Sheri Jones-Moffett. At the same time, Winn was singing with Richard Smallwood and attending Morehouse College. Ted & Sheri released two successful albums and then both went solo. Sheri has recorded two albums for Motown Gospel. Winn started his own label Teddys Jamz with Shanachie distribution. More is from his 2017 album Stand in Awe. It's done very well on the gospel charts. Myron Butler produced the album. Though Winn writes a lot of his own songs and has a lot of success writing for others, More was written by Lawrence Flowers of the group Lawrence Flowers and Intercession. Winn also started managing other artists and songwriters and his songs continue to be recorded by Youthful Praise, Marvin Sapp and plenty of others. Here's Ted Winn performing More at House of Hope in Atlanta 2017. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Algernon

Artist:Algernon

Song:Escape As the Crow Flies

Album:Charlie Changed His Mind

Algernon was a jazz band that incorporated progressive rock elements with jazz. They were from Chicago led by guitarist Dave Miller. He formed Algernon in 2004 after attending Northern Illinois University. Escape As the Crow Flies is from Algernon's self released 2004 album Charlie Changed His Mind. Other band members were Katie Wiegman on vibes, Nick Fryer on guitar, Tom Perona on bass and Cory Healey on drums. This album is available as a digital download. Algernon's third album Ghost Surveillance was released in 2010 on Cunieform which is a label with national distribution. This album was not as well received as earlier albums because they toned down the progressive rock elements. They split up after that. Since then Miller has been in bands led by Ted Sirota and Joe Policastro. And he released the album Tompkins Square last year on his own label. Cory Healey released an album but the rest have been in other bands. Here's a video for Escape As the Crow Flies by Algernon. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Davis

Artist:Steve Davis

Song:Pinnacles

Album:Say When

Steve Davis is one of today's top jazz trombonists. He has recorded as a leader since the 90s and he is a very busy sideman. He was born Apr. 14, 1967 in Worcester, MA and he grew up in Binghampton, NY. His grandmother played stride piano in local clubs. So that's most of his inspiration though his dad also took him to jazz concerts. He switched to trombone while in the high school band and he attended summer workshops at SUNY Binghampton taught by Bob Brookmeyer and Joe Lovano. Davis studied at Hartt College of Music in Hartford, CT. His instructor was alto sax legend Jackie McLean. After graduating, McLean got him a job in the final version of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Davis joined in 1989 and Blakey died in 1990. Davis returned to Hartt College and has been on the faculty ever since. And he also made his recording debut as a leader in 1994. Since then he has recorded for Criss Cross, Stretch, Posi-Tone and currently Davis records for Smoke Sessions. Pinnacles is a JJ Johnson song from the 2015 album Say When. It was Davis' first album on Smoke Sessions. He recorded several Johnson songs on this album. Musicians are Eric Alexander on tenor sax, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Harold Mabern on piano, Nat Reeves on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. He has worked with Alexander and Farnsworth in the band One For All. They have recorded several albums since the mid-90s. Davis was also a member of Chick Corea's Origin. Davis' latest album Correlations was released in 2019. He has appeared on recent albums by Corea, Michel Camilo, Christian McBride and Harold Mabern. Here's Steve Davis with Josh Bruneau on trumpet, Tony Davis on guitar, Anthony Wonsey on piano, Ugonna Ogekwo on bass and Jason Tieman on drums performing Pinnacles at Smalls Jazz club in New York Nov. 30, 2017.

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and UFC 262 news. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Carroll Thompson

Artist:Carroll Thompson

Song:I'm So Sorry

Album:This Is Lovers Rock

Backup singer Carroll Thompson had success on the British charts in the early 80s with a style of reggae known as Lovers Rock. This was popular mostly in England. Carroll was known as the Queen of Lovers Rock. She was born in 1960 in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England. Her parents are Jamaican. She grew up singing in church. While studying for a career in the pharmaceutical industry, Carroll started singing background vocals in various recording studios. This led to a successful audition for a group to be called Sugar Cane from Boney M producer Frank Farian. When that was abandoned, Carroll returned to background singing for Imagination and Norma White. After releasing a single for the German label Hansa, she met Jamaican born producer Leonard Chin. She recorded the 1981 album Hopelessly in Love. She topped the British reggae charts with I'm So Sorry. Carroll wrote the song. The album did well and Carroll won several awards in England. Unfortunately the album is out of print. But you can get I'm So Sorry on this various artists digital download. After that Carroll joined the group Floy Joy. They recorded a couple of albums. Since then she has recorded occasionally. But mostly she has been a session singer and she has also worked behind the scenes as a composer and producer. She last recorded in 2011 and she continues to perform in clubs. Here's Carroll Thompson performing I'm So Sorry at The Hideaway in London May 20, 2017. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bebe

