Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Britt Baker vs Hikaru Shida

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship against Britt Baker. So Britt got this title shot mostly by talking. Her wrestling skills are mediocre at best. Despite that, a title change was probably going to happen here. But I don't think Britt is a good enough wrestler to carry a title. I thought if they were going to make a change it would have happened at the tournament. But Britt didn't even make the finals. So what has happened since then? Britt had that garbage match with Thunder Rosa. And though she lost, Britt got a lot of praise for that match though Rosa carried her. That match got Britt a lot of momentum. This match is OK but doesn't change my mind about Britt Baker. Look, she been a wrestler for several years. She should be much better in the ring by this time. But she isn't. Hikaru carries this match as she has with all her opponents. My main problem with this match is the multiple false finishes. The WWE does this on PPVs too. There must have been a half a dozen false finishes. Once Rebel clobbered Britt accidently with the crutch, that should have been the finish. Anything after that makes no sense. It also shows they really wanted to do a title change. Also, I don't like Britt's Lockjaw finisher. When Mick Foley did it, it was a comedy prop. The guy who invented that move was a 60s wrestler/dentist named Dr. Sam Shepherd. I'm sure Dustin Rhodes knows about him. Fans thought wrestling was real back then. Some moves translate well to today's wrestling. That move doesn't work today. It's not a credible finisher. But it shows how stupid AEW has been about their women's division. And now that Britt Baker is champ, I expect it to get stupider. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eddie Santiago

Artist:Eddie Santiago

Song:Lluva

Album:Celebracion: Epic Duets

Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer who ushered in the Salsa Romantica sound in the late 80s. Lluva was his biggest hit. He was born Aug. 18, 1961 in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. Santiago began singing at age ten. As a teen, he sang with Generacion 2000, La Potente Orchestra, Opus Orchestra and the Saranguey Orchestra. In 1984 Santiago and Willie Gonzalez were lead singers of Conjunto Chaney. Santiago left in 1986 and signed with Rodven Records. Lluva is from the 1987 album Sigo Atrevido. The single reached #4 on the Latin charts and the album was a big success despite criticism that it was too commercial. It was also nominated for a Grammy. Lluva was written by Argentinian singer songwriter Luis Angel. The album was produced by veteran producer Frank Torres. Santiago continued to have success in Latin America. This budget CD is a good intro to his music. Santiago last recorded in 2006. I think he still tours but of course not right now. Here's Eddie Santiago performing a medley of his hits including Lluvia 1988.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Inspiral Carpets

Artist:Inspiral Carpets

Song:This Is How It Feels

Album:Greatest Hits

Inspiral Carpets came from the Madchester scene of the late 80s. They weren't as successful as The Stone Roses or Happy Mondays. But they did have chart success in England with songs like the 1990 single This Is How It Feels. Inspiral Carpets were formed in the Manchester suburb of Oldham in 1983. Guitarist Graham Lambert and singer Stephen Holt were friends in school. The other original members were Glenn Chesworth on keyboards, Tony Feeley on bass and Craig Gill on drums. Chesworth and Feeley were replaced by Clint Boon and Dave Swift. They sent out demos and eventually released a couple of EPs on their own label. They also recorded a session with BBC DJ John Peel. While recording the 1990 album Life, Holt and Swift left to start The Rankings. They were replaced by Tom Hingley and Martyn Walsh. Inspiral Carpets signed with Mute Records and This Is How It Feels reached #14 on the British Singles chart. Life reached #2 on the British Albums chart. Inspiral Carpets signed a US deal with Elektra but they were never able to break through in the US. After four albums, Inspiral Carpets split up in 1995. This budget comp covers their early 90s run. This was released when Inspiral Carpets reformed to tour in 2003. They continued to tour and a new album was released in 2014. Sadly, Gill committed suicide in 2016. I don't think Inspiral Carpets is active anymore. Fans of the Madchester sound should check them out. Here's the video for This Is How It Feels by Inspiral Carpets. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Black

Artist:Michael Black

Song:Billy O'Shea

Album:Michael Black

Michael Black is a member of a prominent Irish musical family. They are from Dublin, Ireland. There are several siblings. The best known of these is Mary Black who has had success as a solo artist in Ireland. Dad plays fiddle. Mom is a singer. The five siblings are Mary, Frances, Martin, Shay and Michael. They performed together in the 70s. Mary and then Frances went solo. They siblings recorded as The Black Family in the 80s. Michael and then Shay moved to San Francisco. While The Black Family reunites occasionally to record, Mary Black continues her successful solo career. Michael and Shay Black perform together in California and record occasionally. This 2007 album is Michael Black's solo debut. He performs mostly traditional songs like Billy O'Shea. The album producer is John Doyle formerly of the group Solas. He also plays guitar and bouzouki. The Black siblings are all on backup vocals. On fiddle is Liz Carroll, Dirk Powell and Liz Knowles. Liz Carroll has worked with Doyle. Powell is also the recording engineer. Liz Knowles is from Cherish the Ladies. Former Solas member John Williams is on accordion. Seamus Egan of Solas is on flute. And Chico Huff from Solas is on bass. A lot of Doyle's pals are on this album. This is Michael Black's only solo album  to date. He continues to record and perform with Shay. Here's Michael and Shay Black performing Billy O'Shea at Studio 55 Marin Mar. 6, 2016.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nancy Martinez

Artist:Nancy Martinez

Song:For Tonight

Album:Freestyle's Greatest Hits

Nancy Martinez had her greatest success when the 1986 single For Tonight was a big dance club hit and crossed over to pop. She was born Aug. 26, 1960 in Quebec City but she grew up in Montreal. She studied piano as a child and got into acting and singing in high school. After releasing a couple of singles first as Jade and then Nancy Martin, she released the 1983 album Lay It Down on the Montreal based dance music label Matra. The 1984 single Sunshine Reggae was a dance hit locally. When the 1986 single For Tonight was a dance club hit, Atlantic Records picked up the album Not Just the Girl Next Door for distribution. For Tonight reached #2 on the dance chart and #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. I recall the video was played a lot on MuchMusic in Canada to fill Canadian Content quotas. It did OK. A couple of songs from the album charted. The album was produced by Mateen Ali. For Tonight was written by Dino Pacifici and Phil George. Ali and Pacifici are veterans of the Montreal dance music scene. The album is available as a digital download. You can get For Tonight on this various artists comp. For the 1989 album Unpredictable, Nancy moved to A&M distributed Vendetta Records. Ali produced this album too. After that she returned to recording for local labels in Montreal. She has recorded in English and French. Though Nancy has recorded occasionally including a jazz album in 2004, today she is mainly a background singer and occasional guest vocalist on dance music. Here's the video of For Tonight by Nancy Martinez. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez

Artist:Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez f/Ibrahim Ferrer

Song:Wahira

Album:Cachaito

Bassist Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez is another veteran Cuban musician who gained fame through the 1996 documentary Buena Vista Social Club. Lopez was a sideman for his entire career. This 2001 album Cachaito was his only album as a leader. He was born Feb. 2, 1933 in Havana, Cuba. Bass runs in the family. His father Orestes Lopez and his older brother Orestes Jr. played bass. And so did his famous uncle Israel "Cachao" Lopez. That's where the nickname Cachaito comes from. As a child, Lopez wanted to play the violin. But his grandfather had him take up the bass because of the family tradition. He started playing in bands as a teen. And at age 17 he replaced his uncle in Antonio Arcano y sus Maravillas. In the 50s Lopez was in the popular band Orquesta Riverside and he was in the National Symphony Orchestra. He got involved with Buena Vista Social Club through Juan de Marcos Gonzalez and his band Afro Cuban All Stars. After the film was a big hit, World Circuit Records owner Nick Gold signed several of the musicians featured in the film including Lopez. The album Cachaito was released in 2001. Wahira features singer Ibrahim Ferrer who was also in Buena Vista Social Club. The rest of the album is instrumental. Musicians are Manuel Galban on guitar, Bigga Morrison on organ, Carlos Gonzalez on bongos, Miguel "Anga" Diaz on congas, Alejandro Pichardo on guira and claves and Amadito Valdes on timbales. Lopez toured with this band. Then he returned to being a sideman. He died of pancreatic cancer on Feb. 9, 2009 at age 76. Check out his album. But for sure check out Buena Vista Social Club which can be streamed for free on Kanopy with a library card. Here's Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez featuring Ibrahim Ferrer performing Wahira on Later with Jools Holland 2001. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chase Bryant

Artist:Chase Bryant

Song:Little Bit of You

EP:Chase Bryant

Chase Bryant scored two top 20 country hits in 2014. Then he disappeared. But I will tell you what he is doing now. He was born Chase Yaklin Oct. 9, 1992 in Orange Grove, TX. The name Chase Bryant is a tribute to his grandfather and long time Roy Orbison guitarist Jimmy Bryant. After graduating high school, Bryant moved to Nashville. A 2010 EP got him a publishing deal with Roy Orbison's widow Barbara. And this led to a record deal with Broken Bow's Red Bow label. The singles Take It On Back and Little Bit of You both reached #16 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. The EP Chase Bryant followed. The EP was produced by Derek George and Bryant and George wrote the song with hit songwriter Ashley Gorley. The EP is available as a digital download. But there was no album. For one thing Broken Bow closed Red Bow in 2018 with plans to fold the label's artists into the parent label. Meanwhile Bryant left a suicide note in his truck and planned to shoot himself when he got home. He told People that his parents were staying with him at the time so he decided not to do it. He was very depressed and disillusioned with the music business. He left Broken Bow and signed with Green Iris Records owned by Roy Orbison's son Roy Orbison Jr. and his grandson Alex Orbison. Bryant's debut album Upbringing will be released in July. The producer is veteran session musician Jon Randall who has also produced Dierks Bentley among others. We'll see how Bryant takes advantage of this second chance. Here's the video for Little Bit of You by Chase Bryant.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Charlotte Flair vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Charlotte Flair vs Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. If you watched last night, you'll know that the show was unusually wrestling heavy. This was because the script was a mess. They had to kill time. That's why Charlotte vs Asuka was over twenty minutes. Those two could go longer if needed. The only thing the WWE should have done but didn't was explain why there is a rematch when Asuka won a title shot last week. Look, I know why this match was on the show. It filled a good chunk of time. But it needed a storyline explanation. The match was great. If you haven't seen it, you need to watch it. Charlotte worked on Asuka's knee quite a bit. And typically Asuka did a stellar selling job. But she came back and it could have gone either way. My only request is please get Charlotte to stop doing moonsaults. She doesn't do them properly. Typical WWE 50/50 booking. Charlotte turns an Asuka Lock into a pin for the win. Didn't care for that or the 50/50 booking. But the big problem is not acknowledging Asuka's win last week. That upsets fans. As Dave Bautista recently said "They're jobbing Asuka?" We'll see what happens next week. There's more time to kill. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Magnetic Ear

Artist:Magnetic Ear

Song:Turkey on the Westbank

Album:Aliens of Extraordinary Ability

Magnetic Ear is a contemporary jazz version of a traditional New Orleans brass band. I guess the big difference is Magnetic Ear doesn't perform traditional songs. The band leader is sax player Martin Krusche. He writes all the songs. Krusche is from Munich, Germany. After studying at the Herman Zilcher Conservatory, Krusche moved to New York in 1993 and then to New Orleans in 1995. He recorded with trumpeter Nicholas Payton. Payton appeared on Krusche's 2000 album Friendship Pagoda. Aliens of Extraordinary Ability was released in 2010 on their own label. They also released a live album in 2015. Other musicians are Paul Thibodeaux on drums, Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax. He is also a member of Trombone Shorty's Orleans Avenue. Charlie Halloran and Jeff Albert play trombone and Jason Jurzak is on sousaphone. Trombone Shorty guests on one track. Magnetic Ear's personnel is fluid as all the guys have other gigs. Krusche still leads the band along with Thibodeaux and Oestreicher. Jon Ramm and Wes Andersonn IV now play trombone and Steven Glenn is on tuba and sousaphone. Here's Magnetic Ear performing Turkey on the Westbank on the 2018 Bayou Boogaloo Festival in Bayou St. John, LA Apr. 19, 2018.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barry McGuire

Artist:Barry McGuire

Song:Bullfrogs and Butterflies

Album:Best of Barry McGuire

Most fans should be familiar with Barry McGuire from his days with the popular folk group The New Christy Minstrels and then his controversial 1966 hit Eve of Destruction. He became a born again Christian in the 70s and was a pioneer of CCM. Bullfrogs and Butterflies seems to be one of McGuire's more durable songs from this era. He wrote and recorded it for a Christian children's album. McGuire became a born again Christian in 1971. He signed with Word's Myrrh label. McGuire and Billy Ray Hearn founded Sparrow Records in 1976. He wrote Bullfrogs and Butterflies for one of a series of children's albums. They called themselves The Agape Force Prep School. Tony Salerno started this group in 1971. Guitarist Mike Deasy was musical director. He was a member of the Los Angeles session musician collective The Wrecking Crew. Shorty Rogers wrote the arrangements. Harlan Rogers and Chuck Findlay play on the record along with CCM veterans James Felix and Bill Maxwell. McGuire wrote and performed two songs for the album including Bullfrogs and Butterflies. Danniebell Hall was the other guest singer. McGuire still performs Bullfrogs and Butterflies on his live shows. The original album has never been released on CD or mp3. But Bullfrogs and Butterflies appears on this comp of McGuire's 70s recordings. It is available as a digital download. McGuire hasn't recorded in years. But he still tours. Here's Barry McGuire performing Bullfrogs and Butterflies. It doesn't give a date but it looks recent. BTW, this is the first time I have written about children's music. I guess there is a first time for everything. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Norma Dumont vs Felicia Spencer

