The Big Topic in WMMA

U&FC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sisters

Artist:Sisters

Song:Still

Album:Simply Sisters

Fans of Southern Gospel will enjoy the harmonies of Sisters. Not surprisingly, Sisters is a family group consisting of Kim Ruppe, Heather Ruppe and Valerie Ruppe. They are from Spartanburg, SC. They started out touring with their mom Brenda Ruppe as The Ruppes. After Brenda's husband died in 2008, Kim joined her husband Michael Lord's group LordSong. When he decided to disband LordSong to be a full time minister in 2010, The Ruppe sisters reunited and record and tour as Sisters. The group name is too generic. The Ruppes have a name in the Southern Gospel market. They should be called The Ruppe Sisters. But they are popular on the Southern Gospel circuit. And they have released several albums. Still is from the 2017 album Simply Sisters which is available as a digital download. I think Southern Gospel fans will enjoy Sisters. Here's Sisters performing Still in someone's living room 2017. Thanks to Southern Gospel History for the bio. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne

Here's the match video of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defending their NXT Women's Tag Team Championships against Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. They are part of the heel faction Toxic Attraction led by Mandy Rose. I thought a title change might be in order because I think it's time for Io to move up to the main roster. And of course the draft is starting on Friday. The match is fine. It picks up after the commercial break. Io won with her moonsault. Later on in the show, Toxic Attraction attacked Raquel Gonzalez after she won her match. I don't buy Mandy Rose as a title threat unless she cheats of course. Enjoy the video!  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Whitney Houston

Artist:Whitney Houston

Song:I Will Always Love You

Album:I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston

The 1992 single I Will Always Love You may be the biggest hit single of all time. It is from Whitney Houston's film debut The Bodyguard. Whitney had recorded three albums. But the 1990 album I'm Your Baby Tonight wasn't as well received as her previous albums. It also didn't sell as well. So Whitney thought about trying movies. Meanwhile she married Bobby Brown and gave birth to her daughter. After all kinds of offers, Whitney settled on The Bodyguard starring with Kevin Costner. She's playing a version of herself in the movie. Though the film was not reviewed favorably, it did well at the box office. But the soundtrack album was a huge seller. The album sold 45M copies worldwide which is double of what her first two albums sold. I Will Always Love You topped the charts for 14 weeks. Whitney performed six songs on the soundtrack. The rest is filler. I Will Always Love You was written by Dolly Parton. She recorded it in 1974. The original plan was for Whitney to cover Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. When it was discovered that song was going to be used in Fried Green Tomatoes, Whitney requested a different song. Costner suggested I Will Always Love You. He played Linda Ronstadt's recording for her. David Foster arranged and produced. The sax solo is by Kirk Whalum. The record won two Grammys. You can get it on this budget comp released after Whitney's death. After doing the films Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife, Whitney released the album My Love Is Your Love in 1998. It did OK but her albums didn't sell as well after that. And as we all know she had personal problems that led to her death on Feb. 11, 2012 at age 48. Here's the video for I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Az Yet

Artist:Az Yet f/Peter Cetera

Song:Hard To Say I'm Sorry

Album:Az Yet

The R&B group Az Yet scored a couple of top ten hits with the 1996 album Az Yet including this cover of Chicago's Hard To Say I'm Sorry. But constant personnel changes killed any momentum. And in the end they only recorded one album for a major label. Az Yet are from Philadelphia. Shawn Rivera and Dion Allen started singing together in 1989. They were joined by Kenny Terry. Other guys came and went. Darryl Anthony joined in 1995. A demo landed in the hands of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. His mother in law gave it to him. Az Yet signed with Edmonds label LaFace and he produced their 1996 debut album. There were two hit singles. Last Night reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Edmonds wrote and produced that with Keith Andes. Hard To Say I'm Sorry reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Peter Cetera not only appears on the record but he and Chicago producer David Foster produced the record. The problem was guys kept leaving the group. So Az Yet only recorded one album for LaFace. After a 2002 attempt to reform didn't work out, Az Yet reunited in 2007. Dion Allen continues to lead the group. They last recorded in 2013. Here's the video for Hard To Say I'm Sorry by Az Yet featuring Peter Cetera. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The War on Drugs

Artist:The War on Drugs

Song:Under the Pressure

Album:Lost in the Dream

The War on Drugs is an indie band that have been critically acclaimed and they have even won a Grammy. But they haven't had the commercial success though they have a new album coming out that may change that. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Adam Granduciel moved to Philadelphia in 2003. He met Kurt Vile at a party and they started writing together. Both guys were obsessed with Bob Dylan. When Granduciel sings, he tries to sound like Dylan. At first Granduciel played in Vile's band The Violaters. He started The War on Drugs in 2005. Vile played in the band in the early days. Granduciel said he always like The War on Drugs as a band name because he could do all kinds of music with a name like that. The other band members were Charlie Hall on organ, Dave Hartley on bass and Kyle Lloyd on drums. After they released an EP, The War on Drugs signed with Secretly Canadian for the 2008 album Wagonwheel Blues. Vile left to concentrate on his own music. The War on Drugs became a one man band. All kinds of musicians went through the band. The 2014 album Lost in the Dream was their third album for Secretly Canadian. NPR previewed the album on  First Listen. They got enough exposure to get a record deal with Atlantic. The 2018 album A Deeper Understanding won a Best Rock Album Grammy. Their new album I Don't Live Here Anymore will be released Oct. 29. This is the final album on The War on Drugs' Atlantic contract. So they need to have a commercial breakthrough or it won't be renewed. Here's the video for Under the Pressure by The War on Drugs.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Taila Santos vs Roxanne Modafferi

Here's the match video of Taila Santos vs Roxanne Modafferi from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Roxanne's original opponent was supposed to be Tatiana Suarez. But she pulled out due to a knee injury. Taila is from Santa Catarina, Brazil. She trains at Astra Fight Team. She came to the UFC through the Brazilian Contender Series. She's 2-1 in the UFC. She has looked good at times. Roxanne is ranked in the top ten. And she is a highly experienced though not elite fighter. So she's a good measuring stick to test Taila. For the most part, Taila was much quicker than Roxanne. A second round punch stunned Roxy and cut her on the forehead. Roxanne wasn't the same after that. Taila cruised to an easy 30-27 win. I guess I would have liked to see her go for a finish. Taila passed the test. And I'm sure the next test will be more difficult. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad blog Video Theater-Jessica Andrade vs Cynthia Calvillo

