AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra

Artist:Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra f/Wayne Marsh

Song:Don't Sweetheart Me

Album:The Lawrence Welk Collection 1938-62

Of course most folks are familiar with Lawrence Welk from his long running TV variety show. Even if you didn't watch it, it aired for 30 years so most knew about it. But in the 40s, Welk's band was more of a standard big band. He hadn't added the Champagne Music flourishes yet. He had several hits and Don't Sweetheart Me was his biggest hit in 1944. He was born Mar. 11, 1903 in Strasburg, ND. His parents emigrated from what is now known as the Ukraine. His family roots are in Germany. Strasburg was a German speaking community. Welk was the sixth of eight children. Welk convinced his father to buy him an accordion if he agreed to work on the family farm until he was 21. After fulfilling that promise, he led bands including the Hotsy Totsy Orchestra and the Honolulu Fruit Gum Orchestra. He had a daily radio show on WNAX in Yankton, SD from 1927-36. In the 30s, he led a travelling big band playing "sweet" music similar to Guy Lombardo. The term "champagne music" came when Welk's music was described as "light and bubbly as champagne". Welk liked that and he was also given a bubble machine. Welk's band was successful in the Midwest but mostly in Chicago. And he began a ten year residency at the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago drawing big crowds. Welk signed with Decca Records in 1941. Most of his singles charted but the 1944 single Don't Sweetheart Me reached #2 on the hit parade. It was the B side of Mairzy Doats but DJs liked the B side better. This would turn out to be the biggest chart hit of Welk's career. Don't Sweetheart Me doesn't have much of a history. It was written by the veteran songwriting team of Cliff Friend and Charles Tobias (The Merry Go Round Broke Down) in 1943. Several artists including The Ink Spots recorded it but Welk's recording was the biggest hit. This was singer Wayne Marsh's only recording with Welk and his only recorded appearance. Maybe he was filling in for someone. This 2CD comp from the British label Acrobat covers Welk's entire career. Welk moved to Los Angeles in 1951 and that's when he started The Lawrence Welk Show. It was a local hit and was picked up by ABC in 1955. The show ended when Wek retired in 1982. He died on May 17, 1992 at age 89. If you're like me, you don't like Welk's music. But you have to respect his longevity. Besides, Don't Sweetheart Me is more standard big band than most of Welk's music. Here's a video of Don't Sweetheart Me by Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kerry Livgren

Artist:Kerry Livgren f/Ronnie James Dio

Song:Mask of the Great Deceiver

Album:Seeds of Change

Kerry Livgren is best known as the guitarist and main songwriter for the popular 70s band Kansas. After he became a born again Christian in 1979, he recorded the 1980 album Seeds of Change. This caused conflict in Kansas and led to Livgren's 1983 departure. His music is no different from Kansas. But the lyrics are Christian. Livgren was born Sept. 18,1949 in Topeka, KS. As a child, he rigged up a homemade electric guitar and started writing songs. While in high school, Livgren formed the band The Gimlets and they played local shows. He was also in the R&B band The Mellotones with keyboardist Don Montre. They left and joined The Reasons Why. They weren't happy there and formed Saratoga and that became Kansas. So we all know how successful Kansas was in the 70s. While Kansas was on tour in 1979, Livgren became a Christian after talking to Jeff Pollard of Le Roux who were on tour with Kansas. That's when Livgren recorded the 1980 album Seeds of Change. Several Kansas members played on the album. Ronnie James Dio of Black Sabbath sang lead on Mask of the Great Deceiver. Other guests include Jethro Tull drummer Barriemore Barlow, Jeff Pollard of Le Roux, Mylon LeFevre and David Pack of Ambrosia. This album is available on CD. Livgren recorded three more albums with Kansas. But there was tension within the band over the Christian lyrics of his songs. Livgren left Kansas in 1983 and formed a new band AD. They recorded four albums but were unsuccessful because they were not allowed to market the band to the secular market. After AD split up in 1989, Livgren recorded solo for his own label until he formed the band Proto-Kaw in 2003. They recorded four albums and ended after Livgren suffered a 2009 stroke. Obviously that slowed him down. But Livgren has performed occasionally and released a couple of albums. Here's Kansas performing Mask of the Great Deceiver 1980.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Smokie

Artist:Smokie

Song:Living Next Door To Alice

Album:Needles & Pins: The Best of Smokie

Smokie scored five top ten hits in their native England. Here in North America, the 1976 single Living Next Door To Alice was their only significant hit. So obviously they were a much bigger deal at home. When they started out in Bradford, Yorkshire, England in 1963, they were called The Yen. When lead singer Chris Norman first joined the band in 1965, they were called The Sphynx and they played gigs as Essence before they split up in 1966. Norman, drummer Ron Kelly and lead guitarist Alan Silson joined The Black Cats and the band name was changed to The Four Corners. They got a manager and he suggested the name The Elizabethans. After they appeared on TV a couple of times, RCA suggested a name change to Kindness and they released a single in 1970. After going through a couple of management changes, Decca released a 1972 single which went nowhere. The band's fortunes finally changed when Pete Spencer replaced Kelly and they met producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman while playing a show in Germany. They had produced Sweet, Mud and Suzi Quatro. Chinn and Chapman changed the band name to Smokey and then Smokie after Smokey Robinson threatened to sue. Smokie toured to support the 1975 album Changing All the Time. The single If You Think You Know To Love Me reached #3 on the British singles chart. So finally they are getting somewhere. After the 1976 album Midnight Cafe didn't do as well, Living Next Door To Alice was released as a standalone single. After it reached #5 on the British Singles chart, Smokie signed with RSO Records in the US. The single reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned out to be Smokie's only big US hit. The song was originally recorded by the Australian band New World who were also produced by Chinn and Chapman. Smokie had a couple more hits in England. But then Norman left in 1982. You can get all their hits on this 2CD budget comp. The band has continued though at this point, they are mostly a nostalgia act in England. There are no original members in the current version of Smokie. Here's the video of Living Next Door To Alice by Smokie.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dori Caymmi

Artist:Dori Caymmi

Song:Gabriela's Song

Album:Dori Caymmi

Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist Dori Caymmi has been around since the 70s. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1989, he is more of a sideman and session musician but he still records occasionally. He was born Aug. 26, 1943 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father was composer Dorival Caymmi and his mother was singer Stella Maris. Caymmi started taking piano lessons at age eight. And at the Conservatorio Lorenzo Fernandez, he studied music theory and harmony. Caymmi was a big part of the Tropicalia movement mostly as a songwriter and producer. He produced Eumir Deodato, Edu Lobo and Nara Leao and he wrote songs with Nelson Motta. He was an arranger and guitarist for Paul Winter and toured with him. He didn't record until the late 80s because didn't want to make pop music. But then Caymmi moved to Los Angeles in 1989. He seems to enjoy studio work. Gabriela's Song is from the 1989 album Dori Caymmi. This was Caymmi's first album after moving to Los Angeles. It was on Elektra's 80s jazz label Elektra Musician. Caymmi wrote Gabriela's Song with Jorge Amado. Sergio Mendes produced the album. The musicians are Los Angeles session men Gary Herbig on flute, Don Grusin on synthesizer, Jimmy Johnson on bass, Carlos Vega on drums and Laudir De Oliveira on percussion. Bassist Alphonso Johnson and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa made guest appearances. After Elektra Musician was closed, Caymmi recorded three albums for Quincy Jones' Qwest label. Since then he has recorded for small labels. But mostly he is in the studio recording with a who's who of the Los Angeles jazz scene. Here's Dori Caymmi with Larry Coryell and Roberto Lubamba on guitar, Billy Cobham on drums, Donald Harrison on tenor sax, Marcio Montarroyos on trumpet, Luiz Avellar on keyboards, Nico Assumpcao on bass and Djalma Correa on percussion performing Gabriela's Song at Live Under the Sky in Bahia, Brazil 1992. This is from the 1992 Larry Coryell CD and DVD Live from Bahia. The entire concert can be streamed on YouTube.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-2023 Women's War Games Match

