AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rosemary Clooney

Artist:Rosemary Clooney w/The Benny Goodman Trio

Song:Memories of You

Album:Jazz Singer

Of course Rosemary Clooney was best known for her novelty songs recorded for Columbia Records in the early 50s. But she always wanted to be a jazz singer. She sang jazz before she was famous. So she was always butting heads with Columbia A&R head Mitch Miller. Not to mention that Rosemary was in the 1954 film White Christmas. Also The Benny Goodman Story was coming out. So Miller relented and let Rosemary record jazz. First she recorded the album Blue Rose with Duke Ellington. Then she recorded A Date with the King with Goodman. Memories of You reached #20 on the pop charts. Certainly not on a par with Rosemary's novelty songs but pretty good for what is supposed to be a jazz record. And Columbia wasn't promoting Rosemary anymore. Memories of You was written by Andy Razaf and Eubie Blake in 1930. Louis Armstrong popularized the song. Then a version by the vocal group The Four Coins appeared in The Benny Goodman Story. Rosemary's recording charted higher. Though Goodman was famous for his big band recordings, I always preferred his small band recordings. On this recording, we get his trio of Dick Hyman on piano and Bobby Donaldson on drums. A Date with the King was released as a 10" LP in 1956. Collectables has bundled it with a couple of Rosemary's 10" LPs. But I like this 2003 CD that Columbia Legacy released to focus on Rosemary's jazz recordings. It has some Goodman, Ellington and other stuff. And it's a budget CD. A Date with the King was at the end of Rosemary's run at Columbia. After one more album, she left for MGM. Here's a video for Memories of You by Rosemary Clooney with The Benny Goodman Trio. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charlie Parker

Artist:Charlie Parker

Song:What Is This Thing Called Love

Album:Five Classic Albums

When Charlie Parker signed with Norman Granz and Verve Records, the whole idea was to make Parker a mainstream recording artist. Granz wanted Parker to appear on his Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series. I'm not sure what Parker's motivation was except to get his next heroin fix. So one thing Parker did was record with strings. Some critics assumed that Parker was forced to record it. But the truth is he wanted to record with an orchestra. Parker was classically trained and he respected the classics. He was an especially big fan of Igor Stravinsky. The original 1950 album Charlie Parker with Strings was the biggest selling album of his career. And it influenced other jazz musicians to record with strings especially Clifford Brown in 1955. Parker's recording of the Cole Porter standard What Is This Thing Called Love did not appear on the original LP. It first appeared on the 1995 release Charlie Parker with Strings: The Master Takes. Musicians are Al Haig on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, Roy Haynes on drums plus the strings. There was also a reissue in 2013. And that's the version on Avid's Five Classic Albums released last year at a budget price. The other albums are Bird & Diz, Charlie Parker Big Band, Charlie Parker Quartet and Charlie Parker Plays Cole Porter. This is probably the best of Parker's Verve recordings. Even casual fans should get it at a budget price. Of course it all came to an end when Parker died on Mar. 12, 1955 at age 34. But Parker's music still lives. Here's a video of Charlie Parker performing What Is This Thing Called Love. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and a look at Invicta as a PPV. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Grand Archives

Artist:Grand Archives

Song:Torn Blue Foam Couch

Album:Grand Archives

Grand Archives was a indie folk rock band that emerged from a couple of other Seattle bands. They recorded a couple of albums and seemed to at least be a decent live draw. Then they seemed to disappear. It's too bad because their music is pretty good. Singer songwriter Mat Brooke formed the band Carissa's Wierd in Tucson in 1995. The band moved to Seattle. They recorded a couple of albums and had modest success when they split up in 2003. Brooke formed Band of Horses with Ben Bridwell in 2004. After leaving in 2006, Brooke formed Grand Archives in 2007 with Ron Lewis on guitar, Jeff Montano on bass and Curtis Hall on drums. They were called Archives at first. Then the band name was changed to Grand Archives. After posting a couple of songs to MySpace, Pitchfork wrote about them and that got Grand Archives a record deal with Sub Pop. Torn Blue Foam Couch is from the 2008 album Grand Archives. It's available as a budget CD. They toured to support it. Lewis left and was replaced by Thomas Wright. After releasing a second album Keep in Mind Frankenstein, Brooke announced in 2010 that he was already working on a new album. But that album was never finished. And now it looks like Grand Archives is inactive. So what happened? Brooke has a background in the bar and restaurant business going back to when he lived in Tucson. He currently owns a couple of Seattle restaurants. So music is on the back burner. He has done a couple of Carissa's Wierd reunion shows. And he is reissuing that band's back catalog. But Grand Archives looks to be defunct. Here's Grand Archives performing Torn Blue Foam Couch at The Independent in San Francisco for Paste Magazine Feb. 28, 2008.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-String Sisters

Artist:String Sisters

Song:Shetland Fiddle Diva/Kinyon's Jig/Kinyon's Reel/Lad O'Beirne's

Album:Live

String Sisters is a Celtic music supergroup featuring six of the best female fiddlers in the world. They had success with the 2007 album Live. The big problem is getting them all in the same room to record. A second album was released in 2017. This has been a problem since the idea for the group was presented to Scottish fiddler Catriona MacDonald at the 1998 Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow. Catriona had been in a similar group called Blazin' Fiddles. Among those who were in the group when String Sisters performed in 2000 were Norwegian Annbjorg Lien, Liz Knowles from Cherish the Ladies, Irish fiddler Liz Carroll, Swedish violinist Emma Hardelin from the rock group Garmama and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh from the Irish group Atlan. Canadian fiddler Natalie MacMaster was supposed to be in the group. She was a victim of logistics. They didn't even call themselves String Sisters until 2005. They finally recorded the album and DVD Live in Norway for the Norwegian label Grappa. It was on Compass in the US. Shetland Fiddle Diva was written by Liz Knowles so she's taking the lead. They perform traditional songs but Annbjorg Lien wrote several songs. The backup band is David Milligan on piano, Tore Bruvoll on guitar, Conrad Molleson on bass and James Mackintosh on drums. The album is available on CD but the DVD is out of print. Though String Sisters continued to perform live occasionally, they didn't release a second album until 2018 called Between Wind and Water on their own label. It's hard to keep listeners interested when a band is recording that infrequently. They need to do something about that because they sound pretty good. Here's String Sisters performing Shetland Fiddle Diva/Kinyon's Jig/Kinyon's Reel/Lad O'Beirne's from the 2007 DVD Live.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-S. Carey

