AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fatoumata Diawara

Artist:Fatoumata Diawara

Song:Bissa

Album:Fatou

Malian singer songwriter actress Fatoumata Diawara made a big splash when her 2011 album Fatou was released on Nick Gold's World Circuit label with Warner distribution. She even got a Grammy nomination. She still records occasionally but she has a busy acting career. She was born in Ivory Coast in 1982, Her parents are from Mali. She was raised in Bamako by an aunt. At age 18, Fatoumata moved to France to pursue an acting career. She has appeared on stage and in films since 1999. Her most high profile film was the 2014 film Timbuktu which won seven Cesar awards and a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination. Meanwhile she was appearing and recording with Dee Dee Bridgewater, the African supergroup AfroCubism and on Herbie Hancock's 2010 album The Imagine Project. AfroCubism was on World Circuit so label owner Nick Gold spotted her and signed her. After releasing an EP, the 2011 album Fatou was released. Fatoumata wrote and produced all the songs. Special guests included Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, African drumming legend Tony Allen and Mali music legend Toumani Diabate. She toured to support the album and it was nominated for a Grammy. Fatoumata continues to appear in films. She recorded a live album with Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca in 2014 on Jazz Village. And she has recorded two albums for the British label Wagram. I think her film career keeps her busy so she may not have the time for music. Fans of Malian music should check her out. Here's the video for Bissa by Fatoumata Diawara. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Depeche Mode

Artist:Depeche Mode

Song:Enjoy the Silence

Album:The Best Of Vol. 1

Depeche Mode were pioneers in what would be called electropop. It didn't have a name when they started out in the late 70s. The 1990 single Enjoy the Silence was their biggest hit in the US. They were a much bigger deal in England. They are from Basildon, Essex, England. In 1977, lead singer and guitarist Vince Clarke and bassist Andy Fletcher formed the band No Romance in China. they were a ripoff of The Cure. Clarke was also in The Plan who were a ripoff of Ultravox. Guitarist Martin Gore was brought into that band which was renamed The French Look. Meanwhile Clarke and Fletcher renamed their band Consequence of Sound. When Clarke heard Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, he decided to switch to synthesizers. Gore was brought in to play guitar but they discovered that he was a pretty good songwriter. Then Dave Gahan was brought in as lead singer. Clarke saw him at a club. The name Depeche Mode came from a French fashion magazine. They liked how the name sounded. They started playing local clubs and demos got them a deal with Mute Records owned by electronic musician Daniel Miller. After Just Can't Get Enough was their first top ten hit in England, Clarke left Depeche Mode replaced by Alan Wilder. It's not clear why Clarke left. Supposedly he didn't like doing publicity. He may have thought he wasn't mature enough to handle fame. He went on to lead Erasure. After signing a US deal with Sire Records, Depeche Mode had an international hit with the 1984 single People Are People. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's probably their signature song. Most of Depeche Mode's success was in Europe. But they were also US College Radio favorites. Enjoy the Silence is from the 1990 album Violator. It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. They continued to have success in England. This comp is a good intro to their music. Depeche Mode currently records for Columbia. Their latest album Spirits in the Forest was released June 2020. They were inducted in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They are a significant band in electropop. Here's the video for Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fran Warren

Artist:Fran Warren w/Claude Thornhill

Song:A Sunday Kind of Love

Album:The Complete Fran Warren with Claude Thornhill

Though Fran Warren had solo success in the 50s, her 1947 single A Sunday Kind of Love recorded with big band leader Claude Thornhill is her signature song. That was when big band music was dying. She was born Frances Wolff Mar. 4, 1926 in The Bronx, NY. Fran idolized Billie Holiday and at age 16 she auditioned for Duke Ellington. This led to a stint with Art Mooney's band. She was making decent money for an 18 year old and she was on the radio three times a week. But Mooney patterned his band after Glenn Miller and Fran wanted to sing jazz. As he did for many musicians, Billy Eckstine gave her that opportunity and also named her Fran Warren. Charlie Barnet heard Fran on the radio and hired her to replace Kay Starr. After 18 months, Fran tired of the constant touring and moved to Claude Thornhill. A Sunday Kind of Love was Fran's first recording with Thornhill. It was a hit and it became Fran's signature song and a jazz standard. Many singers have recorded the song. A Sunday Kind of Love was written by Barbara Belle (Fran's manager), Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes and Louis Prima. Prima recorded the song but Thornhill's recording was released first. The doo wop group The Del Vikings scored a hit with the song in 1957. And it was a top five country hit for Reba McEntire in 1988. Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Stafford, Dinah Washington and Etta James are among the singers who have recorded A Sunday Kind of Love. It's on this Collector's Choice CD. Fran went solo in 1948 with RCA Records. A duet with Tony Martin I Said My Pajamas (And Put on my Pray'rs) was a top five pop hit. in 1950. She also recorded for MGM in the 50s. When her recording career faded, Fran appeared in Broadway musicals like Mame, South Pacific and The Pajama Game. She toured with Harry James. She would have been a big star in the 30s but she was born too late. Fran Warren continued to tour until she died on Mar. 4, 2013 at age 87. Here's Fran Warren performing A Sunday Kind of Love and I Remember You 1978.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Miranda Maverick vs Gillian Robertson

Here's the match video of Miranda Maverick vs Gillian Robertson from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Gillian has been in the UFC for a few years now and she isn't getting anywhere. She's 25 years old from Niagara Falls, ON. She trains in Florida with Din Thomas. Gillian is a wrestler. But her striking isn't good enough to get her where she needs to be on the ground. She has talent but she needs to win fights. Miranda is 23 years old. She's a student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. She trains at The House of Muay Thai owned by Jake Chamberlain. Her head coach is former UFC & WEC Featherweight Mackens Semerzier. He last fought for the UFC in 2012. The UFC signed her after she won one of those Invicta one night tournaments. She won her UFC debut in Oct. Round one shows that if Gillian can't get ground control, she's in big trouble. Miranda outstrikes her and then takes her down and controls her. I scored it 10-9 for Miranda and so did all three judges. Gillian did better in round two. She got top position and controlled Miranda for most of the round. I scored it 10-9 for Gillian. Miranda got loose near the end of the round and landed a couple of strikes. Two of the judges gave Miranda round two 10-9 which is very poor judging. Allowing round stealing is irresponsible judging. In the end it didn't matter because round three was a repeat of round one. I scored it 10-9 for M,iranda and she won the fight 29-28. Two of the judges scored it 30-27 and the third scored it 29-28 for Miranda. I don't know what will happen with Gillian. We need to see some improvement from her. Miranda should face a ranked opponent next time out. She said her weight cut was difficult and she is big for a Flyweight. I would not be surprised to see her move up to Bantamweight. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vic Damone

