AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Every Mother's Son

Artist:Every Mother's Son

Song:Come on Down to My Boat

Album:Summer Forever: The Ultimate Party Album

Come on Down to My Boat was a top ten hit in 1967. It was the only big hit for Every Mother's Son. They are perceived as a one hit wonder but some of their other songs charted so technically they are not a one hit wonder. They only recorded two albums. Every Mother's Son was formed in 1966. Lary and Dennis Larden had been performing in Greenwich Village folk music clubs in New York since 1962. This was on weekends because they were still in school. They didn't think they were getting anywhere and neither did pianist Bruce Milner. He was older than the Larden brothers and had been in several bands. They decided to form a rock band and added bassist Schuyler Larsen and drummer Christopher Augustine. The Lardens both sang, played guitar and wrote all the songs. They got a manager Peter Leeds who they knew from their folk music days. And he introduced them to Wes Farrell. Farrell was already a successful songwriter. He co-wrote The McCoys 1965 #1 hit Hang on Sloopy. But he wanted to get into production. So they auditioned for him and he liked them so much that he produced an album and shopped it to record labels. MGM Records signed them as a clean cut alternative to all the hippie bands and called them Every Mother's Son. The Lardens wrote all the songs on their 1967 debut album Every Mother's Son except the first single Come on Down to My Boat which reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Farrell wrote the song with Jerry Goldstein of The Strangeloves and it was first recorded by the garage band Rare Breed who later became Ohio Express. Every Mother's Son did all the TV shows and appeared in a two part episode of the MGM produced TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. But they never had another big hit. They released a second album in 1968. But it went nowhere and they split up. There are a couple of Every Mother's Son comps. But you can get Come on Down to My Boat on this various artists budget comp from Fuel 2000. Dennis Larden was the only member of Every Mother's Son who stayed in the music business. He was in Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band. Wes Farrell went on to a successful production career, most notably he produced the music for the TV series The Partridge Family. You know what I always say. One hit is better than none. Here's the video for Come on Down to My Boat by Every Mother's Son.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Catfish and the Bottlemen

Artist:Catfish and the Bottlemen

Song:Longshot

Album:The Balance

Catfish and the Bottlemen have had success mostly as an album and touring band. They have had modest chart success in England and the Indie chart in the US. They play the festival circuit annually. They are from Llandudno, Conwy, Wales. This is a seaside resort town and lead singer and main songwriter Van McCann's parents run a bed & breakfast. McCann and guitarist Billy Bibby started working together at Bibby's home in 2007. McCann was a friend of Bibby's younger brother. They brought in Benji Blakeway to play bass and Jon Barr to play drums. Bibby taught them to play. At first they were called The Prestige but McCann changed it to Catfish and the Bottlemen after buskers he saw in Sydney, Australia as a child. They started playing local gigs. BBC DJ Steve Lamacq played their demo and the band were runners up in a 2009 North Wales Battle of the Bands. Bob Hall replaced Barr in 2010. They signed with the indie label Communion Music in 2013 and released three singles. This led to record deal with Island Records. They are on Capitol in the US. The album The Balcony was released in 2014. The video for Kathleen was played on MTV. Then Billy Bibby left and formed his own band Billy Bibby and the Wry Smiles. Bibby started writing songs and he wasn't going to get the opportunity to record them with Catfish and the Bottlemen. He was replaced by Johnny Bond of the band Symphonic Pictures. They didn't have any hit singles but The Balcony was certified Platinum in England on the strength of their live performances. McCann said in an interview that he had already written enough songs for the next two albums. Longshot was the first single from their 2019 album The Balance. This was their third album. Longshot reached #25 on the British Singles chart so it was their biggest hit to date. Then they couldn't tour during the pandemic. Hall and Bond left in 2021 with Bond Stating that he had to endure "intolerable behavior". They haven't been replaced but the band recently announced they will headline the 2024 Reading and Leeds festivals. Here's Catfish and the Bottlemen performing Longshot on Jimmy Kimmel Live 2019. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rev. F.C. Barnes & Rev. Janice Brown

Artist:Rev. F.C. Barnes & Rev. Janice Brown

Song:Rough Side of the Mountain

Album:The Classic Collection

Rough Side of the Mountain topped the gospel charts in 1984. this was at a time when traditional gospel had faded and contemporary gospel was taking over. So it came out of nowhere. Rev. F.C. Barnes and Rev. Janice Brown recorded several albums but Rough Side of the Mountain was their only big hit and most memorable song. Rev. Barnes was born Fair Cloth Barnes June 22, 1929 in Rocky Mount, NC. He grew up singing in the choir at the Marks Chapel Baptist Church. He became a minister in 1955 and earned a doctorate at United Christian College in Greensboro, NC. Then he founded the Red Budd Holy Church in Rocky Mount. He was also pastor at St. Paul Holy Church in Maple Hill, NC. Barnes was on the Rocky Mount radio station WSRV when he met Rev. Janice Brown. They started making music together and they got the attention of Atlanta International Records (AIR) producer Wendell Parker. They signed and released eight albums together. Rough Side of the Mountain topped the gospel charts in 1984. Barnes writes his own songs. Rev. Brown retired to get married in 1988 and Barnes formed a new group with his nieces called Company. And his son Rev. Luther Barnes leads the Red Budd Gospel Choir. Barnes continued to record even after AIR was sold to Malaco. They released this comp in 2007. Rev. Barnes died on June 11, 2011 at age 82. Here's Rev. F.C. Barnes & Rev. Janice Brown performing Rough Side of the Mountain on the 1988 Stellar Awards broadcast. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Abdullah Ibrahim