Here's the match video of Norma Dumont vs Felicia Spencer from last night's UFC show from Las Vegas. This fight is at Featherweight. A couple of weeks ago, Norma was supposed to fight at Bantamweight. After she missed weight for the second straight time, the UFC moved her to Las Vegas so she could train at the UFC PI. They paid for this. Meanwhile boxer Danyelle Wolf pulled out of this fight and Norma replaced her. At least she made weight this time. The fight was terrible. We talked about poor judging last week. But this fight was so bad and neither fighter did much of anything that it's a very difficult fight to judge. Norma won by split decision. I don't think I can score it. I always give bad rounds 9-9. and I could have done that with all three rounds. That's how bad this was. Afterwards, Norma says she still wants to fight at Bantamweight. We'll see about that. Check out the fight for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Carla Esparza vs Yan Xiaonan

Here's the match video of Carla Esparza vs Yan Xiaonan from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Of course Carla is a former Strawweight champ looking to get a title shot. She is mainly a wrestler but she hasn't finished a fight in years. Yan is 6-0 in the UFC. She's a pretty good striker but she's not a finisher either. I would have expected her to be patient. But instead she went right after Carla and gets taken down. Though Carla is unable to advance her position, Yan can't escape either. Carla busted Yan open with an elbow at the end of the round. I thought it knocked Yan out and the fight should have been stopped. But Carla got a finish in round two anyway. Carla said afterwards she didn't know what Yan would do as she varies her approach. I think she should have been more patient. Of course Carla wants a title shot. But Dana White would not commit to that as a rematch for Zhang Weili is his first choice. UFC Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas, Zhang and Carla have the same manager. I think he can work things out. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Nice and Wild

Artist:Nice and Wild

Song:Diamond Girl

Album:Freestyle's Greatest Hits

The 1986 single Diamond Girl was a big enough hit in clubs that Atlantic Records picked it up for distribution. Nice and Wild recorded an album. And that was it. The main controversy about this song is no one seems to know who is actually singing on Diamond Girl. There are four producers behind Nice and Wild. Joe Granda is from Hialeah, FL. The other guys seem to be from New York. We have Arthur Lammoglia, Gary Henry and Marvin "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Based on the credits, Henry produced most of the album. He was the most experienced of the producers. But Diamond Girl was recorded in Florida by Granda. Floyd co-produced. What could have happened is Granda recorded the song in Florida and Henry finished it in New York. After Diamond Girl reached #20 on the dance charts, the album Energy, Love and Unity was released. Nice and Wild were unable to score another hit and this was their only album. You can get the album as a digital download but Diamond Girl is on this various artists comp. So who is singing on Diamond Girl? There are several singers on the album but they are not individually credited. Because Granda recorded Diamond Girl in Florida, my guess is John Minnis is the lead singer with background vocals by Henry and Granda. Minnis is based in Florida and when Granda attempted to revive Nice and Wild in 1995, Minnis was the main singer. So Granda and Minnis are buddies. Here's the video for Diamond Girl by Nice and Wild featuring John Minnis.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Patrick Wolf

Artist:Patrick Wolf

Song:Hard Times

Album:The Bachelor

Patrick Wolf mixes electronic music with strings. Some call it electronic chamber music. He has had modest success mostly in England. And he last recorded in 2012. He was born Patrick Denis Apps June 30, 1983 in London, England. He was 11 years old when he started experimenting with electronic music in his bedroom. He was messing around with organs and he even built his own theremin. This got the attention of Fat Cat Records who supplied him with a computer and mixing tools. Wolf moved to France and performed as Maison Crimineaux. Electronic musician Kristian "Capitol K" Robinson saw him and he released Wolf's 2003 debut album Lycanthropy on the German Tomlab label. After two albums on Tomlab, Wolf signed with Universal's Loog label for the 2005 album The Magic Position. Low Altitude Records released it in the US. The album sold better due to better distribution. Wolf toured the US to support the album. Hard Times is from Wolf's 2009 album The Bachelor. Wolf left Universal to start his own label. He sold shares of his company through Bandstocks. I guess it didn't work as planned because Wolf signed with Mercury's Hideout label for the 2010 album Lupercala. For his tenth anniversary, Wolf recorded acoustic versions of his recordings. The album was called Sundark and Riverlight. Then he went on hiatus and he has yet to return. Wolf was writing a book of poetry when he was hit by a car while on holiday in Venice. Then his mother got sick. Wolf has been working on new music since 2018. Like I said, this has been a long hiatus. The Bachelor is available as a digital download. Wolf will interest electronic pop fans. Here's the video for Hard Times by Patrick Wolf.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gabby Barrett

Artist:Gabby Barrett

Song:I Hope

Album:Goldmine

After finishing third on the 2018 season of American Idol, Gabby Barrett signed with Warner Bros. and scored a crossover hit with I Hope. She was born Mar. 5, 2000 in Munhall, PA which is in Alleghany County. While appearing on the 2018 season of American Idol, Gabby announced that she had signed with Warner Bros. Her debut single I Hope topped the Country Singles chart and crossed over to pop and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gabby wrote the song with Jon Nite and Zach Kale. Kale produced the record with Ross Copperman. Copperman is a veteran producer who has had his greatest success with Keith Urban. Kale comes from the CCM group Elevation Worship. These guys produced the 2020 album Goldmine. Is Gabby's music country or pop? I think it's more pop than country but it has elements of both. It also has the anthemic sound of the kind of Praise & Worship music that Kale has done with Elevation Worship. Gabby is off to a good start. Appearing on American Idol certainly helped. And she appeals to young people because she's young. Gabby married fellow AI contestant Cade Foehner in 2019 and she gave birth to a daughter in Jan. 2021. Maybe it's time to record a new album. Can she repeat her initial success? Here's the video for I Hope by Gabby Barrett. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and Invicta and Bellator preview. And we talk about inept judges. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Deborah Cox

Artist:Deborah Cox

Song:Nobody's Supposed To Be Here

Album:Playlist: The Very Best of Deborah Cox

The 1998 single Nobody's Supposed To Be Here is the biggest hit by R&B singer Deborah Cox. Because she was on Arista Records, she was thought at the time to be the second coming of Whitney Houston. When that didn't work out, Deborah got into acting and raising her family. She was born July 13, 1974 in Toronto. She grew up in Scarborough in east Toronto. She started singing jingles at age 12. And she appeared on the popular local show Tiny Talent Time. As a teen she performed in nightclubs and began writing with Lacelles Stephens who would become her husband and manager. After touring with Celine Dion as a backup singer and having her demos rejected by every Canadian label, Deborah and Stephens moved to Los Angeles in 1994. Arista Records owner Clive Davis signed her in 1995. His method was very similar to Whitney Houston. Davis was in the studio supervising and choosing songs and big name producers. For her 1995 debut album Deborah Cox, producers included Dallas Austin, Daryl Simmons and Babyface. But they didn't get that big hit single they were after Who Do U Love? reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Davis brought in different producers for the 1998 album One Wish. This time they got the results they wanted when Nobody's Supposed To Be Here reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written and produced by Shep Crawford and Montell Jordan. Crawford had previously produced Tamia and Kelly Price. If you think the record has a gospel vibe, Crawford is a minister and he approaches all his music with a gospel mindset. After recording the single Same Script, Different Cast with Whitney Houston, Deborah was moved to Davis' new label J Records for the 2002 album The Morning After. By this time Davis had a new star in Alicia Keys. That's where the promotional budget was going. So Deborah's album didn't sell and she left J. You can get all her Arista hits on this budget comp. Deborah appeared on Broadway in the 2004 show Aida. She signed with Decca for the 2007 album Destination Moon. It's a tribute to Dinah Washington with a full orchestra directed by Rob Mounsey. After recording a 2008 album on her own label, Deborah has concentrated on Broadway and TV. Apparently she's been working on a new album. In 2010 she formed The Queen Project with Tamia (a fellow Canadian) and Kelly Price. They recorded a few tracks but due to scheduling issues, the album was never finished. Too bad. Here's the video for Nobody's Supposed To Be Here by Deborah Cox.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sarray vs Aliyah