 Here's the match video of Jessica Andrade vs Cynthia Calvillo from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Someone at the UFC thinks Cynthia is an elite fighter. I think she's midcard at best. I thought she would have a lot of trouble with Jessica. Jessica and her whole team have moved to Las Vegas. They have their own building. Gaillard Parana wants his fighters available for UFC short notice fights. These days Cynthia is training at the UFC PI in Las Vegas. It became obvious in the first minute of the fight that Cynthia could not handle Jessica's aggression. She tried to get away but couldn't. Jessica landed a punch that led to a TKO finish at the end of round one. I was not surprised. Jessica has been talking about moving back to Strawweight to fight the winner of Rose Namajunas vs Zhang Weili. I dunno if she could beat either of them. But I wouldn't mind seeing her try. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Valentina Shevchenko vs Lauren Murphy

Here's the match video of Valentina Shevchenko defending her UFC Flyweight Championship against Lauren Murphy at last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Though I did not expect Valentina to have much trouble with Lauren, I did not expect Lauren to try to survive for five rounds. It was very similar to the Liz Carmouche fight but worse. I don't know if she even landed ten punches. The thinking is that losing by unanimous decision to Valentina is a small victory. No doubt this nonsense was hatched by Lauren's husband who lied to Lauren between rounds. She knew he was lying of course. But in the end it didn't work as Valentina nailed Lauren with a punch that knocked her loopy in round four. This led to a TKO finish. So now Valentina wants to fight Amanda Nunes again. Dana White told Aaron Bronsteter of TSN that if Amanda wins her next fight, he might do that. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Parachute

Artist:Parachute

Song:Kiss Me Slowly

Album:The Way It Was

Parachute is a pop band that looked like they were going to be the next big thing in 2009. But they were never able to get that big hit single and now their future is in doubt. The band were high school students in Charlottesville, VA when they were formed in 2006. Will Anderson is the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter. Other members are Nate McFarland on guitar, Christopher "Kit" French on sax and keyboards, Alex Hargrave on bass and Johnny Stubblefield on drums. At first they were called Sparky's Flaw. They started playing gigs while attending the University of Virginia. After a 2007 EP, the band name was changed to Parachute. After one of their songs appeared in a Nivea commercial, Parachute signed with Mercury's Smash label. So that indicates there were thoughts about Parachute being a country band. But they didn't record for Smash. Parachute recorded for Island DefJam and then Mercury. Kiss Me Slowly is from the 2011 album The Way It Is. It was the second of two songs that charted but not high enough to get Parachute anywhere. Anderson wrote Kiss Me Slowly with Dave Heywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum. They introduce the video. Parachute recorded three albums for Mercury and one album for Vanguard. Their latest album was released on their own label in 2019. Nate McFarland left Parachute to return to school. The band's website is kaput but they are still on Twitter and Facebook. Will Anderson has been doing solo shows. So Parachute hasn't announced a split. But it sure looks like they have split. Here's the video for Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stanton Moore

Artist:Stanton Moore

Song:Magnolia Triangle

Album:Flyin' the Koop

Drummer Stanton Moore is a founding member of the jazz funk bands Galactica and Garage a Trois. But he is also a busy sideman and he records occasionally as a leader. He is a fixture on the New Orleans jazz scene. He was born July 9, 1972 in New Orleans. Moore grew up hanging around New Orleans clubs. He was taught to play drums by Johnny Vidacovich of Astral Project. He met Robert Mercurio in 1992 and they formed Galactica. They started recording and touring in 1996. Moore recorded his debut as a leader in 1998. Magnolia Triangle is from his 2000 album Flyin' the Koop on Verve/Blue Thumb. Magnolia Triangle was written by drummer James Black while he was recording with Yusef Lateef in 1965. Black also was a sideman for Nat Adderley and others. Musicians are Eric "Sherik" Walton on sax and Chris Wood of Medeski, Martin and Wood on bass. He was in Moore's touring band at the time. Walton is a sideman known for his unusual technique called saxophonics. Karl Denson plays sax on some tracks and so does guitarist Brian Seeger. This album is available as a budget CD. Moore continues as a member of Galactica and more recently Garage a Trois. He also opened the Stanton Moore Drum Academy in 2017. He has recorded for Telarc, Royal Potato Family and currently the Dutch label Cool Green. His latest album With You In Mind was released in 2017. Here's Stanton Moore with David Torkanowsky on piano and David Singleton on bass performing Magnolia Triangle at KNKX Public Radio in Tacoma Jan. 27, 2015. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frankie Valli

Artist:Frankie Valli

Song:Grease

Album:The Very Best of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

Grease topped the charts in 1978. It was Frankie Valli's final number one hit. Of course it was the theme for the 1978 film Grease. It played over the opening credits. I thought it might be a discography orphan but it does appear on a Frankie Valli album. By 1978 Valli's career was in decline. Things weren't going well since his 1974 number one hit My Eyes Adored You. And his label Private Stock went out of business. Meanwhile Robert Stigwood was producing the 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease. He felt the film needed a theme to play over the opening credits. So he called Barry Gibb. He wanted it to sound contemporary but with retro vocals. He chose Valli because his vocal range was similar. Valli agreed despite suffering a loss of hearing due to otosclerosis. He also was looking for a new record deal. Gibb brought Peter Frampton in to play guitar. The rest of the band were session guys who played on Andy Gibb's album. Grease was one of four original songs added to Grease. Director Randal Kleiser didn't like the song. But Stigwood got his way and it played over the opening credits. Grease topped the charts and it got Valli a record deal with Curb Records. Grease was added to the 1978 album Frankie Valli...Is the Word mostly produced by Bob Gaudio. Grease didn't help Valli's album sales. Folks bought the Grease soundtrack album. Grease is Valli's final number one hit. You can get it on this Rhino comp. Valli continues to tour as part of The Four Seasons. He released a new album A Touch of Jazz in June. Here's Frankie Valli performing Grease on Soul Train 1978.