Artist:Vic Damone 

Song:On the Street Where You Live

Album:The Hits Collection 1947-1962

Like a lot of crooners, Vic Damone was successful until Rock 'N' Roll killed his career in the mid-50s. This 1956 single On the Street Where You Live was probably his biggest hit. He was born Vito Rocco Farinola June 12, 1928 in Brooklyn, NY. His parents were Italian immigrants. His father was an electrician. His mother taught piano. Her maiden name was Damone. Damone was inspired by his favorite singer Frank Sinatra to take voice lessons. He sang in the church choir. He was forced to drop out of high school when his father was injured at work. While working as an elevator operator in New York's Paramount Theater, Damone met Perry Como, stopped the elevator and sang for him. Como got him an audition. He sang on WHN radio's Gloom Dodgers show aimed at Brooklyn Dodgers fans. Comedian Morey Amsterdam was on that show. He suggested the name change to Vic Damone. A 1947 win on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts led to a contract with Mercury Records. His first single I Have But One Heart reached #7 on the pop chart. The 1949 single You're Breaking My Heart was Damone's only number one hit. He started appearing regularly on TV and movies. Damone was in the US Army from 1951 to 1953. He married actress Pier Angeli. He moved from Mercury to Columbia in 1955. On the Street Where You Live from the hit musical My Fair Lady recorded with Percy Faith reached #4 on the pop chart. It topped the British chart which is why it was Damone's biggest hit. He also sang the theme for the 1957 film An Affair to Remember. But by this time Rock "N' Roll was taking over the music business. There were no more hits for Damone. He left Columbia for Capitol in 1961. He didn't do much better there. This 2CD comp from the British label Acrobat is the only comp that has Damone's Mercury and Columbia hits. He hosted the summer replacement variety show The Lively Ones in 1962. Damone continued to appear on TV until he moved to Las Vegas in 1970. He recorded for Warner Bros. and RCA. I'm sure fans will recall his marriage to Diahann Carroll from 1987-96. After suffering a stroke, Damone retired in 2002 and died on Feb. 11, 2018 at age 89. Here's a video for On the Street Where You Live by Vic Damone. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Videos

Artist:The Videos

Song:Trickle, Trickle

Album:Spotlite on Mainline & Casino Records Vol. 1

The doo wop group The Videos only recorded a couple of singles. The 1958 single Trickle, Trickle has become a classic because The Manhattan Transfer covered it in 1979 and made sure we knew who originally recorded it. The Videos were from Jamaica, Queens, NY. Ronald Cuffey and Clarence Bassett were in the doo wop group The Five Sharps. They scored a hit with a 1952 cover of Stormy Weather on Jubilee Records. They disbanded after two members went into the military. Cuffey and Bassett formed The Videos in 1958 with Charles Baskerville, Johnny Jackson and Ron Woodhall. They signed with Casino Records and Trickle, Trickle became a regional hit mostly through the efforts of legendary DJ Douglas "Jocko" Henderson, host of Jocko's Rocket Ship on stations in New York and Philadelphia. He was also co-owner of Casino and its sister label Mainline with Barry Golder. So he was getting paid. The Videos recorded one more single and then Cuffey and Woodhall died and Bassett disbanded the Videos. You can get two The Videos songs on this Collectables CD. Trickle, Trickle turned out to be a very memorable song after The Manhattan Transfer covered it in 1979. Bassett and Baskerville went on to form Shep and the Limelites with James Shepherd and they scored a huge hit with Daddy's Home in 1960. Bassett was also in the late 60s version of The Flamingos and the 70s group Creative Funk. He died in 2005. Baskerville went on to join The Drifters. He died in 1995. Here's a video for Trickle, Trickle by The Videos. Thanks to the Doo Wop blog for The Videos bio. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and the RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cynthia

Artist:Cynthia

Song:Change On Me

Album:The Remixes

Freestyle singer Cynthia Torres had success in the late 80s with hits like Change On Me. When things dried up, she left the music business but returned in the late 90s and had a second run on the dance charts. That's unusual as Freestyle singers tend to be disposable. She tours the Freestyle nostalgia circuit today. She was born May 6, 1968 in Spanish Harlem in New York City. She was discussing with her singer friend Safire about getting into music. Safire set up several auditions. One of those auditions was for Mic Mac Records owner Mickey Garcia. Mic Mac specialized in Freestyle music. He signed her up. Change On Me was the first single in 1988. Garcia produced with his frequent partner Elvin Molina. Change On Me reached #37 on the dance chart. It wasn't Cynthia's biggest hit but it's probably her signature song. The 1990 single Dreamboy/Dreamgirl, a duet with Johnny O, reached #53 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was her biggest chart hit. Cynthia recorded two albums for Mic Mac. Then she quit the music business to get her nursing degree. That's when Mic Mac released this album of remixes. She returned in 1997 with Robbins Entertainment and producer Tony Moran. Singles like If I Had the Chance were dance hits. Cynthia continues to perform on the Freestyle nostalgia circuit and record occasionally. For this kind of music, her career has been significant. Here's the video for Change On Me by Cynthia. This is one of two recent videos produced for this song.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai vs Io Shirai and Zoey Stark

Here's the match video of Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai vs Io Shirai and Zoey Stark from last night's episode of NXT. Io will defend her NXT Women's Championship vs Raquel at NXT Takeover in two weeks. So this match is a timewaster that is supposed to give fans a taste of what could happen in a couple of weeks. The match is OK but pointless. It's afterwards that Raquel puts Io through the broadcast table. Io sells the bump enough that we may not see her on next week's show. But that kind of bump is routine for Io and I expect several of them in two weeks. I have been asked if there will be a title change. It depends if Io is moving up to the main roster. Keep in mind that the WWE is obsessed with record title runs. So if 
Io is staying at NXT, it makes sense to keep the belt on her. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Duran Duran

Artist:Duran Duran

Song:Come Undone

Album:Greatest

Of course Duran Duran were one of the most popular groups of the 80s. But by the end of the decade they were in a shambles and appeared to be through. So it was a big surprise when they made a big comeback with the 1993 album Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) and the top ten pop hits Ordinary World and Come Undone. The deterioration of Duran Duran began when they split into two bands in 1985. John and Andy Taylor formed The Power Station with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson. Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes recorded as Arcadia. Though Duran Duran reformed afterwards, things weren't the same. All the guys have admitted that splitting and then reforming was a bad idea. They were tired of each other. Roger Taylor retired and Andy Taylor ultimately went solo. Duran Duran probably should have disbanded. But instead they hired session musicians. The key figure in their comeback was guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. He was a member of the popular band Missing Persons and he played with Frank Zappa in the 70s. He eventually was made a full member of Duran Duran. Capitol kept Duran Duran under contract but they released the comp Decades in 1989. They weren't expected to have any more success. It was unlikely the 1993 album Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) was going to revive the band when the single Ordinary World was leaked to radio stations. When the response was positive and the single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, Capitol got behind the album. Come Undone was the second single and it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. Though Come Undone was credited as written by the band, Rhodes says Cuccurullo came up with the main guitar riff and the song wrote itself after that. The female singer is professional background singer Tessa Niles. You can get Come Undone on this budget comp. The comeback was short lived. Duran Duran left Capitol in 1997. Since then they have recorded for Hollywood, Epic and their latest album in 2015 for Warner Bros. They are working on a new album which has been delayed due to COVID-19. But the single Five Years was released Jan. 2021. Here's the video for Come Undone by Duran Duran.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka, UFC review and preview and Charlie joins me from Japan to discuss Sunday's RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship match. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-TobyMac