Here's the video of the 2023 Women's War Games Match from last night's WWE show in Chicago. This is basically the first hour of last night's show. The teams are Bayley, Asuka, IYO SKY and Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi and Becky Lynch. The big problem with this kind of match is it doesn't "start" until all the participants are in the ring. So that means the first half of the match is meaningless and a complete waste of time. Commentary tries to sell this as do as much damage as you can before the match starts. But that doesn't work. I would also like to see the WWE put weapons in the ring before the match so no one has to remember to grab weapons from under the ring. For example, Charlotte forgot to grab stuff when she came out. Asuka made up for it though. They can save a lot of time by having weapons there when the match begins. At least we got some big spots like IYO and a garbage can from the top of the cage. She did the same thing in NXT in 2019. However, I could have done without Charlotte's awful moonsault. The one thing I didn't like was Charlotte and Becky hugging because that guaranteed that the babyfaces would win. The conflict between them would have made this match more interesting. After that the end was a foregone conclusion. Bayley took the fall as I thought she might. I guess a War Games match is one big timewaster. Remember the War Games matches took up over two hours and the rest of the show was kind of meh. That's a lot of timewasting. And the big surprise at the end of the show didn't make up for the mediocrity. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Victor Manuelle

Artist:Victor Manuelle

Song:Tengo Ganas

Album:Historia de Un Sonero

Singer Victor Manuelle has been popular in Puerto Rico since the 90s. His music is known as Salsa Romantica. That means he sings romantic songs but his music is salsa as opposed to pop. The 2004 single Tengo Ganas is his biggest hit. He was born Victor Manuel Ruiz Velasquez Sept. 27, 1968 in New York City but he grew up in Isabella, Puerto Rico. His singing career began when salsa superstar Gilberto Santa Rosa appeared at his high school graduation party concert. When Manuelle's classmates started bragging about his singing skills, Santa Rosa invited him to come on stage. To Santa Rosa's surprise, Manuelle could not only sing but he improvised his own lyrics. In the early 90s, Santa Rosa got Manuelle a record deal with Sony Latin and he has been a regular on the Latin charts ever since. Tengo Ganas is from Manuelle's 2004 album Travesia. The song was Manuelle's first #1 Latin hit. Manuelle wrote the song with Miami Sound Machine leader Emilio Estefan Jr. and Estefan produced. The album was certified Platinum. You can get it on this budget comp which comes with a bonus DVD. Manuelle still records and performs regularly. His latest album was released last year. He's not as popular as he used to be but he still does OK. Here's the video for Tengo Ganas by Victor Manuelle.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bayley and Asuka vs Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch

Here's the match video of Bayley and Asuka vs Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch from last night's episode of Smackdown. The purpose of this match was to set up the main storyline of tonight's War Games match. And that is that Charlotte and Becky still hate each other and can't work together. So the WWE made a point of hammering that home for the entire show. Bianca Belair and Shotzi try to smooth things over. But as Stampede Wrestling announcer Ed Whelan used to say, there was a malfunction at the junction and Bayley pinned Becky to win the match. The rest of the match didn't mean anything. Asuka looked like she was killing time waiting for the finish. So I expect this conflict to continue tonight and probably lead to Charlotte vs Becky down the road. Asuka seems to be having a lot of fun working with IYO and Kairi and seems to enjoy pretending to be friends with Bayley. Bayley's continued uneasiness is pretty funny too. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wasis Diop

Artist:Wasis Diop f/Lena Fiagbe

Song:No Sant

Album:Everything Is Never Quite Enough

Wasis Diop is a Senegalese musician who blends contemporary sounds with traditional Senegalese folk music. He lives in Paris and has had some commercial success in Europe. But he has been critically acclaimed worldwide. He was born in 1950 in Dakar, Senegal. His father was a Senegalese high official. Diop moved to Paris to study engineering. But then he joined the band West African Cosmos led by another Senegalese musician Umban U Kset. After he left that band, Diop spent some time in Jamaica and played guitar with legendary producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. After returning to Paris, one of Diop's songs was in the Eurovision Song Contest. He was introduced to Japanese saxophonist Tasuaki Shimizu and spent two years in Japan in his band. Diop signed with Mercury Records France in 1993. His debut album was the soundtrack to his brother's film Hyenes. No Sant was his second album in 1995. His single African Dream charted in England. But the song No Sant was popular in Europe. The female singer on No Sant is Lena Fiagbe. She's a British singer who released an album in 1993. She doesn't seem to be in the music business anymore. Diop produced the album with Shimizu. His albums were released in the US in Triloka Records. Diop released three albums on Mercury. This comp was released in 2003 by the British reissue label Wrasse because the title song Everything Is Never Quite Enough appeared in the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair. It is available as a budget CD. Since then he has recorded three albums for small labels, most recently in 2021. Here's Wasis Diop Performing No Sant on the French TV network INA Feb. 21, 1996. The musicians and the girl singer are not identified.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Derrick Hodge

Artist:Derrick Hodge

Song:Solitude

Album:Live Today

Bassist Derrick Hodge is mainly a sideman first with Terence Blanchard and currently with Robert Glasper. But he has also worked with hip hop and R&B artists like Common and Maxwell. And now he's getting into film and TV work. So he could turn up anywhere. Hodge has recorded three albums as a leader for Blue Note. He was born July 5, 1979 in Philadelphia. He started out playing electric guitar and switched to electric bass while in elementary school. He taught himself to play contrabass. Hodge studied jazz at Temple University and played in school bands. He played sessions for Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild and Floetry. Hodge joined pianist Mulgrew Miller's band in 2003 and he appeared on Common's 2005 album Be. Then he studied with Terence Blanchard to learn film composition. He also played on Blanchard albums and toured with him. Hodge's big move was when he joined The Robert Glasper Experiment in 2008 and he still works with Glasper today. He was on Glasper's 2012 breakthrough album Black Radio. When not touring with Glasper, Hodge worked with Blanchard, Maxwell and jazz singer Gretchen Parlato. While on tour with Glasper, Hodge met Blue Note Records president Don Was and signed a record deal. Solitude is from Hodge's 2013 debut album as a leader Live Today. Hodge wrote and produced all the songs. He says that Solitude is a tribute to the late pianist Mulgrew Miller. Musicians are Aaron Parks on piano and The American String Quartet. Guests include James Poyser of The Roots, Robert Glasper and Common. This album is available as a budget CD. Hodge has recorded three albums for Blue Note. The latest Color of Noize was released in 2020. He continues to tour and record with Glasper's new band R+R=NOW and he composed the music for the STARZ TV series Run the World. Here's Derrick Hodge with Keyon Herrold on trumpet, Michael Aaberg and Federico Pena on keyboards and Mark Colenburg on drums performing Solitude on the Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC May 10, 2014. This is Hodge's touring band.