The Big Topic in WMMA

 UFC review and preview, Bellator and RIZIN review and RIP Rumi Kuzama.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ashley and Foster

Artist:Ashley and Foster

Song:Bay Rum Blues

Album:Gob Iron: The Blues Harmonica Anthology

Clarence Ashley was a country blues pioneer who began recording in 1927. Though he usually recorded solo, this 1933 song was recorded with harmonica player Gwen Foster. They only recorded a few records but they are memorable. Ashley was born Clarence McCurry Sept. 29, 1895 in Bristol, TN. He learned to play the banjo as a child. He began performing in medicine shows in 1911. Ashley and Foster were both members of The Carolina Tar Heels. After recording for Columbia, Ashley got together with Foster to record a few songs for Vocalion in 1933. Foster was born Gwin Foster Dec. 25, 1903 in Caldwell, NC. He was a member of The Carolina Tar Heels and Carolina Twins. He recorded a couple of solo songs when he was a member of The Carolina Tar Heels. He seemed to prefer being part of a group. For him to be featured on these Ashley and Foster songs would have been very unusual. Of course Bay Rum Blues is about excessive drinking. You can get it on this 2CD comp from Primo Records. Foster worked in a textile mill during the day. He died in 1954. Ashley went on to tour and record as part of the 60s folk music revival. He died on June 2, 1967 at age 71. Ashley and Foster was a sidebar for Ashley. I may look at his entire career down the road. Here's a video for Bay Rum Blues by Ashley and Foster. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ayaka Hamasaki vs Emi Fujino

Here's the match video of Ayaka Hamasaki defending her RIZIN Superatomweight Championship against Emi Fujino. from Saturday's RIZIN show. This went as I expected. Emi is a veteran but not great fighter. And she's older than Ayaka. It just shows that RIZIN has no one to challenge Ayaka. The fight was three rounds of kickboxing. Ayaka didn't feel the need to take it to the ground. The big difference was Ayaka was throwing jabs, combinations and Emi threw one punch at a time while getting hit. Emi did a little better in round three. But Ayaka was just playing it safe. The result was never in doubt. Ayaka won easily. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Laura Fygi

Artist:Laura Fygi

Song:Oh Telephone

Album:The Lady Wants To Know

Dutch singer Laura Fygi started out in disco in the 80s. When that ran its course, she switched to jazz and is still singing jazz today. Her success has mostly been in Europe. She was born Aug. 27, 1955 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Her father was a Philips executive in Uruguay. So Laura was raised there. When her father died in the late 60s, she moved back to Amsterdam with her mother. In the 80s she was a member of the female disco trio Centerfold. The group did a spread in Dutch Playboy. So they became popular through their sex kitten image. They were successful in Europe and Japan. I don't think Centerfold's music was released in the US. When Centerfold split up, Laura formed The Backlot. After one album, Laura signed with PolyGram and released her first jazz album in 1991. Oh Telephone is from the 1994 album The Lady Wants To Know. The song was originally titled Telefone and performed by the Brazilian vocal group Os Cariocas. It was written by veteran Brazilian songwriters Roberto Menescal and Renaldo Boscoli. Harmonica legend Toots Thielemans plays guitar and whistle. Leonardo Amuedo plays guitar. He was born in Uruguay but he lives in Amsterdam. Thielemans appears on a couple of songs and so does trumpeter Clark Terry. Laura still records for Universal. Her 2016 album Jazz Love is all covers recorded with Dutch musicians. She tours in Europe. Here's Laura Fygi performing Oh Telephone on a 1998 French TV show. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Spark Plug Smith

Artist:Spark Plug Smith

Song:Vampire Women

Album:Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order

Blues singer Spark Plug Smith recorded a bunch of songs on one day in 1933. And then he was never heard from again. He's a pretty good singer. I don't even have a bio for this guy. He named himself after a race horse. There are all kinds of blues singers with goofy names. There is even one called Six Cylinder Smith. Maybe I will look at him someday. Spark Plug Smith went to New York City to record at the American Record Company. on Jan. 5, 1933. He recorded a total of twenty songs but only ten of them have been released. Vampire Women was the third release on Vocalion Records. Obviously it's a song about women who figuratively suck a man's blood. What I like is that Smith's tone is more conversational than we normally heard from blues singers of the era. Unfortunately it's Smith's only recording session. We don't know where he came from or where he went. There is one photo of Spark Plug Smith. Document Records uses it on the cover of this collection of Spark Plug Smith songs. All ten songs are there. But it's not enough for a full album. The rest of the songs are by Louis "Tallahassee Tight" Washington who had a similarly short career at ARC. His songs were recorded in 1934. This album is available as a digital download. And as usual Document does a great job of releasing the music of obscure blues singers. Here's a video of Vampire Women by Spark Plug Smith.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Scritti Politti

Artist:Scritti Politti

Song:Perfect Way

Album:Absolute: The Best of Scritti Politti

Though they were more popular in their native England, Scritti Politti scored a top 20 hit in the US with the 1985 single Perfect Way. The song was very popular in clubs. It is an early example of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Scritti Politti was formed in 1977 by Green Garside. He was a student at Leeds Polytechnic. When The Sex Pistols launched their 1976 tour there, it inspired Garside to start a punk band. They moved to London  and lived in a squat. The name Scritti Politti is a tribute to Italian Marxist writer and political theorist Antonio Gramsci whose writing was called Scritti Politici. Garside changed it to Scritti Politti as a tribute to Little Richard's Tutti Frutti. They self released a single that landed on BBC DJ John Peel's radio show and it got them a record deal with Rough Trade. They released two EPs and Garside scaled the band back to three members. At first they were a punk band but Garside thought he could do everything himself with electronics. Scritti Politti's debut album Songs to Remember was released in 1982. Garside's music had become more commercial and he didn't like being on a small label like Rough Trade. So for the 1985 album Cupid & Psyche 85, he signed with Virgin in England and Warner Bros in the US. He went to New York to work with legendary producer Arif Mardin. He met session keyboard player David Garrison. They decided to work together. Garrison brought in drummer Fred Maher. So Scritti Politti is not really a band anymore and Garside is making the kind of commercial music he would have scoffed at in 1977. Perfect Way reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. Garside recorded with Chaka Khan and Al Jarreau and contributed a song to the 1987 film Who's That Girl. But the 1988 album Provision did not sell. Though he did release two singles in 1991, Garside retired from music until he released the album Anomie and Bonhomie in 1999. Since then he has made guest appearances on albums and a Scritti Politti album in 2006. He is currently working with Rough Trade to reissue the Scritti Politti catalog. This comp is a good intro to their music. Here's the video for Perfect Way by Scritti Politti. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hannah Goldy vs Emily Whitmire

Here's the match video of Hannah Goldy vs Emily Whitmire from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Emily's original opponent was Tracy Cortez. She pulled out due to injury. Hannah was on DWCS. She was fighting at Strawweight. This is her first fight at Flyweight. Emily was in TUF 23. So she also fought at Strawweight. They are both awful. But I guess Emily is worse because she was on top and Hannah grabbed her arm. Good win for Hannah and I didn't have to watch them for three rounds. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Erin Blanchfield vs Sarah Alpar

Here's the match video of Erin Blanchfield vs Sarah Alpar from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Erin is 22 years old from New York City. Most fans have seen her in Invicta. She could be an elite fighter. Sarah is from Oklahoma. She was in DWCS but she looked awful in her UFC debut. She was fighting at Bantamweight. This is her first fight at Flyweight. Erin demolished Sarah. The only thing she didn't get was a finish. Obviously I want to see Erin against better competition. Enjoy the video.