Artist:S. Carey

Song:Mothers

Album:All We Grow

Sean Carey is usually the drummer for the very popular group Bon Iver. After Bon Iver leader Justin Vernon encouraged Carey to perform on stage, Carey decided to record and tour as a solo artist when Bon Iver was on a break. He has recorded three albums and two EPs for Jagjaguwar. Carey is from Lake Geneva, WI. His mother is a music teacher. Carey learned to play the drums. He graduated from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a degree in percussion. That school has a very strong jazz tradition. It's 2007 and Carey heard that Vernon was turning Bon Iver into a band. He learned all the drum parts of Bon Iver's songs. The band he was in at the time opened for Vernon's first show. Carey met Vernon backstage and was hired immediately. He played drums on Bon Iver's set that night. When Bon Iver wasn't touring, Carey experimented making music in his bedroom. Vernon allowed Carey to perform a couple of songs on stage. And that turned into a record deal with Jagjaguwar. He calls himself S. Carey. Mothers is from his 2010 debut album All We Grow. For the most part, Carey writes, produces and plays all the instruments. He brought in jazz bassist Jeremy Boettcher and Nick Ball to play the guitar solos. Boettcher is a U of Wisconsin student. Carey toured to support the album. He opened for The Tallest Man on Earth. Carey continues to play drums in Bon Iver. His latest album as S. Carey was released in 2018. Here's S. Carey performing Mothers and the instrumental Action at Love Power Church in Minneapolis for the MPLS.TV series City of Music Dec. 2010. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mance Lipscomb

Artist:Mance Lipscomb

Song:Ella Speed

Album:Blues Masters Vol. 3: Texas Blues

Bluesman Mance Lipscomb was interesting because he never recorded in the 20s and 30s. He was part of the blues revival of the 60s. He was born Beau De Glen Lipscomb Apr. 9, 1895 in Navasota, TX. He took the name Mance from a friend of his brother. Of course it's short for emancipation. Lipscomb was a sharecropper for most of his life. He played guitar and sang at "Saturday night suppers" in the area. But he did not record in the early blues era. Arhoolie Records owner Chris Strachwitz and musicologist Mack MacCormack discovered Lipscomb in 1960. Ella Speed is from Lipscomb's 1960 debut album Texas Sharecropper and Songster. Lipscomb liked to call himself a songster instead of a blues singer. He recorded the 1961 album Trouble In Mind for Frank Sinatra's Reprise label with Warner distribution. He recorded a total of six albums for Arhoolie. Unfortunately Texas Sharecropper and Songster is out of print. Ella Speed is on this Rhino various artists CD. I have a performance video clip for Ella Speed and I don't know if there are any other clips. I have to use it when I find it. Lipscomb made his first appearance at the 1963 Monterey Folk Festival. He appeared on many folk festivals in the 60s. I guess his biggest honor is there is an annual blues festival in his hometown of Navasota, TX, a park named after him and a bronze sculpture in the park. You can't beat that. Lipscomb suffered a stroke in 1974 and died on Jan. 30, 1976 at age 80. Here's Mance Lipscomb performing Ella Speed. This video is not on Youtube. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Diana Belbita vs Hannah Goldy

Here's the match video of Diana Belbita vs Hannah Goldy from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. I don't think either fighter belongs in the UFC. Diana was born in Romania but she trains at House of Champions in Stoney Creek, ON which is near Hamilton. Her coach is UFC Featherweight Kyle Nelson. She is 0-2 in the UFC. Hannah trains with her husband in Tampa. She hasn't looked good either. Sex appeal is her calling card. She was supposed to fight in March but she tested positive for COVID-19. Diana won easily by unanimous decision. I scored it 30-27. The only thing I didn't like was she knocked Hannah down during round one and then let her off the hook. She needed to finish the fight. I'm sure Nelson didn't like that either. It's something to work on. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sijara Eubanks vs Elise Reed

Here's the match video of Sijara Eubanks vs Elise Reed from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Priscila Cachoeira was Sijara's original opponent. After she pulled out, Elise came in on short notice. She's from New Jersey and has fought for CFFC as a Strawweight. This was Sijara's first fight at Flyweight since 2018 because she couldn't make weight. I'm sure this was her last chance. But she did make weight. The size difference makes the UFC and the Nevada State Athletic Commission look foolish for approving it. Not surprisingly, it was a quick TKO win for Sijara. Except for making weight, it doesn't mean much. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Maycee Barber vs Miranda Maverick

Here's the match video of Miranda Maverick vs Maycee Barber from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This Match is at Flyweight. I expected this to be a close fight between two prospects. After having knee surgery, Maycee lost to Alexa Grasso mainly because she got off to a slow start. Since May, she has been training at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. Uriah Faber was in her corner. Miranda trains at House of Muay Thai in Norfolk, VA. Her coach is former UFC Featherweight Mackens Sermerzier. Round two determined the winner of this fight. I thought Miranda won round one and Maycee won round three. I scored round two 10-9 for Maycee and so did two of the judges. For me, Maycee was marginally more effective for most of the round. I don't think Miranda's late round takedown was enough. She seemed to get tired during the round and that continued in round three. The split decision didn't surprise me. Of course fans are upset because they lost money. So they blame the judges. But that round was so close it was really a draw. It could have gone either way. Maycee needs to get off to better starts. I'm sure Faber saw that and plans to address it. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Wild Tchoupitoulas

Artist:The Wild Tchoupitoulas

Song:Meet the Boys on the Battlefront

Album:The Wild Tchoupitoulas

Though The Wild Tchoupitoulas only recorded one album, that album is considered to be a funk classic today. It was released on Island's Mango label in 1976. The Wild Tchoupitoulas are known for their elaborate traditional Indian costumes mixed with a funky New Orleans beat. The leader of The Wild Tchoupitoulas is George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry. He performed in these kind of ceremonial costumes for years. He is also an uncle of The Neville Brothers. And that's how The Wild Tchoupitoulas got to record an album. The name is derived from a tribe meaning "those who live at the river". These kind of street bands have been part of New Orleans culture for many years. But as far as I know, The Wild Tchoupitoulas is the only group who got to record an album. Landry writes the songs and sings lead. Other members are Norman "Second Chief" Bell, Booker T. "Trail Chief" Washington, Carl "Flag Boy" Christmas and Amos "Spy Boy" Landry. The Meters were brought in to arrange and play the music along with legendary producer Allen Toussaint and his partner Marshall Sehorn. Art, Charles, Cyril and Aaron Neville all appear on the album along with Leo Nocentelli and George Porter Jr. of The Meters. The album went nowhere and Landry never got to record again. But today it is considered to be a New Orleans classic. And in 2012 the album was added to the US Library of Congress National Registry for its cultural significance. You may want to check it out. Here's The Wild Tchoupitoulas performing Meet the Boys on the Battlefront from Les Blank's 1978 documentary Always for Pleasure. This film can be streamed on Kanopy for free with a library card. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-DJ Khaled