Artist:TobyMac

Song:Made To Love

Album:Portable Sounds

Of course Toby "TobyMac" McKeehan is best known as the leader of the pioneering Christian hip hop group dc Talk. But he has had great success as a solo artist since they split up. Made To Love is one of his two number one Christian Rock hits. He was born Oct. 22, 1964 in Fairfax, VA. He formed dc Talk with Michael Tait in 1987 while attending Liberty University. After a great run, they split up in 2001. McKeehan's debut solo album Momentum was released in 2001. Yours was a top five Christian hit. McKeehan won five Dove awards and he was nominated for a Grammy. Made To Love is from the 2007 album Portable Sounds. It topped the Christian Rock chart. The album reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified Gold. He was nominated for two Grammys and he won two Dove awards. McKeehan writes and produces most of his songs usually with his band. He wrote Made To Love with guitarist Cary Barlowe and drummer Jamie Moore from his band along with Aaron Rice. Portable Sounds is available as a budget CD. McKeehan continues to have success. His latest album The Elements was released in 2018. He has also had success producing other artists as the owner of Gotee Records. Here's TobyMac performing Made To Love from the 2016 live DVD Hits Deep Live. This is available on DVD or you can stream it at Qello Concerts. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Peyton Royce

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Peyton Royce from last night's episode of RAW. First of all, the WWE's decision to split up The Iiconics was dumb. A couple of weeks ago on RAW Talk, Peyton complained that she isn't being used and she wants a match with Asuka to show what she can do. Of course Asuka will make Peyton look much better than she is. Peyton is an OK but not great wrestler which is why she was better off in a team with her high school pal Billie Kay. I would describe the match as a semi competitive squash because at no time did I think Peyton could win. Some will complain that Asuka gave her too much offense but Asuka wants her to look good. She won't do squash matches. So it went as expected and Asuka wson with the Asuka Lock. Then Rhea Ripley made her RAW debut and challenged Asuka to a title match at Wrestlemania. Charlotte Flair was supposed to wrestle Asuka at Wrestlemania but she tested polsitive for COVID-19. It should be a great match. You know Asuka. She will want to steal the show. She's had her eye on Rhea for a couple of years. I am sure she is really excited about this match. I'm not sure Rhea would get this match if Charlotte was healthy. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ayaka Hamasaki vs Kanna Asakura

Here's the match video of Ayaka Hamasaki defending her RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship against Kanna Asakura. This is on RIZIN's YouTube page. You have probably already heard that Ayaka won by split decision. So my job is to assess the judges and see if they got it right. After an early round low blow, Ayaka controlled round one with strikes and a takedown until the ref stopped the fight to have the doctor look at Kanna's right eye. I think he could have waited until the end of the round because it killed Ayaka's momentum. I scored the round 10-9 for Ayaka. Round two started the same way as Ayaka took Kanna down. But Kanna reversed it and scored with strikes from top position. Ayaka made the mistake of staying on the bottom thinking she could get a submission. I scored it 10-9 for Kanna. So with the fight tied, one would think they would be extra aggressive in round three. They were both extra cautious, especially Ayaka. So the round was really a tie though I thought Kanna landed marginally more. So I scored it 10-9 for Kanna and the fight 29-28. The judges gave Ayaka a split decision win. A couple of things may have played into that. The most likely is the thinking that a challenger has to win decisively and Kanna did not win round three decisively. I don't agree with that but that's a likely reason for Ayaka winning. Check out the video for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freddie Hubbard

Artist:Freddie Hubbard

Song:The Intrepid Fox

Album:Red Clay/Straight Life/First Light

Legendary jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard made his name as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and then a series of albums for Blue Note. After he left Blakey in 1966, Hubbard recorded for producer Joel Dorn at Atlantic. Then he left for Creed Taylor's CTI label in 1970. He probably had his greatest commercial success at CTI. The Intrepid Fox was on the 1970 album Red Clay. This was Hubbard's first album on CTI. Musicians are Joe Henderson on tenor sax and flute, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Lenny White on drums. The CD release adds a couple of bonus tracks. Hubbard second CTI album Straight Life has the same band with the addition of guitarist George Benson and Jack DeJohnette replacing White. For the 1971 album First Light, Taylor added strings arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky. This album won a Grammy. These three albums are considered to be Hubbard's trilogy. The British label Beat Goes on released all three albums as a box set in 2014. There is also a budget comp of Hubbard's CTI albums called Jazz Moods: Hot that is a good intro to Hubbard's CTI albums. Hubbard left CTI for Columbia in 1975. The Columbia albums were an attempt to make Hubbard more commercial. They failed though at the same time Hubbard was a member of V.S.O.P. with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. In the 80s Hubbard recorded for Enja and Blue Note and others. But his greatest recordings were for Blue Note in the 60s and CTI in the 70s. Here's Freddie Hubbard with Junior Cook on tenor sax, George Cables on piano, Kent Brinkley on bass and Michael Carvin on drums performing The Intrepid Fox in France 1973.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chichi Peralta

Artist:Chichi Peralta

Song:La Ciguapa

Album:Pa'Otro La' o

Dominican percussionist Chichi Peralta had success in the late 90s with his brand of salsa music. The 1997 single La Ciguapa is probably his biggest hit. I would describe his music as merengue mixed with jazz and hip hop elements. He was born July 9, 1966 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He started playing drums at age four. After self releasing an album, Peralta got a record deal with Caiman Music with Sony distribution. Pa'Otro La'o was his debut album in 1997. La Ciguapa was the biggest hit from the album. The album was a big success in Latin America. Most of the songs were written either by Peralta or Jandy Feliz. Feliz was also one of the singers. Peralta raps. His 2000 album De Vuelta al Barrio won a Latin Grammy and so did his 2005 album Mas Que Suficente. Unfortunately Caiman went bankrupt in 2009. So Peralta was forced to release a couple of albums on his own label. He last recorded in 2012. I don't know if he's still active. Salsa fans should check him out. Here's Chichi Peralta performing La Ciguapa from the 2002 DVD En Vivo. This is out of print but you can stream it on YouTube. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Macy Chiasson vs Marion Reneau

Here's the match video of Macy Chiasson vs Marion Reneau from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. At 43 years old, Marion is now the oldest fighter in the UFC. The real problem is she is on a three fight losing streak. She trains at Team Rhino in Visalia, CA. Macy won TUF 28 for Featherweights but has dropped to Bantamweight. Except for one fight she has looked pretty good. She trains at Fortis MMA with Saif Saud. Macy is very tall for a Bantamweight. Round one was very close. I scored it 10-9 for Marion. Macy was a lot better in round two. She rocked Marion a couple of times and probably broke her nose. So I scored it 10-9 for Macy. Both were more aggressive in round three. But I thought Macy used her size better. So I scored the round 10-9 for Macy and the fight 29-28 for Macy. So did all three judges. We'll see how Macy does against better competition. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Montserrat Conejo vs Cheyanne Buys

