AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Cash Box Kings

Artist:The Cash Box Kings

Song:Tried So Hard

Album:I-94 Blues

Though they write original songs, The Cash Box Kings are clearly a tribute to 50s Chicago blues. Joe Nosek was teaching at the University of Wisconsin when he started The Cash Box Kings in 2001. Nosek sings, plays harmonica and writes a lot of the songs. The band is named after the defunct music industry publication Cashbox. Nosek released four albums on his own label. But the turning point was when Oscar Wilson was brought in to split lead vocals with Nosek. The 2010 album I-94 Blues on Blue Bella was Wilson's first album as a full time member of the band. He sings lead on Tried So Hard. That was written by lead guitarist Billy Flynn. He plays bottleneck guitar in the video. Other band members are Barrelhouse Chuck Goering on piano, Chris "CB" Boeger on bass and Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith on drums. There are a couple of classic blues covers. But Nosek wrote most of the songs. Since then The Cash Box Kings recorded for Blind Pig and their last two albums are on Alligator. Their latest album Hail To The Kings! was released in 2019. Wilson does most of the singing so Nosek can concentrate on the harmonica. Wilson is also more involved in the songwriting. Flynn and Smith are still in the band. They are probably due for a new album. Here's The Cash Box Kings performing Tried So Hard 2010.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Russ Brown

Artist:Russ Brown f/Nathaniel Frey, Jimmie Komack, Albert Linville

Song:Heart

Album:Damn Yankees: Original Cast Recording

Russ Brown was a veteran character actor who won a Tony for playing Washington Nationals manager Benny Van Buren in the 1955 Broadway musical Damn Yankees. He was also in the 1958 film version. Brown was a stage and screen veteran since the 30s. He was born May 30, 1892 in Philadelphia. He first appeared on Broadway and then in short films in the early 30s and then features like the 1934 films Moulin Rouge and The Love Captive. He returned to New York in the 40s and didn't appear in anything noteworthy until he played Captain George Brackett in the Broadway musical South Pacific. He was also in the 1958 film version. That success led to playing Benny Van Buren in Damn Yankees. Brown won a Tony and he was also in the 1958 film version. Brown also played park caretaker George Lemon in the 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder. James Komack would go on to produce the sitcoms The Courtship of Eddie's Father and Welcome Back Kotter, Nathaniel Frey appeared mostly on TV after Damn Yankees. Albert Linville appeared on Broadway but Damn Yankees was his only film. Both the soundtrack and original cast of Damn Yankees are available on CD but the original cast CD is cheaper. After appearing in the 1963 film The Cardinal, Russ Brown died on Oct. 19, 1964 at age 72. Here's Russ Brown featuring Nathaniel Frey, Jimmie Komack and Albert Linville performing Heart from the 1958 film Damn Yankees.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sandi Patty

Artist:Sandi Patty f/Larnelle Harris

Song:More Than Wonderful

Album:The Definitive Collection

Sandi Patty was one of the early success stories of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) though I think her music was aimed at an older audience than much of the music that would follow. More Than Wonderful was one of her early hits and it won a Grammy. She was born July 12, 1958 in Oklahoma City. Her father was minister of music at Phoenix First Church of God and her mother played piano. They toured as The Ron Patty Family. Sandi attended high school in San Diego and studied voice at Anderson University in Indiana. She could have been an opera singer. But instead she got into studio work singing jingles and background vocals until she met Christian music mogul Bill Gaither who convinced her that there was a growing market for what would become CCM. After recording for a small label, Sandi signed with Benson's Impact label and started touring with Gaither. Benson was Word's main rival for Christian music supremacy in the 80s. They petered out in the 90s and sold themselves off in pieces. Sandi was probably their biggest seller. More Than Wonderful is from Sandi's 1983 album More Than Wonderful which was recorded live at a couple of churches. Her duet partner Larnelle Harris also toured with Gaither. Other black singers like Jessy Dixon and Candi Staton toured with Gaither too. It's probably the most successful song written by Lanny Wolfe. The record won a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group. Sandi switched to Word in 1985 and continued to have success until she divorced her husband and manager John Helvering in 1992. When it was learned that Sandi had an affair with backup singer Don Peslis, you know that won't go over well with the faithful. They married in 1995. Remember she was the highest paid CCM concert draw in the 80s. Patti eventually returned and she still tours and records. This comp is a good intro to her music. Here's Sandi Patty featuring Larnelle Harris performing More Than Wonderful on a Gaither Family DVD.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bianca Belair vs Iyo Sky

Here's the match video of Bianca Belair vs Iyo Sky from last night's episode of RAW. They began the show with a long yakking segment where the end result is that Bianca vs Bayley at Extreme Rules will be a ladder match. Then they did this match which started during a commercial break and picked up after the second break. Obviously I expected Bianca to win. But I'm sure it won't surprise you that I thought Iyo should get more offense in. Look, Iyo should not be booked like a jobber. It's OK to make her a lackey at first. But she's much better than that and HHH is well aware of that. For that reason, I expect Iyo to get tired of taking a back seat to Bayley and that has potential to be a main event program. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kesha

Artist:Kesha

Song:Tik Tok

Album:Animal

Kesha Rose Sebert topped the charts with her 2009 debut single Tik Tok and had a good run for a few years. Her career was interrupted by a lawsuit against producer Dr. Luke. She hasn't been as successful since then. She was born Mar. 1, 1987 in Los Angeles. Her mother is a songwriter who moved her family to Nashville in 1991 when she got a publishing deal. Kesha's mom taught her to write and she started recording demos. A demo landed in the hands of producer Max Martin and he convinced her to move to move to Los Angeles. Martin launched Britney Spears' career. Kesha signed with Sony's Kemosabe label in 2005. She's working as a waitress while Sony is trying to figure out what to do with her. Her big break came when she appeared on rapper Flo Rida's 2009 single Right Round. This led to a deal with RCA and her debut album Animal. She appeared on the Flo Rida record by accident. She was hanging around the recording studio and Flo Rida needed a female voice for the record. Kesha's debut single Tik Tok went through the roof. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and set download records for a debut single. Kesha wrote the song with Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald and Benny Blanco and they produced. Dr. Luke was an owner of Kemosabe and he produced half of the album. He was also the main producer on her 2010 EP Cannibal and the 2012 album Warrior. And he produced her other #1 single We R Who We R in 2010. Kesha then sued Dr. Luke in Oct. 2014 for sexual assault and battery among other things. Dr. Luke always claimed that the real goal of the lawsuit was for Kesha to get out of her record deal. He denied the sexual assault allegations. Kesha is still on RCA but Dr. Luke's Sony contract was terminated. He has returned to Germany and he has his own label with Republic. Kesha has released two albums and she has toured. But she just hasn't been as successful with other producers. It remains to be seen if she can return to the top of the charts. Here's the video for Tik Tok by Kesha.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Galliano