Here's the match video of Sarray vs Aliyah from last night's episode of NXT. It is a brief squash match. Most fans should be familiar with Aliyah. She has been in NXT since 2015 and has yet to rise above jobber status. Aliyah is from Toronto. She trained with Rob Fuego at Squared Circle Training Center. Rob has trained everyone from Gail Kim to Taylor Wilde. Robert Stone is her manager and Jessi Kamea is the other girl. After Jessi interferes, Aliyah gets the jump on Sarray. But that doesn't last and once Sarray gets going, She finishes Aliyah with her Saito suplex finisher in a couple of minutes. Sarray has been great in the ring but I don't like her entrance or music. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Juan Luis Guerra

Artist:Juan Luis Guerra

Song:Burbujas de Amor

Album:Grandes Exitios de Juan Luis Guerra 4.40

Dominican singer songwriter Juan Luis Guerra has been a fixture at the top of the Latin charts since the early 90s. Burbujas de Amor is one of his early hits. His main musical style the Dominican Bachata style but he mixes in other musical styles. He was born June 7, 1957 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His father was a professional baseball player. The National Music gallery was nearby where Guerra learned about The Beatles. He taught himself to play guitar. Then Guerra won a contest and got a scholarship at the National Conservatory. One of his instructors got him a scholarship at Berklee in Boston. He got homesick and returned home to form his band 4.40. This refers to 440 Hertz which is supposed to be the perfect note. Guerra signed with the Dominican label Karen. His debut album was released in 1985. But the 1990 album Bachata Rosa made Guerra a star. Burbujas de Amor reached #2 on the Billboard Latin chart. Several more singles charted and the album sold five million copies and won Guerra a Grammy. He became a fixture on the Latin charts for the next 15 years. This budget comp was released in 1995 so it doesn't cover his recent music. Guerra is still around. But after switching to Capitol in 2011, he just hasn't been as popular like he was in the 90s. Here's Juan Luis Guerra performing Burbujas de Amor at the 1991 Festival de Vina in Chile. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka, UFC review and preview and Invicta and Bellator preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Charlotte Flair from last night's episode of RAW. After Charlotte whined that she didn't lose on Sunday, the decision was made that Charlotte vs Asuka would be for a title shot. Adam Pierce and Sonya Deville were both there so Sonya couldn't pull anything. Rhea Ripley came out to ringside to watch the match and Charlotte's focus on her is what cost her the match. It's worth watching. It's very similar to other matches with these two. One odd spot was supposed to be a Spanish Fly. But I guess Asuka didn't like the looks of the spot so she turned it into a missile dropkick. Asuka is not a high flyer. After Charlotte confronted Rhea on the floor, Rhea distracted Charlotte enough so that Asuka could turn a figure eight attempt into a small package for the win. Rhea was happy as she thinks Asuka is an easier opponent. Obviously Asuka will get a title shot but we don't know when. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Talleys

Artist:The Talleys

Song:Grab Your Umbrella

Album:Finest Hour

The Southern Gospel group The Talleys have been around since the 80s. On recent songs like this 2018 single Grab Your Umbrella they have attempted to mix contemporary sounds with the usual Southern Gospel sound. Like many Southern Gospel groups, The Talleys are a family group. They are from Nashville. Siblings Roger, Diane and Kirk Talley formed The Talley Trio in the late 60s. They split up after recording a couple of albums. Roger and Kirk joined The Hoppers. Roger married Debra in 1978 and she joined The Hoppers. They left that group to form The Talleys in 1983. They recorded several albums for Word's Canaan label. It looks like Roger and Debra wanted to retire in 1993. So The Talleys disbanded and Kirk went solo. But when Roger and Debra's daughter Lauren expressed interest in getting into the music business, The Talleys reformed in 1996. They signed with Horizon Records. Since then they have mixed contemporary music with their usual Southern Gospel sound. That can be heard on Grab Your Umbrella from the 2018 album Finest Hour. Lauren has recorded solo since 2001. After releasing the 2020 album The Music Goes On, Roger and Debra announced their retirement. Lauren Talley will continue as a solo artist. Here's the video for Grab Your Umbrella by The Talleys. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Rhea Ripley defending the RAW Women's Championship vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka. Of course I am not a big fan of three way matches. They tend to have a certain pattern. And that was prevalent in this match. But I thought they all worked hard and it was a pretty good match. Rhea didn't mess up as she has in recent matches. The one negative I will throw in is Charlotte needs to stop doing moonsaults. She doesn't do them properly. The finish was a bit of a surprise. I think most fans expected Charlotte to win. But the finish was flat because Rhea's finisher is just another powerbomb. The WWE likes it so commentary can scream "Riptide". They need to come up with something else. I assume that Rhea and Charlotte will be very annoying for a while. The taunting is old already. Maybe it's time for Asuka and Io Shirai to form The New Kabuki Warriors. Enjoy the video. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Cole

Artist:Steve Cole

Song:Got It Goin' On

Album:Between Us

Sax player Steve Cole has been a regular on the jazz charts since he made his recording debut in 1998 on Atlantic. He currently records for a smaller label but he has a loyal smooth jazz following. He was born Aug. 17, 1970 in Chicago. His father played clarinet. Cole studied clarinet as a child and switched to sax in high school. He studied classical sax at Northwestern University and earned an MBA in economics. Cole played as a sideman in local Chicago clubs. When he started playing with smooth jazz keyboard player Brian Culbertson, Cole got a record deal with Atlantic. Culbertson produced Cole's three Atlantic albums. Cole wrote Got It Goin' On. It's from his 2000 album Between Us. Culbertson produced and played keyboards. Other musicians are Ricky Peterson on organ, Paul Jackson Jr. on guitar, Alex Al on bass, Michael White on drums and Luis Conte on percussion. Since leaving Atlantic, Cole has recorded for Narada and he currently records for Mack Avenue's Artistry Music label. Cole's latest album Gratitude was released in 2019. Cole still works with Peterson. And along with sax player David Mann, the three produce and write everything. Cole also formed The Sax Pack with sax players Jeff Kashiwa and Kim Waters. The album Power of 3 was released on Shanachie in 2015. Mann and Peterson worked on that album too. The Sax Pack has released three albums. Here's Steve Cole performing Got It Goin' On at Speghettini's in Seal Beach, CA. There is no date and the musicians are not identified. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Priscila Cachoeira vs Gina Mazany