Artist:DJ Khaled f/Rhianna and Bryson Tiller

Song:Wild Thoughts

Album:Grateful: Deluxe Edition

Wild Thoughts was one of two big hits from DJ Khaled's 2017 album Grateful. It is his most successful album to date. He was born Khaled Mohamed Khaled Nov. 26, 1975 in New Orleans. His parents are Palestinian immigrants. Khaled says he is a devout Muslim. His brother Alec Ledd is an actor. Khaled started as a DJ. His big break came when he worked at radio station WEDR in Miami. He hosted a couple of shows including one with Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew. While working there, he is trying to get a record deal. He released his 2006 debut album Listennn...the Album on his own Terror Squad label with Koch (now E1) distribution. He released four albums that way. For the 2011 album We the Best Forever, Khaled signed with Cash Money/Universal. Other than better distribution and promotion, I don't think Cash Money helped him much. After three albums on Cash Money, Khaled released the 2015 album I Changed a Lot through the Sony owned distributor RED. This led to a deal with Epic. The 2017 album Grateful was his second album on Epic. The single I'm the One topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Wild Thoughts reached #2. It remained there for seven weeks while Luis Fonsi's Despacito was #1. I looked this up on a website that gives point values to chart position. These two songs are about equal. Wild Thoughts has one of my hip hop pet peeves. I have no problem with sampling. But this song uses Santana's Maria Maria as a base and they just perform over it. I didn't like that. Santana wrote Maria Maria with Wyclef Jean. He made a diplomatic comment. What's he supposed to say? He's getting paid. The Product G&B also worked on Maria Maria and they didn't like Wild Thoughts. Grateful was certified Platinum. Other than the new cover, I don't know why this album is a Deluxe Edition. That's the version available on CD. Khaled continues to have success. His latest album Khaled Khaled was released in April and it's already been certified Gold. Here's the video for Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rhianna and Bryson Tiller. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Isaac Delgado

Artist:Isaac Delgado

Song:L-O-V-E

Album:L-O-V-E

Fans of the popular group NG La Banda are going to want to check out the solo albums of that group's lead singer Isaac Delgado. His music is contemporary Cuban jazz with a nod to tradition. The 2010 album L-O-V-E is a tribute to Nat King Cole featuring an appearance by Cole's brother Freddy Cole. Delgado was born Apr. 11, 1962 in Marianao, Habana, Cuba. His mother Lina Ramirez was an actress, singer and dancer in the Teatro Musical de La Habana. Delgado studied violincello at the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory. But he didn't like the instrument and he concentrated on playing soccer. He got back into music by listening to Ruben Blades and that led to him joining pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba's Grupo Proyecto. He was in several bands before becoming lead singer of NG La Banda in 1988. They were very successful. Delgado left to start his own band in 1991. Delgado sometimes records with Cuban musicians and sometimes he records in New York. His music is probably more jazz than NG La Banda. He has recorded mostly for the Sony distributed RMM Records. This 2010 album L-O-V-E is on Calle 54 Records through Sony Masterworks. Calle 54 is owned by Fernando Treuba, director of the Latin music concert film Calle 54. That's a great film if you haven't seen it. As I said. L-O-V-E is a tribute to Nat King Cole. So all the songs are standards. Freddy Cole is the special guest. This is an all star band including Brian Lynch on trumpet, Ken Peplowski on sax, Conrad Herwig on trombone, John Di Martino on piano, Charles Flores on bass and Dafnis Prieto on drums. This album is available as a digital download. On his 2019 album Lluvia y Fuego, it looks like Delgado has started his own label. The albums was recorded with Cuban musician. But as I said, he alternates recording in Havana and New York. Here's the Electronic Press Kit (EPK) for L-O-V-E by Isaac Delgado. I have resisted using EPKs in the past. But sometimes that is all jazz artists get. And this does give you a good feel for what the album is like.

The Big Topic in WMMA

Bellator review and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Claypool Lennon Delerium

Artist:Claypool Lennon Delerium

Song:Ohmerica

Album:Monolith of Phobos

Primus bassist Les Claypool was looking for something to do when Primus wasn't on tour. Of course Sean Lennon is the son of John Lennon. His band The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger toured with Primus in 2015. After the two discussed the possibility of recording together, they jammed on stage. Claypool invited Lennon to his house. They wrote and recorded ten songs and the Claypool Lennon Delerium was born. They signed with Dave Matthews' ATO label. The album Monolith of Phobos was released in 2016. And they went on tour to support it. Everything went great. That's pretty good for a part time band. Both guys sing. On this song Ohmerica, Lennon sure sounds like his dad. They write and produce all the music. Other musicians are Mark "Money Mark" Nishita of The Beastie Boys on keyboards and Paulo Baldi of CAKE on drums. I would describe their music as neo psychedelia. On the 2019 album South of Reality, Claypool and Lennon play all the instruments. They hire musicians for touring. I am sure we will see new music from Claypool Lennon Delerium when Primus takes a break. They have done well so far. Here's Claypool Lennon Delerium performing Ohmerica at Front Row in Boston Aug. 26, 2016. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marc Ribot

Artist:Marc Ribot

Song:Sun Ship

Album:Live at the Village Vanguard

Jazz guitarist Marc Ribot can play any kind of music. But these days he seems to be concentrating on free jazz as he does on this 2014 album Live at the Village Vanguard. He was born May 21, 1954 in Newark, NJ. He played guitar in rock bands as a teen. Ribot studied with Haitian classical guitarist Frantz Casseus. Ribot moved to New York in 1978. He started out as a sideman and session musician, most notably with Tom Waits. He also recorded with Elvis Costello and John Zorn's Jewish Jazz movement. Ribot first recorded as a leader in 1990 with the album Rootless Cosmopolitans on Island Records. He has recorded for John Zorn's Tzadik label, Atlantic, DIW, Pi and currently Northern Spy. He also continues to work regularly as a sideman. This cover of John Coltrane's Sun Ship is from the 2014 album Live at the Village Vanguard on Pi Recordings. They specialize in avant garde jazz. The album was recorded June 30, 2012 with Henry Grimes on bass and Chad Taylor on drums. Grimes was a free jazz legend going back to his recordings for ESP-Disk in the 60s. He died Apr. 2021. Taylor is a former member of the Chicago Underground Duo. Fans of free jazz should check it out. Ribot records all kinds of music. His latest CD Songs of Resistance 1942-2018 looks to be an album of protest songs featuring guest vocalists Tom Waits and Steve Earle. It is on Anti Records. Here's Marc Ribot performing Sun Ship at the 2017 New York Guitar Festival at The Greene Space in New York radios station WNYC June 1, 2017.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mark Knopfler