Artist:Galliano

Song:Twyford Down

Album:The Plot Thickens

Galliano was part of England's Acid Jazz movement of the 90s. Acid Jazz was a marketing term coined by British DJ Gilles Peterson. The music was a mix of R&B with jazz and hip hop elements. The Brand New Heavies and Incognito were probably the most successful Acid Jazz acts. This was successful in England but Acid Jazz never crossed the pond. I'm sure most of you have never heard the term. Galliano was the first act to sign with Peterson's Talkin' Loud label in 1988. Talkin' Loud was distributed by PolyGram. Galliano was led by DJ Rob Gallagher who renamed himself Roberto Galliano. Gallagher was lead singer. He also rapped. And he wrote most of the songs with former Style Council keyboard player Mick Talbot. Others included Valerie Etienne and Constantine Weir on vocals, Mark Vandergucht on guitar, Ernie McKone on bass, Crispin Taylor on drums and Crispin Robinson on percussion. At first they were more of loose collective than a band. Their first single was a reworking of Curtis Mayfield's Freddie's Dead called Frederick Lies Still in 1988. After a couple more singles, the released the 1991 album In Pursuit of the 13th Note followed by the 1992 album A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator. The 1994 album The Plot Thickens was their most successful. It was also the only album released in the US on Mercury. The first single was a cover of the Crosby Stills and Nash song Long Time Gone. It reached #15 on the British Singles chart. Twyford Down was the second single and it reached #37. The album reached #8 on the British Album chart. So it did OK. Gallagher wrote most of the songs including Twyford Down. You will note the political commentary. Gallagher produced the album with recording engineer Adam Moseley. After the 1996 album :4, Galliano split up. Since then Gallagher has recorded in several bands under different names. He seems to like the name Earl Zinger. Most recently he has released a couple of albums as The Diabolical Liberties. Here's the video for Twyford Down by Galliano. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bunny Berigan

Artist:Bunny Berigan

Song:I Can't Get Started

Album:The Pied Piper 1934-40

It's likely that if trumpeter Roland "Bunny" Berigan had lived, he could have been a success in the big band boom of the 40s. He did have success in the late 30s with hits like I Can't Get Started. He was born Nov. 2, 1908 in Hilbert, WI. Having learned the violin and trumpet, Berigan played in local bands as a teen. He joined Hal Kemp's band in 1929 and recorded and toured with them. Upon his return to the US, Berigan moved to New York to become a studio musician with CBS Radio. He was also in Paul Whiteman's band and then Abe Lyman's band. Berigan recorded with The Dorsey Brothers and most notably Benny Goodman. He was a featured soloist on some of Goodman's early hits. After returning to New York, Berigan was featured on some of Tommy Dorsey's hits. He started his own band in 1937 and recorded I Can't Get Started first for Vocalion and then for RCA Victor. It wasn't Berigan's biggest hit but it turned out to be his signature song. The song was written by Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin for the film Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 and sung in the movie by Bob Hope and Eve Arden. The second version was a hit. It features Berigan's vocal and his trumpet. Today the song is a jazz standard. You can get the Victor recording on this comp. Though Berigan had some success, the stress caused him to drink heavily and sink into alcoholism. He declared bankruptcy in 1939. While Berigan formed a new band in 1940, his health continued to deteriorate until his death on June 2, 1942 at age 33. Here's a video for I Can't Get Started by Bunny Berigan. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sean Nowell

Artist:Sean Nowell

Song:For All Intensive Purposes

Album:The Seeker

Sean Nowell currently plays sax in New York City jazz clubs with several bands. Though he has recorded as a leader in the past, I don't think he is leading a band right now. He seems to prefer a large band which can be hard to make work logistically. Nowell is from Birmingham, AL and he grew up singing in church. Nowell went on a world tour with an a capella choir. After earning a BA in composition at Berklee and an MA from Manhattan School of Music, Nowell has spent most of his time playing New York jazz clubs. He has toured with Donny McCaslin and Anton Fig and worked on the score for the film Soul Men with Stanley Clarke and George Duke. The 2009 album The Seeker is the second of three albums Nowell recorded for Posi-Tone. He calls his band The Kung Fu Masters and he uses video footage of Bruce Lee in his presentation. Musicians on The Seeker are Art Hirahara on piano, Nir Felder on guitar, Dave Eggar on cello, Thomson Kneeland on bass and Joe Abbatantuono on drums. This album is available as a digital download. Nowell's latest album as a leader was in 2011. He has recorded with Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra which is big band arrangements of Bjork songs. He regularly performs in all the NYC jazz clubs and he tours internationally. He's just not leading a band right now. Here's Sean Nowell and The Kung Fu Masters performing For All Intensive Purposes at Shapeshifter Labs Aug. 13, 2012.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Shelley Plimpton

Artist:Shelley Plimpton

Song:Frank Mills

Album:Hair: The Original Broadway Cast Recording

Shelley Plimpton's claim to fame is she played Crissy in the original production of the musical Hair and she sang the song Frank Mills. She didn't have much of an acting career other than that. And in fact, her daughter Martha Plimpton is better known than her. She was born Feb. 27, 1947 in Roseburg, OR. Her father owned an auto parts store and her mother was a medical researcher. Her parents divorced when she was five and her father died when she was twelve. Then her mom took a job in New York City. After graduating high school, Shelley worked as a nightclub cashier. Hair co-writer James Rado says that the inspiration for Hair was young people that he and Gerome Ragni met in the streets of New York. Shelley was one of several cast members who were recruited off the street. So like most of the cast, she had no acting experience. Shelley played Crissy in the off-Broadway and the Broadway productions of Hair. And if you have heard the Original Cast album, you have heard Shelley sing Frank Mills. Shelley also appeared in a scene with Arlo Guthrie in the 1969 film Alice's Restaurant and she appeared in Robert Downey Sr.'s classic satire film Putney Swope. She starred in Jim McBride's 1971 film Glen and Randa. And after a small role in John G. Avildsen's 1975 film Foreplay, she retired from acting to raise her daughter Martha Plimpton who has had a very successful acting career. Shelley returned in an episode of the 1986 sitcom Throb. That was her final appearance. She moved to Seattle in 1990. She was married to Seattle Repertory Theater director Daniel Sullivan. He was an assistant director on Hair. According to a 2017 Vanity Fair article about the 50th anniversary of Hair, Shelley has returned to Oregon. Here's a video of Frank Mills by Shelley Plimpton. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hoobastank

