Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Ribas vs Virna Jandiroba

Here's the match video of Amanda Ribas vs Virna Jandiroba from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Strawweight. Both fighters are Brazilian. Amanda is 28 years old. She trains with her father and also American Top Team. After losing her last fight, I need to see if she can bounce back from that. She was supposed to fight in May but came down with COVID-19. She is a well rounded fighter but she needs to keep this fight standing. And that's because Virna's striking is sub par. She is 33 years old from Bahia, Brazil. She trains at Academia Fight House coached by Renato Velame. Virna is a former Invicta champ but she is 3-2 in the UFC. She needs to get it to the ground and use her BJJ. And that's what Virna did in round one. She got in top position for most of the round. Amanda tried a head scissors submission which wasn't going to work. And then when they got up, Virna knocked her down. So Virna won round one 10-9. But Amanda woke up in round two. We saw the kind of striking she laid on Mackenzie Dern. She was using her jab, throwing combinations, body punching. She landed a head kick in round three that should have knocked Virna out. Amanda won both rounds and won the fight 29-28. Virna and her coaches had no answer for this. She really needs to improve her striking or she won't be in the UFC much longer. This is a good first step to get Amanda back into the title picture. She has the skills along with great charisma. The Strawweight title picture is crowded right now. But there is a way to get there maybe starting with Tecia Torres. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Madonna

Artist:Madonna

Song:Like A Virgin

Album:Celebration

The 1984 single Like A Virgin was Madonna's first number one single. She went on to have bigger hits but Like A Virgin launched her to stardom. She was born Aug. 16, 1958 in Bay City, MI. She took ballet lessons as a child. Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to have a career as a dancer. But she got into a relationship with musician Dan Gilroy, he made her lead singer of his band The Breakfast Club. She left that band with drummer Stephen Bray and formed The Emmys. Bray would be a big factor in establishing Madonna's music career. She started dating Danceteria DJ Mark Kamins. He got her a meeting with Sire Records owner Seymour Stein. Sire was distributed by Warner Bros. Her three singles did well enough on the dance charts that Warners hired Mtume leader Reggie Lucas to produce her debut album Madonna. When Madonna was unhappy with the finished product, she brought in John "Jellybean" Benitez to remix everything. He also produced Madonna's first top ten single Holiday. The album did well and there were three hit singles. Then she appeared in the 1985 film Vision Quest. Crazy For You was a big hit from the soundtrack. Madonna became more popular because of her look. She was a fashion trend. The music seemed secondary. There was criticism that she was imitating Marilyn Monroe. She did not have a great singing voice. Madonna wanted to produce her next album. But Warners wouldn't allow that. So she brought in Nile Rodgers of Chic as she liked his work with David Bowie. He brought in Chic members Bernard Edwards on bass and Tony Thompson on drums. Madonna deliberately wanted to be provocative. That's why her sex appeal is up front. And it's also why Like A Virgin was the first single. It came with a sexy video. And Madonna performed Like A Virgin on the MTV Music Awards in a provocative manner. The result was that Like A Virgin topped the charts for six weeks. The album sold over 20M copies worldwide. Though Madonna and Stephen Bray wrote several of the songs on the album, Like A Virgin was written by the team of Thomas Kelly and William Steinberg. They were very successful in the 80s writing songs with The Bangles' lead singer Susanna Hoffs. Of course Madonna went on to bigger hits. Like A Virgin is not even a top five hit in her career. But it was an important bridge to bigger things for her. Here's the video for Like A Virgin by Madonna. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sarray vs Katrina Cortez

Here's the match video of Sarray vs Katrina Cortez from last night's episode of 205 Live. A few months ago, there were reports that the WWE was going to add a second NXT show for the WWE Network. That's what they have done with 205 Live but the name hasn't been changed. I am posting this video for Sarray fans who don't have the WWE Network. They are still working on Sarray's entrance. She's great in the ring. Katrina is from Chile. She came to the WWE in 2019. She's been on TV a few times. They changed her name and her look last year. The match is very similar to the TV match Sarray had a couple of weeks ago. Katrina get way too much offense for me. But I know Sarray doesn't like doing squash matches. After Katrina misses a splash from the top rope, Sarray wins with her basement dropkick. Katrina was out of position so she had to slide over to the right spot. That didn't look good. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Robert Wilkins

Artist:Robert Wilkins

Song:That's No Way To Get Along

Album:The Original Rolling Stone

Bluesman Robert Wilkins recorded seventeen songs from 1928-35. One of those songs, That's No Way To Get Along, was covered by The Rolling Stones. And that generated enough interest in Wilkins that he was rediscovered in the 60s. He was born Jan. 16, 1896 in Hernando, MS. This was close enough to Memphis that Wilkins moved there as a teen. For a while he led a jug band. After appearing on a Memphis radio station, Wilkins recorded for Vocalion and Brunswick from 1928-35. That's No Way To Get Along was released on Brunswick in 1930. He witnessed a murder while performing in 1936. He gave up the blues and became a minister. He was rediscovered by blues enthusiast Dick Spottiswood in 1964. And this led to him recording an album for Spottiswood's Piedmont label and playing folk festivals. The Rolling Stones covered That's No Way To Get Along as Prodigal Son on the 1968 album Beggars Banquet. That generated even more interest in Wilkins and he continued to perform until he died on May 26, 1987. In his performances, Wilkins reworked his songs so they would have a gospel message. His son John Wilkins continued his legacy after his death. You can get all of Wilkins' original recordings on this CD from Yazoo. Here's a video for That's No Way To Get Along by Robert Wilkins. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Los Indios Tabajaras

 

Artist:Los Indios Tabajaras

Song:Maria Elena

Album:Serie Platino: 20 Exitos

Maria Elena was a top ten pop hit in 1963. It was the only big hit for the Brazilian duo Los Indios Tabajaras. They are not a one hit wonder as one of their other songs charted. But Maria Elena is the definition of a fluke hit. Los Indios Tabajaras are brothers Antenor and Natalicio Lima from Tiangua in northeast Brazil. They are from the Tabajara tribe which is where the group name comes from. They found a guitar in the jungle and taught themselves to play. Eventually they moved to Rio de Janeiro. The brothers performed in ceremonial costumes and on the radio. The radio appearances got them a record deal with RCA in 1943. They moved to the US in the mid 50s. They recorded Maria Elena in 1958. They recorded an album. Maria Elena was written by Mexican songwriter Lorenzo Barcelata in 1932. It was dedicated to the wife of Mexican president Emilio Portes Gil. The song was popularized in the US when Bob Russell wrote English lyrics. Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly on vocals topped the charts in 1941. The Los Indios Tabajaras instrumental recording reached #6 in 1963. New York radio station WNEW was using Maria Elena as bumper music for newscasts. Listeners wanted to know about the song. And it grew from there. As I said, it's the definition of a fluke hit. But it did allow Los Indios Tabajaras to record and perform for years. Chet Atkins liked them and brought them to Nashville to record. This budget comp is a good intro to their music. Antenor Lima retired in 1979 and died in 1997. Natalicio continued to perform with his wife until his 2009 death. Here's a video for Maria Elena by Los Indios Tabajara. Thanks to The Independent's obit of Natalacio Lima for the WNEW story.