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Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Raquel Pennington vs Pannie Kianzad

Here's the match video of Raquel Pennington vs Pannie Kianzad from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. I don't think Raquel has been the same since that ATV wreck a few years. She also had a bad case of COVID-19 a few months ago. Pannie is on a four fight winning streak but she has chosen opponents very carefully. She must have thought that Raquel was ripe for the picking. This was a close fight. Pannie won round one. Raquel won round two. And the third round was a tossup. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Raquel. But I can't help but think that before the ATV wreck Raquel smashes her. I don't think she can beat better fighters anymore. Enjoy the video. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ariane Lipski vs Mandy Bohm

Here's the match video of Ariane Lipski vs Mandy Bohm from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Ariane is from Curitiba, Brazil. She has gone 2-4 in the UFC. She is now training at American Top Team in Florida. Conan Silveira was in her corner. Mandy is from Germany. She trains at SBG Ireland. She's 7-0. She looked pretty good in the fight that I saw. In this fight, she looked like she forgot how to fight. Michael Bisping suggested that she could be suffering from the UFC jitters. I know fans will scoff at that. But I have seen it before so it's possible. Ariane won easily. But I wasn't impressed because Mandy was awful. It's like she froze. Check out the video for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Special A.K.A.

Artist:Special A.K.A.

Song:Nelson Mandela

Album:A Special Collection

Here's a song you probably heard in the mid-80s. You may not know who recorded it. I don't think the popularity of the song was reflected by the chart position. In those days if a video was in heavy rotation on MTV, that didn't result in increased radio play. Special A.K.A. is an offshoot of the popular British ska band The Specials. They were from Coventry, England led by pianist Jerry Dammers. He also owned 2 Tone Records. Their biggest hit was Ghost Town. But by the time the 1981 album More Specials was released, the band was falling apart. Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynville Golding left The Specials to form Fun Boy Three. Dammers decided to disband The Specials. Then he kind of reformed them as Special A.K.A. for the 1984 album In the Studio. I guess he wanted fans to know that he was still there but it's an all new band. Among other things Dammers brought in a new lead singer Stan Campbell and a new lead guitarist John Shipley. Dammers wrote most of the songs including Mandela. Elvis Costello produced Mandela. The single reached #9 on the British Singles chart. And though the video was very popular, that did not convert into radio airplay or record sales. My guess is some stations refused to play Mandela because they want to stay away from politics. Dammers again disbanded the group. This budget comp has all their hits. Though versions of The Specials have reunited over the years, Dammers has not participated for the most part. He leads his jazz band The Spatial AKA Orchestra and he DJs in London clubs. Stan Campbell recorded an album for Elektra in 1987 and then he quit the music business. Here's the video for Mandela by Special A.K.A.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chris Young

Artist:Chris Young

Song:I'm Comin' Over

Album:I'm Comin' Over

Chris Young came to prominence as the 2006 winner of the talent contest show Nashville Star. He signed with RCA Records and has had success on the country charts ever since. For the 2015 album I'm Comin' Over, Young made a big change. His first four albums were produced by former Giant Records owner James Stroud. After much success, it looks to me that Young decided to produce himself along with Corey Crowder. He also hired an all new band including Crowder on acoustic guitar. Obviously Young wanted to have more control over his music. I'm Comin' Over was the first single from this album. It reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. I'm Comin' Over and most of the songs on the album were written by Young, Crowder and Will Hoge. Crowder recorded four CCM albums and then got into songwriting. He also produces country singer Jess Moskaluke. Young and Crowder continue to have success. Young's recent single with Kane Brown Famous Friends topped the country charts. Young did bring in former Kelly Clarkson producer Chris DeStefano to work on a few songs. So he may be looking to make another change. RCA hasn't released a Chris Young comp yet but I'm Comin' Over is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for I'm Comin' Over by Chris Young.

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Holdsworth Pasqua Haslip Wackerman

Artist:Holdsworth Pasqua Haslip Wackerman

Song:Blues for Tony

Album:Blues for Tony

Fusion music fans and especially fans of the late British guitarist Allan Holdsworth will want to check out this 2007 tribute concert to legendary drummer Tony Williams. Of course Holdsworth is one of the most beloved figures in fusion. By 2007 Holdsworth was having health problems and he cut back on touring. He was only interested in recording special projects. Moonjune Records owner Leonardo Pavkovic suggested to Holdsworth that he could do a tribute concert to Williams. He would release it on CD and DVD. This was recorded and filmed at Yoshi's in San Francisco. Holdsworth called pianist Alan Pasqua. Both guys were members of The New Tony Williams Lifetime. Most of the songs were written by Pasqua or Holdsworth and Pasqua wrote the arrangements. He wrote Blues for Tony. The rest of the band is Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and longtime Holdsworth drummer Chad Wackerman. Not surprisingly, the album turned out great. The CD is out of print but the album is available as a digital download. The DVD was titled Live At Yoshi's. It is also out of print but the entire concert can be streamed on YouTube. This was probably Holdsworth's final major release as his health forced him into semi-retirement until his death on Apr. 15, 2017 at age 70. Here's Holdsworth Pasqua Haslip Wackerman performing Blues for Tony at Yoshi's in San Francisco 2007. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and RIZIN preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Juia Polastri

Here's the match video of Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Julia Polastri from this week's episode of Dana White's Contender Series. This fight is at Flyweight. Jasmine is 31 years old from St. Catherines, ON. She trains at Niagara Top Team. She and her coach have gone to Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas and coach John Wood. She's only been a fighter for a couple of years. She stumbled into MMA to be with her boyfriend. She has fought for CFFC. So I watched her latest fight on UFC Fight Pass. Her opponent was awful. Julia is 22 years old from Brazil. She trains at CWB. She's a Strawweight fighting at Flyweight. And that's how round one went. Jasmine used her size advantage to win the round 10-8. But I didn't like that she didn't finish the fight. And for that reason alone, I would not have given her a UFC contract. Julia came back in the other two rounds. I think she would be pretty good at Strawweight. Her coach made a bad decision. So Jasmine won the fight 29-27 and she got a UFC contract. I don't see her any higher than mid card. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Soup Dragons