 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stephen Sanchez

Artist:Stephen Sanchez

Song:Until I Found You

Album:Angel Face

Singer songwriter Stephen Sanchez scored a top 30 hit with the 2021 single Until I Found You. The record spread virally through Tik Tok so I think it was a bigger hit than that. Billboard sometimes has difficulty interpreting online response. I guess fans liked the retro vibe of this song. I'll get into that in a minute. Sanchez was born Nov. 3, 2002 in El Dorado Hills, CA. He started out posting videos to Tik Tok, A 2020 cover of Cage the Elephant's Cigarette Daydreams got him 122,000 followers on Tik Tok. After posting a song he wrote called Lady by the Sea, singer songwriter Jeremy Zucker volunteered to produce a demo. And that demo got Sanchez a record deal with Mercury Records. These days Mercury is a country label. I guess the original plan was to sell Sanchez as a country singer. So Kasey Musgraves' producer Ian Fitchuk was brought in along with recording engineer Konrad Snyder. They wrote and produced with Sanchez. The single Until I Found You was first released on the 2021 EP Easy on the Eyes. The song spread virally through Tik Tok and reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also did well in Adult Contemporary and elsewhere. It did not chart in Country. So Universal moved Sanchez to Republic so he would be promoted to top 40 radio. They have different promotion guys work different radio formats. Then it was decided to do a concept album with a fictional version of Sanchez called The Troubador Sanchez rising to fame after the 1958 hit Until I Found You. Even the video buys into this. The girl is played by actress and model Jeri Mae James. It looks like this concept is only for this album. He gets involved with a mobster and that leads to his decline. The problem at the time is the album Angel Face wasn't released until Sept. 30, 2023. So they had Sanchez record a remix of Until I Found You with singer Em Beihold and they performed it on a Feb. 2023 episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden. Then Sanchez performed Until I Have You with Elton John at Glastonbury 2023. Until I Have You is Sanchez' only chart single to date and the album hasn't done well. It remains to be seen what will be done with Sanchez next. But maybe he's had his 15 minutes of fame and he'll be a has been at age 22. He writes so he has value. But now you know why I don't like his gimmick. It's not the real Stephen Sanchez. Here's the video for Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George LaMond

Artist:George LaMond

Song:Bad of the Heart

Album:Where Does That Leave Love

Freestyle singer George LaMond had success on the dance charts in the early 90s. He scored three top five dance hits and one of those songs, Bad of the Heart, was a top 30 pop hit. He was born George Garcia Feb. 25, 1967 in Washington, DC. His parents are Puerto Rican. LaMond moved with his family to Puerto Rico and then they moved back to the US and settled in The Bronx, NY. That's where LaMond and his eight siblings grew up. LaMond was part of the duo Loose Touch with Joey Kid (Jose Antonio Baez-Perez). They recorded the 1988 single Bad of the Heart for Ligosa Records owned by producer Chris Barbosa and recording engineer Mark Liggett. Bad of the Heart was written by Marilyn Rodriguez and Philip Andreula. It looks like both were Ligosa employees and Andreula played keyboards. When the song started getting dance club play, Columbia Records executives Brad LeBeau and David Jurman signed LaMond and sent them to the studio to record an album. The album was produced by Liggett, Barbosa and Andreula and Andreula played keyboards and wrote four of the ten songs on the album. The singles Without You, Bad of the Heart and Look Into My Eyes were all top five dance hits. But Bad of the Heart reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's the biggest hit any of these people ever had. Barbosa and Liggett also produced LaMond's 1992 album In My Life. But Andreula did not appear on the album. It didn't do as well as the first album. So maybe he was more important to LaMond's success than they thought. Andreula produced a couple of other acts but nothing notable. After LaMond continued to record in Spanish for Sony and he had some success on the Latin charts. Sony released this comp in 2007. LaMond now lives in Florida and still performs occasionally. I would describe him as semi retired. Here's the video for Bad of the Heart by George LaMond. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joe Harnell and the Bossa Nova Pops

Artist:Joe Harnell and the Bossa Nova Pops

Song:Fly Me to the Moon

Album:Martinis Bikinis & Memories

Pianist, composer and arranger Joe Harnell had a long and varied career not only in music but in TV and advertising. This 1963 Bossa Nova arrangement of Fly Me to the Moon was a top 20 pop hit. A couple of his other songs charted so he was technically not a one hit wonder. But for all the albums Harnell recorded, this was his only big hit. He was born Aug. 2, 1924 in The Bronx, NY. His father was a vaudeville performer who played piano in jazz and klezmer bands. What is klezmer? That is music that Eastern European Jews brought to North America. Think of it as Jewish Jazz. Harnell began playing piano at age six. And he played with his dad as a teen. After attending the University of Miami on a music scholarship, Harnell enlisted in the US Air Force and played in Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces Band. After his discharge, Harnell studied at Tanglewood under Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. After Harnell returned to New York, he was in Lester Lanin's band. And he was an accompanist for Judy Garland, Maurice Chevalier and Marlene Dietrich. Harnell was Peggy Lee's full time accompanist and arranger from 1958-61. While recovering from a 1962 car crash, Kapp Records asked Harnell if he was interested in recording Bossa Nova themed instrumental music. Harnell recorded six albums for Kapp. Fly Me to the Moon is from the 1963 album Fly Me to the Moon. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Pop Performance. You can get it on this various artists budget CD of lounge music from Laserlight. Harnell also recorded for Columbia, Motown and Capitol. He worked for Grey Advertising as a jingle writer starting in 1964. And from 1967-73, Harnell was musical director for The Mike Douglas Show. Harnell moved to Hollywood in 1973. He worked on TV themes like The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk and he was Emmy nominated for the 1983 mini series V. He also wrote the theme for the NBC Daytime soap Santa Barbara. Then he joined the faculty of USC's Thornton School of Music as a film score composition instructor. Harnell's older son Jess Harnell is the voice of Wakko Warner on Animaniacs and the voice of Crash Bandicoot. His other son Jason Harnell is a jazz drummer who has worked with Maynard Ferguson. Joe Harnell died on July 14, 2005 at age 80. And like I always say, one hit single is better than none. Here's a video for Fly Me to the Moon by Joe Harnell and the Bossa Nova Pops.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Toni Storm vs Hikaru Shida