Here's the match video of Priscila Cachoeira vs Gina Mazany from last night's UFC show in Houston. This fight is at Flyweight. This is a fight that changed direction because of a very poor call by ref Mike Beltran. Priscila is a teammate of Jessica Andrade at PRVT in Brazil. Fans may recall that she was brought in as a short notice victim...er...opponent for Valentina Shevchenko in Brazil. She got beat so bad she needed knee surgery. Since then she has been on the comeback trail with mixed success. She's a striker with no ground game. After a 1-3 record as a Bantamweight, Gina returned to the UFC last year as a Flyweight and won her first fight. She then announced her engagement to UFC fighter Tim Elliott. They moved to his home town of Kansas City to train with James Krause of Glory MMA. Gina's strategy was to take Priscila down and keep her there. She did this in round one and round two. Halfway through round two, Beltran stood them up. Of course he would defend this by saying that he warned Gina. But it's not like Gina was just laying on her. She was trying to advance her position but Priscila was defending well. It was a poor call and the fight changed because Priscila is much better on her feet and Gina got tired. So Priscila won by TKO. Stand ups are a judgement call and refs are inconsistent in enforcing it. We have seen at times fighters who should be stood up but the ref won't do it. And then there are times like this where Beltran really jumped the gun. He's a veteran ref and he should know better. And it doesn't help Priscila. It was a gift. Check out the video for yourself.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Andrea Lee vs Antonina Shevchenko

Here's the match video of Andrea Lee vs Antonina Shevchenko from last night's UFC show in Houston. This fight is at Flyweight. Of course Antonina is the older sister of UFC Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko. She does the same thing as her sister but not as well. They train together so Antonina might as well be on the UFC roster. Andrea is on a losing skid so she needs a win. For most of her career she has been an ineffective one dimensional striker with sex appeal  She has been training at MMA Gold in El Dorado Hills, CA meaning Aspen Ladd is her teammate. Coach Jim West was in her corner. I have watched Andrea since her Invicta days and I don't recall her ever going for a takedown. Maybe Schwan Humes will remind me of one. So that was the big surprise. Andrea took Antonina down and went for submissions. It looked like she was going to blow this. She said she heard the 10 second clapper and got the armbar finish. So maybe Andrea always had these ground skills but didn't have the confidence to use them. Did I mention that Aspen Ladd is now her teammate? Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Katlyn Chookagian vs Viviane Araujo

Here's the match video of Katlyn Chookagian vs Viviane Araujo from last night's UFC show in Houston. This fight is at Flyweight. The main thing about this match is the judges blew the decision. So let's talk about how I scored this and how the judges scored it. They blew the first two rounds completely. Katlyn's fighting style is that she throws a lot of punches at a distance but very few of them land. So she looks busy and that fools judges. She has won fights this way in the past. And that's why her coach Mark Henry doesn't change her style. Fooling idiot judges works. Viviane was more effective. She landed more punches so I scored it 10-9 Viviane. But all three judges scored it 10-9 Katlyn. Round two was about round stealing. Viviane was in top position for most of the round. Katlyn escaped at the end of the round, landed a couple of strikes. But it shouldn't have been enough to win the round. I scored it 10-9 Viviane. Two of the three judges scored it 10-9 Katlyn and the third scored it 10-9 Viviane. Round three was 10-9 for Katlyn. So I scored it 29-28 for Viviane. Two judges scored it 29-28 for Katlyn and the third scored it 30-27. And before you say "Oh, it was in Texas", two of the three judges were Vegas regulars Marcos Rosales and Chris Lee. Rosales scored it 30-27. The third judge was a Texas guy who also reffed a couple of fights. Check out the video You'll see what I am talking about.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet

Artist:The Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet

Song:Killer Joe

Album:Meet the Jazztet

Of course sax player Benny Golson is one of the all time jazz greats. He has written several jazz standards including Killer Joe. He formed a band with trumpeter Art Farmer. The Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet released six albums from 1960-62. Killer Joe is on this band's 1959 debut album Meet the Jazztet. Killer Joe is one of Golson's best known and most covered songs. Golson wrote Killer Joe while was in Lionel Hampton's band and it appeared on the 1954 Hampton album Flyin' Home. Golson made his debut as a leader in 1957. But he didn't record the song until he formed the band with Farmer. Golson knew Farmer from New York clubs. They approached each other about starting a band. They signed with Chess's Argo label. Meet the Jazztet was released in 1960. Musicians are Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Addison Farmer (Art's brother) on bass and Lex Humphries on drums. Killer Joe would become a jazz standard. Many musicians have recorded it. But Quincy Jones' 1969 recording is the best known version. One song that is clearly based on Killer Joe is Sonny & Cher's The Beat Goes On. The Jazztet recorded four albums for Argo and two for Mercury. When they split up in 1962, Golson moved to Los Angeles to become a studio musician. Farmer formed a trio with guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Steve Swallow. Unfortunately there is no video of Golson and Farmer performing together. So here's Benny Golson with Willie Pickens on piano, Larry Gray on bass and Larry Joyce Jr. on drums performing Killer Joe 2007.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joshua Redman

Artist:Joshua Redman

Song:Soul Dance

Album:Wish

Sax player Joshua Redman is one of today's top jazz musicians. He has recorded as a leader since the early 90s. The 1993 album Wish is an early album. He was born Feb. 1, 1969 in Berkeley, CA. His grand uncle was sax player Don Redman. His father was sax player Dewey Redman. His main influences are John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. His dad played with Coleman. After playing sax in his high school band, Redman earned a degree in Social Studies at Harvard. He thought about going to Yale Law School. But instead he moved to New York and immediately got into the jazz club scene. After winning the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, Redman signed with Warner Bros. and released his debut album Joshua Redman in 1993. The unusual thing about Redman is he will celebrate his 30th anniversary with Warner Bros. in 2023. He currently records for Warner's Nonesuch label. Soul Dance is from the 1993 album Wish. It was his second album. Musicians are Pat Metheny on guitar, Charlie Haden on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Redman wrote Soul Dance but Metheny and Haden also wrote songs for the album. Soul Dance also appears on the 2014 album Trios Live with Reuben Rogers on bass and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. Redman has recorded and toured regularly since the 90s. Though he has formed specific bands in the past like Elastic Band and James Farm. And he sat in frequently with Umphrey's McGee, the guy he has worked with most frequently is pianist Brad Mehldau. His 2020 album RoundAgain is with Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade. Here's Joshua Redman with Matt Penman on bass and Gregory Hutchinson on drums performing Soul Dance at the 2010 Tokyo Jazz Festival.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Patricia Barber

Artist:Patricia Barber

Song:Devil's Food

Album:Smash

Jazz singer and pianist Patricia Barber has been a big part of the Chicago jazz scene since the 90s mostly through her residence at the club The Green Mill. After recording several albums for Blue Note, she moved to Concord for the 2013 album Smash. She was born Feb. 8, 1955 in Chicago. Her father Floyd "Shim" Barber played sax with Glenn Miller and Von Freeman. Patricia learned to play the sax as a child and started singing in high school musicals. After studying piano at the University of Iowa, Patricia played Chicago clubs. She has had a residency at The Green Mill for years. After releasing a 1989 album on her own label, Patricia released the 1991 album A Distortion of Love on Island's Antilles label. Then she signed with the Chicago jazz label Premonition which eventually was sold to Blue Note. This covers her recordings from 1994-2008. Then she signed with Concord for the 2013 album Smash. Patricia wrote all the songs. Musicians are John Kregor on guitar, Larry Kohut on bass and Jon Deitmeyer on drums. Since then Patricia toured with opera singer Renee Fleming. She still plays at The Green Mill. She crowdfunded her 2019 album Higher through ArtistShare. She reunited with guitarist Neal Alger who was on some of her Blue Note albums. Here's Patricia Barber with John Kregor, Larry Kohut and Jon Deitmeyer performing Devil's Food on the French network RTL show L'Heure du Jazz 2013.