The Big Topic In WMMA

UFC review and preview plus RIZIN and PFL. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Serena Deeb

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Serena Deeb from last night's AEW Dynamite. It is a first round tournament match for the TBS Championship. First, I am not a fan of having feuding wrestlers compete in the first round of a tournament. It's lazy booking when the WWE does it and lazy when AEW does it. The tournament should be a separate entity. It was a good match. Hikaru got her win back. The whole 50th win thing is dopey Tony Khan nonsense. This is what happens when fanboys are booking. They let Hikaru look a lot stronger than the match a couple of weeks ago. The suplex that had Hikaru pulling Serena into the ring showed her strength. I would have preferred a more decisive finish. A rollup pin is lazy booking. And of course Serena attacked Hikaru's knee post match to set her up for her next round match against Nyla Rose. They have a couple of ways they can go with the injury angle. We'll see what they do. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Miguel Zenon

Artist:Miguel Zenon

Song:Tiemblas

Album:Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook

Sax player Miguel Zenon has recorded as a leader since 2002. He is also a member of SF Jazz Collective and he is an in demand sideman. He was born Dec. 30, 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He learned to play sax in high school and he also got into jazz. He attended Berklee in Boston and then the Manhattan School of Music where he earned a Master's degree in performance. Zenon has lived in New York City since 2001. He recorded as a sideman with William Cepeda, David Sanchez and he was a member of Either/Orchestra. He made his recording debut as a leader with the 2002 album Looking Forward on the Spanish label Fresh Sound New Talent. For the 2004 album Ceremonial, Zenon signed with Branford Marsalis' label Marsalis Music. Tiemblas is from the 2011 album Alma Aldentro. This is a tribute to Puerto Rican musicians. Tiemblas was written by Tite Curet Alonso. He wrote many salsa songs for many artists. Tiemblas was recorded by Tito Rodriguez. Zenon records with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Guillermo Klein. Zenon has appeared on his albums. The band was Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Henry Cole on drums. These are all guys Zenon met at Berklee. This album is available as a digital download. This was Zenon's final album for Marsalis. After one album for Sunnyside, Zenon now records for his own label. He released his latest album, a tribute to Ornette Coleman, in 2021. He is also still a member of SF Jazz Collective. Here's Miguel Zenon with the HR Big Band performing Tiemblas in Germany 2020. This video is not on YouTube.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Karine Silva vs Yan Qihui

Here's the match video of Karine Silva vs Yan Qihui from last night's Dana White Contender Series. This fight is at Flyweight. Karine is 27 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. Her coach is Gile Ribeiro. Her record is 14-3 mostly on the Brazilian regional circuit. Yan is one of several fighters who have been training at the UFC PI in China who were brought to Las Vegas for Contenders series. She's 25 years old and her record is 20-3. She's a striker. Karine seems like a more complete fighter. And round one reflected that. Both landed strikes. But Karine probably won the round with more activity in bottom position. In round two, Karine got Yan in a standing guillotine. Yan slammed her to the mat in attempt to  break the hold. But she made it worse and Karine won by submission. Yan really showed her inexperience. And Karine got a UFC contract. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Toxic Attraction vs Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta

Here's the match video of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defending their NXT Women's Tag Team Championships vs Toxic Attraction vs Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta in a ladder match from last night's Halloween Havoc show. It was commercial free so that was good. I expected a title change in this and the NXT Women's Championship match. Of course it's kind of cliche for the heel group to have all the belts. But it's the sort of thing that the WWE has done before. Other than Io and to a lesser extent Zoey, I don't know if any of these girls have been in a ladder match. So for the first half of the match, there seemed to be a lot of standing around. But things picked up later in the match when Zoey did a dive to the outside. It looks like she might have hurt her knee. That may have resulted in Zoey missing a twisting dive off the top rope. She probably should not have tried that. Other than that, there was a lot of repetitive unsuccessful climbing of the ladder. Io did a moonsault onto Jacy and a ladder. And then there was this crazy bump. Io was at the top of the ladder. Indi tipped the ladder onto a ladder suspended between the announce table and the ring. It looked like Io got killed. And Indi's reaction sold that. But on other camera angles of the bump, Io turned her body and it wasn't as bad as it looked. I'm sure she's sore but fine. I knew she would do something crazy. I think it's time to move Io to the main roster. Congratulations to Toxic Attraction for winning all the belts. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Us3

Artist:Us3

Song:Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)

Album:Hand on the Torch

Cantaloop was a top ten hit in 1992. The 1992 album Hand on the Torch was on Blue Note Records and sampled from the Blue Note catalog. Obviously this was not the first time hip hop sampled jazz. But it was the first time a jazz label was behind it. Us3 is led by British producer Geoff Wilkinson. As NW1 he released the 1991 single The Band Played the Boogie on Ninja Tune. This sampled Grant Green's Sookie Sookie which was on Blue Note. After the record got local radio airplay, Wilkinson was summoned to EMI's London office. They were going to sue him for using an unauthorized sample. Instead he was granted the rights to the Blue Note catalog as long as the album was on Blue Note. Wilkinson and partner Mel Simpson called themselves Us3 after a Horace Parlan album. The single Cantaloop reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Of course the record is based on Herbie Hancock's Cantaloupe Island. The voice at the start of the song is Pee Wee Marquette introducing Art Blakey from A Night at Birdland. They also sample Lou Donaldson's Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky. The rap is by Rahsaan Kelly. It was his only major appearance. The trumpet solo is by Gerard Prescencer. He was in Charlie Watts' band. The album Hand on the Torch was certified Platinum. Simpson left and Wilkinson recorded the 1997 album Broadway & 52nd. Wilkinson left Blue Note after management changes at parent company Capitol. At first he signed with Sony. But he never recorded there and the 2001 album An Ordinary Day in an Unusual Place was released on Universal's EmArcy label. Since then Wilkinson has released albums on his own label, most recently in 2013. Here's the video for Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by Us3. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Triumph

Artist:Triumph

Song:Hold On

Album:Classics

The hard rock band Triumph were successful in their native Canada and to a lesser extent in the US. Some of their singles charted. But they were a successful album and touring band. Triumph is from Toronto. They were a four piece band when they released a 1975 single as Abernathy Shagnaster. After that band split up, bassist Mike Levine and drummer Gil Moore saw guitarist Rik Emmett performing with the band ACT III. After jamming at Moore's house in Mississauga, Triumph was born. They signed with Attic Records and released the 1976 album Triumph. Emmett and Moore wrote most of the songs and Levine produced. Emmett and Moore both sang lead. Triumph were criticized for being too generic. They sounded too much like other bands, especially Rush. For the 1979 album Just A Game, Triumph signed a US record deal with RCA Records. The single Hold On got significant radio play. It reached #38 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album eventually was certified Gold in the US. That is probably better than RCA expected. Subsequent albums did even better. The 1981 album Allied Forces was certified Platinum. So they were doing OK but their relationship with RCA soured and they moved to MCA for the 1984 album Thunder Seven. Though that album did OK, Triumph faded until Emmett left in 1988. He was replaced by Phil Xenedis of Aldo Nova and Frozen Ghost. The band went on hiatus in 1992. You can get all their hits on this comp. Emmett returned to Triumph in 2008. They have performed occasionally but they have not released new music. Here's Triumph performing Hold On 2010.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Camila