Artist:The Soup Dragons f/Junior Reid

Song:I'm Free

Album:20 Golden Greats

This 1990 cover of The Rolling Stones classic I'm Free was the biggest hit from the Scottish group The Soup Dragons. They had success mostly in England but were making progress in the US when they split up. The Soup Dragons were formed in 1985 in Belshill, Scotland which is south of Glasgow. The group name comes from the British children's TV show Clangers. The band for most of their run was lead singer, lead guitarist and main songwriter Sean Dickson, Jim McCulloch on guitar, Sushil K. Dade on bass and Paul Quinn on drums. Their first demo got them a record deal with The Subway Organisation. When some of their songs appeared on a US various artists album Hang Ten, they signed with Sire Records for the 1988 album This Is Our Art. I'm Free is from the 1990 album Lovegod. Dickson wrote and produced the album. I'm Free reached #5 on the British Singles chart. It reached #79 on the Billboard Hot 100. That gave Sire Records hope that The Soup Dragons could have success in America. Divine Thing from the 1992 album Hotwired reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100. But as the band got more commercial, the guys didn't like it and they left in 1995. Dickson recorded one more album as The Soup Dragons. He hired studio musicians. Dickson formed The High Fidelity and these days he is DJ HiFi Sean. This comp from the British label Recall is a good intro to their music. Here's the video for I'm Free by The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid from Black Uhuru.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-9 Lazy 9

Artist:9 Lazy 9

Song:Lotto Jisco

Album:Paradise Blown

9 Lazy 9 recorded ambient Electronic Dance Music (EDM). They had modest success in European clubs in the 90s. Paradise Blown was their 1994 debut album. 9 Lazy 9 are two British producers who moved to Italy in the 90s. Keir Fraser was a member of the 80s band Last Few Days. This band was very experimental. Their music was very intense. It was like the industrial rock of the era but deliberately more obscure. They released two albums but the intensity got to be too much for Fraser and he left in 1989. That's when he met James Bladell who had produced a couple of singles. They moved to Italy in 1992 and called themselves 9 Lazy 9. They signed with the EDM label Ninja Tune. This label is owned by the duo Coldcut. As a joke, Ninja Tune gave them fake Italian names on their website. This fake bio appears on Wikipedia and Discogs. They released the 1993 single Monk's Dream followed by Paradise Blown. It's ambient EDM with smooth jazz leanings. Apparently they used Italian musicians but they are not identified. This album is available as a budget CD. After recording another album, they went on hiatus until 2003. After self releasing one more album in 2009, it looks like they went their separate ways. James Bladell records as Funky Porcini. He has released several albums and also composes film music. It looks like Fraser may have quit the music business. Here's a video for Lotto Jisco by 9 Lazy 9.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Patrick Swayze

Artist:Patrick Swayze f/Wendy Fraser

Song:She's Like the Wind

Album:Ultimate Dirty Dancing

Actor Patrick Swayze scored a top five hit with She's Like the Wind in 1987 from Dirty Dancing. Swayze starred in the film and wrote the song. With three huge hits, the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing was very successful. Swayze occasionally sang in films but he never recorded an album. He was born Aug. 18, 1952 in Houston. His mother was a dancer. And that's how Swayze started out in the entertainment business working at Disney on Parade. His film debut was in the 1979 film Skatetown U.S.A. But his big break came in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film The Outsiders. That was followed by Uncommon Valor, Grandview U.S.A., Red Dawn, Youngblood and Dirty Dancing. I think it's fair to say that Dirty Dancing made him a star. His dancing skills sure came in handy. There was a lot of music in Dirty Dancing. The original songs were produced by Michael Lloyd. She's Like the Wind was the third single. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Swayze wrote the song with Nashville songwriter Stacy Widelitz. It was intended for the soundtrack of Grandview U.S.A. When it wasn't used, Swayze pitched it for Youngblood. After he played them the demo, the Dirty Dancing producers decided to use it. And they even let Swayze sing it though he isn't much of a singer. That probably surprised him. Wendy Fraser is a career background singer. Like Swayze, she never recorded an album. Ultimate Dirty Dancing is an expanded version of the soundtrack. It is available as a budget CD. Swayze also sang in Road House, Next of Kin and with his dancer wife Lisa Niemi in the 2003 film One Last Dance which she wrote, produced and directed. While filming the 2007 TV series The Beast, Swayze was diagnosed with liver cancer. This led to his death on Sept. 14, 2009 at age 57. Here's the video for She's Like the Wind by Patrick Swayze featuring Wendy Fraser. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Avishai Cohen

Artist:Avishai Cohen

Song:Leolam

Album:Seven Seas/Aurora

There are two Israeli jazz musicians named Avishai Cohen. They are frequently confused for each other. The trumpeter Avishai Cohen is the brother of clarinetist Anat Cohen. The bassist Avishai Cohen is best known for his 90s stint in Chick Corea's Origin. Cohen's own music is a mix of jazz and middle eastern music. He was born Apr. 20, 1970 in Kibbutz Kabri in northern Israel. His family moved closer to Jerusalem. Cohen started playing piano at age 9 and switched to bass at age 14. Jaco Pastorius is his main influence. He studied at the Music and Arts Academy in Jerusalem. Cohen moved to New York in 1992 to study at The New School. He also played with pianist Danilo Perez. His big break came in 1997 when he joined Chick Corea's Origin. He was in that band for six years. He also recorded four albums as a leader for Corea's Stretch label. After he left Corea's band, Cohen started his own Razdaz label with Sunnyside distribution. Cohen moved back to Israel and signed with Blue Note. Leolam is from the 2009 album Aurora. It was his first album for Blue Note. Cohen wrote and produced the album. He recorded it in France with his regular band of Amos Hoffman on oud, Shai Maestro on piano, Itamar Doari on percussion and Karen Malka on vocals. Additional musicians are Stephane Belmondo on trumpet and his brother Lionel Belmondo on flute. Blue Note has released Aurora as a twofer with the 2010 album Seven Seas. Cohen recorded that in Sweden mostly with Swedish musicians. Aurora is also available as a digital download. After four albums with Blue Note, Cohen revived his own label. He recently signed with the French label Naive. His latest album Two Roses was released in April. He recorded it in Sweden with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Here's Avishai Cohen with Amos Hoffman, Shai Maestro, Ithamar Doari and Karen Malka performing Leolam on French TV 2009. This video is not on YouTube. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jim Gaffigan