Artist:Mark Knopfler

Song:What It Is

Album:Private Investigations:The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler is best known as the leader of Dire Straits. When they split up for good in 1995, Knopfler went on to a solo career. Mostly he is successful as an album and touring artist. A hit single would be nice but he doesn't need one. He was born Aug. 12, 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland. His main influence is Chet Atkins. And of course Knopfler got to record an album with Atkins. Dire Straits was very successful. When they went on hiatus after the 1985 album Brothers in Arms, Knopfler scored a few films like Local Hero, Cal and Comfort & Joy. Dire Straits weren't as successful when they reformed in 1988. Knopfler has recorded solo since they split up in 1995. He recorded for Warner Bros. from 1996-2009. As I said, his albums sell and his tours do well. What It Is from the 2000 album Sailing to Philadelphia is probably the closest he has had to a hit single as it did well in Europe. It sounds like a Dire Straits song. You can get it on this 2CD budget comp. One CD is Dire Straits songs and the other is Knopfler songs. Knopler left Warners for Verve for the 2012 album Privateering. It's a 2CD set and I guess Warners wasn't thrilled about it and let him go. After two albums for Verve, the 2018 album Down the Road Wherever was released on Blue Note. Verve and Blue Note are owned by Universal but have different management. Don Was is the president of Blue Note. There have been recent rumors that Knopfler is working on a new album. Here's the video for What It Is by Mark Knopfler. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Justin Timberlake

Artist:Justin Timberlake f/Timbaland

Song:SexyBack

Album:FutureSex/LoveSounds

Justin Timberlake was a member of NSYNC. Since they split up, he has been very successful as a solo artist. The 2006 single SexyBack was his first #1 hit. He continues to have success in music and as an actor. He was born Jan. 31, 1981 in Memphis. At age 11, he appeared on Star Search performing country songs as Jason Randall. He started listening to R&B and influences like Al Green and Stevie Wonder. Then he was in the cast of The All New Mickey Mouse Club and that's where he met JC Chasez among others and that led to the formation of NSYNC. They were successful for a few years. But when they started to fade, Timberlake prepared for a solo career. Timberlake writes most of his own songs with a producer. He mainly works with Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes or Tim "Timbaland" Mosely. After some initial success and the notoriety of Super Bowl XXXVIII, Timberlake recorded the 2006 album FutureSex/LoveSounds. He wrote and produced this album with Mosely. SexyBack was Timberlake's first #1 hit. After touring, he decided to take a break from music and do some movies including Black Snake Moan and The Social Network. He returned to music in 2012 and he continues to be successful. His biggest hit is the 2016 single Can't Stop the Feeling from the animated film Trolls. This could be a future discography orphan but RCA has yet to release a Justin Timberlake comp. FutureSex/LoveSounds is available as a budget CD. Timberlake released a single to tease an upcoming album but I haven't seen a release date. Here's the video for SexyBack by Justin Timberlake featuring Timbaland. The girl in the video is Spanish actress Elena Anaya. The video was shot in Barcelona.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Lemos vs Montserrat Cornejo

Here's the match video of Amanda Lemos vs Montserrat Cornejo from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Amanda is from Para, Brazil. She trains with UFC fighter Iuri Alcantara and his brother. She is on a three fight winning streak. She wants a ranked opponent but when the UFC told her October, she wanted to fight sooner than that. So this fight was set up ten days ago. Montserrat is from Mexico but she lives in El Paso, TX. She won her UFC debut but Amanda is big for a Strawweight and she throws hard. So I wasn't surprised that Amanda KOd Montserrat in 30 seconds. Obviously the UFC already has a fight set up for Amanda in October. But I think a lot of ranked fighters will try to avoid her. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Miesha Tate vs Marion Reneau

Here's the match video of Miesha Tate vs Marion Reneau from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This is Miesha's return to the UFC. She retired in 2016. She retired mostly because of personal problems and then she took a job with ONE Championship in Singapore. While there she met fighter Johnny Nunez and they now have two kids. I watched some of her training videos and she looked good. She still trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas with Eric Nicksick. This was Marion's retirement fight. The bottom line is Miesha looked great. She won the first two rounds and then won by TKO in the third. I think Miesha could plug right in to the title picture. Holly Holm posted on Instagram that she wants to fight Miesha. That could be done as a five round main event on a Fight Night show. Make it happen, Dana White. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Miguel

Artist:Miguel

Song:Do You...

Album:Kaleidoscope Dream

Singer songwriter Miguel Pimentel has had success mostly on the R&B charts. His 2012 album Kaleidoscope Dream is his most successful album to date. He was born Oct. 23, 1985 in Los Angeles. He grew up in San Pedro. He got into music in high school and signed with the production company Drop Squad in 2000. He signed with Black Ice Records in 2004. Pimentel was supposed to release his debut album in 2006. But the album was shelved and Pimentel left Black Ice. He signed with Mark Pitts and his label ByStorm Entertainment. He had a deal with Jive Records. While working on his album All I Want Is You, Black Ice sued Pimentel for breach of contract. This was eventually settled out of court. But in the meantime, Pimentel wrote songs for Usher and Musiq Soulchild. His album was finally released in 2010. But it went nowhere because Jive was sold to Sony. Pimentel was moved to RCA. He did get some good news as Pitts was named president of urban music at RCA. So Pimentel's 2012 album Kaleidoscope Dream got a really good promotion budget. The album was certified Platinum. The single Adorn was a top 20 pop hit. Do You.. would have done just as well except RCA was nervous about the drug references in the song. Pimentel wrote all the songs on the album with various producers. Do You... was written and produced with former Fugees producers Jerry "Wonda" DuPlessis and Arden Altino along with Paul Pesco who played guitar on the song. This album is available on CD. Pimentel's latest album was released in 2017 though he has released an EP recently. He sang Remember Me with Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade in the Pixar film Coco. Here's the video for Do You... by Miguel.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Madonna

Artist:Madonna

Song:Who's That Girl

Album:Celebration

Who's That Girl topped the charts in 1987. It is the title song from the 1987 film Who's That Girl which starred Madonna. Is this another discography orphan? Not exactly but Warner Bros. messed it up in a different way. After Madonna and husband Sean Penn laid a big fat egg with the 1986 film Shanghai Surprise, she didn't know if Warner Bros. was going to let her do another movie. She wanted to do a comedy titled Slammer about a girl who was jailed for a crime she did not commit. When she brought her director friend James Foley on board to direct, Warners agreed to do it. Griffin Dunne was Madonna's co-star. Warners wanted to make sure there was a soundtrack album this time. And Madonna even agreed to tour to support the film and the album. The problem was the movie was slammed by critics and it flopped at the box office. It grossed $7M. Madonna contributed four songs to the movie. Who's That Girl topped the charts. Madonna wrote and produced the song with frequent collaborator Patrick Leonard. The problem was the soundtrack album only had the four songs by Madonna. And the rest of the album was filler by other artists. Fans howled about having to pay full price for what could have been released as an EP. So the album did not do as well as Madonna's usual albums. The tour did fine of course. But in the end Who's That Girl was a failure as a movie and a soundtrack album. You can get Who's That Girl on this 2CD comp. Here's the video for Who's That Girl by Madonna. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Conway Twitty