Here is the match video of Montserrat Conejo vs Cheyanne Buys from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight was at Strawweight. Cheyanne's original opponent was Kay Hansen. But she pulled out due to injury. Montserrat was 1-1 in Invicta as Montserrat Ruiz. She is from Mexico but she trains in El Paso, TX. She was training for an Invicta fight vs Emily Ducote when she got the call for this fight. Cheyanne trains at Fortis MMA and she was on Contender Series. When Montserrat went for the dreaded headlock takedown, I thought Cheyanne would take her back. That's what usually happens. But Cheyanne can't get out of it. So this fight turned into 15 minutes of lay and pray. I guess the only question is should the ref break it up because Montserrat couldn't advance her position. She threw a few punches so the ref wouldn't separate them. If she tries to advance her position, Cheyanne takes her back and a possible rear naked choke. So the position is a dead end. All Montserrat could do was hold on. Cheyanne did better i n round three but it was too late by then. I scored it 29-28 for Montserrat. Two of the judges scored it the same and the third scored it 29-27. Afterwards Cheyanne thought Montserrat spit at her so they got into a scuffle. The question is can Montserrat do anything else. Because there are refs who would not have allowed her to hold that position without an attempt to advance. We'll see what happens in her next fight. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Groove Armada

Artist:Groove Armada

Song:At the River

Album:The Best Of

The electronic music duo Groove Armada has been around since the late 90s. They have had success mostly in England and in clubs. Though not their biggest hit, the 1999 single At the River was their first single and it set them up for later success. Andy Cato's girlfriend introduced him to Tom Findlay and they soon started their own night in a London club. In 1997 they released a couple of singles including At the River. It got enough attention that eventually Groove Armada got a record deal with Jive for the 1999 album Vertigo. Though At the River never charted, Vertigo was certified Platinum in England. So the single really sold the album. At the River was recorded at a cottage in Ambleside. Findlay was cratedigging in a local record shop when he found Patti Page's Old Cape Cod in a bargain bin. Of course it's a very memorable sample. The other notable thing is Cato's trombone solo. He says he brought the trombone to the cottage to practice for an upcoming jazz concert. The success of At the River led to long term success for Groove Armada especially on the dance charts. This budget comp was released in 2004 with a bonus live DVD. Since then Groove Armada has been  successful especially with the 2007 album Soundboy Rock and the single Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) featuring Sugababes lead singer Mutya Buena. Groove Armada currently records for BMG and their latest album Edge of the Horizon was released in 2020. Here's the video for At the River by Groove Armada. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Glass Harp

Artist:Glass Harp

Song:Do Lord

Album:History Makers: The Best of Christian Rock 1970-1986

Glass Harp were pioneers of what became known as Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). There was no name for it when they started out in the late 60s though it soon was called Jesus Music. Glass Harp were from Youngstown, OH. Lead singer and songwriter Phil Keaggy was in bands like The Squires and The New Hudson Exit. In 1968 he formed Glass Harp with drummer John Sferra and bassist Steve Markulin. They released a single in 1969. Markulin left to join his cousin Joe in The Human Beinz who scored a hit single with Nobody But Me. He was replaced by Daniel Pecchio. Glass Harp continued to play gigs with bands like The James Gang. When one of Glass Harp's demos got the attention of producer Lewis Merenstein, he got them a record deal with Decca. Merenstein produced Van Morrison's Moondance. The album Glass Harp was released in 1970. They opened for all kinds of big name bands like Alice Cooper, Chicago, Yes and Traffic. They opened for The Kinks at Carnegie Hall in New York. Do Lord was from the 1972 album It Makes Me Glad. It was their third and final album for Decca. By the time the album was released, Keaggy left to go solo. He went on to be one of the most important and influential figures in CCM. Sferra and Pecchio replaced Keaggy with Tim Burks and Randy Benson. After Benson left, Glass Harp split up in Oct. 1973. Pecchio joined The Michael Stanley Band. You can get Do Lord on this various artists budget comp. Glass Harp first reunited in 1981 at a Phil Keaggy concert. Sferra joined Keaggy's band in 1993. In 2000 they did a show with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra that was released on CD. Glass Harp recorded new music in 2003 and toured to support it. They also appeared with Randy Stonehill as The Keaggy-Stonehill Band. Though they haven't recorded recently, Glass Harp continues to play occasional live shows. Here's Glass Harp performing Do Lord on the Cleveland PBS station WVIZ 1972. They did an hour long show. Some of this show was released on DVD but it's out of print. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-St. Paul & The Broken Bones

Artist:St. Paul & the Broken Bones

Song:Call Me 

Album:Half the City

Neo soul fans will want to check out St. Paul & the Broken Bones. I would describe them as a blue eyed soul band very similar to The Dap-Tones. They are from Birmingham, AL. Lead singer Paul Janeway and bassist Jesse Phillips were in the band The Secret Danger. They weren't getting anywhere and they were going to record one final album before quitting the music business and getting real jobs. But something clicked and they decided to release a 2012 EP as St. Paul & the Broken Bones. It was blue eyed soul based on Janeway's vocals. It got enough buzz that Ben Tanner of Alabama Shakes signed them to his label Single Lock. He produced the 2014 album Half the City. Call Me was the first single. It reached #6 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. They appeared on CBS This Morning and Late Night with David Letterman. Veteran session keyboard player Al Gamble was brought in to help with the arrangements. Since then St. Paul & the Broken Bones have signed with the much larger label RECORDS, LLC with Sony distribution. Their latest album was released in 2018. The band continues to have success in the Adult Alternative market. Here's the video for Call Me by St. Paul & the Broken Bones. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Matt Redman

Artist:Matt Redman

Song:10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

Album:Sing Like Never Before: The Essential Collection

Singer songwriter Matt Redman has had decent success in CCM since the mid-90s. But the 2011 single 10,000 Reasons transcended that and almost crossed over to pop. It got him enough attention that he won a couple of Grammys. He was born Feb. 14, 1974 in Watford, England. His father died when he was seven years old. After his mother remarried into an abusive relationship, Redman became a Christian at age ten and then became a worship leader as a teen. He also learned to play guitar. Redman made his recording debut in 1994. He and his wife moved to Atlanta and signed with sixstepsrecords with Sparrow/EMI distribution. Chris Tomlin is also on that label which is owned by Louie Giglio. Redman had modest success until he broke through in a big way with the 2011 album and single 10,000 Reasons. The single topped the Billboard Christian Singles chart for 13 weeks. It won two Grammys and several Dove awards. And the album was certified Gold. Redman wrote a book inspired by the song. It was the biggest CCM hit of 2011. Obviously the song is very anthemic which is why it was a hit. Redman wrote 10,000 Reasons and several other songs on the album with Swedish songwriter Jonas Myrin. After the success of this song, Myrin launched a solo career. This budget comp has all of Redman's hits. Redman moved to Integrity Music in 2019 and released his latest CD Let There Be Wonder in 2020. Here's the video for 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Radical Face