 

The Big Topic in WMMA

Kayla Harrison and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Denver

Artist:John Denver f/Emmylou Harris

Song:Wild Montana Skies

Album:Legends

Though John Denver was not a consistent hitmaker by the early 80s, he was still successful on the country charts. Wild Montana Skies was a top 15 country hit in 1983. And it's the only time Denver recorded with Emmylou Harris. So it's a discography orphan for her fans as it wasn't on one of her albums. Denver's decline coincided with the 1975 #1 hit Thank God I'm a Country Boy. That record turned off a lot of his long time fans. I was one of them. I liked his early records but some of his 70s hits were too commercial. And Thank God I'm a Country Boy seemed like a parody. His album sales declined significantly in the late 70s. And by the early 80s, his albums weren't even turning Gold anymore. His singles were charting in the bottom half of the Billboard Hot 100 though he was still scoring hits in country. So the 1983 album It's About Time came at a time when Denver may not have been too sure of himself. Wild Montana Skies was the first single. It reached #14 on the Country Singles chart. It's notable as Denver's only recording with Emmylou Harris. Other guests on the album were Patti Austin and Rita Marley. The Western Writers of America named Wild Montana Skies as one of the top 100 western songs of all time. The song appears on John Denver's Greatest Hits Vol. 3 which tells you where it is on the pecking order. But you can get it on this 3CD budget comp. It did not appear on an Emmylou Harris album though Reprise included it on the 1990 comp Duets and that is available. The two never performed it live though the song was a regular part of Denver's concerts. He usually performed it as a duet with a female singer, in this case Pat Hawk. And that's guitar legend James Burton playing the guitar solo. Denver hosted the Grammys in 1984 and also appeared on the 1984 Winter Olympics. But he also wanted to appear on We Are The World and was turned down. That had to hurt. Denver continued to tour successfully until his 1997 death. But his later albums did not sell. So I guess it could be said that Wild Montana Skies was his last hurrah. Here's John Denver with Pat Hawk on vocals and James Burton on guitar performing Wild Montana Skies on The Wildlife Concert 1995. The entire concert is available on DVD and can be streamed on the subscription service Qello. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Daniel Rodriguez

Artist:Daniel Rodriguez

Song:God Bless America

Album:The Spirit of America

Though opera singers have occasionally crossed over to pop, Daniel Rodriguez was different as his success was a result of post 9/11 patriotism. He has performed God Bless America many times. But I bet you can't name anything else he has recorded. He was born May 24, 1964 in Brooklyn, NY. His parents are from Puerto Rico. His father and grandfather were tenors. Rodriguez says watching Mario Lanza in the film The Great Caruso was a big influence. He studied at Juilliard and sang at Carnegie Hall at 16 years old. But after he got married and had a son at age 19, he put music on hold and eventually became a police officer. He was a designated anthem singer for the NYPD. He was on his way to work when the World Trade Center collapsed. As the NYPD's anthem singer, he appeared at events like The World Series and also on talk shows. After he sang God Bless America on the Prayer for America concert on Sept. 23, 2001, Placido Domingo had him come to his school in Washington to study. And Rodriguez signed a record deal with EMI's Manhattan label and legendary producer Arif Mardin. God Bless America was released as a single followed by the album The Spirit of America. Veteran sax player and session musician Tom Scott produced with Mardin. Scott was Rodriguez' musical director when he toured. The spoken word intro is by then New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He sings a couple of patriotic songs on the album. But mostly he sings standards like Danny Boy. The album topped the Billboard Hot 200. Rodriguez continued to appear at special events. He retired from the NYPD in 2004. After three albums on Manhattan, Rodriguez has recorded for his own label. He last recorded a Christmas album in 2014. He still tours and appears at patriotic events. But he has gravitated more towards Christian venues like The Crystal Cathedral and the Hour of Power TV show. He now lives in New Zealand with his wife and son. She's an opera singer who was born in New Zealand. He's doing OK but fame is fleeting. Here's Daniel Rodriguez performing God Bless America at the 2002 Memorial Day concert in Washington, DC.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Sarray, Asuka and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rhea Ripley vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Rhea Ripley vs Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. Last night's episode began with Asuka and Sexy Muscle Friends (Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose) vs Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Alexa Bliss doing her fiend shtick interrupted. So the whole thing was disjointed. Charlotte got Sonya Deville to book Asuka vs Rhea Ripley later in the show. She did this mainly so she could go out and taunt them. The match was OK but it's obvious that Rhea is still extremely nervous and it's causing her to botch moves on a regular basis. Corey Graves brought up false bravado but Rhea's problem is similar to Charlotte. She's so worried about screwing up that she screws up. I guess they will have to get the belt off her. She's messing up too much. It's not acceptable. Rhea has admitted being nervous but it's affecting her performance. Rhea did win the match with the Rip Tide. I would have preferred a non finish similar to two weeks ago. I loved Asuka's hip attack from the announce table. I expect either Charlotte or Asuka to win on Sunday. Probably Charlotte but they could surprise us. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stuart Damon

Artist:Stuart Damon w/Lesley Ann Warren

Song:Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?

Album:Cinderella

Stuart Damon is best known for his many years playing Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the daytime soap General Hospital. But before that he starred as The Prince in this 1965 CBS TV production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Cinderella. He was born Stuart Michael Zonis Feb. 5, 1937 in Brooklyn, NY. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. Damon started out on Broadway in musicals like Irma La Douce (1960) and The Boys from Syracuse (1963). Then he got the call to do Cinderella. This show had been previously produced for TV in 1957. CBS decided to do this new version with Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella and Damon as The Prince. They would have been considered as newcomers at the time. Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon and Celeste Holm were also in the cast. The show was a huge ratings success. For many years it was the highest rated non sports special. Cinderella can be streamed on Amazon Prime. I think it's on my watchlist. The cast album is available as a budget CD. Damon moved to England and appeared in the musical Charlie Girl with Anna Neagle. He was also in the ITV TV series Champions. He returned to the US in the 70s and he played Dr. Alan Quartermaine in the daytime soap General Hospital from 1977-2007. He won a Daytime Emmy in 1999. He also played this character in the spinoff Port Charles. Then he appeared in As The World Turns and Days of our Lives. So he's known mostly for soaps but Cinderella gave him his start. Here's Stuart Damon with Lesley Ann Warren performing Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful from the 1965 CBS TV production of Cinderella.