Artist:Camila

Song:Alejate de Mi

Album:Greatest Hits

Camila has been very successful in Mexico and other Latin markets. Alejate de Mi is one of their biggest hits. Mario Domm was a successful producer before he started Camila. He had worked with Alejandro Sanz, Alejandra Guzman and many others. Domm is from Torreon, Mexico but he now lives in Los Angeles. After releasing the 2002 solo album Mex-Funky-Music, Domm decided to form a group. He knew singer Samuel "Samo" Parra Cruz from the group Reyii Barba. Parra Cruz is a classically trained opera singer. Guitarist Pablo Hurtado auditioned and was hired. He was a session musician. Domm already had a relationship with Sony Latin so he signed with them. They were going to call themselves Altavoz. But that name was already in use so they settled on Camila. Their 2006 debut album Todo Cambio was certified 3XPlatinum in Mexico. It sold a million copies worldwide. The title song Todo Cambio was the biggest hit single. The 2010 album Dejarte de Amar did even better. It was certified 4XPlatinum in Mexico. It sold 1.5M copies worldwide. It won several Latin Grammys. There were several hit singles from the album including Alejate de Mi. Domm wrote and produced everything. Parra Cruz was lead singer. He left in 2013 to go solo. Domm is now the lead singer. Camila's latest album was released in 2019. This comp has all their hits. It is available as a digital download. Here's the video for Alejate de Mi by Camila. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Randa Markos vs Livinha Souza

Here's the match video for Randa Markos vs Livinha Souza from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. I think it's fair to say that both fighters have been disappointing. Randa has been in the UFC since TUF 20. She's from Windsor, ON and she trains at Michigan Top Team in Dearborn, MI with former UFC fighter Daron Cruikshank. She's on a four fight losing streak. She has the physical tools but a low fight IQ. Livinha is a former Invicta champ from Brazil. I think she is more suited to Atomweight. Schwan Humes and I were joking about this being a Loser Leave Town match. Maybe the loser gets released. Round one was close. I thought Livinha won the round 10-9 very marginally. But Randa won the other two rounds pretty easily and she won the fight 29-28. It may have saved her job. And now she should try and string a few wins to get out of the early prelims. And if Livinha does get released, we should see her in Invicta soon. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tabatha Ricci vs Maria Oliveira

Here's the fight video of Tabatha Ricci vs Maria Oliveira from yesterday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Both fighters are Brazilian. Tabatha trains at Platinum BJJ in Santa Barbara, CA. In her first UFC fight, she lost to Manon Fiorot. But that was at Flyweight and this was at Strawweight. And I think she's a little small for Strawweight. This is Maria's UFC debut. But she lost to Karina Rodriguez in the Brazilian Contenders Series in 2018. It shows why Gaillard Parana moved PRVT to Los Vegas. If they were still in Brazil, Maria would never make it to the UFC because she isn't good enough. Moving to Vegas gets her into the UFC. Maria is a lot bigger than Tabatha. But Tabatha is a lot quicker and more effective. Tabatha won easily but I would have liked to see her go for a finish. I can see her having problems with the better Strawweights. She probably should be an Atomweight. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jessica-Rose Clark vs Joselyne Edwards

Here's the match video of Jessica-Rose Clark vs Joselyne Edwards from yesterday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Jessie Jess is from Australia but she moved to the US a few years ago. She is currently training at Team Alpha Male (TAM) in Sacramento. She had knee surgery last year and before that she had foot surgery. Joselyne is from Panama but she lives in El Paso, TX. For this camp, she trained at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA. It's obvious that someone at TAM saw that Joselyne has poor takedown defense. Jessie Jess is normally a striker but not a very effective one. So she went for a takedown which she normally doesn't do. After doing nothing for a couple of minutes, ref Keith Peterson stood them up. It was enough for Jessie Jess to win round one. She repeated this strategy over the rest of the fight. This was not an accident. It was a strategy called lay and pray. I guess TAM thought Jessie Jess couldn't outstrike Joselyn. So they went this route. The ref can prevent this by warning the fighter or breaking it up quicker. It depends on the ref. She used the first takedown to gauge what she could get away with. And then she got away with it. Not only is this a strategy to get a cheap win but it makes for a boring fight that turns fans away from WMMA. Plus once opponents are aware that she uses this strategy, it's not difficult to counter it. So lay and pray is short sighted and selfish. And it doesn't make me think that Jessie Jess can beat a ranked fighter. So I'm sure Jessy Jess and TAM are happy with the win. But I can assure you the worm will turn. Check out the video for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Keller Williams Presents Grateful Grass

Artist:Keller Williams Presents Grateful Grass

Song:Eyes of the World

Album:Rex (Live at the Fillmore)

Keller Williams is a bluegrass musician known as The One Man Jam Band because of his use of looping technology. He is also a big Grateful Dead fan. He recorded a Grateful Dead tribute album in 2007 with all proceeds going to charity. He was born Feb. 4, 1970 in Fredericksburg, VA. New Age guitarist Michael Hedges is his biggest influence. Williams earned a theater degree at Virginia Wesleyan College. He released his first solo album in 1994. He has also recorded and toured with The String Cheese Incident and toured with Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey's McGee and Ratdog. The 2007 album Rex is a Grateful Dead tribute album recorded at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver with Keith Moseley of The String Cheese Incident and Jeff Austin of Yonder Mountain String Band. This is only available as a digital download. All proceeds go to The Rex Foundation which was founded by The Grateful Dead. Williams has recorded two albums as Grateful Grass. And his latest solo album was released in 2020. He tours with several bands so you never know where he might appear. Here's Keller Williams performing Eyes of the World at the 2017 ROMP Festival in Owensburg, KY. The band is not identified. It is the Yonder Mountain String Band. Solos are by Allie Kral on fiddle, Dave Johnston on banjo and Adam Aijala on guitar.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Mississippi Moaner

Artist:The Mississippi Moaner

Song:Mississippi Moan 

Album:Mississippi Blues Vol. 1 (1928-1937)