Artist:Conway Twitty

Song:Slow Hand

Album:Gold

For most of his career, country music legend Conway Twitty recorded for Decca/MCA. He moved to Elektra in the early 80s. And he topped the country music charts with this cover of The Pointer Sisters hit Slow Hand. So why did Twitty leave MCA in the first place? I think they were looking to put him out to pasture. He had been with Decca/MCA since the 50s and of course he had great success. But there was a management change at MCA and they wanted to promote younger artists. They told Twitty he could stay but they weren't going to promote him anymore. So he left for Elektra. Elektra was not a country label but they did have a Nashville office. Eddie Rabbitt was on Elektra. The 1982 album Southern Comfort was Twitty's first album on Elektra. It was produced by Jimmy Bowen. I don't think he had ever worked with Twitty but he was certainly a Nashville veteran producer. Slow Hand was the second single and it topped the Country Singles chart. Of course most music fans know this song as a 1981 Pointer Sisters hit. So what is Conway Twitty doing covering a pop hit? And you'll notice the lyrics were changed so a man could sing it. It's not as unusual as you think. Country artists have been covering pop hits for years. They just give it a twang. And Twitty wasn't even the first country artist to record Slow Hand. That would be Del Reeves which is where Bowen heard the song. After two albums for Elektra, Warner Bros. closed Elektra's Nashville office and moved Twitty to Warner Bros. He returned to MCA in 1987 and recorded there until his 1993 death. This 2CD MCA comp has some of Twitty's Warner Bros. hits and it's available at a budget price. Here's Conway Twitty performing Slow Hand 1982. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

Bellator preview and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dropkick Murphys

Artist:Dropkick Murphys

Song:I'm Shipping Up to Boston

Album:The Warrior's Code

The Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic punk band. Their biggest success came when I'm Shipping Up to Boston was used in Martin Scorsese's 2006 film The Departed. They were formed in 1996 in Quincy, MA by lead singer Mike McColgan, bassist Ken Casey, guitarist Rick Barton and drummer Jeff Ema who was replaced by Matt Kelly. The band was named after pro wrestler and sanitarium owner Dr. John "Dropkick" Murphy. They toured with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. And after releasing a few EPs, the Dropkick Murphys signed with Hellcat Records. This was an offshoot of Epitaph Records owned by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion. He started Hellcat so his friend Tim Armstrong of Rancid could have his own label. Dropkick Murphys released the 1998 album Do or Die produced by Rancid's Lars Frederiksen. McColgan left the band and joined the Boston Fire Department in 2001. The rest of the band felt McColgan didn't want to be there and was just going through the motions. McColgan returned to music in 2002 with The Street Dogs. He was replaced by Al Barr of The Bruisers. Barton left in 2000 because he wasn't getting along with Casey. He was replaced by James Lynch, a second guitarist Marc Orrell plus Ryan Foltz on mandolin and Robbie "Spicy McHaggis" Medeiros on bagpipes. He was replaced in 2003 by Scruffy Wallace. Then Foltz left and was replaced by Tim Brennan. They continued to release albums. They had some success getting videos played on MTV and placing songs in video games. But finally they had chart success when I'm Shipping Up to Boston appeared in the 2006 film The Departed. The song is based on something Woody Guthrie wrote. It's not even a song. Casey found it in the Guthrie archives and turned it into a song. It appeared on the 2005 album The Warrior's Code and then the soundtrack album for The Departed. Both are available. The Warrior's Code was Dropkick Murphys final album for Hellcat. Since then they have recorded for their own label. Their latest album Turn Up That Dial was released Apr. 2021. Dropkick Murphys continue to be a popular touring and album band. Sometimes it only takes one hit to drive many years of success. Here's the video of I'm Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka, Sarray and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sarray vs Gigi Dolin

Here's the match video of Sarray vs Gigi Dolin from last night's episode of NXT. Gigi was known in indies as Priscilla Kelly. She didn't look very good when she appeared in the 2018 Mae Young Classic. She had kind of a trashy image in the indies. The WWE has given her a new name and a fresh coat of paint. She still looks trashy. Sarray was a little more animated during her entrance so that is being worked on. The most notable thing about this match was when Mandy Rose came out to watch. It is now being reported that Mandy is being traded to NXT for Aliyah who beat up Robert Stone last night. Sarray won as expected. She may have rung Gigi's bell with that second dropkick. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pulp

Artist:Pulp

Song:Common People

Album:Hits

Pulp was around for almost 20 years when they finally scored a hit single in England. They were never able to chart in the US though I think music fans have seen the video for Common People on MTV. Pulp are from Sheffield, England. Jarvis Cocker was 15 years old when he started what became Pulp with 14 year old Peter Dalton. Cocker wanted to name the band after the Michael Caine film Pulp. But they thought it was too short so they were called Arabicus and then Arabicus Pulp. They started playing gigs in 1980. For most of the 80s, Pulp wasn't getting anywhere. Russell Senior replaced Dalton in 1983. Legendary BBC DJ John Peel tried to help them several times to no avail. Much of the problem was that Cocker was unsure of his musical direction. He's swapping out band members and trying to find a popular sound. A lot of bands would have thrown in the towel. But Cocker kept going until the 1992 single O.U. was named single of the week by Melody Maker. This got Pulp a deal with Island Records. They finally charted with the 1994 album His 'n' Hers. And their 1995 album Different Class did even better. The single Common People reached #2 on the British Singles chart. To a great extent, Pulp were riding the coattails of bands like Oasis and Blur. Despite Cocker's bad behavior at the 1996 BRIT Awards, Pulp continued to be successful in England until they split up in 2002. Cocker released a solo album in 2006. He reformed Pulp in 2011 mostly to tour. They split up for good in 2013. This comp covers their Island recordings. Here's the video for Common People by Pulp.

Bib Bad Blog Video Theater-Nikki A.S.H. vs Naomi vs Asuka vs Alexa Bliss

Here's the match video of Nikki A.S.H. vs Naomi vs Asuka vs Alexa Bliss. This yet another timewaster leading to Sunday's Money In The Bank (MITB) show. It's just not as bad as the previous two weeks so I thought it was good enough to post the video. There is still stupid stuff in this match. Earlier in the show, Eva Marie and Doudrop visited Alexa's Playground. Eva didn't like Alexa. So the two came out during the match. Doudrop threw Alexa over the barrier. But when they went to look for her, she had disappeared and Alexa did not return to the match. There was no explanation. Once this distraction ended, the match was better but not great. Nikki got the pin over Asuka with a rollup because Nikki took the fall last week. The 50/50 booking is the one thing that will kill the WWE. Commentary tries to sell this match as significant which it isn't mostly because fans already know about 50/50 booking. They are trying to create interest in a match that no one cares about because nothing is booked to create interest. They are more interested in giving wins evenly. Last night's entire show was a pointless timewaster. But they have to fill three hours every week. I don't know if fans returning will solve this. The commentary was awful for this match. As usual Corey Graves was told to spout complete nonsense. Jimmy Smith needs work on how three way and four way matches work. He seemed confused. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Calibre 50