Artist:Abdullah Ibrahim

Song:The Wedding

Album:South African Ambassador

Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is the foremost figure of Cape jazz meaning he was born in South Africa. He's been around since the 60s. I saw him live in the 80s. The Wedding is one of his better known compositions. He was born Adolph Brand Oct. 9, 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa. He began piano lessons at age seven and was playing professionally at age 15. The nickname Dollar is because he was known for haunting local stores looking for cheap jazz records. So he was a cratedigger. Ibrahim's main influences are Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. He was a member of the Jazz Epistles which included Hugh Masekela. They were the first black South African jazz band to record an an album in 1960. Of course South Africa was very oppressive back then so Ibrahim moved to Europe in 1963. Duke Ellington was on tour and Ibrahim's wife convinced Ellington to see him in Zurich. The result was the 1963 album Duke Ellington Presents the Dollar Brand Trio on Reprise. This led to a record deal with the  British label Black Lion and later with the German label Enja. Ibrahim moved to New York in 1965 and he toured with Ellington. He also got a Rockefeller Foundation grant to study at Juilliard. When Ibrahim moved to Cape Town in 1968, that's when he converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdullah Ibrahim. He signed with Enja in 1968 and he recorded for them through the 90s. He recorded for other labels and The Wedding is from Ibrahim's 1981 album Duke's Memories. The album is a mix of Ellington compositions and Ibrahim originals like The Wedding. This was recorded in Germany for the short lived label String and it was released in 1986 by the French jazz label Black & Blue. The musicians are one time B.T. Express saxophonist Carlos Ward. At this point, he was touring regularly with Brand. The others were session bassist Rachim Ausur-Sahu and drummer Andrei Strobert. Black & Blue released this comp in 1987 and it's available as a budget CD. Ibrahim returned to the US in 1981 and he continues to record and tour. His latest CD Solotude was released in 2020 by the British label Gearbox. I may look at Ibrahim's Enja recordings in the future. Here's Abdullah Ibrahim performing The Wedding in 2020 to promote the album Solotude.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rixton

Artist:Rixton

Song:Me and My Broken Heart

Album:Let the Road

The British band Rixton topped the British charts with their 2014 debut single Me and My Broken Heart. Then things didn't go too well and they changed the band name. Maybe you heard this song and you think it's a Maroon 5 record. There's a good reason for that. Rixton is from Manchester, England. Lead singer Jake Roche and bassist Danny Wilkin were classmates. Roche is the son of EastEnders actor Shane Richie and Coleen Nolan of the girl group The Nolans. They started writing songs and brought in lead guitarist Charley Bagnall and drummer Lewi Morgan. They called themselves Relics and posted videos on YouTube in 2012. Roche suggested they cover Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas in a comedic way. This got the attention of Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and he signed him and brought them to New York to record. Braun brought in producer Benny Blanco who is best known for producing Maroon 5. The band name was changed to Rixton and they are on Interscope. An EP was released Mar. 2014 and Me and My Broken Heart topped the British Singles chart and reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm sure most listeners thought it was a Maroon 5 record. The album Let the Road was released Mar. 2015. Blanco wrote and produced most of the album. Me and My Broken Heart was based on the 2005 Rob Thomas single Lonely No More. Blanco's co-writers were Ammar Malik, Steve Mac and Wayne Hector. Mac co-produced. Malik has worked with Maroon 5. Mac and Hector worked with Westlife. Of course Roche was happy with the success at first. But after subsequent singles didn't chart and the album didn't sell, Interscope wasn't happy. The album is available as a budget CD. Certainly the year gap from when the single was a hit and the album release didn't help. But a second hit single would have filled that gap. Rixton went on hiatus in 2016. They returned in 2019 with a new name Push Baby and a new record deal with Republic. The name change was because they wanted a more mature image but I don't think Republic liked it. They were dropped after one single and have since released two albums on their own label. Wilkin and Morgan left in 2020 and Push Baby went on hiatus last year. Roche did some acting before Rixton so I wouldn't be surprised to see him get back into that. Here's the video for Me and My Broken Heart by Rixton.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dickie Goodman

Artist:Dickie Goodman

Song:Mr. Jaws

Album:Long Live the King

Mr. Jaws was a top five hit in 1975. It was one of two big hits by novelty song specialist Dickie Goodman. He specialized in what was called "break in" recordings where Goodman would conduct an interview and use popular songs as the answers. Goodman usually worked with a songwriter. He was born Apr. 19, 1934 in Brooklyn, NY. He was inspired by Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio show to record the 1956 single The Flying Saucer with songwriter Bill Buchanan. This was released as Buchanan & Goodman on their own label Luniverse. Buchanan played the radio announcer. Goodman played the interviewer. The answers were snippets of pop songs. It was an early example of audio tape manipulation. The record reached #3 on the hit parade. Then Goodman was sued for using the songs without permission. The judge ruled for Goodman saying the record was a parody. This opened the door for others to do this but Goodman was the only one to do it regularly. After a few recordings together, Goodman and Buchanan split up in 1959. Buchanan produced records for The Three Stooges among others. Goodman continued to record novelty records sometimes with his wife Susan. But he didn't have another big hit until Mr. Jaws reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This used his "break in" format similar to Goodman's earlier records. His co-writer was Bill Ramal and it was released on Goodman's own label Cash distributed by Private Stock Records. He continued to release records until he committed suicide on Nov.6, 1989 at age 55. Goodman's son Jon Goodman owns his recordings and released this CD on the reissue label RockBeat. Here's a video for Mr. Jaws by Dickie Goodman. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Johnny Crawford

Artist:Johnny Crawford

Song:Cindy's Birthday

Album:Happy Birthday, Baby!