The history of early blues is littered with guys who walked into a recording studio, recorded a few songs and then disappeared. Some of the songs are pretty good like this one by The Mississippi Moaner. His real name was Isaiah Nettles. We don't know much about him except that he used to hang around a train station in Rockport, MS singing for change. One day H.C. Speir came by. He owned a record store in Jackson and he would broker blues singers to record companies. He discovered Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Son House and plenty of others. He had a disc machine in his record store. He would record a demo and send it to labels and he was very successful. Remember none of these musicians were sophisticated enough or had the money to do this. So they needed a guy like Speir until Alan Lomax started doing field recordings. Speir is in the Blues Hall of Fame for his activities. Nettles recorded five songs at Speir's record store in Oct. 1935. They were produced by Art Satherley who came up with the name The Mississippi Moaner. Vocalion Records bought the recordings but only released Mississippi Moan on a 78. Nettles is clearly influenced by Blind Lemon Jefferson who was very popular at the time. Nettles never recorded again. Speir retired in 1936 so the stream of blues records from Mississippi would have slowed down. Nettles would have had to sell a lot to get another shot. The four available Nettles recordings are on this Document Records CD with several artists with similar histories. After doing some research for her 1998 book Chasin' That Devil Music: Search for the Blues, Gayle Dean Wardlow surmised that Nettles served during WWII and at some point he moved from Mississippi to "up north". That's all we know. Here's a video for Mississippi Moan by The Mississippi Moaner.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Au Revoir Simone

Artist:Au Revoir Simone

Song:Trace a Line

Album:Still Night, Still Light

All three members of the indie band Au Revoir Simone play electronic keyboards and drum machines and they sing in harmony. So if that's what you are looking for, this could be for you. Au Revoir Simone are from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY. The band name comes from a line in the 1985 film Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. They formed in 2003 when Annie Hart and Erika Forster met on a train and decided to form an all keyboard band. Erika had been in the band Dirty On Purpose. Annie was in the band Uninhabitable Mansions. They were joined by Heather D'Angelo and Sung Bin Park. Park left in 2004. So they were a three piece band when they released the 2005 album Verses of Comfort, Assurance & Salvation on their own label. They got positive reviews and they toured. They released an album in 2007. Trace a Line is from the 2009 album Still Night, Still Light. The album did OK but the band went on hiatus until they returned with the 2013 album Move In Spectrums. And then they went on hiatus again. And they are still on hiatus. It is not known if the band will return. Erika formed the band Nice as Fuck with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley and Tennessee Thomas of The Like. They released a 2016 album that may have been a one off. Annie Hart just released a solo album and she is on tour. They still have an active Facebook page so that tells me they may return. Here's Au Revoir Simone performing Trace a Line in Dijon, France 2009. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Scott H. Biram

Artist:Scott H. Biram

Song:Truck Driver

Album:The Dirty Old One Man Band

Back in the 90s, there was a trend of one man bands on the fringe of the music industry. Scott H. Biram has taken his one man band much farther than you would think. His music is a mix of blues and punk. He was born Apr. 4, 1974 in Lockhart, TX. In 1997 he graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from Texas State. Biram was in the punk band The Thangs and he led a couple of bluegrass bands. Then he started releasing albums on his own KnuckleSandwich label. This is where the one man band thing started. On stage he plays a guitar and has an amplified stomp board. I don't know if that makes him a one man band but Biram has been doing it for over twenty years. Biram was almost killed in 2003 collision with a truck. The 2004 album The Dirty Old One Man Band got the attention of roots music label Bloodshot Records. They had him make some changes to the album including adding the song Truck Driver. Biram appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and he started touring internationally. That's what he has been doing ever since. His latest album was released in 2020. Bloodshot Records just announced they are closing. Biram either has to find a new label or more likely he will return to recording for his own label. He has enough of a following that he doesn't need a label. Here's Scott H. Biram performing Truck Driver on Last.fm Sessions Nov. 2016. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Piera Rodriguez vs Valesca Machado

Here's the match video of Piera Rodriguez vs Valesca Machado from last night's episode of Dana White Contenders Series. This fight is at Strawweight. Piera is 28 years old from Venezuela. She seems to bounce around different gyms. Her record is 6-0. Her last win was in the LFA in April. Valesca is 26 years old from Rio de Janeiro. She trains at the all female team MSP led by former Smackgirl fighter Ana Michele Taveras. Her record is 8-2-1NC in the Brazilian regional circuit. I favored Piera in this fight just because she has more international experience. And that's how it turned out. The judges all scored it 29-28 for Piera. I scored it that way too. Piera got a UFC contract. And I would not be surprised to see Valesca in the UFC in the near future. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Persia Pirotta vs Jacy Jayne

Here's the match video of Io Shirai vs Persia Pirotta vs Jacy Jayne from last night's episode of NXT. Next week's Halloween Havoc will have a three way match for Io and Zoey Stark's NXT Women's Tag Team Championships vs Gigi Dolin and Jacy of Toxic Attraction vs Indi Hartwell and Persia. This match was a timewaster. The match winner gets to spin the wheel to determine the type of match. As Wade Barrett pointed out, there is no advantage for spinning the wheel. So the match was just to kill TV time. Jacy almost killed herself doing a suicide dive. Her feet got stuck in the ropes. She was taken away during the commercial break. The match continued as Io vs Persia. The match is decent. Persia is a big girl so she was given plenty of offense. The end of the match came when Io hoisted Persia with a German suplex followed by her moonsault. The suplex was very impressive considering the size difference. After spinning the wheel, we are getting a ladder match next week. I understand Jacy is fine. Maybe she shouldn't do moves like that. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pink Martini

Artist:Pink Martini

Song:Ocho Kandelikas (Eight Little Candles)

Album:Joy to the World

With the holiday season upon us, I feature occasional Christmas songs. But I have never featured a Hanukkah song...until today. Pink Martini is a vocal group that mixes jazz and other musical styles. They included a couple of Hanukkah songs on their 2010 Christmas album Joy to the World. Pink Martini is led by pianist Thomas Lauderdale. He was a political fundraiser in his hometown of Portland. He thought the music on political fundraisers was boring. He formed Pink Martini to solve that problem. He called his Harvard classmate China Forbes to be lead singer. Storm Lange is the other lead singer. She was on the reality show Rock Star: Supernova. She joined Pink Martini in 2013. They have been recording since 1997 on their own label. I would describe Pink Martini's music as jazz. But it has other elements like classical and rock. Lauderdale wants to make diverse music. Ocho Kandelikas is from the 2010 album Joy to the World. It is a Christmas album. But Ocho Kandelikas is one of two Hanukkah songs on the album. It is the best known song written by Bosnian folksinger Flory Jagoda. Idina Menzel is among those who have recorded the song. It was written in Ladino which is a mix of Spanish and Hebrew. Lauderdale gives the song a Latin vibe. The guest singer is Ari Shapiro, one of the hosts of NPR's All Things Considered. He specializes in singing in foreign languages. Also on this album is a Japanese version of White Christmas. Joy to the World is available as budget CD. Their latest album was released in 2018. But according to their Facebook page, new music is on the way. And Pink Martini is touring again. So check them out if they are coming your way. Here's Pink Martini featuring Ari Shapiro, China Forbes, Storm Lange and Cantor Ida Rae Cahana performing Ocho Kandelikas on the NPR holiday special Joy to the World: A Holiday Spectacular at OPB Studios in Portland Dec. 2015.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Carly Simon