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship against Toni Storm. I am posting this match on the blog for those who didn't buy the PPV. I hate this match and not because Hikaru lost as I expected her to lose. It's the same thing that happened two years ago when Tony Khan got it into his head that Britt Baker is an ace. And we all know how disappointing her championship run was because she was limited in the ring. He obviously loves Toni's Timeless gimmick and that's why he did a title change. But I don't think it's a gimmick that can survive a title run. It's a one note gimmick. And unless he can do different things with it, it could get stale very quickly. I know you all like the gimmick now but will you like it in six months? I could be wrong but I doubt it. Hikaru had new gear which was a video game tribute. I liked the gear she was wearing before. They were chopping each other too much. I don't know why they did that. You had to know the stuff Toni brought with her would be part of the finish. When hitting Hikaru with the shoe couldn't finish her, she stuffed a tray down her butt and that did it. A lousy finish for a lousy match. Check it out for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David "Honeyboy" Edwards

Artist:David "Honeyboy" Edwards

Song:Sweet Home Chicago/Dust My Broom

Album:Mississippi Delta Bluesman

David "Honeyboy" Edwards' claim to fame is he was the last surviving bluesman who actually hung out with Robert Johnson and other blues pioneers. So whenever there was a documentary about Johnson, Edwards was usually interviewed. But he didn't record commercially until 1951 and became more active recording and touring in the 90s. Sweet Home Chicago is one of several songs that Edwards claimed he wrote but were stolen from him. He was born June 28, 1915 in Shaw, MS. His father taught him to play guitar. At age 14, Edwards left home to tour with bluesman Big Joe Williams. And he toured for the next 20 years. He became close friends with Johnson and was present when Johnson drank the poisoned whiskey that killed him. That's why Edwards is interviewed frequently. He hung out with guys like Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson and Johnny Shines. He lived the life of a traveling bluesman going from town to town trying to make a buck and not get thrown in jail. Folklorist Alan Lomax recorded Edwards for the Library of Congress in 1942. And he recorded a few songs in the 50s and 60s. The 60s blues revival didn't help him much because he hadn't recorded much. Edwards recorded the album Mississippi Delta Bluesman for Folkways Records in 1979. Smithsonian Folkways released the album on CD in 2001. Edwards recorded more frequently in the 90s because he hired a manager and got a record deal with Earwig Records and got him to tour. I guess all those interviews paid off. He won a Grammy in 2008 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2010. When his health started to fail, Edwards retired and died on Aug. 29, 2011 at age 96. Here's David "Honeyboy" Edwards performing Sweet Home Chicago in Sheffield, England 2009.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Allin Perez vs Lucie Pudilova

Here's the fight video of Allin Perez vs Lucie Pudilova from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Allin is 29 years old from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She trains at The Goat Shed in Miami. Her UFC record is 1-1. Lucie is 29 years old from the Czech Republic. She trains with John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland. She's gone 1-1 in her second UFC stint. She does well outside the UFC. Some fighters are at a talent level that is OK for regional MMA but not the UFC. That may be the case with Lucie. Allin won the first two rounds by taking Lucie down and keeping her there. Lucie held her close so Allin couldn't posture up and hit her with ground and pound. Maybe the ref should have broken them up. I scored both rounds 10-9 for Allin. I don't think she did enough to get a 10-8. Lucie won round three but she needed a finish and didn't get it. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Allin. She won by unanimous decision. I don't see either fighter getting far in the UFC. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Ribas vs Luana Pinheiro

Here's the fight video of Amanda Ribas vs Luana Pinheiro from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Both fighters are from Minas Gerais, Brazil. As teens, they lived together in judo camp. Amanda is 30 years old. She trains with her father Marcello Ribas. Her UFC record is 6-3. She has fought at Flyweight and Strawweight. I like her at Strawweight and I hope she stays there as she has a size advantage. Luana is 31 years old. She trains at BH Rhinos with Cristiano Lazzarini.. She got into the UFC via Contender Series. She's 3-0 in the UFC but Amanda is at a higher competition level. Luana started out well in round one. She was swinging hard and landed enough to win the round 10-9. But She looked tired when she came out for round two and Amanda roared back and landed a spinning wheel kick to the head that should have knocked Luana down but the fence held her up. A couple more punches knocked Luana down and the ref stopped the fight. Amanda wins by TKO and she gets a $50,000 bonus. A couple of wins against top fighters and I could see Amanda as a Strawweight title contender. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kim Mitchell

Artist:Kim Mitchell

Song:Patio Lanterns

Album:Shakin' Like a Human Being

Kim Mitchell is frequently described as the quintessential Canadian rock singer. He had success in Canada first as lead singer of the band Max Webster then as a solo artist in the mid-80s. He was never able to break through in the US. So most American music fans have probably never heard Mitchell. He was born July 19, 1952 in the Western Ontario city of Sarnia. He played in bands as a teen and he moved to Toronto after finishing high school. He brought lyricist Pye Dubois with him. Dubois is not a musician but he wrote lyrics for all of Mitchell's songs with Max Webster and as a solo artist. That kind of relationship is unusual in a band but not unheard of. Robert Hunter was not a member of The Grateful Dead but he wrote lyrics for Jerry Garcia songs. Max Webster was formed in 1972 and they had success until the band ended in 1981. Mitchell didn't actually leave Max Webster. Other guys left until Mitchell was the only one left. So he decided to go solo and signed with Tom Berry's Alert Records with EMI Canada distribution. Mitchell was on Atlantic in the US. Berry had worked for Max Webster's label Anthem. Mitchell was his first signing when he started Alert. Mitchell wrote and produced all his albums. Dubois wrote the lyrics. Patio Lanterns is from the 1986 album Shakin' Like a Human Being. It reached #12 on the Canadian Singles chart. The album is available as a budget CD. Mitchell had several hits in Canada but only one chart single in the US. This is because CRTC regulations for radio and TV in Canada create an artificial market for Canadian content. So no one knows what will do well outside Canada. Mitchell recorded five albums for Alert. In 2004, he worked as a DJ for Toronto Radio station Q107. Mitchell still performs live and records occasionally. He has slowed down considerably since a 2016 heart attack. Mitchell was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. Here's the video for Patio Lanterns by Kim Mitchell. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Leahy

Artist:Leahy

Song:The Call to Dance

Album:Leahy

Leahy is a family group who had success in their native Canada with their energetic brand of Celtic music. Their 1996 album Leahy went Platinum in Canada. They are from the Eastern Ontario town of Lakefield. When they started out in the 80s, they were known as The Leahy Family. They released three albums. One was for RCA Canada. They sold them at their concerts. They relaunched themselves as Leahy with the 1996 album Leahy on Virgin Records in Canada and Narada in the US. The album is instrumental though vocals are part of the band. As I said, Leahy is a family group led by fiddler Donnell Leahy. He is married to fiddler Natalie MacMaster. The other fiddlers are Angus and Doug Leahy. Erin Leahy plays piano and guitar. Maria Leahy plays guitar and banjo. Siobheann Leahy plays bass. Frank Leahy plays drums. The step dancing in the video is by Agnes Leahy. She is currently not touring with the band. There are eleven siblings so they come and go. The video for The Call to Dance was played on MuchMusic and that got Leahy radio airplay mostly on Adult Contemporary and Country radio. The album was certified Platinum in Canada. The Call to Dance was written by Cape Breton musician Howie MacDonald. This album is available as a budget CD. Leahy released three albums on Virgin/Narada followed by a 2006 live album. They self released the album Good Water in 2021. Leahy is still a popular live act across Canada. Here's the video for The Call to Dance by Leahy. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jack Garratt