Artist:Calibre 50

Song:Siempre Te Voy a Querer

Album:Desde el Rancho

Calibre 50 is a Mexican group from Mazatlan, Sinaloa. Their style of music is Norteno. The big difference is instead of using a bass, they use a sousaphone or tuba. Eden Munoz is the lead singer and accordionist of Calibre 50. In 2009 Munoz was in the band Colmillo Norteno. Though they had some success, Munoz wasn't getting along with the other band members. So he left and formed Puro Colmillo Norteno in 2010 with Armando Ramos on guitar, Augusto Guido on drums and Martin Lopez on tuba. They released one album under that name but they got sued so it was changed to Calibre 50. A lot of their early songs were controversial and therefore banned from Mexican radio. This actually helped them become popular in Mexico. I guess it's the forbidden fruit theory which can be effective in Mexico. They record for their own label with Universal distribution. Guido left to start his own group in 2014. He was replaced by Erick Garcia. Then Lopez left and was replaced by Alejandro Gaxiola. And that's the band that is on this 2016 album Desde el Rancho. Siempre Te Voy a Querer was one of their biggest hits. In 2020 Calibre 50 received an award from Billboard for the most number one hits on the regional Mexican chart at 17. They appeared on Conan in 2017 when the show traveled to Mexico City. Their latest album was released in 2019. So Calibre 50 has been very successful in Mexico. Here's Calibre 50 performing Siempre Te Voy a Querer at the Andaluz Music studio 2020.

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Aaron Goldberg

Artist:Aaron Goldberg

Song:Perhaps

Album:The Now

Jazz pianist Aaron Goldberg was noticed when he was a member of Joshua Redman's band. It led to a record deal and he has recorded several albums as a leader. He was born Apr. 30, 1974 in Boston. His father is a biochemist and his mother is a hermatologist. Goldberg took piano lessons as a child. He got into jazz in high school studying with sax player Jerry Bergonzi. He moved to New York to study at the New School for Contemporary Jazz and Music and play New York clubs. Goldberg's parents insisted that he pursue traditional schooling. So he studied history and science at Harvard. While there, Goldberg spent time at Berklee and in Boston clubs. After graduating from Harvard in 1996, Goldberg moved back to New York where he played with Mark Turner, Gregory Hardy and Betty Carter. This got him a record deal with J Curve. Goldberg recorded two albums as a leader and he toured and recorded with Joshua Redman. Goldberg has recorded for Sunnyside since 2003. In 2005 Goldberg enrolled in a master's program at Tufts University. So he was attending classes in Boston and taking the train to New York to record and play clubs. Since graduating with a degree in analytical philosophy, Goldberg has concentrated on music. His recording of the Charlie Parker standard Perhaps is from his 2015 album The Now with Reuben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums. He has recorded and toured with those two for most of his career. On his 2018 album At the Edge of the World, Goldberg records with Matt Penman on bass and Leon Parker on drums. He also continues as a sideman with Joshua Redman, Omer Avital and many others. Here's Aaron Goldberg with Reuben Rogers and Leon Parker performing Perhaps from Goldberg's Facebook page. I always get asked if I am on Facebook. I have an account only to snag the occasional video. I don't use Facebook otherwise. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jennifer Maia vs Jessica Eye

Here's the match video of Jennifer Maia vs Jessica Eye from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Both are former Flyweight title contenders. Jennifer is a boxer. She trains at Chute Boxe in Curitiba, Brazil. Jessica trains now with Kit Cope in Las Vegas. Cope is a former kickboxer and a one time fiance of Gina Carano. Neither fighter does enough to win fights. So I thought the fight would be boring which it was. The judges gave a unanimous decision to Jennifer 29-28x2 and 30-27. I thought maybe Jessica won. I dunno. I don't blame the judges. This fight was so bad that it was impossible to score. The only notable thing was when Jessica suffered a bad cut on her forehead due to a clash of heads. Other than that. it was a terrible boring listless fight. Check it out for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Irene Aldana vs Yana Kunitskaya

Here's the match video of Irene Aldana vs Yana Kunitskaya from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. I don't think either fighter is good enough to challenge Amanda Nunes for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. But the winner of this fight may get that opportunity. Irene trains at Lobo in Guadalajara, Mexico owned by Alexa Grasso's father. She lost her last fight to Holly Holm. She did not look good. And she missed weight for this fight. Irene is mainly a boxer. Yana is from Saint Petersburg, Russia but she now trains at ATT in Florida with her UFC fighter boyfriend Thiago Moises. She won her last fight. It was an undeserved judges gift. I don't like either of them. I guess the bottom line is Irene got on top of Yana and finished her with strikes in round one. For a while it looked like she was gonna screw it up and let Yana off the hook. I don't expect Irene to get a title shot. Possible opponents include Aspen Ladd and Germaine de Randamie. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hillsong Young & Free

Artist:Hillsong Young & Free

Song:Where You Are

Album:Youth Revival

Hillsong Young & Free is yet another spinoff of the famed Hillsong Church in Australia aimed at young believers. Wait a minute. Don't they already have a youth oriented group called Hillsong United. They do but Hillsong Young & Free is electropop based. After the success of Hillsong United, some members of Hillsong's youth ministry thought they could do a new electropop group aimed at an even younger audience. Where You Are is from the 2016 album Youth Revival. It was Hillsong Young & Free's second album. The lead singer is Aodhan King. Along with Alexander Pappas, King is one of the leaders of Hillsong Young & Free. They wrote Where You Are with Michael Fatkin and Benjamin Hastings who wrote several songs on the album. The album was nominated for a Grammy. As far as the music goes, if I didn't already know it was CCM music, it's not really much different from mainstream electropop. Obviously they are trying to hook listeners with the sound. Then they hit you with the message. This is why Hillsong is successful. Here's the video for Where You Are by Hillsong Young & Free. This is very slick music. Watch the video and you will see what I am talking about. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Dasy-Kyle Eastwood

Artist:Kyle Eastwood

Song:From Rio to Havana

Album:View from Here

Kyle Eastwood is the son of legendary actor Clint Eastwood. Though he does other things, Eastwood is mostly a jazz bassist. He's pretty good. It's easy to scoff because of his dad but Kyle Eastwood can play. He was born May 19, 1968 in Los Angeles. His sister Alison Eastwood is a singer. As most fans know, Clint Eastwood plays piano and is a huge jazz fan. Many of his films have jazz scores by Lennie Niehaus. Kyle attended jazz concerts with his parents and he got to go backstage and meet musicians. Kyle says his dad was very happy when he told him he wanted to be a musician. Kyle learned the bass in high school and then studied with Bunny Brunel in France. After recording his 1998 debut album for Columbia, Kyle recorded for Candid and Dave Koz's Rendezvous label. He currently records for the French label Jazz Village. The 2013 album The View from Here was his first album on this label. The album was recorded in France with Graeme Blevins on sax, Quentin Collins on trumpet, Andrew McCormack on piano and Martyn Kain on drums. It looks like they are all British musicians. They had worked on a previous Eastwood album. All the songs were written by the band. This album is available as a digital download. Eastwood's latest album Cinematic was released in 2019 with some of the same musicians. Eastwood has composed scores for most of his dad's recent films. He did some acting when he was young but he doesn't do that anymore. Here's Kyle Eastwood performing From Rio to Havana at Abbey Road Studios in London 2013. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Devo