When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the Western TV series The Rifleman for the same reason I liked Lassie. A kid was a main character of the show. So when Johnny Crawford scored a top ten hit with his 1962 recording of Cindy's Birthday, I liked The Rifleman even more and I still watch it occasionally. Unfortunately for Crawford, The Rifleman was the highlight of his acting career. And he was out of the music business by 1968. He was born Mar. 26, 1946 in Los Angeles. His father was an editor on the TV show Laramie. And Johnny and his older brother Robert Crawford Jr. appeared on the show. All three were Emmy nominated. Crawford started out as a Mouseketeer and appeared in several TV shows. When the 1958 pilot for The Rifleman aired on Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, ABC picked the show up. It starred former baseball player Chuck Connors as a homesteading widower with a preteen son played by Crawford. The show was very popular with kids and Crawford was nominated for a 1959 Emmy. At the time, teen idols were becoming a big thing. So it's not surprising that record companies were interested in Crawford. He signed with Del-Fi Records owner Bob Keane. He had success with Richie Valens until Valens' tragic death. Keane wasn't able to repeat Valens' success. But a few of Crawford's singles charted. The 1962 single Cindy's Birthday reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Hal Winn and Jeff Hooven. It was Hooven's only hit. But Winn scored a top ten hit with Richard Chamberlain's vocal version of The Theme from Dr. Kildare. Crawford recorded three albums for Del-Fi and was out of the music business by the late 60s. You can get Cindy's Birthday on this birthday themed various artists comp from Bear Family. Crawford continued to appear in films and TV but he was never a star. In the 90s, Crawford started the vintage dance orchestra The Johnny Crawford Orchestra. It looks like they mostly performed in Las Vegas. After a 2019 Alzheimer's diagnosis, Crawford died on Apr. 29,2021 at age 75. Here's a video for Cindy's Birthday by Johnny Crawford. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oscar Peterson

Artist:Oscar Peterson f/Clark Terry

Song:Mack the Knife

Album:Compact Jazz

After MGM bought Verve Records in 1960, Norman Granz put Creed Taylor in charge and left in 1964. It appears that Granz intended to retire. When he had previously agreed to sell Verve to Frank Sinatra's Reprise label, the deal broke down over Sinatra's insistence that Granz remain with Verve. Of course Granz returned in the 70s with Pablo Records. After Granz left Verve, Peterson left soon after and signed with Mercury Records. The 1964 album Oscar Peterson Trio + One features trumpeter Clark Terry. At the time, Terry would have been best known for his days in Duke Ellington's band and then Quincy Jones' band. I don't think he had worked with Peterson before. Jones was also musical director at Mercury so it would not surprise me if putting Peterson and Terry together was his idea. This album was recorded with Peterson's usual trio of Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums. Terry played trumpet, flugelhorn and he does his mumble singing on a couple of songs. Of course Mack the Knife is a Kurt Weil standard made famous by Bobby Darin and Ella Fitzgerald. It's not as common as a jazz instrumental. When Peterson and Terry recorded again on Pablo in 1975, Mack the Knife appeared on that album too. And the only other time Peterson recorded Mack the Knife was on the 1994 album Side by Side with classical violinist Itzhak Perlman. Peterson and Terry toured. Unfortunately this album is available only as a digital download. This was Peterson's only album for Mercury. But he recorded six albums for Mercury's jazz label Limelight. This comp CD covers those recordings. After Peterson left Limelight in 1966, he recorded for BASF's MPS label until Granz started Pablo in 1972. BASF was a German company best known as an audio tape manufacturer. Here's Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry, Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen performing Mack the Knife on a 1965 TV show in Finland. Terry is playing flugelhorn.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Holiday Havoc tag team match

Here's the match video of the Holiday Havoc tag team match from last night's episode of Smackdown. On one side you have Damage CTRL and on the other you have Bianca Belair, Michin, Shotzi and Zelina Vega. These kind of matches are not to my liking but they are OK once in a while. So why did they have Michin pin IYO for the win? They want to give her a title shot in a couple of weeks. I still didn't like it. You can't give title shots based on the result of this kind of match. It ain't right. The other interesting thing was the appearance of Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre and their mystical gimmick. I could see them having a good rivalry with Kabuki Warriors. But you have to get the tag titles on one of those teams first. Alba is a pretty good wrestler. Isla not so much. And I did not like Shotzi hitting Asuka in the back of the head with a kendo stick. She knows she's not supposed to do that and her recklessness is the main reason that I don't like Shotzi. She's going to hurt someone by accident. They need to get her to calm down. Anyway, it's time for the WWE's Christmas break. Have a good holiday and I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mariah Carey

Artist:Mariah Carey

Song:All I Want For Christmas Is You

Album:Merry Christmas: Deluxe Anniversary Edition

Since Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You topped the charts in 1994, it has become a Christmas perennial and has topped Billboard's Holiday 100 since they started it in 2011. It is one of the few contemporary original Christmas songs to appear regularly on this chart. This chart is dominated by older recordings like Brenda Lee's 1958 single Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. All I Want for Christmas Is You was on Mariah's 1994 album Merry Christmas. Three of the ten songs including All I Want for Christmas Is You were written by Mariah and producer Walter Afanasieff. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and has become the biggest hit in her catalog because the song is a hit all over again annually. This song is a moneymaker for her. The longevity of this song is for a couple of reasons. Mariah keeps performing it live and on TV. And she even made an animated Christmas film called All I Want for Christmas Is You. Of course she also performs Christmas standards. But when most artists record Christmas albums, they usually don't write original songs. The only recent original song that appears regularly on the Holiday 100 is Justin Bieber's 2011 single Mistletoe. Michael Buble has had success in the Christmas market but mostly with standards. So there's a financial incentive for Mariah to promote this song. The other thing is though the song is new, the arrangement is supposed to remind you of Phil Spector's Christmas Album. And Mariah's vocal is clearly a tribute to Darlene Love. Her critics including yours truly have always accused her of aping great singers. She's always done that. Even the music video is supposed to look like an old home movie but Mariah shot the footage in 1993. So she deliberately tried to evoke nostalgia about Christmas and that's why the song has been so successful. Mariah recorded the 2010 album Merry Christmas to You when she was on Island Records but it wasn't as successful. Merry Christmas is only 34 minutes long but Sony has released the album with a second CD of live recordings and songs from Merry Christmas to You. So it's kind of a Mariah Carey Christmas Greatest Hits album. Here's the video for All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Les Brown and his Orchestra