Artist:Jack Garratt

Song:Worry

Album:Phase

Singer songwriter Jack Garratt has had success in his native England. Worry is his only chart single to date. He's a one man band in the recording studio. So his future might be as a producer of others. He's done some of that already. He was born Oct. 11, 1991 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England and he grew up in the village of Little Chalfont. His mother was a primary school music teacher. So when Garratt showed that he liked making noises, his mom enrolled him in music lessons. He started writing songs when he was twelve and learned to play several instruments. He attended London's University of Roehampton for one year. In 2005, Garratt entered a song in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Then he started working on an acoustic blues album. His music was played on BBC Three Counties Radio as part of BBC Introducing. He decided to abandon the album because he didn't like the songs. He was just writing them to get a reaction. After self releasing the 2014 EP Remnants, the song Worry was playlisted on BBC Radio 1 and Garratt headlined the BBC Introducing stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals. He also opened for Mumford & Sons on their UK tour. Garratt signed with Island Records and Interscope in the US. And that's when the 2016 album Phase was released. The single Worry charted in England but it was not a hit. The album reached #3 on the British Album chart. The album is available as a budget CD. As I said, Garratt writes and produces everything and plays all the instruments. He won the Critics Choice Award at the BRIT Awards. Garratt recorded a second album. But he hated it and decided to scrap it. He wrote and produced the 2017 Katy Perry song Power. Garratt decided to get together with producers Jacknife Lee and James Flannigan and they produced the 2020 album Love, Death & Dancing. The album charted in England but none of the singles charted. Since then Garratt has released an EP and played festivals. He seems to have anxiety issues when making his own music. He might be better off just producing others so he doesn't worry so much. Here's the video for Worry by Jack Garratt. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Blackout Allstars

Artist:The Blackout Allstars

Song:I Like It

Album:I Like it Like That: Music from the Motion Picture Vol.1

Most Latin music fans should be familiar with 1967 classic I Like it Like That by Pete Rodriguez. The producers of the 1994 film I Like it Like That asked record producer Sergio George to make a new version of the song to be used as the film's theme. It's a romance film aimed at the Latino market written and directed by Darnell Martin. She directed the 2008 film Cadillac Records about Chess Records owner Leonard Chess. For the theme, George assembled an all star collection of Latin jazz musicians including Tito Nieves on lead vocals, Paquito D'Rivera, Grover Washington Jr. and Luis Disla on sax, Jose "Ite" on trumpet, William Cepeda on trombone, Dave Valentin on flute, Ruben Rodriguez on bass and Ray Barretto, Shiela E., and Tito Puente on percussion. George called them The Blackout Allstars. It was a one off. They never recorded together again. Except for Nieves, they didn't appear in the video. Though the soundtrack album did well enough for Columbia to release a second volume of music from the film, I like It was not a hit at the time. Then in 1996 Burger King used a remix of I Like It in a commercial. And the record got enough radio airplay to reach #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. So I guess this fluke hit single was also a one hit wonder. The soundtrack album is available as a budget CD. If you are wondering why Washington is on this, Columbia released the soundtrack and was on Columbia at the time. Washington died in 1999 and Puente died in 2000. So The Blackout Allstars never recorded again. But I like It is pretty good and I also suggest you check out the original by Pete Rodriguez. Here's the video for I Like It by The Blackout Allstars.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Natalie Grant

Artist:Natalie Grant

Song:In Better Hands

Album:Relentless

CCM singer songwriter Natalie Grant has had success since signing with Curb Records over twenty years ago. She won the Dove award for Female Vocalist of the Year four straight years and she has been nominated for eight Grammys. She was born Dec. 21, 1971 in Seatlle. She sang in church and she thought her musical talent was only to be shared with her local church. She changed her mind while studying to be a teacher at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA. She joined the Christian group Truth which was more of a travelling road show. Natalie moved to Nashville and signed with Benson Records in 1997. She released the 1999 album Natalie Grant on Benson's Silverstone label. The album was produced by veteran CCM producer Brown Bannister. At this point, Natalie was not writing songs. It was around this time she met Canadian producer Bernie Herms. They married and he has produced all of Natalie's albums. She released her 2001 album Stronger on Pamplin. When they closed, Natalie signed with Curb and things have gone well since then. In Better Hands is from her 2008 album Relentless. In Better Hands reached #5 on the Christian charts. Relentless is available as a budget CD. Her albums have been consistent sellers in the CCM market. Though she wrote most of the songs on the album, In Better Hands was written by veteran Nashville songwriters Jim Daddario and Catt Gravitt. Both have written songs for country artists like Collin Raye and Jake Owen and CCM Artists. Natalie won the Dove award for Female Vocalist of the year from 2006-09 and again in 2012. She has been nominated for eight Grammy awards. Her latest album Seasons was released this year. It is mostly duets with Dolly Parton, Mary Mary, CeCe Winans, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and others. CCM fans should eat it up. Here's the video for In Better Hands by Natalie Grant.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Larry Graham

Artist:Larry Graham

Song:One in a Million You

Album:The Best of Larry Graham and Graham Central Station

As bassist for legendary funk group Sly and the Family Stone, Larry Graham invented the slapping bass technique used by many bassists today. After the band split up, he led the funk group Graham Central Station. And then he reinvented himself as a crooner with the 1980 top ten hit single One in a Million You. This was his biggest hit. He was born Aug. 14, 1946 in Beaumont, TX. His parents were musicians. He is the uncle of Aubrey "Drake" Graham. He played bass in his parents' band and the slap technique on the bass came about so the band wouldn't need a drummer. He brought this technique with him when he joined Sly and the Family Stone in 1967. Bassists from Bootsy Collins to Stanley Clarke adapted this technique. Of course we all know how successful Sly and the Family Stone was. When they disbanded in 1972, Graham joined the Santana spinoff band Azteca led by Coke and Pete Escovedo and Neil Schon. After one album, Schon left to form Journey and Graham started the funk band Graham Central Station. They signed with Warner Bros. and had success mostly on the R&B charts through the 70s. Graham ended the band and transitioned to a solo career. One in a Million You was Graham's debut single and it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B Singles chart. The album One in a Million You also did well. Graham had successfully reinvented himself as a crooner. Graham produced, wrote most of the songs and played all the instruments on the album. One in a Million You was written by veteran songwriter Sam Dees. Subsequent albums did OK on the R&B charts but not as well as the first album. Graham left Warner Bros. in 1985. This comp was released in 1996 and is available as a digital download. Graham first reformed Graham Central Station in the early 90s. They released the occasional album and continued to tour. He hasn't toured since 2018 so it looks like Graham may have retired. Here's Larry Graham performing One in a Million You on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert 1980.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sarah Harmer