Artist:Radical Face

Song:Welcome Home

Album:Ghost

Radical Face is one of several pseudonyms used by singer songwriter Ben Cooper. Right now it seems to be his most active recording persona. You probably heard Welcome Home in a Nikon ad campaign. He was born Feb. 24, 1982 in Jacksonville, FL. Cooper started out drawing and got into music as a teen. When he came out as gay at age 14, his stepfather threw him out of the house. Later he discovered that his stepfather sexually abused his niece. So he adopted her and testified at his trial. This led to a series of Radical Face albums called The Family Tree based on his family history. Cooper records all of his music in a tool shed attached to his house. He has recorded with Alex Kane as Electric President and with Richard Colado as Clone. Radical Face is his most successful project. Welcome Home is from the 2007 album Ghost. The song appeared on a couple of TV shows. But most notably it was used in an international ad campaign for Nikon. That's how new music is discovered these days. Just search for it and download it at iTunes or Spotify. Welcome Home was named song of the year by the British Consumers Association AKA Which?. Ghost is available as a digital download. The success of Welcome Home got Radical Face a record deal with Nettwerk. Though Cooper occasionally records under other names, he is mainly active as Radical Face. He just released an EP. Here's the video for Welcome Home by Radical Face. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Io Shirai, Asuka and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Shayna Baszler

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Shayna Baszler from last night's episode of RAW. Asuka has been out since Shayna kicked a tooth out three weeks ago. Asuka flashed her teeth a few times so we know she had the dental work done. Earlier in the show, Shayna and Nia Jax were at commentary for a terrible women's tag team match. Asuka comes out. Shayna goes out to meet her and Asuka hits her with a spinning head kick. So that sets up this match. Asuka attacks Shayna before the match. And then when Nia interferes, Asuka gets rid of her with a blockbuster and a shining wizard. She would have to get rid of Nia a couple more times. After Shayna knees Asuka in the mouth. commentary teases that Asuka may have lost another tooth. But she's fine and goes on to win the match. She turns Shayna's kirifuda clutch into a pin. Shayna holds on and seems to put Asuka to sleep. But when she goes to kick her, Asuka grabs her foot and turns it into a German suplex. Asuka was playing possum. After a curb stomp into the turnbuckle, Asuka pulls the padding off and grabs Shayna's mouth guard. But the ref stops her before she can curb stomp Shayna into the exposed turnbuckle. BOOOOOO! to the ref. I think this may be the beginning of a beautiful feud. Don't be surprised if Shayna and Nia lose the tag titles to Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair on this Friday's Smackdown. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jekalyn Carr

Artist:Jekalyn Carr

Song:Jehovah Jireh

Album:Changing Your Story

By the time Jekalyn Carr made her recording debut at age 15, she was already an accomplished preacher. But she and her parents decided to turn it into a music ministry. Since then she has been very successful on the gospel chart and has been nominated for Grammys and won Stellar and Dove awards. She was born Apr. 22, 1997 in Memphis, TN but she grew up in West Memphis, AR. She started singing in the church choir at age five. By age nine, she was singing lead in the choir. While her singing developed, she was a motivational speaker and preacher. Then along with her parents, she turned it into a music ministry. Jekalyn released her debut album in 2011. She is managed by her father Allen Carr. I don't know if they went label shopping. But when Jekalyn got radio play on gospel stations, Carr decided to start his own label Lunjeal for the 2013 album Greater Is Coming. They have worked with distributors like eOne and Universal. Jehovah Jireh is from Jekalyn's latest CD Changing Your Story. Jekalyn writes all her own songs usually with her dad. The other key figure is musical director Timothy Mason who played keyboards for Kurt Carr. It's important to have an experienced guy like him running the band smoothly because it has a lot of moving pieces. Jekalyn is now 22 years old. She has already won Stellar and Dove awards, been nominated for a Grammy. And she even wrote a book. And she owns it all with her family. Sounds good to me. Here's Jekalyn Carr performing Jehovah Jirah at Praise in the Park at the Cellaris Amphitheater in Atlanta. This is where the album was recorded. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tenth Avenue North

Artist:Tenth Avenue North

Song:I Have This Hope

Album:Followers

Tenth Avenue North had a strong run on the CCM charts until they split up last year. Lead singer and songwriter Mike Donehey is in the process of launching a solo career. He was born Sept. 30, 1981 in Omaha but he grew up in Fredericksburg, VA and attended Fredericksburg Christian School. He almost died in a car crash during his senior year of high school. He learned to play guitar during his recovery. Donehey formed Tenth Avenue North while attending Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL. Tenth Avenue North is a neighborhood street. After releasing three albums independently, Tenth Avenue North signed with Reunion Records for the 2008 album Over and Underneath. They had success on the CCM chart with the single Love Is Here. By this time the band was Donehey, Jeff Owen on guitar, Scott Sanders on bass and Jason Jamison on drums. I Have This Hope is from the 2016 album Followers. That single reached #5 on the CCM chart. But after Jamison and keyboard player Brendon Shirley left the band, Donehey announced in Feb. 2020 that Tenth Avenue North would go on a farewell tour and disband. Of course with the pandemic, they aren't likely to tour. And Donehey has already released a couple of solo EPs. He should have success in the CCM market. Here's the video for I Have This Hope by Tenth Avenue North. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jinh Yu Frey vs Gloria de Paula

Here's the match video of Jinh Yu Frey vs Gloria de Paula from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Jinh is a former Invicta Atomweight champ who lost her first two UFC fights. She has enlisted Sayif Saud of Fortis MMA in Houston to break her of some of her bad habits. Gloria is the girlfriend of Mayra Bueno Silva. They train at Chute Boxe in Sao Paulo, Brazil with Diego Lima. They have similar flaws. Jinh won round one by maintaining top position. Gloria attempted submissions from the bottom but she needed to get out of there and she didn't. Gloria was a lot better in round two. So it's tied going into round three. Saud gave Jinh a pep talk between rounds and that seemed to work. I scored the fight 29-28 for Jinh and so did all three judges. Saud has more work to do with Jinh but at least she won. Gloria needs to work on her takedown defense. She will win fights on her feet. Enjoy the video. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-JJ Aldrich vs Cortney Casey

Here's the match video of JJ Aldrich vs Cortney Casey from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Cortney is a fighter with good physical tools but not a good fight IQ. JJ has a good fight IQ but limited physical tools. That adds up to a fight between lower midcard fighters who the UFC could release if neither improves. This fight won't help them make a decision on either of them. Cortney won round one and JJ won round two. I thought Cortney won round three but two of the judges scored it 10-9 for JJ. JJ won by split decision. I think the judges got it wrong. It was a close fight so I would not call it a robbery. But we've seen a lot of judging mistakes lately. Check out the video for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder

Here's the match video of Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This figt is at Strawweight. A few months ago, Angela was supposed to fight Tecia Torres. But Angela tested positive for COVID-19. So Tecia beat a late notice opponent. Then she refused to fight Angela. So Angela had to settle for Ashley who she has beaten before. Both fighters have been in the UFC for a while. So we know what both are good at and their weaknesses. I expected Angela to win easily and that's what happened. I scored it 30-27 for Angela and so did all three judges. The UFC has to find a ranked opponent for Angela. But don't be surprised if she takes a short notice fight while she's waiting. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stephanie Mills

Artist:Stephanie Mills

Song:Never Knew Love Like This Before

Album:The Best of Stephanie Mills

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Stephanie Mills first had success as Dorothy in the Broadway musical The Wiz. Then she had a great run as a recording artist. The 1980 single Never Knew Love Like This Before was her biggest hit. She was born Mar. 22, 1957 in Brooklyn, NY. As a child she sang in the choir at Cornerstone Baptist Church. At age nine she appeared in the Broadway musical Maggie Flynn. At age 11 she won Amateur Night at The Apollo six straight weeks. She went on the road with The Isley Brothers and became good friends with Ronald Isley. Stephanie recorded albums for ABC and Motown but neither worked out. The Motown album was written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Then she played Dorothy in the hit Broadway musical The Wiz. Diana Ross played Dorothy in the film version. Stephanie signed with 20th Century Records and began her long association with the production team of James Mtume and Reggie Lucas. Of course Mtume is best known for the hit single Juicy Fruit. But he and Lucas had a lot of success as producers. All three of Stephanie's 20th Century albums were certified Gold. Never Knew Love Like This Before is from the 1980 album Sweet Sensation. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned out to be Stephanie's biggest chart hit and the record has stood the test of time. After 20th Century Records closed, Stephanie signed with Casablanca and then MCA. She continued to have success on the R&B chart in the 80s. She recorded her final album for MCA in 1992. You can get all her hits on this budget comp. She recorded a 1995 gospel album produced by Donald Lawrence. And she appeared in the 1997 Broadway musical Children  of Eden. Since then Stephanie has recorded occasionally and she played Auntie Em in the 2015 NBC TV production of The Wiz. Here's Stephanie Mills performing Never Knew Love Like This Before. There's no date on it but it looks recent. Normally I would want a vintage clip but Stephanie is performing live and the audience is great. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Blake

Artist:James Blake

Song:Rerograde

Album:Overgrown

James Blake is an award winning singer, songwriter and producer. His music is electronic music with blue eyed soul elements. Though he has had some chart success in his native England, he is also a very busy producer and that's where he is really making his mark. He was born James Blake Litherland Sept. 26, 1988 in London. His father is guitarist James Litherland of the progressive rock group Colosseum. After they disbanded, he became a session musician. Blake studied classical piano as a child. While attending school, he and his friends got interested in electronic music, especially what is known in England as dubstep. After some of Blake's early EPs got the attention of influential BBC DJs like Gilles Peterson and Nick Grimshaw, Blake got a record deal with Polydor in England and Republic in the US. His 2011 debut album James Blake did well in England. Retrograde is from Blake's 2013 album Overgrown which was his first release in the US. Before that, Blake spent time in the US with admirers Kanye West and Justin "Bon Iver" Vernon. Overgrown won the 2013 Mercury Prize. Blake has released four albums most recently in 2019. He has become a very successful producer working with Vince Staples, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Bon Iver. He also appeared on the soundtrack of the 2018 film Black Panther. Production and songwriting is where Blake is likely to have success in the future. Fans of electronic music should check out his music. Here's the video for Retrograde by James Blake. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Elle King

Artist:Elle King

Song:Ex's & Oh's

Album:Love Stuff

Ex's & Oh's was a top ten hit in 2014. It is to date the biggest hit for singer songwriter Elle King. She has released two albums. It's too soon to tell if she will have longevity. She was born Tanner Elle Schneider July 3, 1989 in Los Angeles. Her dad is comedian and actor Rob Schneider. When her parents divorced, her mother remarried and moved to Columbus, OH. When she was nine, her stepdad gave her a record by the all girl rock group The Donnas. That and albums by The Runaways and Blondie inspired Elle to become a musician. She taught herself to play guitar and banjo from Otis Redding and Earl Scruggs records. She moved to New York as a teen and used a fake ID to get into clubs. Elle signed with RCA in 2012 and released an EP. This led to her 2015 debut album Love Stuff. The single Ex's & Oh's was released in advance of the album. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for two Grammys. The album was certified Gold. Elle wrote all the songs with different producers. Ex's & Oh's written with and produced by Dave Bassett who also co-wrote the Rachel Platten hit Fight Song. 2015 was a big year for him. He currently produces Vance Joy and Shinedown. The other main producer on the album was Jeff Bhasker who produced Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk. Though Elle gave Bassett and Bhasker credit for the album's success, she decided to self produce her 2018 album Shake the Spirit with her band and producer Matt Pence. There were no hit singles and the album didn't perform as well as the first album. She released the EP In Isolation in 2020 and more recently the single Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home) with Miranda Lambert. My guess is she doesn't want to be a pop star. But time will tell. Here's the video for Ex's & Oh's by Elle King. The boyfriend in the video is model Thom Giant. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Toni Storm

Here's the match video of Io Shirai defending her NXT Women's Championship on this week's episode of NXT. Of course these two have wrestled many times in Japan. They are playing off of Toni beating Io at the 2018 Mae Young Classic. But now that Io has held the title for almost a year, I don't see her dropping the belt unless she is moving to the main roster. As I said last week, the WWE really likes record title reigns. This is mentioned during this match. The match is pretty good but I never thought Toni would win. And after Io kicked out of Toni's Storm Zero finisher, I knew that Io would win. After Io missed a moonsault, Toni missed a flying head butt and Io wins with a cross face submission. That's not something Io normally uses as a finisher. I thought it was an odd choice. Later on in the show, Io confronted Raquel Gonzalez and challenged her. I expect that match will be on the upcoming Takeover show. Of course Raquel put Io through a table at War Games. Obviously Raquel has a significant size advantage. But Io has shown that kind of thing doesn't concern her. So I expect a great match. You never know what kind of crazy moves Io will bust out. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jimmy Page Robert Plant