Artist:Les Brown and his Orchestra

Song:I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

Album Sentimental Journey 1937-1947 featuring Doris Day

Big band leader Les Brown was around for over sixty years. Like a lot of swing bands, he was popular in the 40s and became a nostalgia act after musical tastes changed. And he appeared a lot on TV. He topped the charts a few times but I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm was his biggest hit in 1949. He was born Mar. 14, 1912 in Reinerton, PA. Brown's father was a baker who played the trombone. Brown started playing the sax at age seven and as a teen he played in his dad's band. Brown left high school after one year to enroll in the Ithaca Conservatory of Music. He earned a scholarship to the New York Military Acdemy. Then he attended Duke University and led their official band the Duke Blue Devils. After graduating, the band continued to tour and they recorded for Decca Records. They split up when a lot of the members returned to school. Brown moved to New York and worked as an arranger for Tommy Dorsey, Isham Jones and Larry Clinton. An RCA executive got Brown a booking at Hotel Edison in New York if he could put a band together. His father loaned him the money. The band appeared regularly on the radio and signed with RCA's Bluebird label. The records did OK. Brown was never very adventurous. His big band was "sweet" as opposed to more jazz oriented bands like Benny Goodman. This was a boom period for swing so all of them were popular. Brown started to allow his musicians to play more solos. Then the turning point in Brown's career happened when he hired 17 year old Doris Day as his first singer. Brown started appearing more frequently on the radio. Doris left to have a child but returned in 1943. This led to the 1944 #1 hit Sentimental Journey featuring Doris Day. After Doris left to go solo and WWII ended, Brown moved to Los Angeles and took up a residency at the Hollywood Bowl. Brown had a total of three #1 hits. I've Got Your Love to Keep Me Warm was the biggest hit in 1948. Brown said that Columbia saw him perform the song at the Hollywood Bowl and told him to record it. But he had already recorded it in 1946. So they released it as a single and it was a big hit. This CD from the reissue label ASV/Living Era covers Brown's first ten years. So they are all original recordings. After the big band era ended, Brown kept in the spotlight by touring with Bob Hope and appearing on TV. He died on Jan. 4, 2001 at age 88. His son Les Brown Jr. took over the band until his death on Jan. 9, 2023 at age 82. Here's Les Brown and his Orchestra performing I've Got Your Love to Keep Me Warm at Brown's 60th anniversary show at the Hollywood Palladium May 10, 1996.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Miike Snow

Artist:Miike Snow

Song:My Trigger

Album:iii

The Swedish band Miike Snow started out as producers and turned into a band when they met singer Andrew Wyatt. They have had success as an album and touring band. Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winberg were childhood friends in Gothenberg, Sweden. Karlsson was a member of the Swedish hip hop band Goldmine. After they both moved to Stockholm in 2000, Karlsson and Winberg started working together as Bloodshy & Avant. They produced several artists. But the big one is they won a Best Dance Recording Grammy for the 2003 Britney Spears single Toxic. While working with Britney, they met visiting American singer songwriter Andrew Wyatt and decided to form a band. Wyatt is from New York. He was in the band The A.M. who recorded one album and split up. The band name Miike Snow is after one of their friends with an "i" added because they liked how it looked. It is not a tribute to Japanese director Takashi Miike though they like his films. Miike Snow has recorded three albums for Downtown Records. They have bounced around a couple of distributors but are currently with Universal. My Trigger is the third single from Miike Snow's third album iii. Like all their songs, My Trigger was written and produced by the band. It's based on the 2006 J Dilla song The Diff'rence which sampled the 1974 Kool & the Gang song Fruitman. This is their latest album and it's available as a budget CD. Miike Snow occasionally performs but it remains to be seen if they will record again. Karlsson lives in Bangkok and Wyatt is a very busy songwriter. He won a 2019 Best Original Song Oscar for Shallow from A Star Is Born. He also wrote and produced with Mark Ronson the music for the 2023 film Barbie. Don't be surprised if he gets another Oscar. So I think Wyatt is about to get busier. Here's the video for My Trigger by Miike Snow. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jerry Seinfeld