Accuradio Song Of The Day-The Bad Plus Joshua Redman

Artist:The Bad Plus Joshua Redman

Song:As This Moment Slips Away

Album:The Bad Plus Joshua Redman

Fans of the jazz trio The Bad Plus are going to want to check out this 2015 album with sax player Joshua Redman. The Bad Plus are from Minneapolis with Ethan Everson on piano, Reid Anderson on bass and David King on drums. They are known for their jazz covers of rock songs but they also write original material. Redman is a third generation sax player. His grandfather was Don Redman and his father was Dewey Redman. Redman also leads the trio James Farm. He is probably one of today's top jazz musicians. He recorded for Warner Bros. in the 90s and he currently records for Warner's Nonesuch label. Redman and The Bad Plus did a week at New York's Blue Note club with the idea of possibly recording an album and touring. The album was recorded in 2014 and released in 2015 on Nonesuch. The album was universally acclaimed and one of the songs was nominated for a Grammy. I guess the most interesting thing about this album is it's all original songs written for this album. Anderson wrote As This Moment Slips Away. All four guys wrote songs for the album. The album was very successful and they toured to support. It looks like the album was a one shot deal. Redman has been working a lot recently with pianist Brad Mehldau including the 2020 CD RoundAgain. Iverson left The Bad Plus in 2018 and was replaced by Orrin Evans. Evans left a couple of months ago. I'm sure The Bad Plus will add a third member prior to recording their next album. Here's The Bad Plus Joshua Redman performing As This Moment Slips Away at The Jazz Alley for Tacoma radio station KNKX.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Marina Rodriguez vs Michelle Waterson

Here's the match video of Marina Rodriguez vs Michelle Waterson from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight was scheduled for July in Abu Dhabi. When Cory Sandhagen vs TJ Dillashaw was pulled from this show, the UFC approached Marina and Michelle about moving this fight up to the main event of this show. This a couple of weeks ago. Marina asked for the fight to be at Flyweight. She didn't think she could make Strawweight on short notice. And the UFC had to sign Marina to a new contract and she needed a work visa which she wasn't going to need for Abu Dhabi. She got her visa on Tuesday. Marina trains at Thai Brasil in Florianoplis, Brazil with coach Marcio Malko. Marina is a Muay Thai fighter comparable to Joanna Jedrzejczyk except Marina doesn't have Joanna's takedown defense. Michelle is undersized at Strawweight which makes her even more undersized at Flyweight. Michelle's best hope for a win is to take Marina down early in the fight, sit on her and tire her out. But Michelle doesn't try to take Marina down in the first three rounds. When Michelle does take Marina down in round four, Marina can't escape and Michelle wins the round. I scored the fight 49-46 for Marina. Two of the judges scored it the same and the third scored it 48-47. When a fighter has an obvious weakness, that's something to exploit. And Michelle didn't do that until it was too late. It doesn't make sense. Marina said afterwards that she would like to fight Joanna. Of course she does because it would be a kickboxing match. I don't know if Joanna would fight her. A possible next opponent would be the winner of the upcoming fight Carla Esparza vs Yan Xioanan. Carla beat Marina by split decision last year. And Yan is 6-0 in the UFC. She may a be a better striker than Marina. Take your pick. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Squeeze

Artist:Squeeze

Song:Tempted

Album:Essential Squeeze

Squeeze is one of the most durable bands of the New Wave era of the early 80s. They were more successful in their native England. The 1981 single Tempted broke them in the US. The leaders of Squeeze are Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. They wrote all the songs and usually one of the two sang lead. Tempted was an exception. The other original members were Jools Holland on keyboards and Paul Gunn on drums. Gunn was soon replaced by Gilson Lavis and Harry Kakoulli was brought in to play bass. The name Squeeze is a tribute to The Velvet Underground album Squeeze. They played clubs in London. A 1976 EP got them a record deal with A&M. John Cale produced the 1978 album Squeeze. a couple of singles charted in the UK. In North America and Australia, they were called UK Squeeze as there were bands with similar names. The UK was eventually dropped. Squeeze broke through in England when the 1979 single Cool for Cats reached #2 on the British Singles chart. John Bentley replaced Harry Kakoulli in 1979. With the 1980 album Argybargy, Squeeze charted in the US for the first time with the single Another Nail in My Heart getting airplay on college radio. Then Holland left for a solo career and was replaced by former Ace lead singer Paul Carrack. Squeeze's manager Jake Rivera wanted the 1981 album East Side Story to be a double album with each side produced by Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe and Paul McCartney. After that was deemed a logistical nightmare, Costello did produce the album. Costello suggested that Carrack sing lead on Tempted. Difford wrote the lyrics while riding in a taxi to London's Heathrow Airport to go on a US tour. Difford says his ego was bruised at first when Carrack was chosen to sing the song. But he got over that and he likes it now. It reached #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. After touring, Squeeze split up. Difford & Tilbrook released a 1984 album produced by Tony Visconti. Squeeze reunited and then reformed in 1985 for the album Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. This was the band that recorded Argybargy. Squeeze continued to tour and record until Difford left in 1999 and they split up. This budget comp was released when Universal reissued the entire Squeeze catalog in 2007. Squeeze reformed again in 2007 and they are still active. Difford and Tilbrook are the only original members. Here's the video for Tempted by Squeeze.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alessia Cara

Artist:Alessia Cara

Song:Scars to Your Beautiful

Album:Know-It-All: Deluxe Edition

Scars to Your Beautiful was one of two top ten pop hits from Alessia Cara's 2015 debut album Know-It-All. Her second album hasn't done as well. It remains to be seen what kind of longevity she will have. She was born Alessia Caracciolo July 11, 1996 in Mississauga, ON but she grew up in Brampton. Both are suburbs of Toronto. Her grandparents were Italian immigrants. She taught herself to play guitar. At age 13 she started posting videos on YouTube. This led to a record deal with EP Entertainment with DefJam distribution. Her 2015 debut single Here reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then the album Know-It-All was released. Scars to Your Beautiful was the third single. It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. She won a bunch of awards including the 2018 Best New Artist Grammy. Alessia wrote all the songs with the production duo of Pop & Oak and Sebastian Kole. Pop & Oak have worked together since 2009. Andrew "Pop" Wansel is the son of legendary Philadelphia International producer Dexter Wansel. Warren "Oak" Felder was born in Turkey. He moved to the US in 2001. Sebastian Kole (real name-Coleridge Tillman) is signed to EP and he released an album in 2016. Both singles are anthemic. Scars to Your Beautiful is obviously about body image. Maybe it's a little too obvious. Know-It-All was released in a Deluxe Edition with five bonus tracks. It's available as a budget CD. She went on tour, won more awards. She also appeared on the 2017 top ten hit Stay by Zedd. Her 2018 album The Pains of Growing didn't do nearly as well. There were no hit singles. She continued to work with Pop & Oak though it may be time to change things up. She released a Christmas EP last year. Alessia got off to a hot start. Now we have to see if she can bounce back after a disappointing second album. Here's the video for Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Neil Diamond