Artist:Jimmy Page Robert Plant f/Najma Akhtar

Song:The Battle of Nevermore

Album:No Quarter

After Led Zeppelin split up in 1979,  lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page were under constant pressure to reform or reunite the band. Though they did this occasionally, most notably at FarmAid, they tried to resist doing that until this 1994 album. Plant had an active solo career. He had just released the 1993 album Fate of Nations when MTV called him to do Unplugged. Page had just released an album with David Coverdale and was in Japan on tour when Plant's management asked him to meet Plant in Boston. So that was the premise. They were going to cover Led Zeppelin songs for an episode of MTV Unplugged. They taped a couple of performances in England with a string orchestra and an Egyptian Ensemble that you will see on this cover of The Battle of Evermore featuring singer Najma Akhtar. Other musicians included Charlie Jones on bass, Michael Lee on drums, Pearl Thompson of The Cure on guitar, Nigel Eaton on hurdy gurdy and Ed Shearmur on keyboards. He also wrote the arrangements. Shearmur is normally a film composer. The album was certified Platinum. They also released a DVD. And they recorded a second album Walking into Clarksdale in 1998 which was new material. They toured to support it. They could have continued but Plant knew that if he continued touring with Page they would have to play big stadiums and he wanted to perform in a more intimate setting. And that's what Plant has done since then. Page was supposed to record and tour a few years ago. But it doesn't look like he did that. I guess he's semi retired at this point. Here's Jimmy Page Robert Plant f/Najma Akhtar performing The Battle of Nevermore from the DVD No Quarter: Unledded. The entire concert can be streamed on YouTube.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad podcast

Charlie joins me from Japan to discuss Sunday's Deep Jewels show. Plus Meiko Satomura, Hikaru Shida and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Highway 101

Artist:Highway 101

Song:Whiskey, If You Were A Woman

Album:Greatest Hits

Highway 101 was one of the hottest country groups of the late 80s. They had a string of country hits including Whiskey, If You Were A Woman. The lead singer of Highway 101 was Paulette Carlson. She was born Oct. 1952 in Moose Lake, MN. After moving to Nashville, she was a staff songwriter for The Oak Ridge Boys and she recorded three singles for RCA. She moved to Los Angeles and her manager decided to assemble Highway 101 with veteran session musicians Jack Daniels on guitar, Curtis Stone on bass and Scott "Cactus" Moser on drums. They were the bar band in the 1986 film Back To School. Highway 101 signed with Warner Bros. and released the 1987 album Highway 101. The first single The Bed You Made For Me reached #4 on the Country Singles chart and then Whiskey, If You Were A Woman reached #2. They had four hit singles from that album which was certified Gold. The album was produced by Warners house producer Paul Worley. Whiskey, If You Were A Woman was written by veteran songwriters Bob Morrison and Johnny MacRae along with Mary W. Francis. Highway 101 recorded three albums for Warner Bros. They had four #1 country hits. You can get all their hits on this comp. Paulette left in 1990 and signed a solo deal with Capitol. They dropped her after one unsuccessful album. Nikki Nelson replaced her in Highway 101. After an album on Warners and one on Liberty, the band was without a record deal. Paulette returned in 1996 for the album Reunited on Intersound. After that Stone and Moser led a version of Highway 101 until Moser was seriously injured in a 2012 motorcycle crash and had his leg amputated. He is married to Wynona Judd. Paulette Carlson formed a new band. She continues to tour but she last recorded in 2006. Here's Highway 101 performing Whiskey, If You Were A Woman on Nashville Now 1987.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Ryo Mizunami

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship against Ryo Mizunami from Sunday's AEW show. Though Hikaru's idea to have a tournament to determine a title contender isn't a bad idea, AEW's lack of TV time meant that the execution was less than ideal. Only a couple of matches aired on Dynamite. The rest of them aired on the YouTube ghetto which means no one watched them. Then when they tried to air matches on Bleacher Report, the feed was geo blocked despite repeated BR promises that they would be made available to international viewers. Tony Khan apologized and moved them to YouTube. How do you make a big deal out of this with that kind of stuff going on? I watched the Japanese matches. Hikaru produced them including the TV part. So hopefully what AEW learned is that Hikaru is more than a great wrestler and champion. Despite losing her match, Maki Itoh was the breakout star from the Japan side mostly because of her prematch idol shtick. I guess her wrestling is passable but AEW brought her over for the PPV. I'm not sure what her contract status is with Tokyo Joshi Pro. But Khan can probably get her if he wants her. Before the tournament, a lot of fans thought Riho would win. But she is not under AEW contract. She's strictly freelance which is why I would never have made her champ in the first place. Ryo beat Aja Kong and then Nyla Rose to win the tournament. Most fans here don't know anything about Ryo or her rivalry with Hikaru. Ryo is 32 years old. Meiko Satomura trained her first at GAEA and then at Sendai Girls after GAEA closed in 2005. She worked mostly for WAVE from 2009 until they went on hiatus in 2019. And that's when she first worked for AEW. Excalibur tried to play up Hikaru's rivalry with Ryo during the match broadcast. They should have done that beforehand to make fans care about her. Ryo is a pretty good but not great wrestler. She lacks the looks and charisma that will get her over in America. For those reasons she would not have been my first choice to win the tournament. And the match reflected that. It was OK but it took a while to get out of first gear. And there were even communication issues near the end. Hikaru tried her best but I don't think the results were what she was after. Then after they brought out Britt Baker and the whole gang to set up a six woman match for Dynamite. So again, good idea with not so good execution. Enjoy the video!

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fonseca

Artist:Fonseca

Song:Te Mando Flores

Album:Corazon

Juan Fernando Fonseca has been very successful in his native Colombia. The 2006 single Te Mando Flores was his breakthrough in other Latin American countries. He is very comparable to the popular singer Juanes. If you like that kind of music, you'll dig Fonseca. He was born May 29, 1979 in Bogota, Colombia. He was interested in music as a child. Fonseca studied music at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota and then Berklee in Boston. His band Baroja played clubs in Bogota. After self releasing an album, Fonseca signed with EMI in 2002. His debut CD did well in Colombia He was compared favorably with Juanes and Shakira. He toured with Shakira. But with his 2006 album and the single Te Mando Flores, Fonseca broke through to a much larger Latin American audience. Te Mando Flores not only topped the Colombian charts but it also topped the US Latin chart. And he won a Latin Grammy for Te Mando Flores. Fonseca usually writes and produces all his own music. Corazon is available on CD. After one more album, Fonseca moved to Sony. He has recorded three albums for Sony. The latest is Agustin in 2018. Anyone who is into Colombian pop will want to check out Fonseca. Here's the video for Te Mando Flores by Fonseca.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lisa Page Brooks

Artist:Lisa Page Brooks

Song:I Want To Say Thank You

Album:Hidden Treasures: The Best of Lisa Page Brooks

Gospel singer Lisa Page Brooks is probably best remembered as a member of the 80s gospel girl group Witness. She has recorded solo since 1997 and the 2009 single I Want To Say Thank You topped the gospel chart. She was born Nov. 23, 1962 in Detroit. Her father Charles Warren Harris was a member of the Motown group The Monitors. Lisa and her sister Leah performed locally as Voices of Eden. Former Commissioned member Michael Brooks started the gospel girl group Witness in 1986. He wrote and produced everything. Witness was very successful until Lisa left to go solo in 1997. By then she had been married to Michael Brooks and their daughter is singer Tasha Page-Lockhart. Their son Justin Brooks also helps out. Lisa has recorded four albums while she and Michael run the Restoration Fellowship Church in Detroit. I Want To Say Thank You is from Lisa's 2009 album Strong. The single topped the gospel chart. Lisa's music is a mix of contemporary and traditional gospel leaning more traditional as Lisa has gotten older. This comp is a good intro to her music. It is available as a digital download. Here's Lisa Page Brooks performing I Want To Say Thank You on Bobby Jones Gospel 2009. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Lemos vs Livinha Souza