Artist:Bebe

Song:Siempre Me Quedara

Album:Pafuera Teleranas

Spanish singer actress Bebe came out of nowhere with her 2005 debut album Pafuera Teleranas to be nominated for five Latin Grammys. The album made her a global sensation. It looks like she goes back and forth from films to music. She was born Maria Nieves Rebolledo Vila May 9, 1978 in Valencia, Spain. Her parents were in the folk group Suberina. In the 90s Bebe was in the group Vanagloria. It doesn't look like they ever recorded. She got into TV and films in Spain. But then she signed with Virgin Records and released the 2005 album Pafuera Teleranas produced by Carlos Jean. It looks like he did all the music and she wrote all the lyrics. Siempre Me Quedara was on of three singles to cross over to the Latin American charts. So then Bebe was nominated for five Latin Grammys. She won Best New Artist. The album is available with two bonus tracks. She released her next album Y in 2009. She did some films during the break. Bebe has released four albums. The most recent in 2016. She won a lawsuit against Virgin/EMI in 2019 for abuse and she has been working on a new album. Here's the video for Siempre Me Quedara by Bebe. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Meiko Satomura, Io Shirai, Asuka and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka and Charlotte Flair vs Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans

Here's the match video of Asuka and Charlotte Flair vs Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans from last night's episode. As I'm sure you already know, Lacey Evans told the WWE yesterday that she is pregnant. So they decided to turn it into part of this dopey angle Lacey has been doing with Charlotte and Ric Flair. So the match is irrelevant. Of course the WWE tried to make it look like Ric Flair could be the father. Thankfully that ends this idiotic angle that I hope will never return. The only thing is Asuka was supposed to defend her WWE RAW Women's Championship on this Sunday's Elimination Chamber show. Nothing has been said and the match is still listed. So I don't know what they are doing. Check out the video for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dave Holland Big Band

Artist:Dave Holland Big Band

Song:Triple Dance

Album:What Goes Around

Bassist Dave Holland is probably best known for his days with Miles Davis in the early days of fusion music. He has been recording as a leader since the early 70s first with ECM and now on his own label. He was born Oct. 1, 1946 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England. Holland taught himself to play bass. And he wanted to play electric bass in a rock group. After he saw an issue of Down Beat where Ray Brown won the critic's poll as best bass player, Holland went to a record store and bought a couple of Oscar Peterson albums featuring Brown. That was it. He traded in his electric bass for a double bass. Other influences included Charles Mingus and Jimmy Garrison. Holland moved to London in 1964. After studying with James Edward Merrett of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Holland won a scholarship at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. While attending school, Holland played regularly at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club backing up touring US musicians like Coleman Hawkins and Joe Henderson. He also became friends with John McLaughlin, John Surman and especially trumpeter Kenny Wheeler who recorded with Holland many times. In 1968, Miles Davis heard Holland opening for Bill Evans at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. Holland moved to New York to join Davis' band. And that led to the birth of fusion music on albums like Bitches Brew. After two years with Davis, Holland formed Circle with Chick Corea, Barry Altschul and Anthony Braxton. They were short lived but when they split up, Holland signed with ECM and released his debut as a leader in 1972. Holland recorded for ECM until he started his own label in 2005. Holland first recorded Triple Dance on the 1988 album Triplicate with Steve Coleman on alto sax and Jack DeJohnette on drums. He also recorded it on the 2002 album What Goes Around. This is an augmented version of Holland's usual quartet of Chris Potter on tenor sax, Robin Eubanks on trombone and Billy Kilson on drums. Other musicians are Antonio Hart and Mark Gross on alto sax, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Andre Hayward and John Roseman on trombone, Earl Gardner, Alex Sipiagin and Duane Eubanks on trumpet and Steve Nelson on vibes. The album won a Grammy. This album is available as a digital download. Holland has recorded for his own label Dare2 since 2005. His latest album Without Deception was released in 2020 and it features Kenny Barron on piano and Jonathan Blake on drums. So Holland is still very busy and one of the all time jazz greats. Here's the Dave Holland Big Band performing Triple Dance at the 2004 TIM Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Featured soloists are Frank Basile on baritone sax, Chris Potter on tenor sax, Alex Sipigian on trumpet and Steve Nelson on vibes. Nate Smith is on drums. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Toni Storm vs Mercedes Martinez