Artist:Carly Simon

Song:Nobody Does It Better

Album:Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits

Carly Simon scored one of her biggest hits with Nobody Does It Better. It was the theme for the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. The song played over the opening and end credits. The usual composer of James Bond music was John Barry. He was unavailable due to tax reasons. So Marvin Hamlisch was brought in to score this film. Of course he had a huge success with The Sting. Among other things, there is a disco version of the James Bond theme called Bond 77. Hamlisch wrote Nobody Does It Better with Carole Bayer Sager. She suggested Carly because of You're So Vain. Nobody Does It Better reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks. The number one song at the time was You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone. Nobody Does It Better was Oscar nominated but lost to You Light Up My Life. The Spy Who Loved Me soundtrack is out of print. You can get Nobody Does It Better on this Carly Simon budget comp or on a James Bond comp. It was Carly Simon's final really big hit though she would go on to success as an album artist in the 80s. Here's Carly Simon with Marvin Hamlisch on piano performing Nobody Does It Better in what seems to be Hamlisch's living room.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jamison Ross

Artist:Jamison Ross

Song:Deep Down In Florida

Album:Jamison Ross

When Jamison Ross won the 2012 Thelonious Monk International Drums Competition, those judges didn't know that Ross could sing. He's really good at both. Drummers will say how what he is doing is difficult. And Ross is a great singer along with his drum skills. He was born Nov. 12, 1987 in Jacksonville, FL. He learned to sing and play drums in his grandfather's church. At age 15 he was Minister of Music. While attending high school at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Ross won Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington Jazz Band Competition. This was chronicled in the 2007 documentary Chops. Ross earned a BA in jazz studies at Florida State and a Master's degree at the University of New Orleans. Ross was invited to the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency at the Kennedy Center in Washington in 2009. He met singer Carmen Lundy and was in her band for several years. He also toured with Ramsey Lewis and gospel singer Byron Cage. After winning the Monk competition, Ross signed with Concord Records. Deep Down In Florida is from Ross' 2015 debut album Jamison Ross. The song is a Muddy Waters classic. Ross sings and plays drums. Special guest star Jon Batiste plays piano on this and three other tracks. Rick Lollar plays guitar and Corcoran Holt plays bass. Lollar tours with Ross. Chris Pattishall plays piano on the rest of the album. He also tours with Ross. There are horns on several tracks. This album was Grammy nominated. Ross' second album All For One was released in 2018. He had been touring with Snarky Puppy before the pandemic. Last night he performed with them for the first time in two years. There's a clip on his Facebook page. Here is Jamison Ross with Eric Reed on piano, Rick Lollar on guitar and Barry Stevenson on bass performing Deep Down In Florida at Tacoma radio station KNKX Feb. 2016. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ariane Carnelossi vs Istela Nunes

Here's the match video of Ariane Carnelossi vs Istela Nunes from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Ariane is 28 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She trains at Inside Muay Thai. She's 1-1 in the UFC. She looked good in her last fight. Istela is 29 years old. She is a teammate of Jessica Andrade at PRVT. She signed with the UFC in 2019. She is coming off a two year drug suspension. She has fought for ONE Championship. Round one was fairly even. Both landed punches but I gave Estela the edge at 10-9. Ariane was a lot better in round two so I scored that 10-9 for her. Ariane is able to get a takedown in round three and she turns it into a rear naked choke for the win. So that's a big win and we'll see what Ariane is like against better opposition. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Luana Carolina vs Loopy Godinez

Here's the match video of Luana Carolina vs Loopy Godinez from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. After Maryna Moroz pulled out of this fight, Sijara Eubanks stepped in. After she tested positive for COVID-19, Loopy was brought in. She fought last week. But my real problem is she is a Strawweight. The fight went as expected mostly because of the size difference. Luana won by unanimous decision. But I don't think the win does her any favors. A win isn't always a win. Check out the video for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Manon Fiorot vs Mayra Bueno Silva

Here's the match video of Manon Fiorot vs Mayra Bueno Silva from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. This fight was postponed from a few weeks ago when Manon's camp tested positive for COVID-19. She is from Nice, France. She trains at Boxing Squad with Alric Cassata. Manon is the 2017 IMMAF World Champion. She looked really good in her first two wins. Mayra is a better quality opponent. She was training at Chute Boxe in Sao Paulo. But she and girlfriend Gloria DePaula are opening their own gym with their Chute Boxe coach. This fight is more competitive that Manon's other fights. But Mayra doesn't throw enough punches. She blocked a lot of Manon's punches. But enough got through and Mayra didn't generate enough offense. Instead she was making faces at Manon. Manon ignored that and kept punching. I would have liked to see her throw more body punches. She threw kicks to the body but then went head hunting. Body punches can be very effective. I'm sure Cassata noticed this and it's something to work on. Manon won easily and I guess we will see her against a ranked fighter next. She has potential to be a big problem for the Flyweight division. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Norma Dumont vs Aspen Ladd

 Here's the match video of Norma Dumont vs Aspen Ladd from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Featherweight. Holly Holm was supposed to be Norma's opponent. But she pulled out due to a knee injury. Aspen was asked to step in on short notice. After she missed weight a couple of weeks ago, I guess Aspen felt obligated to take the fight. She looked terrible. Norma wasn't much better. But she did more than Aspen. I don't know what was wrong with Aspen. She looked like she didn't want to be there. For me, this changed nothing. The Featherweight division should be closed. Check out the video for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bert Kaempfert

Artist:Bert Kaempfert

Song:Wonderland By Night

Album:Singles+

German bandleader Bert Kaempfert topped the charts in 1961 with Wonderland By Night. Some of his other singles charted. And he had success as a songwriter. His band was very successful in the Easy Listening market. He was born Oct. 16, 1923 in Hamburg, Germany. Kaempfert played piano in the German Navy band during WWII. After the war he became a house producer for Polydor Records. He produced hits for Freddy Quinn and Ivo Robic. He recorded Wonderland By Night in 1959 with Charles Tabor on lead trumpet. When Polydor refused to release the record, Kaempfert took it to Decca in New York. Wonderland By Night topped the charts in 1961. I think it was only released as a single though Decca compiled an album afterwards. Wonderland By Night was written by cabaret artist Klaus Gunter Neumann. Kaempfert's other big hit was the 1965 single Red Roses for a Blue Lady which reached #11. His albums were big sellers in the Easy Listening market. This 2CD budget comp from the Dutch label BR covers Kaempfert's  entire career. He also hired The Beatles to back up Tony Sheridan on My Bonnie. We all know what that led to. Among Kaempfert's successful songs as a songwriter were Strangers in the Night and Danke Schoen. Kaempfert continued to release albums until he died of a stroke on June 21, 1980 at age 56. Here's Bert Kaempfert featuring Charles Tabor on trumpet performing Wonderland By Night. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lou Monte