Artist:Hoobastank

Song:The Reason

Album:Icon

The Reason was a top five hit in 2003. It was the only hit single for the hard rock band Hoobastank. They are still around so that one hit gave them longevity. Hoobastank is from the Los Angeles suburb of Agoura Hills, CA. Lead singer Doug Robb and guitarist Dan Estrin knew each other in high school. After competing in a battle of the bands, they decided to join forces. Bassist Markku Lappallainen and drummer Chris Hesse were brought in to form Hoobastank. What does the name mean? Apparently Robb's brother works for BMW in Germany and Hoobastank is a mispronunciation of the street where he lives. The band had difficulty coming up with a name that wasn't already in use. At least the name is memorable. They started playing local clubs and they released a 1998 album independently. At the time sax player Jeremy Wasser was in the band. But when Island Records signed Hoobastank, they decided to let him go. Their 2001 Island debut album Hoobastank was produced by recording engineer Jim Wirt. It was certified Platinum. For the 2003 album The Reason, the more experienced Howard Benson was brought in to produce. The big bonus was when the single The Reason reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Reason appeared on the May 2004 season finale of Friends. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Hoobastank released four albums on Island. That was the height of their success. This comp covers the Island years. Since then Hoobastank has recorded for smaller labels. Their 2018 album Push Pull on Napalm Records has a more mainstream rock sound. They are currently on an international tour. Here's the video for The Reason by Hoobastank. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Song Spinners

Artist:The Song Spinners

Song:Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer

Album:Your Hit Parade: 1943

Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer topped the pop charts in 1943. It was the only WWII song to appear on the top twenty best selling songs of that year. The Song Spinners were backup singers who were used frequently during the musicians strike from 1942-44. That's why the record is a capella. The Song Spinners were led by Margaret Johnson and husband Travis Johnson. She was born Oct. 24, 1907 in La Grange, MO. After graduating from Baylor in 1928, she married Travis and they moved to New York to get into radio. Margaret played Honey Chile on the Bob Hope radio show. The Song Spinners first appeared on The Wayside Cottage radio show. During the musicians strike, Decca Records hired Margaret to arrange and provide backup vocals for Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald. Most notably they appeared on the Dick Haymes hit You'll Never Know. Then they recorded Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer. The song was written by Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh based on a Feb. 26, 1943 incident when a B-17 was damaged by anti aircraft fire and the pilot was able to land it safely in England. The record topped the charts and the B side Johnny Zero reached #7. The Song Spinners never recorded again and once the musicians strike was over, they returned to radio and background singing. You can get Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer on this Time Life various artists budget comp. Margaret Johnson got into writing and performing jingles in the 50s. The Johnsons retired in the late 60s. After Travis died in 1970, Margaret sang in seniors homes until her 2007 death. Here's a video for Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer by The Song Spinners.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Amos Lee

Artist:Amos Lee

Song:No More Darkness, No More Light

Album:My New Moon

Fans of folksingers are going to want to check out singer songwriter Amos Lee who has been successful as an album and touring act since 2005. He will never be mainstream but he doesn't need it. He was born Ryan Massaro June 20, 1977 in Philadelphia. His family moved to Cherry Hill, NJ and he attended high school there. Lee earned a degree in English at University of South Carolina. It was there that he developed an interest in music by listening to John Prine. Lee returned to Philadelphia and worked as a second grade teacher while moonlighting as a bartender in clubs so he could work open mic nights. His manager Bill Eib got him to open for Mose Allison and B.B. King. Then Eib shopped a demo to record labels. Norah Jones heard it and that got Lee a record deal with Blue Note. Norah and her band worked on Lee's albums and Lee opened for Bob Dylan in 2005. Lee's songs appeared on Grey's Anatomy and he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This kind of exposure gave Lee a pretty good run. His 2011 album Mission Bell topped the Billboard 200. After five albums on Blue Note, for the 2016 album Spirit, Lee signed with a vanity label owned by menswear designer John Varvatos and distributed by Republic. For the 2018 album My New Moon, Lee signed with the indie label Dualtone which is probably a better label for Lee's music. This album and especially No More Darkness, No More Light was greatly affected by the high school shooting in Parkland, FL. The music may have a darker tone than usual. Lee's latest album Dreamland was released in February. Folk music fans should check him out. Here's the video for No More Darkness, No More Light by Amos Lee.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jay-Z

Artist:Jay-Z f/Alicia Keys

Song:Empire State of Mind

Album:The Hits Collection Vol. 1

For all the success that rapper Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter has had, you might be surprised that the 2009 single Empire State of Mind is his only #1 hit to date. I know I was surprised. Carter has been very successful since the late 90s. He was born Dec. 4, 1969 in New York City. He was raised by his mom in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant area. He got interested in music when his mom bought him a boombox. He was known as Jazzy in the neighborhood. The name Jay-Z was after 80s rapper and mentor Jaz-O. Carter got into rap battles in the early 90s and then he appeared on the 1994 album Show and Prove and he appeared on stage with Kane. Carter recorded an album but he didn't have a label so he sold them out of his car. His 1996 album Reasonable Doubt was on Roc-A-Fella and the 1997 album In My Lifetime Vol. 1 was on DefJam. Carter had his first really big hit when the 1998 single Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Platinum. He appeared on Mariah Carey's 1999 chart topper Heartbreaker. So now Carter is a consistent seller. The only problem is he can't seem to stay out of trouble. He got three years probation for a 1999 stabbing at a club. He even claimed he was retiring in 2003. It was nonsense. So he was continuing along and BTW, he married Beyonce in 2008. Then in 2009, he left DefJam and started his own company Roc Nation. The Blueprint 3 was his first album. Empire State of Mind was his first and to date only #1 hit. The song was written by Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ullepic who had written it as a tribute to New York City. They were shopping it around but I guess the key was getting Alicia Keys to sing the hook. Carter continues to have success and he was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Here's the video for Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Gillian Robertson vs Mariya Agapova