Here's the match video of Io Shirai defending her NXT Women's Championship vs Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez from last night's NXT Takeover show. Long time readers will know that I don't like three way matches because there is a formula to them and they are kind of routine at this point. For that reason the WWE should stop doing them. The match is about what I expected. It was OK but not great. The formula is the biggest problem. Then they are supposed to do a spot with the announce table. As Toni clears the table it collapses. So now they have to work around that. The end of the match was the same finish that was done in a 2018 three way where Kairi Sane disappeared for some time and then came flying into camera range with her elbow drop. They did the same thing here except the finish had Io doing a moonsault. They just have to make sure that Io doesn't appear on camera. So she was crawling on the ground. Anyway, Io won. All's well that ends well. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Magma

Artist:Magma

Song:Nebehr Gudahtt

Album:Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh (MDK)

Progressive rock fans will want to check out the French group Magma. This band is way out in left field but they are good. Magma was formed in Paris in 1969 by drummer Christian Vander. Plenty of guys have gone through this band but Vander is the main guy. Magma is a science fiction concept in musical form. He even created a fictional language called Kobaian. Most of the lyrics are in this language. Magma released a couple of albums. But then for the 1973 album Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh (MDK), he formed an all new band. After the French release on Vertigo Records did well, A&M picked it up for worldwide distribution. Magma toured the US and performed at the Newport Jazz Festival. MDK is Magma's most successful album. It is available as a digital download. After that A&M didn't seem to know what to do with Magma. They suggested things that would lead to commercial success. But Vander wasn't interested and there was constant conflict in the band. No one could get along with Vander. After a total of nine albums, Magma split up in 1984. After leading a couple of bands, Vander has become more of a jazz musician in recent years. Like I said, Magma will be of interest to progressive rock fans. Here's Magma performing Nebehr Gudahtt.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Polyana Viana vs Mallory Martin

Here's the match video of Polyana Viana vs Mallory Martin from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Polyana trains at Tata Fight Club in Brazil owned by Tata Duarte. I haven't been impressed with her in the UFC. Mallory trains at Elevation in Denver. We haven't seen enough of her to know if she is any good. Mallory makes a huge mistake by going into Polyana's guard. And that's the beginning of the end. After trying several submissions, Polyana wins with an armbar. Mallory did the one thing that guaranteed a first round submission. Pretty stupid. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video-Alexa Grasso vs Maycee Barber

Here's the match video of Alexa Grasso vs Maycee Barber from last night's UFC show in Las 
Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Alexa is from Mexico. She's a points fighter. She's mainly a not very hard puncher depending on volume to win fights. Maycee is from Colorado but she has recently moved to VFS in Chicago led by Mike Valle and Israel Martinez. She is also returning from knee surgery. I like that she finishes fights. But it's not like she is great at any one thing. She depends a lot on aggression and she's a hard puncher. I thought if she is aggressive at the start of the fight she could win. But it almost looked to me like she forgot how to fight. She tries to set up at a distance. But that's what Alexa wants. So though I didn't think Alexa was very effective, she was more effective than Maycee and Alexa won the first two rounds. Valle yelled at Maycee after round two. And she came to life. But she needed a finish and didn't get it. I scored the fight 29-28 for Alexa and so did all three judges. She could get a title shot at some point. Maycee could have won that fight if she had been aggressive from the start. That's something Valle and Martinez need to work on with Maycee or it could become a big problem. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Imperials

Artist:The Imperials

Song:Wings of Love

Album:The Definitive Collection

The Imperials are a Southern Gospel group who adapted to changing musical trends. When they saw the rise of CCM in the 70s, they modernized their sound without alienating their Southern Gospel fanbase. The 1988 single Wings of Love topped the CCM chart. Jake Hess started The Imperials after leaving The Statesman Quartet in 1963. They toured with Elvis Presley from 1966-71. By that time, bass singer Armond Morales was the only original member. Seeing that the music was changing, he brought in Andrae Crouch & The Disciples member Sherman Andrus as lead singer. That's when they started recording "Jesus music" which would become CCM. Russ Taff was the key figure in this transformation when he became lead singer in 1976. That's when The Imperials signed with Word's Myrrh label. by the time Taff left to go solo in 1981, The Imperials had established themselves and Myrrh in CCM. Taff's replacement Paul Smith was lead singer of The Imperials until 1985. And he also wrote Wings of Love. That song was on the 1987 album This Year's Model. Ron Hemby was the lead singer. It topped the CCM charts. Brown Bannister produced the album. Keith Thomas played keyboards and wrote the arrangements. After Hemby left to join the country band The Buffalo Club, Morales turned The Imperials into a ministry group that sings. Morales retired in 2004. But he did return and retired again in 2018. Paul Smith is the current leader of The Imperials. This comp covers the Myrrh years and is available as a digital download. Here's The Imperials performing Wings of Love on PTL 1992. The members at the time were lead singer Jonathan Hildreth, Morales, his sister Pam Morales and David Will. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lauren Daigle