Artist:Jerry Seinfeld

Song:The Olympics

Album:I'm Telling You for the Last Time

Before Jerry Seinfeld created his hit sitcom Seinfeld, he was a regular on the standup comedy circuit with occasional TV and film appearances. He never recorded an album until this 1998 HBO special. Comedy albums weren't as popular as they were in the 60s. He was born Apr. 28, 1954 in Brooklyn, NY. His father was a sign painter who collected jokes as a hobby. Seinfeld grew up and attended high school in Massapequa on Long Island. He graduated from Queens College, City University of New York in 1976 with a degree in communications and theater. Seinfeld started appearing on open mic nights at Budd Friedmann's Improv Club while in college. Then an appearance at Catch a Rising Star got him a spot in an HBO Rodney Dangerfield special. Then he had a recurring role on sitcom Benson but was fired after a few episodes. Then he started to appear on late night talk shows and he did his first HBO special in 1987. It's at this point that Seinfeld and Larry David created the sitcom Seinfeld and the rest is history. After the show ended in 1998, Seinfeld returned to New York to resume his standup career rather than pursue acting in Hollywood. Seinfeld toured and at the end of the tour, He filmed the HBO special I'm Telling You for he Last Time. The title was because these were established routines that he was performing for the final time. It aired live on Aug. 9, 1998 from the Broadhurst Theater in New York. This show was released on CD and it charted and was certified Platinum. It was also nominated for a Grammy. You can get it as a budget CD and a DVD. Believe it or not, this was Seinfeld's recording debut. Comedy albums were popular in the 60s but by the 90s, record companies weren't signing comics anymore. These days most comedy albums are offshoots of Comedy Central specials. These days Seinfeld doesn't do much. I guess his biggest project was the Netflix web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. He has an ongoing deal with Netflix and he still does specials. I suppose he could do films if he wanted but he's earned the right to do what he wants. Here's Jerry Seinfeld performing Olympics from his 1998 HBO special I'm Telling You for the Last Time. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rhett Walker

Artist:Rhett Walker

Song:Believe

Album:Good to Me

CCM singer songwriter Rhett Walker started out with a band. But he's had more success since going solo. Believer was the first single from his 2020 solo debut Good to Me and it was a top ten Christian hit. Walker is a PK from Aiken, SC. That means his father is a preacher. So he grew up in church. He formed a band locally with Joe Kane on guitar, Kevin Whitsett on bass and Kenny Davis on drums. They signed with Sony's CCM label Essential and released two albums. Walker and Kane wrote the songs. The albums did OK but Walker wanted to do better. He decided to move with his family to Nashville. The other band members decided not to move. Whitsett is the only one of the three to remain in the music business. Walker wasn't sure if he wanted to remain in the music business. He felt that working with Nashville professionals would help him decide. He was still on Essential. For the 2020 album Good to Me, Walker wrote with various songwriters and producers. And the result was Believer reached #7 on the Christian chart. Former Abandon bassist Bryan Fowler produced Believer and wrote the song with Walker and Mitch Wong of Planetshakers. Fowler has produced hits for Ryan Stevenson and TobyMac. Walker worked with a bunch of other producers. Then Walker's 2021 single Gospel Song reached #2 on the Christian chart. There's no album for that yet but it looks like Walker is on the right track. Good to Me is available as a budget CD. Here's Rhett Walker performing Believer. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Faith Hill

Artist:Faith Hill

Song:Where Are You Christmas?

Album:Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Of course Faith Hill has been a very popular country singer since the early 90s. She released the Christmas album Joy to the World in 2008. But her most popular Christmas song Where Are You Christmas? isn't on that album. It's from the soundtrack of the 2000 film The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. So not only is this a popular Christmas record but it's a discography orphan. That's my specialty. James Horner composed the score for The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It was mentioned that Danny Elfman would have been a better choice. But after the success of Titanic, Horner was hot. So Universal asked Interscope to make a soundtrack album. Among the artists who appeared on the album were Busta Rhymes, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds, Smash Mouth, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Eels and *NSYNC. But the big deal was that Mariah Carey was going to record a new song for the film. Well, there's your hit single. At first the song was called Christmas, Why Can't I Find You?. Horner wrote the song with veteran songwriter Will Jennings. Mariah came in and changed some of the lyrics and changed the title to Where Are You Christmas?. She recorded it. But at the time, she was divorcing Tommy Mottola and he blocked the release. What a Grinch!. So Interscope asked Warner Bros. if they could borrow Faith Hill. She recorded the song with her producer Byron Gallimore. It reached #26 on the Country Singles chart and #65 on the Billboard Hot 100. But the big thing is the song has been downloaded over a million times. That's the only way to get it as the CD of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is only available as a digital download. And when Warner Bros. released the 2008 Faith Hill Christmas album Joy to the World, Where Are You Christmas? wasn't included. They probably forgot about it. BTW, Mariah Carey says she still has her demo of Where Are You Christmas? and she is considering releasing it. Here's the video for Where Are You Christmas? by Faith Hill.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ariane Lipski vs Casey O'Neill

Here's the fight video of Ariane Lipski vs Casey O'Neill from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Ariane is 29 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. She trains with her husband Renata da Silva Jr. at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL and she has trained at Amanda Nunes' Lioness Studio. She is 5-5 in the UFC. She got off to a slow start. But she won her last two fights so maybe she has turned the corner. Casey is 26 years old from Australia. She trains with Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. She's 4-1 in the UFC but she is recovering from knee surgery. Ariane won round one 10-9. But she wobbled Casey with a shot early in round two and then took her to the ground and finished her with an armbar. This win should put Ariane in the rankings and with a couple more wins, she could be a title contender. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa

Here's the fight video of Irene Aldana vs Karol Rosa from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Both fighters are similar. They are primarily strikers. So I thought the fight would be close. Irene is 35 years old. She trains at Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her teammate is Alexa Grasso and her brother Christian Grasso is the coach. Irene is 7-5 in the UFC. She is not a dominant fighter. She usually wins by decision. And she looked really bad in her title shot vs Amanda Nunes. Karol is 28 years old from Brazil. She trains at PRVT in Las Vegas. So Jessica Andrade is her teammate. Karol is 6-2 in the UFC and she usually wins by decision too. Karol got the edge in round one mostly with leg kicks. And she won the round 10-9. But she wasn't going to get a finish with leg kicks. And between rounds Christian Grasso told Irene to attack the body and that should open things up. That was excellent strategy because in the other two rounds, Irene was much better and won both rounds 10-9. Karol didn't have an answer for that strategy. So it turned into a firefight because neither fighter is much of a finisher. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Irene and both fighters got $50, 000 bonuses for Fight of the Night. It was really good matchmaking and I was not surprised the fight was like that. I just thought that Karol needed to make adjustments between rounds two and three and she didn't. So does this get Irene back in the title picture? Well, the problem is she was so bad in that fight, I don't think the UFC would give her another title shot unless she could show dominance over someone really good. She's not that kind of fighter. She wins close fights. Remember she only got a title shot in the first place because Julianna Pena got hurt. She won't be the UFC's first choice unless she shows them something new. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Idina Menzel