Here's the match video of Gillian Robertson vs Mariya Agapova from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Gillian is from Niagara Falls, ON but she has trained with Din Thomas in Florida for years. She can submit anyone if she can get them on the mat. But her striking isn't good enough to set up takedowns. She has lost fights because of that. She is now training with Asim Zaidi at Goat Shed. Maybe he can improve her striking. Mariya probably shouldn't be in the UFC. She lost when she was on Contender's Series in 2019. She got into the UFC as a short notice replacement. Her record is 2-2 in the UFC. She trains at ATT. In round one, Gillian immediately tried for a takedown and was met with elbows to the head. That's typical of how she loses fights. So Mariya won round one. But in round two, Gillian set up her takedown a lot better and she put Mariya to sleep with a rear naked choke. So we saw the good and bad of Gillian Robertson. I hope her new coach can improve her striking. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loma Lookboonmee vs Denise Gomes

Here's the match video of Loma Lookboonmee vs Denise Gomes from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Denise was a short notice replacement for Diana Belbita. Denise appeared on Contender's Series last month. She trains at PRVT which means she's Brazilian but trains in Las Vegas. She's typical of PRVT fighters but I think coach Gailard Parana needs to smarten her up. Loma trains at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand with George Hickman. She has two problems. She's not really an MMA fighter. And she should probably be an Atomweight. She looked awful in her last fight. The story of this fight was Denise just made way too many mistakes. It seemed like every time she tried for a takedown she ended up on the bottom and Loma nailed her with elbows. So it wasn't that Loma did much to win the fight but Denise handed her too many opportunities. So that's fight IQ. Denise is only 22 so there is plenty of time for Parana to wise her up. She could have won this fight if she had fought smarter. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tiny Bradshaw

Artist:Tiny Bradshaw

Song:The Train Kept A-Rollin'

Album:Walk That Mess!: The Best of the King Years

Myron "Tiny" Bradshaw was a bandleader in the 30s. But it was in the pre Rock 'n' Roll early 50s when Bradshaw had real success and a lasting legacy similar to Louis Jordan. He was born Sept. 23, 1907 in Youngstown, OH. After graduating with a degree in psychology from Wilberforce University, Bradshaw moved to New York and played drums and sang with several bands including Luis Russell. Then as a leader he recorded eight sides for Decca in 1934. Bradshaw wouldn't record again until 1944. One of his songs Jersey Bounce was a hit for Benny Goodman so I'm sure the royalties kept him going. When Bradshaw recorded in 1944 for Regis, Manor and Savoy, his music was similar to the R&B popularized by Louis Jordan. Bradshaw had his greatest success when he recorded for King Records from 1949-55. Several songs made the R&B charts. Well Oh Well was probably his biggest hit. Though it didn't chart at the time, The Train Kept A-Rollin' became Bradshaw's most popular song when Johnny Burnette recorded it in 1956. Then The Yardbirds recorded it in 1965. And Jimmy Page claims that The Train Kept A-Rollin' was the first song Led Zeppelin played in their first rehearsal. The song was also covered by Aerosmith and others. This comp of  Bradshaw's King recordings from the British label Westside is available as a digital download. Sadly, health problems meant that Bradshaw was not able to enjoy his legacy. After several strokes, he died on Nov. 26, 1958 at age 51. Here's a video for The Train Kept A-Rollin' by Tiny Bradshaw. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tony Monaco

Artist:Tony Monaco

Song:I'll Remember Jimmy

Album:East to West

Tony Monaco plays the Hammond B-3 organ as a tribute to the legendary Jimmy Smith. So It's appropriate that this song is a tribute to Smith. He was born Aug. 14, 1959 in Columbus, OH. As a child, Monaco played accordion in his dad's band. 12 year old Monaco switched to organ after hearing Smith. Then Smith called him on the phone for his 16th birthday. And when Smith came to Columbus, he invited Monaco to see him. Monaco was also helped by local organist Hank Marr and Dr. Lonnie Smith. After touring with Pat Martino, Joey DeFrancesco helped Monaco record his 1999 debut album Out of Nowhere. DeFrancesco produced and played piano. Since then, Monaco has recorded on his own label. I'll Remember Jimmy first appeared on the 2005 album East to West which did well on the jazz charts. Musicians are Bruce Forman on guitar and Adam Nussbaum on drums. Both are veteran sidemen. Monaco also recorded the song on the 2012 album Celebration and the 2016 album Groove: Blue. With the recent deaths of Dr. Lonnie Smith and Joey DeFrancesco, Tony Monaco may be the leading proponent of the Hammond B-3 organ. Here he is playing I'll Remember Jimmy solo but with four cameras showing what he is doing.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-A Guy Called Gerald

Artist:A Guy Called Gerald

Song:Voodoo Ray

Album:Ministry of Sound Classics

British producer Gerald Simpson is a key figure in the development of electronica and house music especially in his home town of Manchester, England. As A Guy Called Gerald, he scored a top 20 hit in England with the 1988 single Voodoo Ray. He was born Feb. 16, 1967 in Moss Side, Manchester, England. His parents are Jamaican and Simpson was heavily influenced by his dad's ska and reggae record collection and his mom played piano in church. He listened to jazz fusion and electro funk in local clubs. At first he studied dance but then he got into electronic music by listening to Stu Allan on Picadilly Radio and hanging out at local record shops. Simpson started messing around with tape editing and drum machines in the attic of his house. And that led to the formation of Scratchbeat Masters. It's based on what is done in Jamaica. He challenged bands and their sound systems. He released a single with Graham Massey and Martin Price and they formed the pioneering electronic music group 808 State. Simpson soon left to release the 1988 single Voodoo Ray on his own label. After gaining steam in clubs, Voodoo Ray reached #12 on the British Singles chart. The vocal is by Nicola Collier who worked with Simpson on other songs. The main sample is from the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore comedy album Derek and Clive. Voodoo Ray is considered to be very influential on house music. It appears in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People which is about the Manchester scene. You can get Voodoo Ray on this various artists budget comp. The success got Simpson a deal with Columbia. But after two albums, he started his own Juice Box label. Simpson moved to New York in 1997. Simpson got into ambient music and he hasn't released music since 2013. But Simpson's legacy is his influence on the Manchester electronic music scene. Here's the video for Voodoo Ray by A Guy Called Gerald.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rosco Gordon

Artist:Rosco Gordon

Song:Booted

Album:No More Doggin'