Here's the match video of Amanda Lemos vs Livinha Souza from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Amanda is 33 years old from Para, Brazil. She trains with former UFC fighter Iuri Alcantara and his brother. After coming off a drug suspension, she has looked pretty good in the UFC. Livinha is a former Invicta champ who has had mixed results in the UFC. The fight doesn't last very long. Amanda drops Livinha with a jab but is not quite able to finish her. So she lets Livinha get up and then hits her with what someone called a "power jab". That second knockdown was enough for the ref to stop the fight. Because of her age, I expect Amanda to get fast tracked to the rankings. I would like to see her against a ranked fighter. She's looked good so far. Enjoy the video. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Nunes vs Megan Anderson

Here's the match video of Amanda Nunes defending her UFC Featherweight Championship against Megan Anderson. The big question is does Megan have a chance to win. I suppose if she gets out of round one and Amanda runs out of gas. But I expected Megan to run out of talent before Amanda runs out of gas. And then the fight starts and Megan has the deer in the headlights look. I didn't expect the fight to last long. And sure enough Amanda knocked Megan down and then wrapped her up like a Thanksgiving turkey with an armbar and a reverse triangle choke. That was it. The fight lasted two minutes. Next we will see Amanda defend her Bantamweight title probably against Julianna Pena who was the squeaky wheel last night. Amanda said this week that it would be OK with her if the UFC closed the Featherweight division. Me too. Maybe now that Invicta FC has left UFC Fight Pass the UFC should start an Atomweight division. Time will tell. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dead Kennecys

Artist:Dead Kennedys

Song:Holiday in Cambodia

Album:Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death

The Dead Kennedys were probably the first popular American punk band. This is despite the fact that the controversial nature of their music meant radio stations wouldn't play them. They were even involved in an obscenity trial. The Dead Kennedys were formed in San Francisco in 1978. Guitarist Raymond "East Bay Ray" Pepperell placed an ad in The Recycler. The other original members were lead singer Eric "Jello Biafra" Boucher, Geoffrey "Klaus Flouride" Lyall on bass, Carlos "6025" Cadona on rhythm guitar and Bruce "Ted" Slesinger on drums. The Sex Pistols were their biggest influence. Everything about Dead Kennedys including the band name was supposed to be notorious. They were forced to play gigs under pseudonyms or they wouldn't get booked. Pepperell claimed that the band name wasn't supposed to insult the Kennedy family. It's an homage to the death of The American Dream. After Cadona left the band, the Dead Kennedys released their 1980 debut album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables on the British label Cherry Red. Holiday in Cambodia was the first single. Boucher wrote the song about Cambodian dictator Pol Pot. This was typical of their music. They were successful despite all the controversy. Slesinger was replaced in 1981 by Darren "D.H. Peligro" Henley. Polydor offered them a record deal. Boucher threatened to leave. Polydor rescinded the offer when they discovered the Dead Kennedys next single was Too Drunk to F**k. The band continued and even started their own label until they were charged with obscenity after a teen girl bought the album Frankenchrist. An album insert led to the charges. It ended in a hung jury. By 1987 Dead Kennedys had split up. They were disillusioned with the hardcore punk scene. Too many skinheads I guess. They would reform in 2001 minus Boucher who became a professional public speaker. The band is still around with a different lead singer. This comp CD covers the band's original run. Here's the video for Holiday in Cambodia by Dead Kennedys. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Buffy

Artist:Buffy

Song:Give Me...A Reason

Album:First Love

Fans of Freestyle dance music may recall this 1994 single by Buffy Solango. Similar to other Freestyle artists, Buffy only scored the one club hit single and never recorded again. Historically, Freestyle artists are disposable. I really don't have any bio info about Buffy except she is from California and of Philippine descent. Give Me..A Reason was released in 1994 on Velocity Records. The song was a big enough club hit that Buffy got to record an album. The writer and producer of the album was Dadgel Atabay. He has worked with Freestyle legend Stevie B. First Love was released in 1996. Velocity released a couple more singles. But neither caught on and the album didn't sell. It's still available. It turned out to be Buffy's only album. There are plenty of remixes of Give Me..A Reason. The continued popularity of the song has allowed Buffy to perform live and tour with other Freestyle one hit wonders. Here's Buffy performing Give Me...A Reason at Winter Jam in San Antonio, TX. Dec. 2008. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kay Lee Ray vs Meiko Satomura

Here's the match video of Kay Lee Ray defending her WWE NXT UK Women's championship against Meiko Satomura. As most fans probably know, the WWE has hired Meiko as a player coach. This was only Meiko's second TV appearance. They just don't build up to big matches anymore. The match started out slowly. At times they seemed to be unsure of what they were doing. The match picked up in the closing stretch. It just seemed to drag at times. For example, both of them took too long to get to the top rope and they missed the move. Maybe there was too much of that. When Meiko missed the Scorpion Rising, I knew she would lose. And I'm sure her fans were disappointed. But the WWE seems to be obsessed with record title runs mainly so they can talk about them on air. This is despite the fact that most of KLR's title run was during the pandemic when NXT UK was inactive. So yeah, her record title run is BS. This match won't change my viewing habits. I will watch NXT UK only when Meiko appears. I'm not interested in the other wrestlers. But the match is pretty good so check it out. It's just not as good as some will try to say. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Crystal Waters

Artist:Crystal Waters

Song:100% Pure Love

Album:The Best of Crystal Waters

100% Pure Love was one of two big hit singles for R&B singer songwriter Crystal Waters. She continues to appear on the dance music charts. She was born Nov. 19, 1961 in Deptford, NJ but she grew up in Washington, DC. Her father Junior Waters released a few singles in the late 50s. Her great aunt Ethel Waters was one of the first blacks to appear on film. She was famous for singing Am I Blue which I featured on the blog. Crystal started writing poetry as a teen. She was 14 when she was inducted into the Poetry Society of America. She started out as a backup singer. But she also earned a degree in computer science at Howard University. She met The Basement Boys and they started working together. They were DC based DJs Jay Steinhour, Teddy Douglas and Thommy Davis. Mostly they are remix guys but their biggest success was producing Crystal. She wrote the lyrics, sent it to them and they turned it into a song.  The 1991 single Gypsy Woman topped the dance chart and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. 100% Pure Love is from Crystal's 1994 album Storyteller. It also topped the dance chart and reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Crystal recorded three albums for Mercury and this comp CD covers those years. Though she last released an album in 1997, Crystal continues to release singles and appear as a guest vocalist, most notably on the 2006 Alex Gaudino single Destination Calabria which was a worldwide dance hit. Her music is frequently sampled by hip hop guys. So the royalty cheques keep rolling in. That ability to write poetry sure came in handy for Crystal Waters. Here's the video for 100% Pure Love by Crystal Waters.