Artist:Lauren Daigle

Song:You Say

Album:Look Up Child

CCM singer songwriter Lauren Daigle crossed over to pop with the 2018 single You Say. She has potential to be a big star if she wants it. She was born Sept. 9, 1991 in Lake Charles, LA. She started seriously considering music when she was ill for a couple of years as a teen. Instead she planned to go to medical school and then do missionary work. While in the choir at Louisiana State University, she tried out for American Idol three times. Though she failed, Lauren got the music bug and she moved to Alpharetta, GA and joined North Point InsideOut which is a P&W group at North Point Community Church. After appearing on their album, Lauren signed with Centricity Records in 2013. Her 2015 debut album How Can It Be topped the Billboard Christian Album chart and it also reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 200. The album was certified Platinum. The single Trust in You topped the Christian Singles chart. That's pretty good for a CCM artist. Capitol Records owns Centricity. They decided to release Lauren's 2018 Look Up Child to the mainstream pop market. You Say not only topped the Christian chart but it reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. I guess the song is anthemic. Lauren writes and produces most of her songs with Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury of the band One Sonic Society. Ingram is a pianist with a lot of success producing CCM artists. Mabury is a drummer from Australia. He was in Hillsong before he moved to Nashville. Look Up Child was also certified Platinum. Lauren  has won Grammys and other awards. It looks like Capitol may have a potential star on their hands. But does she want that as it could alienate her CCM fanbase. Time will tell. Here's the video for You Say by Lauren Daigle.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Russell Malone

Artist:Russell Malone

Song:Unchained Melody

Album:Triple Play

Russell Malone is one of today's most versatile jazz guitarists. He can play anything with anybody. He has recorded as a leader since 1992. He was born Nov. 8, 1963 in Albany, GA. His mother bought him a toy guitar when he was four. Malone was influenced by the Dixie Hummingbirds and BB King. He got serious after he saw George Benson on TV. He studied the technique of Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery. Malone is self taught. In 1988 he joined Jimmy Smith's band for two years. Then he was in Harry Connick Jr.'s band.  He joined Diana Krall's band in 1995 and recorded and toured with her until 2007. Malone has toured with Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove and Ron Carter. And he has been a sideman on plenty of albums. Malone first recorded as a leader in 1992. He has recorded for Columbia, Impulse, Verve and Telarc. Unchained Melody is from the 2010 album Triple Play on MaxJazz. It's a trio with David Wong on bass and Montez Coleman on drums. Of course the best known version of Unchained Melody was by The Righteous Brothers in 1965. It was written for the 1955 prison film Unchained by composer Alex North (A Streetcar Named Desire) and Tin Pan Alley lyricist Hy Zaret. Unchained was Warner Bros. attempt to turn football star Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch into a movie star. Though the film was soon forgotten, Unchained Melody was nominated for an Oscar and recorded by Al Hibbler, Roy Hamilton and Les Baxter. Opera singer Todd Duncan performed it in the film. Unchained Melody underwent a revival when The Righteous Brothers version was used in the 1990 film Ghost. The song is not a jazz standard but George Benson recorded it in 1979. My guess is Malone is familiar with that recording. Malone currently records for HighNote. His latest album Time for the Dancers was released in 2017. Here's Russell Malone performing Unchained Melody on a Dianne Reeves concert filmed for French TV in 2010.

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-A Certain Ratio

Artist:A Certain Ratio

Song:Shack Up

Album:ACR Set

A Certain Ratio (ACR) are a post punk band that should remind you of Joy Division. They were on the same label Factory Records but they weren't as successful. ACR were formed in Manchester, England in 1977 by singer Simon Topping and guitarist Peter Terrell. They were soon joined by bassist Jez Kerr and trumpeter Martin Moscrop. A Certain Ratio is a line from the Brian Eno song The True Wheel. ACR signed with Factory Records. By the time they released their second single Shack Up, drummer Donald Johnson joined the band. Shack Up is a cover of a song by the obscure funk band Banberra. Though it didn't chart at the time, over the years Shack Up has become ACR's signature song. After adding singer Martha Tilson, Topping and Terrell left in 1982. Later sax player Tony Quigley joined. By the time ACR signed with A&M Records in 1987, the band was Moscrop, Kerr, Johnson and Quigley. After recording two unsuccessful albums for A&M, they signed with Rob's Records owned by former Factory Records partner Rob Gretton. After a couple of albums, they signed with Creation Records mostly to release their back catalog. ACR disbanded in 1994. Since then ACR has reunited occasionally to tour and they released one album. Mostly they promote catalog reissues. This comp covers ACR's early years. Here's the video for Shack Up by A Certain Ratio. 