Rosco Gordon scored a couple of R&B hits in the early 50s. By the early 60s Gordon was so disenchanted that he quit the music business. No less an authority than Island Records founder Chris Blackwell credits Gordon as a big influence on Jamaican music. He was born Apr. 10, 1928 in Memphis the youngest of eight children. He learned to play piano from his sister who took lessons. Gordon was involved with The Beale Streeters which included Johnny Ace, Bobby "Blue" Bland and B.B. King. In 1950, Gordon won a talent contest. The host of the show Rufus Thomas invited Gordon to come on his WDIA radio show. Gordon soon had his own show. Station manager David Mattis introduced Gordon to Sun Studios owner Sam Phillips. Meanwhile Ike Turner got Gordon to record Saddled the Cow (and Milk the Horse) for Modern Records' RPM label which reached #9 on the R&B Singles chart. Booted was the second single and it topped the R&B Singles chart. Phillips licensed the record to Chess to get national distribution. The third single No More Doggin' reached #2. Gordon also recorded for Duke and VeeJay. The 1960 VeeJay single Just a Little Bit reached #2 on the R&B Singles chart. You can get all of Gordon's 50s recordings on this budget comp. Gordon quit the music business in 1962 after winning a Queens, NY laundry business in a poker game. It looks like his wife wanted him to stay home. Gordon recorded occasionally but wouldn't return to touring until his wife died in 1984. He died on July 11, 2002 at age 74. Chris Blackwell credits Gordon's music as an influence on the creation of ska when Jamaican musicians heard his music in the late 50s. Here's a video of Booted by Rosco Gordon.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bruna Brasil vs Marnic Marin

Here's the match video of Bruna Brasil vs Marnic Marin from last night's Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series. This fight is at Flyweight. Bruna is 29 years old from Parana, Brazil. Her record is 7-2-1. She won her last fight in LFA which is where the UFC saw her. Marnic is from Montana. She is also an LFA veteran. Bruna won with a second round head kick KO and she won a UFC contract. That's what the Contender Series is all about. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Grace Kelly

Artist:Grace Kelly

Song:Amazing Grace

Album:Trying To Figure It Out

No this is not Grace Kelly the actress. This Grace Kelly plays sax and is very successful in the smooth jazz market. She was born Grace Chung May 15, 1992 in Wellesley, MA. Her parents are Korean. When her mother remarried in 1997, she took her stepfather's name Kelly. Grace was a child prodigy and she started playing clubs as a teen. She studied at New England Conservatory and also Berklee. Lee Konitz was one of her teachers. Grace has been recording on her own label since age 12. She has recorded Amazing Grace twice. She first recorded it with a quartet on the 2011 album Grace. Then she recorded it with a much larger band on the 2016 album Trying To Figure It Out. Special guests include Jon Batiste and Michael League of Snarky Puppy. Grace has recorded with Lee Konitz and Phil Woods. She also appeared in the Amazon series Bosch. Grace released her latest album in 2019. She is currently on tour and according to her website, she has a new album coming. Here's Grace Kelly with Julian Pollack on keyboards, Julia Pederson on bass and Ross Pederson on drums performing Amazing Grace on Seattle radio station KNKX Apr. 9, 2017.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky vs Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah

Here's the match video of Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships against Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. This is a rematch of the tournament final when the ref botched the finish. Raquel and Aliyah started out OK. But after the commercial, the worm turned and Dakota and Iyo isolated Aliyah. It looked like she legit hurt her shoulder. The finish came when Iyo used a hurricanrana to take Raquel to the floor. Dakota used her Kai-ropractor finisher to pin Aliyah. Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky are your new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-RaeLynn

 

Artist:RaeLynn

Song:God Made Girls

Album:Origins

Racheal Lynn Woodward or RaeLynn as she is called was on season two of The Voice. Though she was eliminated in the quarter finals, she signed a record deal and scored a top ten country hit with the 2014 single God Made Girls. This is her only hit to date. She was born May 4, 1994 in Baytown, TX. She appeared on the 2012 season of The Voice and was eliminated in the quarter finals. She signed a record deal with Republic Nashville and also a publishing deal. Republic Nashville merged with Big Machine in 2014. So RaeLynn's EP Me and the single God Made Girls were on Big Machine. After performing God Made Girls on season seven of The Voice, it reached #7 on the Country Singles chart. RaeLynn co-wrote the songs on the EP. It was produced by Joey Moi. When subsequent singles did not perform well. RaeLynn left Big Machine for Warner Bros. The album Origins was released after she left. When the 2017 album WildHorse was also a disappointment, RaeLynn left Warners for Florida Georgia Line's Round Here label. The EP Baytown was released in 2020. I don't like that she has bounced around so many labels. And as I have always said, shows like The Voice do not guarantee long term success. Who knows if RaeLynn can bounce back. Here's the video for God Made Girls by RaeLynn.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Elise Reed vs Melissa Martinez

Here's the fight video of Elise Reed vs Melissa Martinez from Saturday's UFC show. This fight is at Strawweight. Melissa is making her UFC debut. She's 25 years old from Mexico City. Her brother is currently a champ in Combate America. So that's where Melissa has fought. But her last fight was in 2019. She has been active in kickboxing. I just think that maybe should have had a fight outside the UFC first. Elise is more experienced so it was an easy fight for. And maybe Melissa should be an Atomweight. Look, I know the UFC really wants to push Mexican fighters. Maybe they should have thought twice about this one. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Norma Dumont vs Danyelle Wolf

Here's the fight video of Norma Dumont vs Danyelle Wolf from Saturday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Featherweight. The story here is 39 year old Danyelle making her UFC debut. She was in Contender's Series in 2020. She's an amateur boxer with zero MMA experience. And I remember thinking at the time there's no way she should get a UFC contract. But White gave her one desperately looking for Featherweights. She's training at Victory in San Diego. You can see she doesn't know what she is doing. I would have liked to see Norma be more aggressive with her earlier in the fight. She finally turns it on in round three. I didn't think much of her performance either. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Raul Paz

Artist:Raul Paz

Song:Mulata

Album:Putumayo Presents Nuevo Latino

Raul Paz is a Cuban singer songwriter who is supposed to be revolutionizing modern Cuban music. That's probably overstated but he has had success in Europe. He was born in 1969 in Pinar del Rio in west Cuba. He grew up listening to guajira and studied at Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana. Then he started listening to rock music on American radio. The music was banned in Cuba at the time. Paz left Cuba in 1993 and studied at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He got married and started a family. Paris has always been a musical melting pot. Paz hung out in the local Latino music scene. He was spotted by RMM Records owner Ralph Mercado and Paz made inroads in Latin music over the next couple of years. He moved back to Paris and signed with Naive Records. Mulata was his first album and single in 2003. Mulata is a mix of different styles of music. It became popular with the Lounge Music crowd. The album is available as a digital download. I recommend this Putumayo various artist sampler. Paz appeared in the 2012 PBS documentary Havana, Havana. It looks like Paz has returned to Cuba. He last recorded for the Cuban label Bis in 2018. Here's the video for Mulata by Raul Paz.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Irene Aldana vs Macy Chiasson

Here's the video of Irene Aldana vs Macy Chiasson from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight was supposed to be at Bantamweight. But I guess Macy was having trouble making weight so it was made a 140lb. Catchweight. Macy is really a Featherweight anyway. Irene is ranked fourth so the general thinking is with a win she might get a title shot. Macy is ranked tenth but a win would get her closer. The fight was competitive. I thought Irene won the first round and Macy won the second round. It looked like Macy was getting the advantage when Irene hit an upkick to the liver that knocked Macy out. At first we didn't see it properly. Was it legal? Of course the replay clarified that. So for me the finish falls under the "lucky punch" category. No one works on upkicks. Anyone who says they do is lying. The finish was unusual so Irene got a bonus. But for her to get a title shot based on a "lucky punch" is ridiculous. She could have lost if not for a "lucky punch". Check it out for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Big Red Machine

Artist:Big Red Machine f/Taylor Swift

Song:Renegade

Album:How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?