Artist:Jim Gaffigan

Song:Bowling

Album:King Baby

Jim Gaffigan is a very successful stand up comic. He has done films and TV. But he always returns to performing comedy. He's been around for over twenty years. His comedy is observational and he's clean. And those two things may explain his longevity. He was born July 11, 1966 in Elgin, IL and he grew up in Chesterton, IN. His father was a banker. Gaffigan's main influence was Saturday Night Live and David Letterman who is an Indiana native. Gaffigan earned a finance degree at Georgetown. But he didn't like that work and he moved to New York in 1990. He worked in advertising during the day and took acting classes at night. He appeared in Blockbuster Video's Entertainment Squad commercials. A friend suggested he try stand up comedy. Gaffigan went to a seminar and started working clubs. After trying different styles, he became comfortable with observational comedy mostly based on his own life. His career took off after an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. After releasing four albums on a small label, he signed with Comedy Central in 2004. The way it works at Comedy Central is Gaffigan records an album and it is also taped for TV and DVD. Bowling is from Gaffigan's 2009 album King Baby. It's about how bowling is the lazy man's sport and very typical of Gaffigan's comedy. This is available on CD and DVD. He currently records for Comedy Dynamics. His recent videos can be seen on Netflix. Gaffigan has acted in films and TV. In films, he has done voice work and small roles. On TV he was a regular on the sitcom The Ellen Show starring Ellen Degeneres. He starred in the TV Land sitcom The Jim Gaffigan Show which was a reality fiction mix similar to The Garry Shandling Show. Gaffigan is sort of playing himself. After two successful seasons, Gaffigan pulled the plug to spend more time with his family. I expect he will continue doing stand up as he seems to really enjoy it. Here's Jim Gaffigan performing Bowling from the King Baby DVD.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Common

Artist:Common f/Mary J. Blige

Song:Come Close

Album:Go!: Common Classics

Lonnie Rashid Lynn is the rapper known as Common. He started out in the 90s and had success in the 00s mostly on the R&B and rap charts. He never crossed over to pop in a big way. He's still around but he is concentrating on film and TV. He was born Mar. 13, 1972 in Chicago. His father was ABA basketball player Lonnie Lynn. After his parents divorced, he was raised by his mom. Lynn attended Florida A&M University on a scholarship majoring in business administration. After two years, Lynn moved back to Chicago and started a rap group with his high school friends. After they split up, Lynn went solo as Common Sense. After he was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of Source Magazine, Lynn released two albums on Relativity Records. They were best known for guitarist Joe Satriani. His albums got enough critical acclaim that after three albums on Relativity, Lynn signed with MCA Records for the 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. That album was certified Gold. And the single The Light reached #12 on the R&B Singles chart and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. That would turn out to be his biggest hit single. Come Close is from the 2002 album Electric Circus. It reached #21 on the R&B Singles chart. Though most of that album was produced by The Roots, Come Close was written and produced by Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and The Neptunes. Lynn was moved to Geffen for the 2005 album Be. It sold even better than the previous two albums. But there were no hit singles. Lynn faded after that. Geffen released this comp when Lynn left the label in 2010. Since then he has recorded for Warner Bros., DefJam and he currently records for Concord's Loma Vista label. Lynn has a new album out called A Beautiful Revolution Part 2. In recent years he has gotten into films and TV as an actor and producer. He was a regular on the AMC series Hell on Wheels and he appeared in the 2014 film Selma. He also has a production deal with Amazon and the doll company American Girl that has already yielded one film. My guess his Lynn will do less rapping and more films and TV. Here's the video for Come Close by Common featuring Mary J. Blige. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jerry Butler

Artist:Jerry Butler f/Brenda Lee Eager

Song:Ain't Understanding Mellow

Album:The Very Best of Jerry Butler

Of course Jerry Butler is one of the all time great soul singers known as The Iceman. He started out with The Impressions and had solo success in the 60s including recording hit duets with Betty Everett. Butler signed with Mercury Records in 1967. He had great success working with the songwriting and production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff before they started Philadelphia International. In 1971 Butler started a creative workshop in Chicago to mentor young singers and songwriters. His 1971 album The Sagittarius Movement came from those workshops. The 1971 single Ain't Understanding Mellow reached #3 on the R&B Singles chart and #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the time Brenda Lee Eager was one of Butler's backup singers. She grew up singing in church in Mobile, AL. She moved to Chicago in 1971 and for the most part she is known for this one record. Ain't Understanding Mellow was written by Herscholt Polk and Homer Talbert. They were in Butler's workshop. The song was arranged by veteran orchestra leader James Mack. Most of the album was produced and arranged by veteran session guitarist Gerald Sims. Donny Hathaway appeared on one song. The Sagittarius Movement has not been released on CD. But you can get Ain't Understanding Mellow on this budget comp. With the single's success, Butler recorded the 1973 album The Love We Have, The Love We Had with Brenda Lee Eager. When there were no hits from the album, Brenda released the 1975 single Good Old Fashioned Lovin' on Playboy Records. It was produced by Bob Bowles who produced her duet album with Butler. Then she returned to backup singing for most of her career. Here's Jerry Butler featuring Brenda Lee Eager performing Ain't Understanding Mellow on the series Soul! 1971. Butler was frequently a host of that show. Episodes can be streamed on Amazon Prime. This video is not on YouTube. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Charlie Jewett joins me from Japan to discuss last weekend's ONE Championship and Deep Jewels shows. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gerry O'Connor

Artist:Gerry O'Connor

Song:The Yellow Wattle

Album:Journeyman

Not to be confused with Irish banjo player Gerry O'Connor, this Gerry O'Connor is an Irish fiddler. Though he records as a leader occasionally, he seems to prefer being part of a band. In recent years he has toured with The Irish Rovers. O'Connor is from Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. He comes from a long line of fiddlers. His mom Rose O'Connor has been a fiddle teacher for 40 years. He was in the band Skylark in the late 80s. They recorded four albums. He also recorded three albums with his wife Eithne Ni Uallachain as La Lugh. She died in 1999. They were signed to Sony Classical and were due for a big push. After that he was in Chris Rea's band and he was a frequent sideman and studio musician. The 2004 album Journeyman was O'Connor's first album on his own label. For the most part he records traditional jigs and reels with musicians who are very similar to him including his son Donal O'Connor on piano. Other musicians are Martin Quinn on accordion, Martin O'Hare on Bodhran, Neil Martin on cello and Paul McSherry on guitar. O'Connor has released three albums. The latest is Last Night's Joy in 2018. A musician who appears on that album is the banjo player Gerry O'Connor. He also tours and records with The Irish Rovers. This album is available as an import CD and a digital download. Here's Gerry O'Connor with Paul McSherry and Martin O'Hare performing The Yellow Wattle.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro

Here's the match video of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defending the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships against Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro. First of all, I do not like this frenemies nonsense they are doing with Io and Zoey. Who says a tag team needs to be friends? So the whole story is Kayden and Kacy are best buddies and they will use this conflict to win the tag team titles. And though there is miscommunication that is mostly Zoey's fault that almost leads to a title change, Io breaks it up and then saves Zoey's ass with her moonsault. The whole thing seems like killing time as I expect Io to move up to the main roster in October's draft. Afterwards, Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne attack Kayden and Kacy. Mandy is wearing a stupid mask like Sheamus. After last week, I expect Sarray to get involved. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson

Artist:Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson

Song:Makin' Whoopee

Album:Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson

Back in the 50s, Oscar Peterson led the Verve Records house band. So he recorded with anyone who walked into the studio. This 1957 album is the only time Peterson recorded as a duo with Louis Armstrong. But it wasn't the first time they were on the same album. Peterson and his band appeared on the 1956 album Ella and Louis. This was the first album featuring Armstrong recording as a duo with Ella Fitzgerald. Peterson also appeared on the 1957 album Ella and Louis Again. And it was at these sessions that Verve owner Norman Granz decided to record Armstrong and Peterson as a duo. For the most part this album features Armstrong's singing. He plays trumpet on half the album. So I recommend this album to fans of Armstrong's singing. The musicians are Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass and Louis Bellson on drums. They also played on Ella and Louis Again and many Verve recordings. Makin' Whoopie was written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn and popularized by Eddie Cantor in 1928. Makin' Whoopee did not appear on the original 1957 album. When Verve released this album on CD in 1997, it was one of four bonus tracks. It was reissued in 2020 with a new cover. It didn't need a new cover but that is the version that is available. Peterson has also recorded Makin' Whoopee with Ben Webster, Stephane Grappelli and Clark Terry. There are clips of Peterson performing with those three guys. So I might do those in the future. There are no live clips of Peterson and Armstrong. I don't think they ever performed live together. Here's a video of Makin' Whoopie by Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oliver Wallace

Artist:Oliver Wallace

Song:Countdown to B-Day

Album:Lady and the Tramp: The Legacy Collection

Oliver Wallace was a composer for Walt Disney from 1936 until his death in 1963. Most of his significant scores were in the 50s including the 1955 classic Lady and the Tramp. It was his final animated feature as he fell out of favor and was replaced by George Bruns. He was born Aug. 6, 1887 in London, England. He moved to the US in 1904. He lived in Seattle conducting theater orchestras and playing organ accompanying silent films. Many film composers started out this way. With the advent of sound, Wallace moved to Los Angeles and scored uncredited for B-movies until Disney hired him in 1936. At first Wallace scored Silly Symphonies. He worked on Dumbo and Make Mine Music. His most significant short was probably the 1942 Donald Duck cartoon Der Fuhrer's Face. Wallace continued to score mostly shorts until Cinderella in 1951. He scored Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp. He also scored the 1953 Oscar winning short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. Of course the songs for Lady and the Tramp were written by Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke. But Wallace composed all the instrumental music. For years the Lady and the Tramp soundtrack only had the vocal tracks. But in 1997 Disney released Lady and the Tramp as part of their Legacy Collection. The first CD has the complete soundtrack including Wallace's instrumentals. The second CD has demos that were not used in the film. Lady and the Tramp was Wallace's final animated feature. He composed the score for the 1959 film Darby O'Gill and the Little People. And he also scored Disney nature films until his death on Sept. 15, 1963 at age 76. Here's a video for Countdown to B-Day by Oliver Wallace from the score of Lady and the Tramp. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ricardo Bacelar

Artist:Ricardo Bacelar

Song:Agua de Beber

Album:Concerto Para Moviola: Ao Vivo

Brazilian pianist Ricardo Bacelar mixes traditional Brazilian music with contemporary jazz. He is from Fortaleza in northern Brazil. Both parents were amateur musicians. His father played piano and his mother played guitar. So they had jam sessions in the living room. Apparently his grandparents owned two grand pianos. So he learned to play piano and he was in the band Cafe Alecar in the early 90s. Eventually he started his own label. It looks like he has released about a half dozen albums on his own label with CD Baby distribution. Concerto Para Moviola was released in 2015. It was recorded live in Bacelar's home town of Fortaleza. You can watch the entire concert on YouTube. Though Bacelar writes songs, on this album, he performs mostly covers like the classic Agua de Beber written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. He also performs jazz and fusion classics like Birdland, Killer Joe and Senor Blues. Musicians are Marcio Resende on sax and flute, Ronaldo Pessoa on guitar, Maria Helena Lage Pessoa on keyboards, Miqueias Dos Santos on bass, Luizinho Duarte on drums and Hoto Junior on percussion. This album is available on CD and digital download. Bacelar released a second live album in 2018 but it is out of print. Jazz fans should check him out. Here's Ricardo Bacelar performing Agua de Beber in Fortaleza, Brazil Aug. 26, 2018.

  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Molly McCann vs Ji Yeon Kim

Here's the match video of Molly McCann vs Ji Yeon Kim from yesterday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Molly is a very popular fighter from Liverpool, England. Her fighting style can fool judges because she throws a lot of punches but most of them miss. Kim is from Korea but she now trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas with John Wood. She's probably a more accurate puncher than Molly. Her problem is she is too easy to hit. Her footwork is terrible and so is her head movement. And that's why she lost this fight. Wood tried to tell her between rounds what she needed to do. But she couldn't do it. This is the number one thing Wood will have to work on with her. Her punches aren't powerful enough for her to get away with poor defense. And BTW, her Korean coach was in her corner translating. At least they got the $50,000 bonus for Fight of the Night. But it didn't make me think Molly can beat good fighters. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cyrus Chestnut

Artist:Cyrus Chestnut

Song:Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Album:Soul Food

Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut has been recording as a leader since the 90s. He is also very successful as a sideman and accompanist. He can play anything with anyone. He was born Jan. 17, 1963 in Baltimore. He attended Mount Calvary Baptist Church as a child. His father played piano and his mother led the choir. Chestnut started playing piano at age three. By age nine he was studying classical piano at the Peabody Institute. Then he studied at Berklee in Boston where he earned a degree in jazz composition and arranging. Upon graduation, Chestnut immediately got work as a sideman with Jon Hendricks and Wynton Marsalis. He toured with Betty Carter for several years and she always encouraged him to be himself. He made his debut as a leader in 1992 and signed with Atlantic Records in 1993. Chestnut recorded seven albums for Atlantic. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is from the 2001 album Soul Food. This was Chestnut's final album for Atlantic. Though he plays solo on this track, the band on the rest of the album is Christian McBride on bass and Lewis Nash on drums with some added horns. After leaving Atlantic, It looks like Chestnut started his own label. He currently records for Highnote Records. His latest CD Kaleidoscope was released in 2018. Here's Cyrus Chestnut performing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot at Pwop Studios in New London, CT Dec. 19, 2008. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aerosmith