Artist:Devo

Song:Whip It

Album:Greatest Hits

Whip It was a top 20 hit in 1980. It was the only big hit for Devo. Some of their other songs charted so it was not a one hit wonder. Of course the video was memorable. The genesis of Devo came at Kent State University in Ohio. Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis were art students and were in a band. They met Mark Mothersbaugh in 1970. Mothersbaugh was known for his sense of humor. Everything was a joke to him including the band name which was short for De-evolution and the winged devil logo. Devo performed once at Kent State in 1973. The band was Casale, Lewis, Mothersbaugh and Casale's brother Bob Casale on guitar and a couple of guys who didn't stay. Mothersbaugh brought in his brothers Bob Mothersbaugh on guitar and Jim Mothersbaugh on electronic drums. They continued to play gigs wearing weird costumes. They were more of a punk band in those days. Mark decided he needed a real drummer so he replaced his brother with Alan Meyers. That was the lineup for the next ten years: the Mothersbaugh brothers, the Casale brothers and Meyers. Lewis had become more of a manager. After releasing an EP on the British new wave label Stiff, David Bowie and Iggy Pop got Devo a record deal with Warner Bros. Bowie was supposed to produce the 1978 album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! but he couldn't make it and Brian Eno was brought in. Devo appeared on Saturday Night Live. So they got some exposure but no hit single. Lewis sued after he couldn't work out a deal for his contributions to Devo. They ended up settling out of court. Mothersbaugh started experimenting with electronic instruments and that resulted in the 1980 album Freedom of Choice. Except for Bob Mothersbaugh's guitar, this album was all electronic. Whip It was the third single. Warners didn't think it was going to be a hit. DJ Kal Rudman liked the song and got it played on radio. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. Jerry Casale's lyrics are nonsense but the video had sadomasochistic overtones. Mothersbaugh did this as a gag. And they wore those red hats on stage. Warners was going to drop Devo if there was no hit single. So Whip It got them three more albums on Warners. Subsequent albums weren't as successful. Meyers left in 1988 and Devo moved to Enjgma Records. Meanwhile Mothersbaugh scored the TV show Pee-Wee's Adventure. Devo split up in 1991 and that's when Mothersbaugh opened his studio to produce music for films, TV and video games. He has been very successful doing that. Gerald Casale got into directing music videos. Devo has reunited occasionally since 1996. They released a couple of albums but they tour occasionally. Mothersbaugh is very busy composing for film and TV. Here's the video for Whip It by Devo. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

PFL, Bellator and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Black Mountain

Artist:Black Mountain

Song:Stormy High

Album:In the Future

Black Mountain is one of two bands led by Canadian singer songwriter Stephen McBean. The other is Pink Mountaintops. McBean alternates between the two bands. Black Mountain is a neo psychedelic indie band. The 2008 album In the Future was their breakthrough album. But it's not like Black Mountain will ever score a hit single. McBean is from Vancouver. He had several bands before he formed Black Mountain in 2003. McBean's band Jerk with a Bomb signed with Jagjaguwar in 1999. They released three albums. The label may have suggested the name change and McBean knew he would have to change it anyway. There was a song on their first album called Black Mountain so McBean chose that name. Stormy High is from the 2008 album In the Future. Band members at the time were Amber Webber on vocals, Jeremy Schmidt on keyboards, Matthew Camirand on bass and Joshua Wells on drums. McBean moved to Los Angeles in 2010. Schmidt went with him. McBean hires musicians for touring. I don't think Pink Mountaintops is active right now. McBean seems to be concentrating on Black Mountain. Pink Mountaintops was a home recording project that was never supposed to be a band. Fans of neo psychedelia should check out Black Mountain. Here's Black Mountain performing Stormy High at The Annandale Hotel in Sydney, Australia Mar. 5, 2009 produced by Moshcam.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Io Shirai and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Zoey Stark and Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell

Here's the match video of Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell defending the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships against Zoey Stark and Io Shirai from last night's episode of NXT. Zoey and Io are underdogs because they have been a team for a short time. But we are talking about Io Shirai who is capable of most anything. The match is even until the finish. Candice and Indi seem to be in control when the lights go out and Tegan Nox appears at the stage entrance. Tegan is returning from her third knee surgery. In storyline, Candice caused the injury. Candice freaks out and that opens the door for Io and Zoey to take over. Zoey pins Indi and Io and Zoey are the new champs. Afterwards, Tegan runs down and attacks Candice. The match is pretty good so be sure to check it out.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hot Water Music

Artist:Hot Water Music

Song:Jack of All Trades

Album:A Flight and a Crash

Hot Water Music is a punk band similar to Bad Religion which is ironic as they recorded for Epitaph Records owned by Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz. After modest success, Hot Water Music split up and reformed. The members of Hot Water Music met in 1993 while living in Sarasota, FL. Lead singer and guitarist Chuck Ragan, bassist Jason Black and drummer George Rebelo were working at area eateries while trying to figure out the music business. They met guitarist Chris Wollard at a rehearsal space. Frustrated by the lack of musical opportunities in Sarasota, Black suggested they move to Gainesville. He was attending Florida State at the time. The band name Hot Water Music was taken from a collection of Charles Bukowski short stories. After releasing singles and EPs, Hot Water Music released a couple of albums on Doghouse Records. After two years of touring, they were going to split up. But Ragan announced on what was to be their final show that they were staying together. They signed with Epitaph for the 2001 album A Flight and a Crash. The three albums on Epitaph did well. They went on hiatus in 2005. That turned into a permanent split in 2006. Ragan went solo and the other members formed The Draft. Hot Water Music reunited for a short tour in 2008. They reformed permanently in 2011. Since then they have released two albums, the most recent in 2017. Hot Water Music will be of interest to punk fans. Here's Hot Water Music performing Jack of All Trades at the Metro Theater in Sydney, Australia Dec. 10, 2010 produced by Moshcam.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Donny & Marie Osmond

Artist:Donny & Marie Osmond

Song:I'm Leaving It All Up To You

Album:Greatest Hits

So we all remember the Donny & Marie variety show that ran from 1976-79. Well, I remember it but I didn't watch it. But before that they scored a top five hit in 1974 with I'm Leaving It All Up To You. So it started with The Osmonds. Then Donny had solo success. And then Marie scored a top five hit in 1973 with Paper Roses. So I guess it was inevitable that Donny and Marie would sing together. Those decisions were usually made by oldest brother Alan Osmond. He produced the 1974 album I'm Leaving It All Up To You with MGM Records president Mike Curb. I'm Leaving It All Up To You reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Dewey Terry and they recorded it as Don & Dewey in 1957. The 1963 version by Dale & Grace topped the charts. The other top ten hit from the album was Morning Side of the Mountain. The album was certified Gold. Then Donny & Marie hosted The Mike Douglas Show for a week. ABC's Fred Silverman offered them the variety show which ran from 1976-79. It was popular at first and then like everything it ran its course. And so did Donny & Marie recording as a duo. They recorded five albums from 1974-77. This budget comp is short but it's the only one available on CD and as a digital download. Here's Donny & Marie Osmond performing I'm Leaving It All Up To You on the German TV show Disco 1974.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hector Acosta "El Torito"