Artist:Idina Menzel f/Michael Buble

Song:Baby, It's Cold Outside

Album:Holiday Wishes

Most folks should recall Idina Menzel from the 2013 Disney animated film Frozen and the hit single Let It Go. One might think this launched her to international stardom. But it really hasn't. For example, this 2014 Christmas album has been her biggest seller to date and the single Baby, It's Cold Outside is her only chart single. Recently she has concentrated on films. And though I don't think she will ever be a big star, she's having more success there than anywhere else. In her younger days, Idina wanted to be a singer songwriter like Alanis Morrisette. It's after that didn't work out that she started working Broadway musicals. And her success in Wicked led to Disney casting her in the 2013 film Frozen. Of course that film was so successful that you would be forgiven for thinking that it would launch Idina to stardom. Idina signed with Warner Bros. and her first album was the 2014 Christmas album Holiday Wishes. Most Christmas albums are released by already established artists. She wasn't established. Most folks only knew her from Frozen. But it was certified Gold and the single Baby, It's Cold Outside featuring Michael Buble topped the Adult Contemporary chart. The album was nothing special. It's mostly Christmas standards. Kenny G is the other special guest on the album. The album was produced by Mariah Carey's producer Walter Afanasieff and Idina's musical director Rob Mounsey. Baby, It's Cold Outside was written by legendary songwriter Frank Loesser for the 1949 film Neptune's Daughter. This version is OK and the video is cute. But the best version of Baby, It's Cold Outside was recorded in 1961 by Ray Charles and Betty Carter. I have written about that one. Search the blog. The album is available as a budget CD. Then Idina released the 2016 album Idina. She wrote all the songs but when the album tanked, Warner Bros. dropped her. Since then she released a second Christmas album in 2019. And her latest album is Drama Queen in 2023 on her own label through BMG. Idina has had some success in films like the 2019 film Uncut Gems and the Disney films Frozen II and Disenchanted. But I know she really wanted to be a successful recording artist and that ain't happening. Here's the video for Baby, It's Cold Outside by Idina Menzel featuring Michael Buble. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane and Asuka vs Zelina Vega and Michin

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane and Asuka vs Zelina Vega and Michin from last night's episode of Smackdown. Before I get to the match, the WWE announced last night that Charlotte Flair will be out for nine months. That indicates that she has a torn ACL in her knee and she should be going for surgery pretty soon. As for this match, it was great to see the Kabuki Warriors reunite. Now have them win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. So I saw two complaints about this match. The first was why did Zelina and Michin get so much offense. And the answer is Asuka won't do squash matches. She wants her opponents to look good. The second complaint was about Bayley interfering. That's just part of the DAMAGE CNTRL storyline. And it's like I said, the Royal Rumble isn't until the end of January. So matches like this one is just killing time. This match was OK but nothing special. And I don't expect any storyline advancement for a while. Look what they have taped for next week. It's an eight woman match with a screwy finish. This whole angle is screwy finishes. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stevie Nicks

Artist:Stevie Nicks

Song:Not Fade Away

Album:Complete Studio Albums & Rarities

Yesterday I talked about discography orphans. Today I have another discography orphan that shows what record companies will do to get money out of you. Most music fans should be familiar with Stevie Nicks from her Fleetwood Mac days and solo hits like Stop Draggin' My Heart Around. She hasn't been as successful in recent years. She last had a Gold album in 2001. But she still records occasionally and she tours solo and with Fleetwood Mac. Her 2011 recording of Not Fade Away is from the tribute album Listen to Me: Buddy Holly released by Verve Forecast Records. Of course tribute albums are one way for record companies to get money out of you. In fact Fantasy Records released a similar tribute album around the same time called Rave On Buddy Holly. And it has different artists. Listen to Me: Buddy Holly was produced by Peter Asher. He was one half of Peter & Gordon in the 60s and has been a successful producer since the 70s. This is a CD, DVD and a PBS TV special. Stevie Nicks leads off the album with Not Fade Away. Waddy Wachtel plays the guitar solo. Other musicians are Leland Sklar on bass and Russell Kunkel on drums. They are Los Angeles studio musicians. Other artists who appear on this album include Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr and Lyle Lovett. The DVD has mostly different artists but Stevie Nicks is on both. The problem is the CD and the DVD are out of print. Recently Warner's Rhino label released the 10CD Stevie Nicks box set Complete Studio Albums & Rarities. This has all of Stevie Nicks' solo albums and two CDs of rarities. That's the only place you will find Stevie Nicks' recording of Not Fade Away. Sometimes labels release these kind of rarities albums separately. But Warners didn't do that. So rabid Stevie Nicks fans have to buy this box set to complete their collection. Other rarities include Blue Lamp from the 1981 film Heavy Metal and Sleeping Angel from the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I guess I would like to see Warners release the rarities CDs separately for collectors. But I don't see them doing it. Here's Stevie Nicks performing Not Fade Away on the Listen to Me: Buddy Holly DVD. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael McDonald