Artist:Lou Monte

Song:Lazy Mary

Album:American Italian Style

Lou Monte sang Italian American novelty songs mostly in the 50s. He scored a few hits including the 1958 single Lazy Mary. A lot of Monte's recordings were Italian songs with English lyrics. He was born Louis Scagliione Apr. 2, 1917 in New York City. His parents were Italian immigrants. His mother died when he was two years old so he was raised by family in Lyndhurst, NJ. He started performing as a teen. Monte was in the US Army during WWII. Afterwards he returned to performing in clubs. He had his own show on Newark radio station WAAT. Monte was spotted performing in a club by RCA Records A&R man Joe Carlton who signed him to a record deal. Monte's 1954 single Darktown Strutters' Ball (Italian Style) reached #7 on the hit parade. The 1958 single Lazy Mary reached #12. The album Lou Monte Sings For You was released in 1957. Both of those singles were on the album. Lazy Mary was adapted from the Italian song C'e la luna mezzo mare. It was called Oh! Ma-Ma! when it was a hit for Rudy Vallee in 1938. Monte wrote the English lyrics for his version. RCA house producer Charles Reisman produced and arranged the record. Hugo Winterhalter produced Darktown Strutters' Ball. Apparently the New York Mets play Monte's recording of Lazy Mary during the seventh inning stretch. After five albums for RCA, Monte recorded for Roulette and then he signed with Frank Sinatra's Reprise label. His 1962 single Pepito the Italian Mouse turned out to be his biggest hit single. That is not on this 2CD comp from Jasmine as it only has Monte's RCA recordings. Monte's recording Dominic the Donkey is a Christmas perennial in Italian American households. Monte continued to record for small labels until his death on June 12, 1989 at age 72. Here's a video for Lazy Mary by Lou Monte.

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AccuRadio Song Of The Day-M People

Artist:M People

Song:Open Your Heart

Album:The Best of M People

Chances are pretty good that if you are a fan of 90s dance music you heard the British group M People. They were very successful on the dance charts and in clubs. They also scored several top ten hits in England including Open Your Heart. Mark Pickering was the leader of M People. He was in the group Quando Quando and he was a popular DJ at the Manchester club The Hacienda. After meeting Paul Heard of the band Ace of Clubs, they decided to start working together. At first M People was going to hire various singers. But they instead brought in Heather Small of the soul group Hot House as lead singer. Later on they brought in percussionist Andrew "Shovell" Lovell. Pickering worked for Deconstruction Records as an A&R man and they were distributed by RCA. They were immediately successful on the dance charts and had several top ten hits in England. Open Your Heart is from the 1995 album Bizarre Fruit II. It topped the dance charts and reached #9 on the British Singles chart. Like most of M People's songs, Open Your Heart was written and produced by Pickering and Heard. Veteran sideman Chris "Snake" Davis played the sax solo. You can get all of M People's hits on this budget comp. M People last recorded in 1997. Though they have reunited a couple of times, Pickering works for Columbia Records A&R department. Heather has had modest success as a solo artist. Heard has had some success as a songwriter. Here's the video for Open Your Heart by M People. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mick McAuley & Winnifred Horan

Artist:Mick McAuley & Winnifred Horan

Song:The Ballygar Jigs

Album:Serenade

Accordionist Mick McAuley and fiddler Winnifred Horan are members of the popular Celtic group Solas. Both have recorded solo projects. But they joined forces on this 2005 album. McAuley is from Calan, Kilkenny, Ireland. He was nine years old when he started to play the accordion. He started out as a sideman in the 90s. He moved to the US and joined Solas in 1998. McAuley recorded his first solo album in 2003. Winnifred was born in New York City. Her parents are Irish. She played violin as a child and studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Winnifred joined Cherish the Ladies in 1990 and then was one of the founders of Solas in 1994. She recorded her first solo album in 2002. The two decided to join forces for the 2005 album Serenade. Mostly they recorded traditional jigs and reels. The Ballygar Jigs were written by Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland who is pals with McAuley. Donal Clancy plays guitar. He is the son of Liam Clancy of The Clancy Brothers. Chico Huff plays bass. He has appeared on Solas albums. I think this album is more traditional than most Solas albums. Fans should check it out. Here's Mick McAuley and Winnifred Horan with Colm O'Caoimh performing The Ballygar Jigs at the Institute of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD Nov. 14, 2012.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-One Nation Crew

Artist:One Nation Crew

Song:Unconditional

Album:Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC

One Nation Crew was Kirk Franklin's third and final attempt to form a group without using his name. His name was on the cover anyway so I don't think it worked. In the early 90s he recorded as Kirk Franklin and the Family. Then he had great success with the choir God's Property. But the choir's founder Linda Searight sued Franklin for inducing her into signing a one sided record contract. He had similar legal problems after the 1998 album The New Nation Project. Some of the singers on that album became One Nation Crew (1NC). The leader of  1NC was Myron Butler. He worked with Franklin on God's Property. Butler is not only a great singer but an accomplished arranger and producer. He has recorded with his own group and produced other artists. Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC was released in 2000. Unconditional was the first single. Of course Franklin wrote all the songs. And as with God's Property he appears on everything. For Unconditional he was going for a Latin vibe so he had Sheila Ingram sing in Spanish. As far as I can tell, 1NC is her only credit. Of course Franklin produced along with veteran producer Al West and Bobby Sparks who has worked with Franklin for many years. The album did well and it's available as a digital download. 1NC appeared on the 2002 album The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin. But since then Franklin hasn't tried to create a group like this. He has stuck to recording his own solo albums. I think it's difficult to keep groups like this together. So I don't know why he tried to do that in the first place. One Nation Crew would have been fine as a Kirk Franklin album. Here's One Nation Crew featuring Sheila Ingram performing Unconditional at the 2000 BET Celebration of Gospel.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vinyl Theatre

Artist:Vinyl Theatre

Song:Breaking Up My Bones

Album:Electrogram

The 2014 single Breaking Up My Bones got some radio airplay. But I am not sure music fans know who recorded it. They may have thought it was a new Death Cab for Cutie song. The band is Vinyl Theatre. They are from Milwaukee. Lead singer and guitarist Keegan Carnes and keyboardist Chris Senner met in high school. Senner attended college in Milwaukee but Carnes was in Colorado. They shared songs over Skype and recorded a demo. Senner asked his friend Nick Cesarz to record a drum track. The demo was good enough that Carnes dropped out of college and returned home. Senner contacted another friend Josh Pothier to play bass. After getting a manager, they were going to call themselves Alchemy. But there were other bands with that name. It looks like the name Vinyl Theatre was the manager's idea. After posting songs on Soundcloud, Breaking Up My Bones got a great reaction. This led to a record deal with Atlantic's Fueled By Ramen label which is also the home for Twenty One Pilots. Vinyl Theatre toured with them. The 2014 album Electrogram was released. I think most fans were interested in Breaking Up My Bones. The single did OK but the album didn't sell. It's available as a digital download. I don't like that the album is less than a half hour long. Pothier left due to health problems. On the 2017 album Origami, Cesarz played bass and drums. They toured to support the album. But when it went nowhere, Fueled By Ramen dropped them. After self releasing the 2018 album Starcruiser, Carnes left the band. I don't know if the band is still active. They still have all the social media accounts but they aren't very active. That's not a good sign. But as I said, Breaking Up My Bones is a pretty good song. Be sure to check it out. Here's the video for Breaking Up My Bones by Vinyl Theatre. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dirty Vegas