AccuRadio song Of The Day-Pamela Blair

Artist:Pamela Blair

Song:Dance, Ten: Looks, Three

Album:A Chorus Line: 40th Anniversary Celebratiion

Pamela Blair's claim to fame is she originated the role of Val in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line and her big song Dance, Ten: Looks, Three. She's also a Daytime Emmy winner. She was born Dec. 5, 1949 in Bennington, VT. She dreamed of becoming a Radio City Rockette and she also wanted to meet The Beatles. So at age 16 Pamela moved to New York. She was at dance class when she was told that Michel Bennett was looking for dancers for Promises, Promises. That was Pamela's first Broadway show appearance. After a few more appearances, Bennett asked Pamela to participate in workshops that developed into A Chorus Line. She won the role of Val which is based partially on her own life. Dance, Ten: Looks, Three is one of A Chorus Line's more memorable songs with the "tits 'n' ass" refrain. So the show was very successful and Pamela followed that with the role of Amber in the 1978 Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. After that Pamela got into TV especially daytime soaps. She was on Loving from 1983-85. But she also appeared on Ryan's Hope, Another World and she won a Daytime Emmy for All My Children. She also did guest shots on The Cosby Show, Law & Order and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And she appeared in the TV movie Svengali and the features Mighty Aphrodite and 21 Grams. Pamela's most recent appearance was in the 2009 Lifetime movie Maneater. Since then she moved to Arizona where she owns a therapeutic massage studio. The bonus tracks on the 40th anniversary edition of A Chorus Line are Marvin Hamlisch's demos. It's available as a budget CD. Here's a video of Pamela Blair performing Dance, Ten: Looks, Three from the 1976 show A Chorus Line.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jeremy Camp

Artist:Jeremy Camp

Song:Overcome

Album:I Still Believe: The Greatest Hits

Singer songwriter Jeremy Camp has had a string of CCM hits over the last 20 years. He is not to be confused with CCM artist Steve Camp and they are not related. Jeremy Camp was born Jan. 12, 1978 in Lafayette, In. His father was pastor at Harvest Chapel Church. While attending bible college in California, Camp got interested in music influenced by U2, Delirious? and Jars of Clay. He got involved with the school's music ministry and toured California. He met and married Melissa Lynn Henning. But soon after they were married, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she died on Feb. 5, 2001 at age 21. And that's when Camp got into music seriously. He wanted to use his grief to minister to others. Then he met and married former Benjamin's Gate lead singer Annette Liesching. They married in 2003 and Camp signed with BEC Recordings. Camp has been going strong ever since. He has won five Dove awards and has been Grammy nominated. Overcome is from the 2010 album We Cry Out: The Worship Project produced by Brown Bannister. The song reached #2 on the CCM Singles chart. Though Camp writes his own songs, Overcome was written by Jon Egan of the CCM group Desperation Band. When Camp started his own production company in 2015, he was moved to the Sparrow Records roster which is owned by EMI. BEC is distributed by EMI. There is a difference but Camp is still in the EMI family. Sparrow released this comp CD in 2020. It's a good intro to his music. His latest album The Worship Project recorded with his wife Adrienne was released Sept. 2020. Here's the video for Overcome by Jeremy Camp.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Django Reinhardt

Artist:Django Reinhardt f/Freddy Taylor

Song:I'se A-Muggin'

Album:Django With His American Friends

Singer Freddy Taylor's claim to fame is that he was briefly a member of guitar legend Django Reinhardt's Quintet du Hot Club du France when he lived in Paris. I'se A-Buggin' was one of three songs Taylor recorded with Reinhardt. Unfortunately Taylor's discography isn't big enough to justify a full length CD. His songs with Reinhardt are easy to find on Reinhardt comp CDs. Taylor started out as a dancer in the Cotton Club in Harlem in the early 30s. He also worked in vaudeville doing skits. A 1933 tour with Lucky Millender's band landed Taylor in Paris. Bill Coleman taught him to play trumpet. And with all his talents, Taylor could open his own club and lead his own band. So he performed a lot but he didn't record much except for three songs with Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. The fine folks at DRG Records have put Reinhardt's recordings with American musicians on this 3CD budget comp. This includes Coleman Hawkins, Frank "Big Boy" Goudie, Garnet Clark, Bill Coleman, Dicky Wells, Eddie South, Benny Carter, Larry Adler and Rex Stewart. Taylor returned to the US in the 40s. He continued to perform in clubs until his death in the late 60s. He just never recorded. Here's a video of I'se A-Buggin' by Django Reinhardt's Quintet du Hot Club du France featuring Freddy Taylor. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Lara Procopio vs Molly McCann