Artist:Sarah Harmer

Song:Silver Road

Album:All of Our Names

Singer songwriter Sarah Harmer has had modest success in her native Canada. She is similar to but not as successful as fellow Canadian Sarah McLachlan. Sarah took a few years off to concentrate on environmental activism. She returned with a new album on a new label in 2020. She was born Nov. 12, 1970 in Burlington, ON which is near Hamilton. She was a big fan of The Tragically Hip as a teen. She joined the Toronto based band The Saddletramps while studying philosophy and women's studies at Queen's University in Kingston. Sarah lives in Kingston. Sarah formed the band Weeping Tile in 1992. After releasing a 1994 EP on cassette, they signed with Warner Music Canada. The problem was most of the band jumped ship after one album. Sarah tried to keep Weeping Tile going but Warner dropped them in 1998. Sarah recorded some Christmas songs as a gift for her father. Her family convinced her to release it and that's when she started her own Cold Snap label. For the 2000 album You Were Here, she signed a distribution deal with Universal Canada. Her albums were released on Rounder's Zoe label in the US. Her albums have done well in Canada. She hasn't had any hit singles. The song Silver Road appeared in the 2002 film Men with Brooms. This comedy about curling was directed by and starred Paul Gross. There's this misconception that The Tragically Hip appear on the recording. They are in the video but they aren't on the record. Silver Road appeared on Sarah's 2004 album All of Our Names. Sarah wrote and produced the album with Martin Kinack and Gavin Brown. Kinack produced the band Broken Social Scene. The album did OK and it won a 2005 Juno award for Best Adult Alternative Album. This album is available as a budget CD. Sarah continued to work with Kinack and Brown on subsequent albums. After the 2010 album Oh Little Fire, she went on hiatus to concentrate on environmental activism especially in protecting the Niagara Escarpment from development. Sarah returned to music with the 2020 album Are You Gone on the Canadian label Arts & Crafts. They have also released her back catalog. Here's the video for Silver Road by Sarah Harmer. This video is not on YouTube.  

SARAH HARMER & THE TRAGICALLY HIP - SILVER ROAD from Ante Kovac on Vimeo.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loopy Godinez vs Tabatha Ricci

Here's the fight video of Loopy Godinez vs Tabatha Ricci from last night's UFC show in New York City. This fight is at Strawweight. Loopy is 30 years old from Mexico. She was training in Canada but she is now back in Mexico at Lobo. So she is a teammate of Flyweight champ Alexa Grasso. Her UFC record is 6-3 and she is on a three fight winning streak. The UFC likes her because she will fight whenever she is asked. Tabatha is 28 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She trains at Paragon BJJ in Santa Barbara, CA. Her UFC record is 4-1 and she's on a four fight winning streak. This fight was close but it didn't make me think that either fighter can be a contender. Round one could have gone either way but I scored it 10-9 for Tabatha. I scored the other two rounds 10-9 for Loopy. So I scored it 29-28 for Loopy. Two of the judges scored it the same. And the third judge inexplicably scored the fight 30-27 for Tabatha. So Loopy won by split decision. It doesn't make me think that she can be anything more than a midcard fighter. She needs to do something to stand out from the crowd. A close win like this is not enough. On the broadcast they made a big deal about Loopy fighting four times this year. It doesn't mean she's getting anywhere. She needs to fight better competition. Then if she wins, she will have accomplished something. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jessica Andrade vs Mackenzie Dern

Here's the fight video of Jessica Andrade vs Mackenzie Dern from last night's UFC show in New York City. This fight is at Strawweight. Jessica is 32 years old from Brazil. She trains at PRVT in Las Vegas. Her UFC record is 15-10. She's a former Strawweight champ but she's on a three fight losing streak. So she needs a win. Mackenzie is 30 years old. Her UFC record is 8-3. She's been alternating wins and losses. She needs a win to get into the title picture. She has elite BJJ. Her striking was improving under coach Jason Parillo. But he's not coaching her anymore. She did train some with Henry Cejudo but her dad was in her corner. And it's unlikely that he can help her with her striking against Jessica. And that's how it went. Jessica won round one with her striking. And she knocked Mackenzie down at the end of the round. She was even more dominant in round two. And after three knockdowns, the ref stopped the fight. So Jessica won by TKO. Can Jessica be a title contender again? I don't know. Her losses were against top contenders. All this win shows is that Mackenzie is not a top contender. That makes Jessica a gatekeeper. We'll see if she can be more than that. I have my doubts. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jewel

Artist:Jewel

Song:Sleigh Ride

Album:Let It Snow: A Holiday Collection

Jewel Kilcher was a very popular singer songwriter in the 90s with hits like You Were Meant for Me (1996) and Foolish Games (1997). After she faded, she had success on the country charts. She released an album last year but she has also released albums of children's music and two Christmas albums. Sleigh Ride is from her 2013 album Let It Snow: A Holiday Collection. It's Jewel's second Christmas album. The first one Joy: A Holiday Collection was released in 1999 on Atlantic while Jewel was still riding high. The album was certified Platinum so it did very well. Since leaving Atlantic in 2006, Jewel signed with Valory and had success in country music. She has also released children's music through Fisher-Price. She said she wanted this album to be similar to her first Christmas album. Even the album name and cover is similar. Does this seem like a cash grab to you? Well, most Christmas albums are cash grabs anyway. This one seems to be aimed at country music fans who weren't listening to Jewel when she released her first Christmas album. It was released by Somerset who release specialty music through retail stores. Target and Bed Bath & Beyond carried special editions of the album. As with the first album, Jewel records mostly standards like Sleigh Ride with her usual band of Steve Skinner on keyboards, Robbie Kondor on bass and Joe Mardin (Arif Mardin's son) on drums. Kondor produced Sleigh Ride and also played the penny whistle solo. I expect that Jewel's fans would enjoy this album. But I don't know about anyone else. The album is available as a budget CD. Here's Jewel performing Sleigh Ride on CMA Country Christmas Dec. 3, 2015.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair vs Bayley, IYO SKY and Kairi Sane

Here's the match video of Asuka, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair vs Bayley, IYO SKY and Kairi Sane from last night's episode of Smackdown. The match doesn't really matter much. The main things are Kairi Sane's return and Asuka's heel turn. Asuka never appeared in the match. Bianca was getting beat up and Asuka is reaching for the tag. She looks so eager. And then she pulls her hand back, gives Bianca a big smile and sprays her with the mist. The match was ruled a no contest and the heels beat up the faces. Asuka and Kairi hugged and IYO is very happy. Shotzi came down but she got laid out too. And the most intriguing part is Bayley still looks uncertain about all this. Obviously this is going to lead to the War Games match at Survivor Series. There is already talk that Becky Lynch will team up with Charlotte and Bianca. This could be very entertaining. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ella Fitzgerald