Artist:Michael McDonald

Song:Sweet Freedom

Album:The Ultimate Collection

If you have read this blog for a while, you will probably know that sometimes I like to feature discography orphans. These are hit songs that do not appear on an artist's standard discography. These days the song will usually appear on a movie soundtrack. Sometimes the song can be hard to find but not in this case. Most music fans should be familiar with Michael McDonald from his 70s hits with The Doobie Brothers. He went solo in 1982 and scored a top five hit with I Keep Forgettin'. He also topped the charts with the 1986 duet with Patti LaBelle On My Own. That was on a Patti LaBelle album so it is not a discography orphan. The 1986 single Sweet Freedom is McDonald's other top ten hit. It is from the 1986 film Running Scared starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. Sweet Freedom was written and produced by Rod Temperton. He produced the whole album. Mark Isham's score was on a separate album. The problem was the soundtrack album was on MCA and McDonald was on Warner Bros. The album Lookin' Back was released in 1985. And McDonald released his next album in 1990. So Warners re-released Lookin' Back with Sweet Freedom added. Then they released a 1986 comp and titled the album Sweet Freedom just so you know the song is on the album. At the time, McDonald had only released two albums. Normally a comp would be premature. There are two Michael McDonald comps available as budget CDs. Ultimate Collection is the better of the two as there is Doobie Brothers on it along with McDonald's duets with James Ingram and Patti LaBelle. So there you go. Another discography orphan solved. Here's the video of Sweet Freedom by Michael McDonald.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nat Adderley

Artist:Nat Adderley

Song:Work Song

Album:The Classic Albums Collection 1955-1962

Trumpeter Nat Adderley is best known as the younger brother of alto sax legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. They toured and recorded together until Cannonball's 1975 death. Though he is perceived in his brother's shadow, Nat Adderley was the band's manager and he wrote and arranged plenty of the band's songs. The best known of these is Work Song. But Nat recorded it first on one of his own albums. So he was in the band with his brother but he always recorded as a leader. He was born Nov. 25, 1931 in Tampa, FL but he grew up in Tallahassee as his parents taught at Florida A&M University. His father played trumpet and he gave his trumpet to Cannonball. After Cannonball picked up the alto sax, he passed the trumpet to Nat. And they started playing together. Nat attended Florida University majoring in sociology. He was planning to be a teacher like his parents. Nat switched to cornet in 1950. A cornet is smaller than a trumpet. Louis Armstrong frequently played cornet but it wasn't as popular with bebop musicians. A lot of them play flugelhorn. He served in the US Army in Korea from 1951-53. When Nat returned, he returned to school at Florida A&M. After playing a Lionel Hampton concert, Nat joined the band for a European tour. He still planned to be be a teacher. Then the Adderley brothers took a 1955 trip to New York City. They stopped in the Cafe Bohemia where bassist Oscar Pettiford was playing. His sax player didn't show up that day. When he saw that the Adderleys had their horns with them, he invited them on stage and soon after they moved to New York. They played together at first but were not successful until after Cannonball appeared on the 1959 Miles Davis album Kind of Blue. Meanwhile, Nat played with J.J. Johnson and Woody Herman and he recorded his debut as a leader in 1955. He signed with Riverside Records in 1956. Nat recorded seven albums for Riverside from 1956-63. Work Song is from the 1960 album Work Song. It's Adderley's best known composition as many have recorded it. Musicians are Wes Montgomery on guitar, Bobby Timmons on piano, Percy Heath on bass, Sam Jones on cello and Louis Hayes on drums. This album is available on CD. But I recommend this 4CD budget comp of most of Nat's Riverside albums from the British label Enlightenment. Nat continued to record as a leader for Atlantic, CTI and Capitol through the success of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet. He also dubbed Sammy Davis Jr.'s trumpet playing in the 1966 film A Man Called Adam. After his brother's 1975 death, Nat taught at Harvard and toured mostly in Europe and Japan. He recorded for smaller labels infrequently. His son Nat Adderley Jr. is best known as an arranger for R&B singer Luther Vandross. Nat Adderley died on Jan. 2, 2000 at age 68. Here's Nat Adderley with Vincent Herring on alto sax, Robert Bargad on piano, Walter Booker on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums performing Work Song in Japan 1990.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Unit 4 + 2

Artist:Unit 4 +2

Song:Concrete and Clay

Album:The Singles

The 1965 single Concrete and Clay topped the British charts and was a top 30 hit in the US. It topped the Canadian charts too so I remember hearing it when I was a kid. Of course it's perceived as a one hit wonder but a couple of their other songs charted so technically it is not a one hit wonder. Unit 4 + 2 are from Hertfordshire, England. In 1962, Brian Parker was the guitarist and songwriter for The Hunters. He wanted to form a vocal group with his friend David "Buster" Meikle. They brought in schoolmates Tommy Moeller and Peter Moules. They called themselves Unit 4 after a segment on the BBC radio show Pick of the Pops. They were joined by guitarist Russ Ballard and drummer Bob Henrit and they became Unit 4 + 2. Parker didn't like performing live so he left the group but he still wrote songs with Moeller. Howard "Lem" Lubin replaced him. Unit 4 + 2 signed with Decca Records. Concrete and Clay was the third single. It got a lot of radio play in England mostly thanks to legendary DJ Kenny Everett. It topped the British charts. Then it crossed the pond and reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Canadian chart. Decca released an album and more singles. A couple of the singles charted but they were never able to repeat the success of Concrete and Clay. Most of the band left but Moeller continued with all new members and they released a 1969 album on Fontana Records. They split up in 1970. This comp from The reissue label Repertoire is available as a budget CD. Parker and Moeller went on to record a 1974 album as Parker-Moeller Reunion. Ballard and Henrit were members of the popular group Argent. Concrete and Clay still gets played on oldies radio. But I'm pretty sure that most music fans don't know who recorded it...until now. Here's the video for Concrete and Clay by Unit 4 + 2.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Guru