Big Red Machine is a side project by two guys who are very successful with their main bands. The 2021 single Renegade charted because Taylor Swift appears on it. The main guy behind Big Red Machine is The National leader Aaron Dessner. He's from Cincinnati hence the name. Back in 2008, Dessner messaged Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on MySpace about contributing a song to a Red Hot benefit album. They didn't know each other. After performing the song at Radio City Music Hall, they agreed to work together on similar projects. In 2016, Dessner approached Vernon about forming a band that would play music festivals. It would be called Big Red Machine. The debut album Big Red Machine was released in 2008 on Jagjaguwar. Dessner produced it in his home studio. For the 2021 album How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, Dessner decided this album would be more ambitious. It would feature guest vocalists including Taylor Swift. Dessner worked with Taylor on her albums Folklore and Evermore. The single Renegade reached #73 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it did well. They wrote the song while working on Evermore and they thought it would be a great Big Red Machine song. Taylor appears on two songs and there are plenty of guests on the album. The album is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Renegade by Big Red Machine featuring Taylor Swift. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Larsen-Feiten Band

Artist:Larsen-Feiten Band

Song:Who'll Be the Fool Tonight

Album:Larsen-Feiten Band

The 1980 single Who'll Be the Fool Tonight was a top 30 pop hit. It was also an adult contemporary hit. It was the only chart single for the very short lived Larsen-Feiten Band. They only recorded two albums and it looks like the second album was barely released. I think it's a song music fans may have thought was by The Doobie Brothers. And considering that both bands were on Warner Bros., the confusion may have been deliberate. Guitarist Buzz Feiten and pianist Neil Larsen were jazz and session musicians. It's those studio connections that led to this band. In the 60s, Feiten replaced Elvin Bishop in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Then in 1970, Feiten was lead guitarist of The Rascals when they had become a jazz fusion band. Meanwhile, Larsen served in the Vietnam War as a band director. He moved to New York post discharge. They met while working sessions and released a 1972 album on Douglas Records as Full Moon. After that, they returned to session work. Both guys moved to Los Angeles in the late 70s. Larsen recorded a couple of jazz fusion albums on A&M's Horizon label. Feiten played guitar on those records along with other session musicians. The other key guy was veteran producer Tommy LiPuma who had success turning The Crusaders into a pop success with Street Life. So I'm pretty sure it was his idea to turn Larsen-Feiten into a pop band. Who'll Be the Fool Tonight reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #22 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. As I said, I think when fans heard this song, they thought it was someone else. Feiten wrote Who'll Be the Fool Tonight but both guys wrote songs for the album. Musicians were session guys like Kim Hutchcroft on alto sax, Larry Williams on tenor sax, Chuck Findlay on trumpet, Bill Reichenbach on trombone, Willie Weeks on bass, Art Rodriguez on drums and Lenny Castro on percussion. Larsen-Feiten released a second album in 1982. but when that went nowhere and both guys returned to session work. They are still doing that. Here's the video for Who''l Be the Fool Tonight by Larsen-Feiten Band.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Count Basie

Artist:Count Basie

Song:Whirlybird

Album:The Complete Atomic Basie

When the big band era ended after WWII, it was tough on everyone including Count Basie. Like Duke Ellington, Basie went through a long dry period in the 50s before a 1957 performance at the Newport Jazz Festival followed by the 1958 album The Atomic Mr. Basie revitalized his career. Basie ended his band in 1950. But in 1952 Billy Eckstine and Verve Records owner Norman Granz convinced Basie to form a new band labelled the New Testament band. They recorded for Verve's Clef label. And they started touring again. The key guy in this rebirth was arranger Neal Hefti. You have probably heard his name as the composer of the music for the 60s Batman TV series. He started out as a trumpeter but for most of his career Hefti has been a big band arranger. He worked for Woody Herman in the 40s and not only arranged Woodchopper's Ball but played the trumpet solo. After leaving the Herman band in 1946, Hefti worked for Buddy Rich, Billy Butterfield, Charlie Ventura and Harry James. Hefti says Basie told him he wanted a show band that could appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. In other words, Hefti was supposed to write contemporary arrangements. In 1958, Basie left Verve for Morris Levy's Roulette label. The Atomic Mr. Basie was Basie's first album for Roulette. Hefti wrote and arranged all the songs. You will notice that all the songs are under five minutes. Basie wanted the music to be punchy and intense. The sax solo on Whirlybird is by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. The album was a huge success and it won a Grammy. Today The Atomic Mr. Basie is considered to be a classic and some believe it was Basie's last great album. Blue Note released it on CD in 1994 with six bonus tracks from an album Jimmy Mundy worked on but was never finished. Hefti recorded his own albums and worked on TV in New York. He moved to Los Angeles in 1962 and got into film and TV work. He is best known for the music for the Batman TV show and the film The Odd Couple. Hefti retired after his wife died in 1978. He died on Oct. 11, 2008 at age 85. Here's Count Basie performing Whirlybird on The Ed Sullivan Show May 29, 1960.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Judy Garland