Artist:Ella Fitzgerald

Song:The Man I Love

Album:Gold

This is part of my series of Jazz for Beginners. The only requirements are a live performance clip and a CD for beginners. If you are going to talk about jazz singers, you need to start with the First Lady of Song Ella Fitzgerald. She didn't invent scat singing but she certainly perfected it. She started recording in the 30s and was active in the 80s. Mostly she recorded for Decca and Verve. She was born Apr. 25, 1917 in Newport News, VA. Her parents were never married. And then her mother moved in with a new partner and her family moved to Yonkers, NY. Ella first listened to Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby as a teen. She especially enjoyed The Boswell Sisters lead singer Connee Boswell. After Ella's mother died in 1932 after being in a car crash, Ella moved in with her aunt. Ella started skipping school and worked as a lookout for a bordello. This landed her in reform school. Then on Nov. 21, 1934, she sang at Amateur Night at The Apollo and won. Her career began when she was introduced to Savoy Ballroom drummer and bandleader Chick Webb. He was looking to add a female singer to his band. He tested her out and made her part of the band after getting positive audience response. While still in Webb's band, she had her first big hit in 1938 with her recording of the nursery rhyme A-Tisket A-Tasket. After Webb's 1939 death, the band was renamed Ella Fitzgerald and her Famous Orchestra. The band ended in 1942. It wasn't doing well financially. Another turning point was when Norman Granz became her manager and he made Ella the focal point of his Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series. This coincided with the rise of bebop. And Ella started scat singing while in Dizzy Gillespie's band. Ella moved from Decca to Granz' label Verve in 1956. Granz wanted her to sing more than bebop. He suggested she sing what is now known as The Great American Song Book. The first of eight albums was Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book in 1956. This was followed by Rodgers & Hart, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer. The Man I Love is from the 1959 album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book. The Man I Love was from the 1927 musical Strike Up the Band. Ella usually recorded the Song Book albums with an orchestra. In this case, Nelson Riddle was the arranger and conductor. This 2CD comp is a good intro to Ella's music and it's available at a reasonable price. After Granz sold Verve to MGM in 1960, Ella recorded for Capitol, Reprise and Atlantic until Granz started his new label Pablo in 1972. The band in this video is from the Pablo years featuring Tommy Flanagan on piano, Joe Pass on guitar, Keter Betts on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. For Ella, it was a welcome return to jazz. Ella recorded for Pablo for the rest of her career. Ella was diabetic and her health got progressively worse in the late 80s. She died of a stroke on June 19, 1996 at age 79. Here's Ella Fitzgerald with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Roy Eldredge on trumpet, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on sax, Joe Pass on guitar, Keter Betts on bass and Bobby Durham on drums performing The Man I Love on German TV 1974. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Control

Artist:Control

Song:Cumbia Con La Luna

Album:Historia

Control, or as they are sometimes called Grupo Control, is a norteno band. I guess norteno is Texican music. Most of the audience is Mexicans who live in Texas. There is an audience for it in Mexico but it's more popular in Texas. Control is known as The Kings of Cumbia. They are from Houston led by lead singer Sergio Alberto Degollado and his brother Jose Guadalupe Degollado. Their sister Jennifer Degollado plays accordion. The band name is because they are from the Mexican town Control. They signed with EMI Latin and released the album Cumbias Sin Control in 1999. Cumbia Con La Luna was their first big hit. After six albums on EMI did well in the Mexican regional charts, they switched to Univision in 2006. Things didn't go too well there and they ended up recording for their own label. They are still around. Those interested in checking them out can get this budget comp of their EMI recordings. Here's the video for Cumbia Con La Luna by Control.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ivo Robic

Artist:Ivo Robic

Song:Morgen

Album:Teen Time: The Young Years of Rock 'n' Roll: Volume 3: A Very Special Love

Morgen was a top 20 hit in 1959. It was the first song sung in German to chart in the US. Not surprisingly, Croatian singer Ivo Robic never had another hit that big though he had a long career in Europe. He was born Jan. 28, 1923 in Garesnica, Croatia. He started out singing with the Radio Zagreb Orchestra  during WWII and he sang at the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb. He started his recording career in the 50s. For most of his career, Robic recorded for Polydor Records. And he had plenty of hits in Europe over a thirty year career. But Morgen was the only time his music crossed the pond. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Morgen was written by German songwriter Peter Moesser. He seemed to specialize in writing German lyrics for English songs. Robic's 1959 recording of Morgen was produced and arranged by a familiar name, German bandleader Bert Kaempfert. Not long after, Kaempfert had success with hits like Wonderland by Night. After Morgen became a hit across Europe, Laurie Records picked it up in the US. My guess is a US tourist bought the record while on holidays in Europe and gave it to a DJ when he returned home. I guess it spread from there. Noel Sherman (Ramblin' Rose) wrote English lyrics for Morgen. The song was retitled One More Sunrise and recorded by Leslie Uggams. It was not a hit but it was a top 20 hit in England for Dickie Valentine. As I said, Robic had a long career in Europe. Probably his biggest hit was the Bert Kaempfert song that would become known as the Frank Sinatra hit Strangers in the Night. The best way to get Morgen is on this various artists CD from the oldies label Eric Records. The song is hard to find on English comps. Obviously it's a forgotten record today. I had never heard it before. Ivo Robic died on Mar. 9, 2000 at age 77. Here's Ivo Robic performing Morgen in 1985. Robic was lip syncing on the three clips that I saw. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lupe Fiasco

Artist:Lupe Fiasco f/Matthew Santos

Song:Superstar

Album:The Cool

The 2007 single Superstar is one of two top ten hits for rapper Lupe Fiasco. He's still around. He released an album last year. But like a lot of rappers, he had a couple of years of success and he just faded. He's doing other things like he has a clothing line. He was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco Feb. 18, 1982 in Chicago. His parents are from West Africa. His father was a drummer and karate teacher so Jaco developed an interest in music and martial arts. Jaco didn't like the vulgarity in rap. So he listened to jazz. But when he had difficulty finding an instrument he could play, he started writing poetry. And then he started rapping. His nickname was Lu so at first he called himself Little Lu or Lu tha Underdog. He changed it to Lupe Fiasco. Fiasco came from the song Firm Fiasco by the rap group The Firm. Jaco started to create music in his basement. He started the "gangsta rap" group Da Pak. They released one single on Epic and split up. The song was about cocaine, guns and women and Jaco didn't like rapping about that stuff. Then he signed with Arista but was dropped after Arista president LA Reid was fired. While there, he met Jay-Z and he got Jaco a deal at Atlantic Records. After remixing the Kanye West song Diamonds from Sierra Leone, West asked Jaco to appear on the 2005 single Touch the Sky. Then he released his 2006 debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Superstar is from the 2007 album The Cool. Superstar reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of the album including Superstar was written and produced by Rudolph "Soundtrakk" Lopez and Jaco. Lopez also worked on the first album. The chorus is sung by singer songwriter Matthew Santos. Never heard of him? He's known for appearing on Lupe Fiasco records. He is otherwise unknown. The album was certified Platinum. The 2011 album Lasers also did well. The single The Show Goes On reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. After that Lupe Fiasco gradually faded until he lost his record deal with Atlantic. Since 2017 Jaco has recorded for Thirty Tigers and they just don't have the promotion budget that Atlantic has. Jaco released an album last year. The Cool is available as a budget CD. The last time one of his singles charted was in 2013. Mostly he has concentrated on a couple of clothing lines that he owns. Here's the video for Superstar by Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dolores Keane