Artist:Hector Acosta "El Torito"

Song:Sin Perdon

Album:La Historia: Mis Exitos

Dominican singer Hector Acosta had success on the Latin music charts in the 00s with hits like Sin Perdon. Fans of Bachata or Merengue may already be familiar with him. His nickname is El Torito. He was born May 23, 1967 in Banao, Dominican Republic. He grew up singing in church. After winning a local talent contest, Acosta played local clubs. He was bassist for Los Gentiles. He met Gerardo Diaz in 1989 and became lead singer of Los Toros Band. And that is what made Acosta a star and that band was all over Dominican radio. Acosta left Los Toros Band in 2006 to go solo with the help of Diaz. He signed with Universal and his debut album Sigo Siendo Yo in 2006 did very well with hits like Me Voy. Sin Perdon is from the 2008 album Mitad/Mitad. Sin Perdon was written by Colombian music great Jorge Celedon. The two recorded the duet Mi Vio Llorar which topped the Latin music charts. Mitad/Mitad was certified Gold. After five albums, Acosta left Universal and he has recorded two albums on his own label. He is currently on tour. Universal has released three comps which are all available as digital downloads. Bachata fans should check him out. Here's the video for Sin Perdon by Hector Acosta.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pat Martino

Artist:Pat Martino

Song:Oleo

Album:Live at Yoshi's

Jazz guitarist Pat Martino has been around since the late 60s as a leader and a popular sideman. After some health problems in the 80s, Martino may be better today. He was born Patrick Azzara Aug. 25, 1944 in Philadelphia. Martino moved to New York City at age 15 and lived with Les Paul. He played New York clubs with Lloyd Price, Willis Jackson, Eric Kloss and organists like Jack McDuff and Don Patterson. This led to Martino's recording debut as a leader in 1967 for Prestige Records. He first recorded the Sonny Rollins standard Oleo on the 1970 album Desperado with Eddie Green on piano, Tyrone Brown on bass and Sherman Ferguson on drums. This album is out of print. Martino recorded for Muse Records in the 70s. That was owned by former Prestige executive Joe Fields. I think those albums are where many jazz fans including myself first heard of Martino. He also recorded a couple of albums for Warner Bros. In 1980 Martino suffered a near fatal seizure due to a brain hemorrhage. This left him with amnesia. So he had to learn how to play guitar all over again. Martino returned in 1987 and he has been recording ever since. Martino recorded for Muse until he signed with Blue Note in 1997. Oleo is from the 2001 album Live at Yoshi's. Yoshi's is in Oakland, CA. Musicians are Joey DeFrancesco on organ and Billy Hart on drums. The album was nominated for a Best Instrumental Jazz Album Grammy. It is available as a digital download. Martino currently records for Joe Fields' new label HighNote. His latest album Formidable was released in 2017. Here's Pat Martino with Joey DeFrancesco and Byron Landham at the 2002 Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nayobe

Artist:Nayobe

Song:Please Don't Go

Album:Freestyle's Greatest Divas Vol. 2

Nayobe Catalina Gomez scored a dance hit with the 1985 single Please Don't Go. This was in the early days of Freestyle. Today it is considered a classic by fans of Freestyle. It was Nayobe's only big hit. She was born Dec. 18, 1967 in Brooklyn, NY. Her parents were from Cuba. She started out as a background singer with The Fat Boys and Kurtis Blow. Then she signed with Fever Records owner Sal Abbatiello. He owned the New York City nightclub The Fever. His biggest artist was probably Lisette Melendez. Please Don't Go was Nayobe's first single and it reached #23 on the dance chart. And there was a 1986 album called Nayobe. The album was retitled Please Don't Go when the Canadian label Unidisc reissued it in 1991. This is out of print but you can get Please Don't Go on this various artists budget CD. Please Don't go was written and produced by Andy "Panda" Tripoli. Tripoli was just getting started in those days. But he went on to work with The Cover Girls among others. Tripoli produced most of the album with remix guy Chuck Ange. His co-writer on Please Don't Go was New York City DJ Luis Rivera. Subsequent singles did not do well. Abatiello closed Fever and signed with Sony's WTG label. Nayobe  released the 1990 album Promise Me. Despite having Teddy Riley produce several tracks, there was no hit single and the album flopped. Since then Nayobe has released a couple of albums. But mostly she performs on Freestyle nostalgia shows. Here's a video for Please Don't Go by Nayobe. 

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

Here's the match video of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai from this week's NXT. The winner of this match gets a NXT Women's Tag team Championship match next week. Because the other two teams are former tag team champs and Io and Zoey haven't been a team very long, they would have been the underdogs coming into the match. Except Io should never be an underdog. So this is a really good match. One storyline is Raquel thinks she can win this alone. This emphasizes Dakota as a weak link. Everyone is flying around all over the place. And towards the end, everyone gets to land their finishers except Raquel. A key spot has Io aiming her moonsault at Dakota but Raquel get on top of her to protect her. Then Raquel is tossed out of the ring. Dakota attempts a pin on Io while pulling her tights. After Io kicks out, she lands the moonsault for the win. During a backstage interview, Candice LeRae warns Zoey that if Io loses, she will turn on her. That's exactly what I expect to happen. That will set the stage for Io's move to the main roster. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Glass Animals

Artist:Glass Animals

Song:Life Itself

Album:How to Be a Human Being

The British band Glass Animals have had modest success to date. A move to a larger label will probably help them. I would describe their music as electropop with other elements mixed in. They are from Oxford, England. Dave Bayley is the lead singer and songwriter. He's Welsh but he lived in the US as a child. His family moved to Oxford when he was 14. Bayley was a medical student at King's College when he started writing. He formed Glass Animals with Drew MacFarlane on guitar, Ed Irwin-Singer on bass and Joe Seaward on drums. They were friends in high school. After releasing an EP in 2012, they were spotted by Adele's producer Paul Epworth and he signed them to his Wolf Tone label with Caroline distribution. Their debut album Zaba was released in 2014. They had some success in England with singles like Gooey. Life Itself is from the 2015 album How to Be a Human Being. The album did OK but there was no hit single. The last leg of their 2018 tour was cancelled when Joe Seaward was hit by a lorry while on his bicycle. For the 2020 album Dreamland, Epworth moved Wolf Tone to Polydor/Universal for wider distribution and promotion. It worked because the single Heat Waves reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes all a band needs is better distribution and promotion. And that may be true of Glass Animals. Time will tell. Here's the video for Life Itself by Glass Animals.