Artist:Dirty Vegas

Song:Days Go By

Album:Dirty Vegas

The 2003 single Days Go By topped the dance charts after the song was used in a Mitsubishi Motors commercial. That's how songs become hits these days. I don't think the British producers   behind Dirty Vegas thought that they would have a hit single. Paul Harris was a DJ in Europe. Ben Harris worked at a recording studio. Singer Steve Smith was in the band Higher Ground. After they split up Smith met Paul Harris at a party in Switzerland. They started working together and then Ben Harris joined them. Days Go By was their first single and it came with a video. An executive for Mitsubishi Motors saw the video and he wanted to use the song in a commercial. Once the commercial aired on TV, Days Go By blew up. Dirty Vegas got a record deal with Capitol and they went into the studio to record a full album. They wrote all the songs except Days Go By. Smith wrote that with former The New Seekers member Victoria Horn. This was her first hit as a songwriter. She has had success since then. Days Go By won a Best Dance Recording Grammy. The album is available as a budget CD. After two albums, Dirty Vegas split up in 2005. Smith recorded solo. The Harris boys continued to work on remixes together. Paul Harris and Smith reformed Dirty Vegas in 2011. They released a couple of albums and split up in 2015. Smith is currently in the current version of Squeeze. The Harris boys continue to produce and remix. Here's the video of Days Go By by Dirty Vegas. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loopy Godinez vs Silvana Gomez Juarez

Here's the fight video of Loopy Godinez vs Silvana Gomez Juarez from yesterday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Loopy's opponent was supposed to be Sam Hughes. When one of her coaches tested positive for COVID-19, Silvana was brought in. She was supposed to be on this Tuesday's Contenders Series. Silvana is 36 years old from Argentina. She trains at Entram Gym in Tijuana, Mexico. Her record is 10-2. Obviously she is too old to be a prospect. Loopy is from Mexico but she trains at Titan MMA in Langley, BC. She came to the UFC on short notice and lost to Jessica Penne by split decision. As the fight unfolds, it's clear that Silvana isn't very good. Loopy takes her down and wins with a first round armbar. It looks like Silvana turned right into the submission. So a big win for Loopy. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater Mariya Agapova vs Sabina Mazo

Here's the match video for Mariya Agapova vs Sabina Mazo from yesterday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Neither fighter has looked good in the UFC. Sabina is from Colombia. She trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA. She had a rep in the LFA for head kick finishes. So far in the UFC she has looked like just another lower midcard fighter. Mariya is from Kazakhstan. We saw her in Invicta before the UFC. She lost her last fight to Shana Dobson because she fought stupid. That's someone she should beat. Mariya was training at American Top Team in Florida. But in June she moved to MMA Masters in Miami. Maryna Moroz claimed that Mariya was kicked out of ATT because of drug use. Mariya's manager Alex Davis denied this and said Mariya was unhappy and broke and needed to go elsewhere. UFC fighter Liana Jojua was in her corner along with coach Mike Crawley. The change did Mariya good because she looked great in this fight. She won with a third round rear naked choke. Sabina looked awful. So obviously I would like to see Mariya against better competition. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Marina Rodriguez vs Mackenzie Dern

Here's the match video of Marina Rodriguez vs Mackenzie Dern from yesterday's UFC show in Las Vegas. Marina is from Florianopolis, Brazil. She trains with Thai Brasil. She has very good kickboxing skills but she has no ground skills. Mackenzie trains with Jason Parillo in Huntington Beach, CA. She has improved since going there. But based on this fight, they still have some things to work on. Round two was the only time Mackenzie could get the fight to the ground. She needed to get a finish but she screwed around too much. Her ground and pound almost got that finish. But she stopped doing that and tried other things which were unsuccessful. For the rest of the fight, Marina was able to do enough to keep Mackenzie away. With Mackenzie's fighting style, she needs to eat shots to close the distance. And she wasn't willing to do that. Parillo kept yelling at her to move forward and she just reverted to bad habits that he needs to fix. I scored the fight 49-47 for Marina. I scored round two 10-8 for Mackenzie. All three judges scored it 49-46 for Marina. It's a missed opportunity because Mackenzie fought stupid. I don't expect Marina to get a title shot. And Carla Esparza is waiting for a title shot. So I don't expect her or Joanna Jedrzeczyk to fight her. Jessica Andrade is a possibility. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sea Wolf

Artist:Sea Wolf

Song:You're A Wolf

Album:Leaves in the River

Sea Wolf is another solo artist hiding behind a band name. Alex Brown Church does everything himself in the studio and hires musicians for touring. Of course this is very similar to acts like Iron & Wine and Bright Eyes. Church is from California. But he moved to New York in 1998 to attend NYU film school. When he returned to Los Angeles, he formed the band Irving. After recording a couple of albums, Church decided to go off on his own. He found that his songs didn't fit in with Irving's sound. And there was a lot of fighting over what to record. Church recorded demos with Irving producer and recording engineer Phil Ek. This got him a deal with the indie label Dangerbird. Church named himself after the Jack London book Sea Wolf because he identified with the lone wolf main character. You're A Wolf is from his 2007 debut album Leaves in the River. As I said, Church does everything himself in the recording studio. He hires musicians so Sea Wolf can tour. He has recorded four albums for Dangerbird. The latest is Through A Dark Wood in 2020. He has had success on the indie pop circuit. Fans of indie pop should check him out. Here's the video for You're A Wolf by Sea Wolf. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sarray vs Amari Miller

Here's the match video of Sarray vs Amari Miller from last night's episode of 205 Live. The WWE is still working on Sarray's entrance and look. They added fog for this entrance. I noticed Sarray had tape on her back so that may be bothering. Amari Miller is from Kansas City. Her real name is Camron Clay. She has been a wrestler since 2018. She's an attractive girl but she seems generic at this point. There is nothing distinctive about her and that includes her entrance. I think she was allowed too much offense. So I would describe the match as a glorified squash. Sarray wins with her basement dropkick. I am posting this mainly because fans may not watch 205 Live. Neither do I. I only watched it to see Sarray. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Artist:Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Song:Fishin' in the Dark

Album:Anthology

Most fans should be familiar with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 70s hits like Mr. Bojangles and the classic album Will the Circle Be Unbroken. But they had a string of country hits in the 80s including Fishin' in the Dark. After going through an identity crisis in the late 70s, they changed their name to The Dirt Band in an effort to be more commercial. they changed their name back to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and signed with Warner Bros. in 1984. They topped the country charts with Long Hard Road in 1984 and Modern Day Romance in 1985. So now they are a mainstream country band. This was mostly driven by lead singer Jeff Hanna. I guess founding member John McEuen didn't like the band's direction as he left in 1986 and was replaced by Bernie Leadon of Eagles. The 1987 album Hold On was his first album with the band. He's in the video but not listed on the album credits. He may have left before the album release. Fishin' in the Dark was written by veteran singer songwriters Wendy Waldman and Jim Photoglo who is a current member of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They continued to have success on the country charts for the next couple of years. They left Warner Bros. in 1990. This 2CD comp has songs from Liberty and Warner Bros. Hanna still leads the band today. They last recorded in 2009 but they still tour. Here's the video for Fishin' in the Dark by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lee Roy Parnell

Artist:Lee Roy Parnell

Song:What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?)