Artist:Dolores Keane

Song:Caledonia

Album:The Best of Dolores Keane

Dolores Keane is one of Ireland's most popular singers, first as lead singer of the popular group De Dannan and then as a solo artist. Caledonia appears to be one of her most popular songs. She was born Sept. 28, 1953 in Sylane, County Galway, Ireland. She was raised by her aunts Rita and Sarah Keane who were well known singers. And her brother Sean Keane is a singer. Dolores was five years old when she first sang on the radio. So I guess it was inevitable that she would have a career in music. Dolores was one of the founders of the folk group De Dannan in 1975. She was only in the band for a couple of years. She married singer songwriter John Faulkner and they moved to London. Delores recorded with The Chieftains and Richard and Linda Thompson. Then she recorded her 1978 debut solo album There Was a Main and she recorded a couple of albums with Faulkner. Dolores returned to De Dannan in 1985. And after recording a couple of albums with them, she recorded the 1988 album Dolores Keene. Caledonia was a very popular song from that album. It was written by Scottish singer songwriter Dougie MacLean. The album was produced by Scottish musician Phil Cunningham and Faulkner played guitar on the album. Caledonia appears on this budget comp. Dolores and Faulkner divorced soon after. Since then, Dolores recorded a few solo albums. And she appeared on John Prine's 1999 album In Spite of Ourselves. Dolores retired at that point due to depression and alcoholism. She is also a cancer survivor. Dolores makes occasional appearances but for the most part, she is retired. Here's Dolores Keane performing Caledonia 1988.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Black Grape

Artist:Black Grape

Song:A Big Day in the North

Album:It's Great When You're Straight Yeah

Fans of The Madchester Sound are going to want to check out Black Grape. This band was formed after Happy Mondays split up. The big difference was Black Grape included guys from Ruthless Rap Assassins. Happy Mondays split up because of lead singer Shaun Ryder's drug addiction. Plus they were arguing about money. Ryder and Ruthless Rap Assassins percussionist Mark "Bez" Berry decided to form a new group with rapper Paul "Kermit" Leveridge of Ruthless Rap Assassins. He brought in rapper Paul "Psycho" McCarthy and Ruthless Rap Assassins drummer Ged Lynch. The guitarist was Paul "Wags" Wagstaff of the band Black Angels. They brought in producer Danny Saber for the 1995 album It's Great When You're Straight Yeah. They signed with Radioactive Records which at first was distributed by BMG and then switched to MCA. Producer Stephen Lironi of the band Altered Images was brought in. Ryder wrote all the songs. The album topped the British charts and they had three singles chart. The big problem was there were plans for Black Grape to tour the US but they weren't allowed in because of Ryder's drug addiction. Obviously that would limit them financially. Black Grape released two albums and then Ryder had a temper tantrum and fired everyone. Ryder and Leveridge reunited and released a 2017 album. They toured to celebrate Black Grape's 25th anniversary in 2021. And a new album is coming soon. Here's Black Grape performing A Big Day in the North on the British TV show TFI Friday 1996. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Eduarda Moura vs Montserrat Conejo Ruiz

Here's the fight video of Eduarda Moura vs Montserrat Conejo Ruiz from last night's UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This fight is at Strawweight. Eduarda is 29 years old from Bahia, Brazil. She trains with her brother Yuri Moura. This is her UFC debut but she looked great in Contender Series in August. Eduarda missed weight but her manager explained that she had her period this week and that can complicate weight cutting. Montserrat is 30 years old from Mexico. She trains at 10th Planet in San Diego. Her UFC record is 1-2. She's too small for Strawweight. She should fight at Atomweight. And the size difference was noticeable. Eduarda almost finished Montserrat in round one and I scored it 10-8 for Eduarda. She continued in round two and Eduarda won by Ground and Pound at 2:14 of round two. So obviously I would like to see her against better competition. But she could be really good. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Angela Hill vs Denise Gomes

Here's the fight video of Angela Hill vs Denise Gomes from last night's UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This fight is at Strawweight. Angela is 38 years old. She trains at Alliance in San Diego. Her UFC record is 10-13. She's a striker with no power. She'll never be a top fighter but she's OK as a gatekeeper. Denise is 23 years old from Brazil. She trains at PRVT in Las Vegas. Her UFC record is 2-1. She's a striker with power and she beat her last opponent in 20 seconds. So the UFC wants to test her. I thought Denise won the first round 10-9. But she seemed to run out of gas after that and Angela won both rounds 10-9. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Angela. So Denise needs to work on her endurance. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO Sky vs Bianca Belair

Here's the match video of IYO Sky defending her WWE Women's Championship against Bianca Belair at yesterday's Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia. This is a very good match that tells a good story. The finish is great especially for IYO fans like me. IYO works on Bianca's knee a lot. When it looks like Bianca is gaining steam, Bayley comes out and distracts the ref. Bianca makes the mistake of going after Bayley. And then the surprise return of Kairi Sane. After hitting Bianca with a spinning back fist and slamming her into the ring post, IYO finishes Bianca with her moonsault. Then Kairi comes in and hits her with her elbow drop. And the best thing was Bayley's surprised look. I liked that. Of course it has been rumored for a while that Kairi is returning. It turns out the WWE signed her several months ago and they were waiting for a start date. Now I hear they are interested in bringing Sareee back. If so, I hope the WWE has learned that they should let joshi wrestlers do their own character work. They know what they are doing. And remember they can't make WWE money anywhere else. Enjoy the video!  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charlene

Artist:Charlene

Song:I've Never Been to Me

Album:The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

When I've Never Been to Me was first released in 1977, it fizzled. Then in 1982, it came out of nowhere to be a top five hit. The story of how it became a hit is pretty funny especially if you know the radio business. Though this song is perceived as a one hit wonder, some of Charlene's other songs charted so technically it's not a one hit wonder. Charlene D'Angelo was born June 1, 1950 in Los Angeles. She signed with Motown in 1973. By this time, Motown had moved to Los Angeles. They released a couple of singles that went nowhere. And then they released the 1976 album Charlene on Prodigal Records. Prodigal was formerly known as Rare Earth Records. Any white Motown artists were released on that label. Three singles barely charted including I've Never Been to Me. In 1977, Motown released a reworked version of Charlene called Songs of Love and that didn't sell either. Charlene recorded a 1978 album but Motown never released it and then they released her. This all changed in 1982 when I've Never Been to Me reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Motown had to re-release the 1976 album with a new cover. The story goes that Tampa radio station WRBQ DJ Scott Shannon played I've Never Been to Me at the behest of his girlfriend. Listener response was so good that Shannon phoned his former boss at Motown Jay Lasker and they tracked down Charlene and signed her to a new contract. Charlene was living in England by this time. The original 1976 album was written and produced by Ron Miller and Kenneth Hirsch. Miller was the only white staff songwriter at Motown. He has written several songs for Stevie Wonder including For Once in my Life. Hirsch is Miller's frequent songwriting partner. I've Never Been to Me was his biggest hit. Don Costa wrote the arrangements. I've Never Been to Me was Charlene's biggest hit. You may have heard it in the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The soundtrack album is available as a budget CD. Charlene convinced Motown to let her record the 1982 gospel album The Sky's the Limit. The 1984 album Hit & Run Lover was a disco album. After an appearance in the 1985 Motown produced film The Last Dragon, they released her. Since then Charlene has occasionally released music on her own label. She is yet another artist known for one big hit. And as I always say, one big hit is better than none. Here's the video for I've Never Been to Me by Charlene.