Artist:Judy Garland f/Howard Keel

Song:Anything You Can Do

Album:Annie Get Your Gun: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Of course Judy Garland was one of MGM's biggest stars. But her time at the studio in the late 40s was troubled at best. Arthur Freed's attempt to have Judy star in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun is the most high profile example of Judy's problems because she worked on the film long enough to record songs meant tor the film. Judy suffered a nervous breakdown while filming The Pirate and was placed in a sanitorium. Though she completed filming, Judy attempted suicide by slitting her wrists. And then The Pirate was a box office failure. The ship was righted temporarily when Judy's 1948 film Easter Parade with Fred Astaire was a big success. MGM planned to immediately reteam Judy and Astaire in The Barkleys of Broadway. But Judy's prescription drug and alcohol addiction led to migraine headaches. Her doctor recommended extended rest periods. Remembering what happened on The Pirate, Freed suspended Judy and Ginger Rogers replaced her in The Barkleys of Broadway. After the suspension, Judy seemed to improve and she appeared in Words and Music and In the Good Old Summertime. Then Freed cast her as Annie Oakley in the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun. I'm sure Judy thought she was miscast as Ethel Merman played Annie Oakley on Broadway. Plus Busby Berkeley was directing the musical sequences. Judy didn't want to work with him and tried to get him fired. When that failed, Judy stopped showing up to work and Freed fired her. After briefly considering Betty Garrett, Freed borrowed Betty Hutton from Paramount. Before Judy was fired, She recorded the Annie Get Your Gun songs and she also completed two musical scenes. These scenes appeared in the 1994 documentary That's Entertainment III. The recordings are bonus tracks on Rhino's 2000 reissue of the Annie Get Your Gun soundtrack. This is available as a budget CD. Judy returned to MGM and filmed Summer Stock. But her problems returned and she left MGM in 1950. Here's a video for Anything You Can Do by Judy Garland featuring Howard Keel.  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tereza Bleda vs Naraya Maia

Here's the match video of Tereza Bleda vs Naraya Maia from last night's Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series (DWTNCS). This fight is at Flyweight. Both fighters are undefeated. Tereza is 20 years old from the Czech Republic. Naraya is 32 years old from Brazil. She trains at Nova Uniao. She's too old to be on Contender's Series. And that's the tipoff that Tereza is supposed to win. She does win easily but she needed to do more to win a UFC contract. Daniel Cormier says this on commentary. Check it out for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Concrete Blonde

Artist:Concrete Blonde

Song:Joey

Album:Bloodletting: 20th Anniversary Edition

Joey was a top 20 pop hit in 1990. It was the only hit single for Concrete Blonde. Most of their success was through college radio and MTV playing their videos. Singer songwriter bassist Johnette Napolitano first formed a group with guitarist James Mankey in Los Angeles in 1982. At first they called themselves Dreamers and then Dream 6. After releasing a couple of EPs, they signed with I.R.S. Records in 1986. Labelmate Michael Stipe of R.E.M. suggested the group name Concrete Blonde as he thought it described their music. Drummer Harry Rushakoff was added for their 1986 debut album Concrete Blonde. Bassist Alan Bloch was added for the 1989 album Free so Johnette could concentrate on singing. The single God Is a Bullet was a college radio hit. For the 1990 album Bloodletting, Bloch left and Rushakoff was in drug rehab so Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson played drums. The single Joey topped the Alt Rock chart and reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. So this was their biggest hit. Johnette wrote it about her relationship with Marc Moreland of Wall of Voodoo. After subsequent albums did not sell very well, Johnette split up Concrete Blonde in 1994. Bloodletting is available in a 20th Anniversary Edition with six bonus tracks. This is available as a budget CD. After reuniting and releasing a couple of albums, Johnette officially retired Concrete Blonde in 2006. She has recorded a few solo albums but it doesn't look like she tours anymore. Here's the video for Joey by Concrete Blonde.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tuuli

Artist:Tuuli

Song:It's Over

Album:Here We Go

The power pop girl group Tuuli scored a top five hit in their native Canada with the 2002 single It's Over. The problem was they split up after releasing one album. They had potential if they had stayed together. Tuuli was formed in 1997 in Toronto by lead singer and guitarist Jenny Vegas (real name-Jennifer MacIsaac), Dawn Mandarino on guitar, Claire Blake on bass and Michelle Lemoignan on drums. Jenny and Dawn wrote the songs. Their sound was heavily influenced by 60s garage band rock. And they were attractive so there was certainly marketing potential. After releasing a couple of EPs independently, Tuuli signed with Linus Entertainment and Warner Music Canada. The album Here We Go was released in 2002. The single It's Over reached #4 on the Canadian Singles chart. As I said, Jennifer and Dawn wrote most of the songs. The album was produced by recording engineer Neill King. It looked like they were going somewhere. But It looks like Dawn left the band. Jennifer tried to keep Tuuli together but they called it quits in 2005. Jennifer now lives in Los Angeles and is currently a member of Eagles of Death Metal. She calls herself Jennie Vee. Dawn joined The Flairs and they released a 2006 album on Warner Bros. The best description of Tuuli is unrealized potential. Here's the video for It's Over by Tuuli. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Meghan Patrick

Artist:Meghan Patrick

Song:The Bad Guy

Album:Country Music Made Me Do It

Country singer songwriter Meghan Patrick has had success in her native Canada. She is now trying to break through in the US. That is likely to be an uphill climb. She was born Mar. 25, 1987 in Bowmanville, ON which is east of Toronto. She learned to play guitar as a child. She was lead singer of The Stone Sparrows. After releasing an EP and an album, they split up in 2013 and Meghan decided to go solo. After winning a Star Search competition on a local radio station, Meghan signed a publishing deal and then a record deal with Warner Music Canada. She has released three albums on Warners. Meghan writes all her songs with co-writers. For her 2016 album Grace & Grit, she worked with Vince Gill, Chad Kroeger of Nickelback and Chantal Kreviazuk. The album did OK and four singles charted in Canada. For her 2018 album Country Music Made Me Do It, the producer was Jeremy Stover who produces Justin Moore. The single The Bad Guy reached #12 on the Canadian Country Singles chart. Meghan wrote the song with background singer Kelly Archer and Nathan Spicer. The single Walls Come Down topped the chart. After releasing a 2019 EP, Meghan moved to Nashville and for her 2021 album Heart on My Glass, she signed a US record deal with Riser House Entertainment. Her fiancee Mitchell Tenpenny is also on that label. She still does OK in Canada. But that's because of Canadian content quotas. For me, she looks and sounds too much like Carrie Underwood. I'm sure that's why Warner Nashville didn't pick her up. Meghan could have success as a songwriter. And though I expect her success in Canada to continue, I don't think she will do well in the US. Here's the video for The Bad Guy by Meghan Patrick. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Stephanie Egger vs Ailin Perez