Album:Hits and Highways Ahead

The 1993 single What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?) was the first in a string of country music hits for Lee Roy Parnell. He also had success as a songwriter and session guitarist. He was born Dec. 21, 1956 in Abilene, TX. His father was in Bob Wills' band and Parnell was six years old when he performed on Wills' radio show. Parnell was in bands as a teen. He moved to Austin in 1974 to join Kinky Friedman's Texas Jewboys. Parnell worked in radio during the day and played clubs at night. He moved to Nashville in 1987, got a publishing deal and performed regularly at The Bluebird Cafe. This led to a record deal with Arista Nashville and producer Scott Hendricks. Barry Beckett produced Parnell's first two albums at Muscle Shoals. The first album didn't do that well. What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?) was the first single from the 1993 album Love Without Mercy. It reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. That was the first of five consecutive top ten country hits for Parnell. What Kind of Fool was written by Al Carmichael and Gary Griffin. Griffin was mainly a recording engineer. Parnell also wrote hits for Collin Raye and Kenny Chesney. And as you will see in the video clip, he's a pretty good slide guitar player and that got him plenty of session work. Parnell released five albums on Arista Nashville and its subsidiary Career Records. This comp was released in 1999 and it is available as a digital download. Since then Parnell has recorded for Vanguard and Universal South. His latest record Midnight Believer was released in 2017 on Vector Records which is owned by his manager. He's performing live again. And he has a signature guitar at Gibson. It's a variation of a Les Paul guitar. That's a big deal for him. Here's Lee Roy Parnell performing What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?) on Austin City Limits 1993.

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AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bucky Covington

Artist:Bucky Covington

Song:A Different World

Album:Bucky Covington

Bucky Covington placed eighth on season five of American Idol. He scored a top five country hit with the 2007 single A Different World. He still performs but he doesn't have a record deal right now. He was born Nov. 8, 1977 in Rockingham, NC. His twin brother Rocky plays drums in his band. They both auditioned for American Idol. Bucky made the final twelve and finished eighth. He then signed with Disney owned Lyric Street Records. Covington recorded his debut album Bucky Covington with former Sawyer Brown lead singer Mark Miller producing. A Different World reached #6 on the Country Singles chart. The song was written by Jennifer Hanson, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler. Martin has been a successful songwriter since the 80s. That's Covington's biggest hit to date. It's not unusual for American Idol contestants to have success right after the show and then go nowhere. Covington's problem was Disney closed Lyric Street in 2010. They promised he would be moved to another Disney label. But that didn't happen and his 2012 album Good Guys was released on E1 Music. Covington self released an EP in 2015 and he still performs. But currently he has no record deal. That's why I always say that American Idol is a double edged sword. Many contestants suffer the same fate as Bucky Covington. Here's the video for A Different World by Bucky Covington.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-White Lion

Artist:White Lion

Song:When the Children Cry

Albym:Pride

The hard rock group White Lion scored their biggest hit with the 1988 power ballad When the Children Cry. They were a glam metal band because of their hair. Lead singer and guitarist Mike Tramp (real name: Michael Trampenau) is from Copenhagen, Denmark. As the lead singer of Mabel, he represented Denmark in the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest. They moved to Spain and recorded a 1981 album as Studs. Then they moved to New York City and changed their name to Danish Lions. When they decided to return to Denmark, Tramp remained in New York. He met guitarist Vito Bratta in 1983 and called themselves White Lion. They went through so many bassists and drummers, it's impossible to make sense of it. They signed with Elektra and recorded the 1984 album Fight to Survive. Elektra hated it, cancelled the album and White Lion's contract. The album was released in 1985 but the label closed. They start over and a demo gets them a deal with Atlantic in 1987. The album Pride was released in 1987. While White Lion was on tour, the single Wait reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then When the Children Cry reached #5. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. James LoMenzo was on bass and Greg D'Angelo was on drums. The producer was Michael Wagener who produced Dokken. White Lion recorded three albums for Atlantic and then split up in 1991. Tramp had an unsuccessful solo career. Bratta retired but he owns the rights to the White Lion catalog. Tramp formed a version of White Lion in 1999. He re-recorded the White Lion songs because he sold them to Bratta. So beware of any White Lion greatest hits album as they are not original versions. There aren't any White Lion comps of the original recordings. Though there were legal problems, Tramp continued to record and tour as White Lion. The band ended in 2011. He has returned to Denmark and has had solo success there. Here's the video for When the Children Cry by White Lion. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chris Stapleton

Artist:Chris Stapleton

Song:Broken Halos

Album:From A Room Volume 1

Chris Stapleton had a long and successful songwriting career before he became an overnight sensation as a performer in 2015. The 2017 single Broken Halos was his first top ten country hit. He was born Apr. 15, 1978 in Lexington, KY. His dad was a coal miner. Stapleton moved to Nashville in 2001 to study engineering at Vanderbilt University. He soon dropped out and signed a publishing deal. Stapleton led the bluegrass group The SteelDrivers. They recorded two albums. Then he led the Southern rock group The Jompson Brothers. They self released an album in 2010. Finally he signed as a solo artist with Mercury Nashville in 2013. He recorded an album but when the single didn't do well, Mercury cancelled the album and told him to do it over. Stapleton continued to perform locally in Nashville and write songs for others. His debut album Traveller was released in 2015. What got Stapleton a lot of attention was he performed with Justin Timberlake on the 2015 CMA Awards broadcast. That launched him into stardom. I don't think Stapleton has the same success without that. Broken Halos is from the 2017 album From A Room Vol. 1. It reached #5 on the Country Singles chart. The album was certified Platinum. Stapleton wrote Broken Halos with former SteelDrivers bandmate and session guitarist Mike Henderson. Though he has had a couple of hit singles since then, he probably doesn't need them. His latest album Starting Over was released last year. Stapleton continues to record and tour with guitarist Dave Cobb, bassist J.T. Cure and drummer Derek Mixon. He recently recorded with Taylor Swift and with The Dirty Knobs led by Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell. Here's Chris Stapleton with Mickey Raphael on harmonica performing Broken Halos at Farm Aid 2018 at the Xfinity Theater in Hartford, CT Sept. 22, 2018.