Here's the match video of Lara Procopio vs Molly McCann from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Molly is a very popular fighter from Liverpool, England. But she's very limited. She's a puncher and that's about it. Lara lost her 2019 UFC debut. But that fight was at Bantamweight and she's a Flyweight. She trains at Nova Uniao in Brazil with legendary coach Andre "Dudu" Pederneiras. Lara is a BJJ black belt. Brendan Fitzgerald mentioned on the broadcast that Lara's parents are BJJ instructors. So that means Lara grew up in the gym. I like that. To win this fight, Lara needed to take it to the ground. And once she did, she controlled Molly for most of the fight except for once in round two when Molly attempted an armbar for bottom position. Though it was tight for a few seconds, Lara remained calm and escaped. Though some may have given Molly round two, I didn't think the armbar was enough so I scored the fight 30-27 for Lara. The judges scored it 29-27, 29-28 and 30-27. Lara Procopio wins by unanimous decision. Obviously we need to see Lara against better competition. She looked good though. Molly seemed to retire when she left her gloves in the cage. She said she did that as a tribute to her father who died recently. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Karol Rosa vs Joselyne Edwards

Here's the match video of Karol Rosa vs Joselyne Edwards from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Nicco Montano was supposed to be Karol's opponent. But she pulled out. Joselyne came in on short notice. She won her UFC debut three weeks ago. She is from Panama but she lives in El Paso, TX and she trains there and in Mexico. She is a striker. We don't know yet if she is any good on the ground. Karol is a teammate of Jessica Andrade at PRVT in Brazil. She's 2-0 in the UFC. Karol's coach Gaillard Parana told Karol to take Joselyne down ASAP. And that's exactly what she did. And we discovered that Joselyne needs to improve on the ground. She did OK when she was able to get the fight standing. She cut Karol at the corner of her mouth. There was plenty of blood but it was not a dangerous cut. Once Karol got the fight to the ground again, she controlled Joselyne. I scored the fight 30-27 for Karol and so did the judges. Much of the credit goes to Parana who gave Karol a great game plan. Now we need to see her against a ranked opponent. I wouldn't be surprised to see the UFC try to match Karol up with Nicco Montano again. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tompall and the Glaser Brothers

Artist:Tompall and the Glaser Brothers

Song:Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)

Album:Lovin' Her Was Easier/After All These Years

After having country music chart success in the early 70s, Tompall and the Glaser Brothers split up and Tompall had solo success as part of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings' Outlaw movement. They reformed in the early 80s and had their greatest chart success with the 1981 single Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again). Tompall, Chuck and Jim Glaser are from Spalding, NE. They started performing as teens at country fairs. Their big break came in 1957 on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. They moved to Nashville and toured with Marty Robbins. They also toured with Johnny Cash. They also had songwriting success. The biggest of these was when Jim Glaser's song Woman Woman was an international pop hit for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. They signed with MGM and producer Cowboy Jack Clement in 1966. Their only top ten hit on MGM was Rings in 1971. They split up in 1972. After recording a couple of solo albums. Tompall was on the 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws with Nelson and Jennings. Meanwhile Chuck suffered a stroke in 1975 and left the music business. In 1981 they reformed and signed with Elektra and producer Jimmy Bowen. Lovin' Her Was Easier reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. Kris Kristofferson wrote the song and recorded it in 1971. Roger Miller charted with his cover. Tompall and the Glaser Brothers released two albums on Elektra and Tompall and Jim returned to solo careers. The Elektra albums are available as a twofer from Collector's Choice. Tompall died in 2013 and Chuck and Jim died in 2019. Here's Tompall and the Glaser Brothers performing Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) on Nashville Now 1981. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wess Morgan

Artist:Wess Morgan

Song:I Choose To Worship

Album:Under an Open Heaven Vol. 1

Wess Morgan is a Southern Gospel artist who incorporates Black Gospel elements into his music. He has had success in both markets. I Choose to Worship was a big enough Black Gospel hit to be included on the 2012 WOW Gospel various artists CD. This kind of crossover is unusual but it does happen occasionally. He was born Sept. 5, 1973 in Pascagoula, MS but he grew up in Nashville. His parents Joseph and Yolanda Morgan are singing pastors so he grew up travelling with the family gospel group. At age ten Morgan started drinking and abusing drugs. This led to jail time and many attempts at rehab. He eventually recovered successfully and started the non profit Repre Foundation to help others recover from drug and alcohol addiction. After releasing his debut album in 2006, Morgan started his own company Bowtie Music and his father started Flipside Music. Morgan always wears a bowtie when performing. So they executive produced the 2010 album Under an Open Heaven Vol. 1. Morgan and his dad wrote I Choose to Worship. As I said the song was successful in the Black Gospel market. Morgan writes but he also brings in outside producers and musicians. The choir credited on the cover as The Celebration of Life Choir appears to be The Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship Choir led by Myles Rutherford. Aaron Crabb of The Crabb Family appears on the album. The main producer Tre Corley usually works with The Crabb Family. Pianist Jonathan Brown wrote the arrangements and background singer Nathan Young wrote the vocal arrangements. Morgan's latest album was released in 2014. But he has released some singles and I'm sure an album will come out eventually. Here's the video for I Choose to Worship by Wess Morgan. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Farm