Artist:Aerosmith

Song:Dream On

Album:O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits

Though Dream On is not Aerosmith's biggest hit, it was their first top ten hit when it was re-released in 1975. They were already a successful album and touring band. In the 60s, lead singer Steve Tyler led the band Chain Reaction. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton had an instrumental band that had no name. They were commonly called Joe Perry's Jam Band. They added drummer Joey Kramer in 1969 and he was friends with Tyler. The two bands merged in 1970. They moved to Boston and Kramer came up with the name Aerosmith. Ray Abano was added as second guitarist. He was friends with Tyler. But he was soon replaced by Brad Whitford who like Kramer was a Berklee student. After having success in local clubs, Aerosmith's manager David Krebs arranged a showcase at Max's Kansas City in New York. Columbia President Clive Davis was there and he signed Aerosmith to a contract. Dream On is from Aerosmith's 1973 album Aerosmith. It reached #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. The 1974 album Get Your Wings was certified 3XPlatinum. And the 1975 album Toys in the Attic was certified 8XPlatinum. But they still hadn't had that big hit single. Krebs still thought that Dream On could be a big hit if Columbia released the full version as a single. The original release was a radio edit. Columbia finally agreed to re-release Dream On as a single in the full version. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tyler wrote the song when he was a teen. He never thought he would ever record it. Meanwhile Perry was unhappy that Dream On was a hit because it was a ballad and Aerosmith is a hard rock band. It's very common for power ballads to have chart success. After that Aerosmith faded until they first split up in 1979. They weren't getting along. They recorded for Geffen in the 80s and had renewed success. You can get Columbia and Geffen hits on this budget comp. Here's the video for Dream On by Aerosmith. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jonathan McReynolds

Artist:Jonathan McReynolds

Song:Make Room 

Album:Make Room

Singer songwriter Jonathan McReynolds has been topping the gospel album charts since his 2012 debut album Life Music. The 2018 album and single Make Room really hit the spot with gospel music fans. He was born Sept. 17, 1989 in Chicago. Raised by a single mom, McReynolds attended the New Original Church of God in Christ. He learned to play the drums at age five and then the piano at age eight. He didn't really want to sing. But he came out of his shell while in high school as a member of the group Mind Over Matter. They released an EP which McReynolds produced. Then he recorded an EP in his home that he gave to family members. He never intended to release it. When WGRB DJ John Hannah got his hands on it, he released the EP and booked McReynolds in local clubs. This led to a record deal with eOne's Light label. McReynolds has been very successful on the gospel charts. The 2018 album and single Make Room topped the gospel charts. He won eight Stellar awards and was nominated for two Grammys. McReynolds writes and produces all his music usually with his drummer Darrell "Lil Man" Howell. And like a lot of gospel albums, Make Room is a live recording. It is available as a digital download. His latest album People was released in 2020. McReynolds was a judge on season 9 of BET's Sunday Best. And he's a member of Mensa. So I guess he's a pretty smart guy. I expect Jonathan McReynolds to have a long career in gospel music. He's off to a pretty good start. Here's the video for Make Room by Jonathan McReynolds. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

Invicta review and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Evie

Artist:Evie

Song:Pass It On

Album:Gentle Moments

Evie Tornquist was probably the most popular CCM singer until Amy Grant came along in the 80s. I find her music a little too easy listening for me. She had success in the 70s. I think she's forgotten even by CCM fans. She was born Mar. 29, 1956 in Rahway, NJ. Her parents were Norwegian immigrants. Evie grew up singing in church and she returned to Norway frequently with her parents. She was 14 when she was asked to appear on a Norwegian variety show. She became a big star in Norway. While in high school, Evie traveled to Norway once a month to make appearances. When Word Records found out about her success, they signed Evie to a record deal in 1974. Today we would call her music CCM. That name didn't exist back then so Word called Evie's music "Inspirational". She's 17 years old and they don't even aim her music at young people. It's aimed at an older crowd. She worked with Swedish producer Lennart Sjoholm. I guess Word liked her music. They just needed it to be in English. Pass It On is from the 1976 album Gentle Moments. It's typical of Evie's music. I don't like it but this is what Word wanted. The album is available as a digital download. She was doing OK and then she married Swedish pastor Pelle Karlsson. Evie moved to Sweden and retired in 1981. She said in interviews she is very happy as a pastor's wife. Popular CCM singer Rebecca St. James credits Evie as an influence. As I said, she's forgotten today. She was inducted into The Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Here's Evie performing Pass It On on a 1976 Billy Graham show. These are the kind of appearances she made at her peak. Thanks to the British website Cross Rhythms for much of the Evie info. They are a great source for CCM and gospel. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sarray vs Mandy Rose

Here's the match video of Sarray vs Mandy Rose from last night's episode of NXT. RAW recently traded Mandy Rose to NXT for Aliyah. You didn't know that? They weren't doing much with Mandy on RAW. She hasn't become a good enough wrestler to get past her looks. She has formed a faction with Gigi Dolin (formerly Priscilla Kelly) and Jacy Jayne (formerly Avery Taylor). I guess this match is the start of some sort of angle. It ends with a poorly executed injury angle. Sarray does her basement dropkick. Mandy falls to the floor and Jacy and Gigi cover Mandy's face with a towel. The least they could have done was use fake blood. Sarray wind by countout. Later on Gigi and Jacy attack Sarray in the locker room. So that's the start of the angle. We'll see where it goes. Enjoy the video!.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brian Courtney Wilson

Artist:Brian Courtney Wilson

Song:A Great Work

Album:A Great Work

After recording two albums on Music World and appearing with the United Tenors, gospel artist Brian Courtney Wilson switched labels for the 2015 album Worth Fighting For. His 2018 album and single A Great Work was very successful. He won a Stellar award for the song. From what I could tell, he was looking for better promotion and distribution. The label he moved to is now called Motown Gospel. It was previously called EMI Gospel. EMI entered into a partnership with Universal so the Motown name could be used. I recall laughing when the announcement was made because Motown is not known for gospel. The label operation is the same. All the same artists are there. Wilson signed before the name change. The big change when Wilson moved there is he worked on both albums with producer Aaron Lindsey. Lindsey has produced gospel artists since the late 90s. He's worked a lot with Israel & New Breed. That's a very anthemic style of gospel music. That may be the sound that Wilson was after. Certainly A Great Work is a very anthemic song and it did very well in the gospel market. It's a much bigger sound than his early albums. His 2021 album Still is live so he's working with different producers. It remains to be seen if Wilson returns to Lindsey. Here's the video for A Great Work by Bryan Courtney Wilson.