Here's the match video of Stephanie Egger vs Ailin Perez from yesterday's UFC show in France. This fight is at Featherweight. French fighter Zarah Fairn was supposed to be Ailin's opponent. But she pulled out and Stephanie was brought in to keep the fight on the show. The change didn't do UFC newcomer Ailin any favors. Stephanie is not a great fighter but she's better than Zarah. Ailin is 27 years old from Argentina. Her record is 7-2. Stephanie won the first round by taking Ailin down and attempting submissions. When they got to their feet, Ailin stunned Stephanie with a punch. Between rounds, Ailin's coach told her to keep it standing and she could win the fight. But she was unable to do that and Stephanie won with a rear naked choke. I don't know if Ailin didn't listen to her coach. But I think it's more likely that the change in opponents a week before the fight was not enough time to properly prepare. There's a lot of pressure on fighters to accept short notice fights just to get into the UFC. Ailin wasn't going to turn down the fight. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Killjoys

Artist:The Killjoys

Song:Soaked

Album:Gimme Five

There were two bands in the 90s known as The Killjoys. One was from Melbourne, Australia. This band was from Canada. Both had modest success but never broke through to a wide audience. The Canadian Killjoys were formed in 1992 in Hamilton. ON. The lead singer, guitarist and songwriter was Mike Trebilcock. Shelley Woods played bass and Gene Champagne played drums. I would describe them as power pop. So with grunge really popular in the early 90s, success for The Killjoys was always going to be an uphill climb. They released the 1994 album Starry on the British label Cargo Records. It did well enough that Warner Music Canada released it in Canada. They also released the 1996 album Gimme Five. Most of The Killjoys' success was from their music videos getting played on MuchMusic. Canadian broadcasters have Canadian content quotas so MuchMusic is obligated to play bands like The Killjoys. There is also a fund to produce music videos. As a result, Soaked reached #20 on the Canadian Singles chart. And I should point out that none of The Killjoys' three Warner albums were released in the US. There was nothing wrong with their music but it was out of step with the times. After The Killjoys released a 1999 album on Shoreline, they retired. The Killjoys briefly reunited in 2015 and now they are playing regular gigs. I don't know if they will record. Here's the video for Soaked by The Killjoys. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Melanie B

Artist:Melanie B

Song:Word Up

Album:Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Music from the Motion Picture

Melanie Brown of The Spice Girls was attempting to establish a solo career when she recorded this cover of Cameo's Word Up for the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. When her singing career didn't go too well, Melanie turned to TV hosting which she is still doing. She was born May 29, 1975 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. She started out as a dancer. And of course she became famous as a member of The Spice Girls. She was known as Melanie B or Scary Spice. They were very successful. But like everything, The Spice Girls ran its course. Geri Halliwell left in 1998 and I'm sure the others were thinking about it. Missy Elliott was working on the soundtrack for the 1998 film Why Do Fools Fall in Love and she asked Melanie to record with her. The Spice Girls were on tour at the time. I Want You Back was recorded in one day and the single topped the British charts. The album Hot followed. Teddy Riley and Fred Jerkins were among the producers. Melanie's cover of Cameo's Word Up was produced by Tim "Timbaland" Mosely. It's a straight cover. She's not a good enough singer to do much with any song. But the single did chart in England. The soundtrack is available as a budget CD. After the 2000 album Hot didn't sell, Melanie tried acting. She had not planned to record again. After performing in the musical Rent in The Netherlands, she changed her mind and released the 2005 album L.A. State of Mind on her own label. She hasn't recorded since. What she has done is participate in Spice Girls reunions and a lot of TV as a host. I don't think she plans to record again. Here's the video for Word Up by Melanie B. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Arizona Zervas

Artist:Arizona Zervas

Song:Roxanne

Album:Now That's What I Call Music 105

Arizona Zervas scored a top five pop hit with the 2019 single Roxanne. I guess the only question in my mind is will he ever release an album. He was born Apr. 19, 1995 in Providence, RI but he grew up in Hagerstown, MD. He started posting music online as a teen. He will remind you of other guys like Drake and Post Malone. When his 2016 single Don't Hit My Line got attention, Zervas released 30 singles. Each one got a million streams on Spotify. Then he released his 2018 EP Living Facts. This got him a record deal with Columbia. Roxanne was the first single for Columbia in 2019. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified 5XPlatinum. Zervas went on tour but he has yet to release an album. You can get Roxanne on this Now comp available as a budget comp. Zervas has released several singles including a new one last week. So maybe because he was a viral success, Zervas never intends to release an album. Maybe Columbia is using Zervas to experiment with alternative release strategies. Maybe some artists don't need albums. Here's the video for Roxanne by Arizona Zervas. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

Artist:Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

Song:Blue on Black

Album:Trouble Is...

Guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd was 13 years old when music mogul Irving Azoff saw him play and decided to make him a star. And he had success in the late 90s with singles like Blue on Black which is considered to be his signature song. He was born Kenny Wayne Brobst June 12,1977 in Shreveport, LA. His father Ken Shepherd was a local DJ and concert promoter. Shepherd was seven years old when he met blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan at one of his dad's concerts. Shepherd then used his dad's record collection to teach himself to play. Shepherd was 13 years old when local musician Bryan Lee invited him to play at the Red River Revel Arts Festival in Shreveport. When Giant Records head Irving Azoff saw a video of this performance, he immediately signed Shepherd to a record deal. Obviously Shepherd's age made him a novelty. And with his dad managing him, he would be able to tour. It was decided to not promote Shepherd as a pop artist but rather to FM radio to Stevie Ray Vaughan fans. At Billboard that's called Mainstream Rock. Shepherd's 1995 debut album Ledbetter Heights was certified Platinum and the single Deja Voodoo was a top ten Mainstream Rock hit. The album topped Billboard's Blues album chart for 20 weeks. Sheppard wrote and produced the album with David Z from Prince's band. Shepherd didn't really sing so Corey Sterling sang lead on the album. For the 1997 album Trouble Is..., Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads was brought in to produce. The band was revamped including new lead singer Noah Hunt who remained with Shepherd for several years. Guests included blues legend James Cotton and members of Stevie Ray Vaughan's band who appeared on the title track. The single Blue on Black topped the Mainstream Rock chart. Shepherd wrote the song with the husband wife team of Danny Tate and Tia Sillers. They also wrote Deja Voodoo. This album was also certified Platinum. Sheppard recorded six albums for the Warner Music family of Giant, Reprise and Roadrunner. He currently records for Concord. He released his latest album in 2019. I saw Shepherd a few years ago at the Toronto Jazz Festival when he was touring with Robert Randolph and the Family Band. I reviewed the concert on the blog. I guess the novelty of a teen musician never appealed to me. And Shepherd isn't a teen anymore. He's just another guy with a guitar. So I never liked him. Here's the video for Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band.