Artist:Neil Diamond

Song:Longfellow Serenade

Album:The Ultimate Collection

Neil Diamond was already very successful when he switched from MCA Records to Columbia in 1974. The top five single Longfellow Serenade was his biggest hit in his early days at Columbia. The label switch came after the huge success of the 1972 live album Hot August Night. At the time Diamond was probably the hottest concert draw in the music business. After 20 consecutive nights at the Winter Garden in New York, Diamond decided to take a break in late 1972. He would not tour again until 1976. Meanwhile his contract with MCA ended and Diamond signed a lucrative deal with Columbia. His first project for Columbia was the score for the film adaptation of the best selling book Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Though the film was terrible and flopped at the box office, Diamond's soundtrack album was very successful and won a Grammy. Still, Diamond sued the producers of the film for butchering his score and he vowed never to score another film unless he had complete control. The 1974 album Serenade was Diamond's first solo album for Columbia. Longfellow Serenade reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. The song is about a man who woos his woman with poetry. Hence the reference to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Diamond's other big hit in the late 70s was the 1978 chart topping duet with Barbra Streisand You Don't Bring Me Flowers.  Diamond faded in the 80s after he starred in the 1980 remake of the Al Jolson film The Jazz Singer. Though the soundtrack did well and there were a couple of hit singles, the film was terrible and did poorly at the box office. Diamond continued to record for Columbia though he wasn't as successful after The Jazz Singer. Diamond still tours and he switched to Capitol in 2014. He released a CD last year. This 2CD comp covers Diamond's Bang, UNI/MCA and Columbia recordings. Here's Neil Diamond performing Longfellow Serenade on the German TV show Star Parade 1974. 

 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and PFL preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Piebald

Artist:Piebald

Song:American Hearts

Album:We Are the Only Friends We Have

Piebald is an indie band whose music has been described as Emocore. It's a mix of hardcore punk and emo pop. They are from Andover, MA and most of their success has been in the Boston area. The band members went to high school together. Travis Shettel was lead singer and guitarist with Aaron Stuart on guitar, Andrew Bonner on bass and Jon Sullivan on drums. After going through a couple of drummers, they settled on Luke Garro. They were playing gigs in the Boston area. After releasing some singles, Piebald released their debut album When Life Hands You Lemons in 1997. They signed with the local label Big Wheel Recreation and the single American Hearts appeared on the 2000 EP If It Weren't For Venetian Blinds, It Would Be Curtains For Us All. The song got college radio play and the video was played on MTV. American Hearts appeared on the 2002 album We Are the Only Friends We Have. The album sold well enough to get Piebald a deal with the much larger label SideOneDummy. We Are the Only Friends We Have is available as a digital download. After Shettel had throat surgery, Piebald was forced to cancel shows. After two more albums, Piebald split up in 2008. Shettel's health problems led to their demise. They released a live DVD and documentary as a farewell. They did a reunion tour in 2016 and continue to tour but they have not recorded new music. Here's the video for American Hearts by Piebald. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sarray vs Zayda Ramier

 Here's the match video of Sarray vs Zayda Ramier from last night's episode of NXT. Zayda is a Booker T trainee. She wrestled in his Reality Of Wrestling in Texas as AQA. Those are her initials. Her real name is Angela Arnold. She also wrestled in SHIMMER. She made her singles debut on last week's NXT. She was getting clobbered by Toni Storm when Zoey Stark distracted Toni and Zayda won the match with a Shooting Star Press. This has been her finisher for a while. This match is a glorified squash. Zayda gets in a little bit of offense. One of Sarray's dropkicks seemed to knock Zayda loopy and the ref needed to check on her. There was also a spot where Sarray was supposed to go through the ropes to the floor but she landed on the apron. They seemed to adjust to that well. Sarray won with a side salto suplex as Gordon Solie used to call it. Afterwards Toni Storm was going to attack backstage and Zoey Stark interrupted that. Eventually that could lead to Sarray vs Toni which would be OK with me. Sarray has looked good in the ring but I think her entrance needs to be flashier. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Lee Murphy

Artist:David Lee Murphy f/Kenny Chesney

Song:Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Album:No Zip Code

After success as a recording artist in the 90s, David Lee Murphy concentrated on songwriting. The 2018 number one country hit Everything's Gonna Be Alright is his successful return to recording. Murphy recorded three albums for MCA in the 90s with producer Tony Brown. He had a total of four top ten country hits including the 1995 number one country hit Dust on the Bottle. After leaving MCA in 1997, Murphy wrote hit songs for Aaron Tippin and Trick Pony. Then he signed with Koch's Audium label for the 2004 album Tryin' To Get There. The single Loco reached #5 on the Country Singles chart. After Koch closed their Nashville office, Murphy returned to songwriting with Kenny Chesney's 2006 number one country hit Living in Fast Forward. Murphy also wrote hits for Gary Allan, Van Zant, Blake Shelton, Keith Anderson, Jason Aldean's number one hit Big Green Tractor and plenty of others. Chesney convinced Murphy that he should record again. Murphy signed with Chesney's Blue Chair label with Reviver Records distribution. The 2018 album No Zip Code was produced by Chesney and his long time producer Buddy Cannon. Everything's Gonna Be Alright featuring Chesney on vocals reached #9 on the Country Singles chart. Murphy wrote the song with former Shenandoah lead singer Jimmy Yeary and CCM producer Chris Stevens. Murphy wrote all the songs on the album. Murphy plans to celebrate his 25th anniversary on tour and then record a new album. And he thought he was through as a recording artist. Here's David Lee Murphy featuring Kenny Chesney performing Everything's Gonna Be Alright at the Flora-Bama club in Florida and No Shoes Radio. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Blind Willie Johnson

Artist:Blind Willie Johnson

Song:I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole

Album:Dark Was the Night

Though he only recorded briefly in the late 20s, Blind Willie Johnson is one of the most important figures in the development of the blues. This was because of his bottleneck guitar playing and for evangelical blues because he was a preacher first. I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole was his first Columbia recording in 1927. He was born Jan. 25, 1897 in Pendleton, TX which is near Temple. He grew up in Marlin, TX. Johnson's father was a sharecropper and they went to church every Sunday. His mother died in 1901 and his father remarried. Johnson was seven years old when his father confronted his wife about infidelity. She threw a bottle of lye water at him and it accidently blinded Willie. For the most part, Johnson was a singing street preacher raising money for the local church. He became well known enough that Columbia Records talent scout Frank Buckley Walker brought Johnson to Dallas to record. He recorded six songs in 1927 including probably his best known song Dark Was the Night. I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole was the first release. It's a traditional gospel song about the evils of gambling. It may have been recorded previously by Robert "Barbecue Bob" Hicks. Johnson was paid $50 per side and a bonus to waive royalties. That was a lot of money to him. Johnson returned to Dallas to record in 1928 and then to Atlanta in 1930. Those were his final recordings and you can get all of them on this budget comp. When Rev. Gary Davis popularized evangelical blues in the 60s, experts took a new look at Johnson's music and he was declared a lost genius. Many folk singers of the era covered Johnson's music. His Columbia recordings are considered essential today. After his final recordings, Johnson continued to sing in the streets of Beaumont, TX. After a fire destroyed his house, Johnson was forced to live in the street. He contracted malaria but no hospital would admit him because he was black and blind. Blind Willie Johnson died on Sept. 18, 1945 at age 48. Here's a video for I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole by Blind Willie Johnson.