Artist:James Farm

Song:Polliwog

Album:James Farm

James Farm is a jazz quartet led by third generation jazz musician Joshua Redman. He is one of today's top sax players. The four guys had worked together in other bands like SF Jazz Collective and decided to form James Farm in 2009. Redman was born Feb. 1, 1969 in Berkeley, CA. His grandfather was trumpeter and 30s bandleader Don Redman. His father was sax player Dewey Redman. Redman attended Harvard and had been accepted into Yale Law School. But instead he moved to New York and started playing gigs to pay the rent. After winning the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, Redman signed with Warner Bros. and released his debut album in 1993. He currently records for Warner's Nonesuch label. Bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland appeared on pianist Aaron Parks 2008 album Invisible Cinema. Parks approached Redman about forming a band. James Farm was born. They toured and then released the 2011 album James Farm. Redman wrote Polliwog but all four guys wrote songs for the album. After releasing a second album in 2014, all four guys returned to their individual careers. Redman's latest album RoundAgain was released in 2020. It's a quartet with Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade. Aaron Parks' latest album Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man was released in 2020. Eric Harland is currently in Charles Lloyd and the Marvels. Matt Penman is in SF Jazz Collective. That's where they all met. Here's James Farm performing Polliwog on WNYC's Soundcheck 2011. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. We also discuss Stephen A. Smith's dopey comments and Paige VanZant and "stupid money". 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-J. Robert Spencer

Artist:J. Robert Spencer w/Aaron Tveit and Alice Ripley

Song:I Am The One

Album:Next To Normal: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Though he has done movies and TV, J. Robert Spencer is mainly known as a Broadway performer. He was nominated for a Tony for the 2009 musical Next To Normal. He was born Feb. 12, 1969 in York, PA. He graduated from Shenandoah University's musical theater program in 1991 and moved to New York. His first big role on Broadway was as Nick Massi in the 2005 show Jersey Boys and that led to the 2009 show Next To Normal as Dan Goodman. Next To Normal is about a mother struggling with bipolar illness played by Alice Ripley. Spencer plays her husband. He was nominated for a Tony. The show won four Tonys. Spencer has appeared in movies and TV but nothing notable. He seems to do a lot of voice work. Lately he has produced low budget films through his own production company. Here's J.Robert Spencer with Aaron Tveit and Alice Ripley performing I Am The One.

 

Accuradio Song Of The Day-dc Talk

Artist:dc Talk

Song:Between You and Me

Album:8 Great Hits

dc Talk was the first CCM act to incorporate hip hop elements in their music. They were very popular especially in the 90s. The 1995 single Between You and Me was their only single to cross over to pop. Toby "TobyMac" McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith were Liberty University students. McKeehan and Tait started performing on campus with McKeehan rapping. After a self released single sold well on campus, Smith joined and they recorded a demo which got them a deal with Forefront Records. Forefront was owned by the popular group DeGarmo & Key with EMI distribution. The first couple of albums were rap. Their video got played on BET. They became more of a pop group to cross over to pop. The result was the 1995 album Jesus Freak was certified 2XPlatinum and at the time was the best selling CCM album of all time. dc Talk already had several singles top the CCM charts. But Between You and Me reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was their only crossover hit. McKeehan wrote most of dc Talk's songs. He wrote Between You and Me with producer Mark Heimermann who was a Nashville session pianist before he got into producing. After one more album, dc Talk went on hiatus. They have reunited to tour once. But they have not recorded. This budget comp is a good intro to their music. McKeehan has been very successful recording as Toby Mac. After recording with his band Tait, Michael Tait joined The Newsboys in 2009. After recording several solo albums, Smith joined Audio Adrenaline in 2014. He has returned to his solo career. Here's the video for Between You and Me by dc Talk. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka and UFC preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Naomi and Lana vs Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka

Here's the match video of Naomi and Lana vs Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka. The winner gets a Tag Team Championship match. The match is irrelevant. The WWE is interested in two angles, Charlotte vs Lacey Evans and Shayna Bazsler and Nia Jax's ongoing torture of Lana. In a pre-match interview, Charlotte apologizes to Asuka for getting distracted and losing at Royal Rumble. Asuka says it better not happen again so you know it will. Meanwhile, Lana returned from "injury" at the Royal Rumble. I was concerned they would have her win the damn thing. Now she is teaming with Naomi who has no idea what she is getting into. So the match is going along and it looks like Charlotte and Asuka might win when Ric Flair and Lacey Evens come out on stage. They don't even come to the ring. And Charlotte does exactly what she said she wouldn't do. She walked away and left Asuka to fend for herself. So of course Naomi and Lana get the title shot. And that's what the WWE wanted to do, serve two crappy angles and to hell with everything else. Here's the video. Check it out for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Algebra Blessett

Artist:Algebra Blessett

Song:Nobody But You

Album:Recovery

R&B singer songwriter Algebra Blessett started out as a background singer. She has recorded two albums. But despite critical acclaim, she hasn't had the commercial success she deserves. She was born Apr. 9, 1978 in Atlanta. Her mother is a gospel singer. After graduating high school, she got into the Atlanta studio scene. She appeared on the song Swing My Way by K.P. & Envyi which appeared in the 1998 film Can't Hardly Wait. She also recorded with Ginuwine and India.Arie among others. She signed with Kedar Records for the 2008 album Purpose. This label is owned by former Motown exec Kedar Massenburg who discovered D'Angelo and Erykah Badu. So he has an ear for talent but he is also known to be flaky. Algebra's album didn't sell so she left Kedar. She recorded with Anthony David and Esperanza Spalding. I think she toured with David. For the 2013 album Recovery, she signed with the British label BBE and eOne in the US. Algebra writes her own songs with a producer. On both albums she worked with rapper turned producer Kwame Holland and Todd "L.T. Moe" Moore. Nobody But You was written and produced with drummer Shannon Sanders. He has worked a lot with India.Arie. Since then she has appeared on albums by Lyfe Jennings and Robert Glasper. But I don't know if she still has a record deal. It doesn't look like it. She's a good singer though. R&B fans should check her out. Here's the video for Nobody But You by Algebra Blessett.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nia Jax and Shayna Bazsler vs Asuka vs Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of Nia Jax and Shayna Bazsler vs Asuka and Charlotte Flair from the kickoff show from last night's Royal Rumble. The title change didn't surprise me. Asuka needs to concentrate on her RAW Women's Championship. And Charlotte's feud with Lacey Evans will continue. The match was OK but nothing special until Ric Flair came out with Lacey Evans. I hate this angle because with his health problems Flair shouldn't be anywhere near a ring. And it makes Lacey look like the trailer park trash she puts down in her promos. It's like she's been going around for two years claiming to be high class. Is this the best the WWE can come up with for Charlotte? And normally they save these angles for RAW. After Shayna tosses Asuka over the announce desk, Charlotte has to have eyes in the back of her head. Flair gives Lacey a foreign object and Lacey knocks Charlotte out. That's it. The match was OK up to that point. Check out the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sid Ramin

Artist:Sid Ramin

Song:Prologue

Album:West Side Story: The Original Sound Track Recording

Sid Ramin was an arranger, conductor and composer who worked for most of his career on Broadway. He and Irwin Kostal arranged and conducted the orchestra for Leonard Bernstein's 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story. Ramin also worked on the 1961 film version. He won an Oscar and Grammy for that. He was born Jan. 22, 1919 in Boston. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a window dresser. His best friend and neighbor growing up in Roxbury was Leonard Bernstein. This was the beginning of a life long professional relationship. While Bernstein was studying at Harvard, Ramin was in the US Army for five years. He moved to New York upon his return and he studied at Columbia University. Ramin's big break came when he became musical director of Texaco Star Theater AKA The Milton Berle Show. Then he was an arranger and conductor at RCA Records. He worked with the vocal group The Three Suns. Then Bernstein called about West Side Story. Ramin worked on the Broadway show and the film and won an Oscar and Grammy. He probably would have won a Tony too but Tonys were not awarded for orchestration until 1997. Ramin worked on all kinds of Broadway shows until the 90s including the 1959 show Gypsy. He also worked in advertising. Ramin won 12 Clio awards. A Diet Pepsi jingle he wrote became the 1966 Bob Crewe Generation hit single Music To Watch Girls By. His knack for jingles got him TV work. He wrote the themes for The Patty Duke Show and Candid Camera. He won a Daytime Emmy in 1983 for All My Children. His son Ron Ramin has composed music for TV shows since the 80s. After his final Broadway show in 1993, Ramin retired and died on July 1, 2019 at age 100. Here's Sid Ramin performing the Prologue as it appeared in the 1961 film West Side Story. Most of this info comes from Sid Ramin's New York Times obit. I follow New York Times Music on Twitter for detailed obits of jazz musicians. You should too.