Artist:Guru f/MC Solaar

Song:Le Bien, Le Mal

Album:Jazzmatazz Vol. 1

Keith "Guru" Elam was the lead rapper for Gang Starr. He also recorded several solo albums which were more jazz influenced than most rap of the 90s. This kind of rap did better in Europe than in the US. Guru's first three albums did well. But he never had a hit single so he faded after that. He was born July 17, 1961 in the Roxbury section of Boston. His father was a judge in the Massachusetts Supreme Court. His mother was co-director of libraries in the Boston Public Schools. Elam graduated with a degree in business administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta and he took graduate classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. When Elan started rapping, he called himself MC Keithy E and then he changed it to Guru which stands for Gifted Unlimited Rhythms Universal. Gang Starr was formed in 1987. After they had success, Guru decided to record solo. He's a big jazz fan and he wanted his music to reflect that influence. He signed with EMI's Chrysalis label. Le Bien, Le Mal is from Guru's 1993 album Jazzmatazz Vol. 1. The album did well on the Hip Hop chart and in Europe. There are plenty of guests on the album. Le Bien, Le Mal features French rapper MC Solaar. Other guests include trumpeter Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport of Brand New Heavies, jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis, guitarist Ronny Jordan of War, and jazz keyboardists Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers. Elam released three volumes of Jazzmatazz. The other two albums had similar guests. But he neverhad a hit single so Elam lost his major label deal. He continued to release albums but none of them charted. Then Elam died of a heart attack on Apr. 19, 2010 at age 48. Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 is available on CD. It is recommended to rap fans who also enjoy jazz. Here's the video for Le Bien, Le Mal by Guru featuring MC Solaar.   

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Doyle

Artist:John Doyle

Song:Clear the Way

Album:Shadow and Light

Irish singer, songwriter and guitarist John Doyle is best known as a member of the popular group Solas. And he is also a popular sideman and session musician. But he has also recorded his own music for several years for Compass Records. He was born in 1971 in Dublin, Ireland. He grew up in a family of musicians. So at age 16. he formed the group The Chanting House with Susan McKeown. They released an album in 1990 and then both moved to the US. Doyle currently lives in Asheville, NC. In 1996, Doyle formed Solas with singer Karan Casey, accordionist John Williams and fiddler Winnifred Horan of Cherish the Ladies. Though Solas continues to be very successful, Doyle left the band in 2000 and released his debut solo album in 2001. Doyle has recorded for the bluegrass and folk label Compass Records since 2004. Clear the Way is from the 2011 album Shadow and Light. Clear the Way is an English translation of the Gaelic song Faugh A Ballagh which was the rallying cry of the Irish Brigade during the American Civil War. Compass is based in Nashville so not surprisingly this album was recorded there. Special guests on the album are singer songwriter Tim O'Brien on mandolin and Alison Brown on banjo. Alison is co-owner of Compass. Doyle has toured with O'Brien. Other musicians are Doyle's old buddy John Williams on accordion, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Todd Phillips on bass and Kenny Malone on percussion. All four are veteran sidemen and session musicians. Doyle's latest album The Path of Stones was released in 2020. Doyle has toured and recorded with a who's who of folk music including Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers, Tim O'Brien, Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby and many others. Here's John Doyle performing Clear the Way in someone's living room 2011.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Talita Alencar vs Rayanne Amanda

Here's the fight video of Talita Alencar vs Rayanne Amanda from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. This fight was added after this show was moved from Shanghai. Both fighters were on Contenders Series and are making their UFC debuts. Talita is 33 years old from Brazil. She trains at Fight Sports in Deerfield Beach, FL. Her record is 5-0-1. Rayanne is 28 years old from Para, Brazil. She trains at Marajo Brothers which is former UFC fighter Iuri Alcantara and his brother. Her record is 14-7. If you think that both of these fighters are small for Strawweight, that was a topic of discussion on Twitter during this fight to the point that some think the UFC might be starting an Atomweight division. Also, Rayanne fought for Invicta and commentary did not mention them by name. I am skeptical of this. If the UFC was going to start an Atomweight division, they would have done it three years ago when Ham Seo Hee was available. Rayanne was the larger fighter and she started out OK and won round one. Then Talita won round two. So you would think they would be extra aggressive in round three. But they weren't. So I would have scored the round 9-9 and called it a draw because neither deserved to win. Of course judges don't do that. Two of them scored it 10-9 for Talita and the third scored it 10-9 for Rayanne. So Talita won by split decision. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Luana Santos vs Stephanie Egger

Here's the fight video of Luana Santos vs Stephanie Egger from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. This fight was added when this show was moved from Shanghai to Las Vegas. Luana is 23 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her coach is Lucas Minero. Luana won her UFC debut by KO but she is mainly a BJJ whiz. She missed weight because of the short notice. Stephanie is 35 years old from Switzerland. She trains at Buddy Gym. She is 3-3 in the UFC. Both fighters trained at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento in an attempt to improve their striking. So both fighters are wary of the other taking it to the ground. As a result, a lot of this fight is clinching on the fence. It got really bad in the third round. Herb Dean had to break them up a couple of times. I thought Luana won the first two rounds with more effective striking. And it's not that she's that good but Stephanie is really bad. When Luana returned to her corner after round two, her corner told her that she won the first two rounds and she could take it easy in round three. So she was defensive and didn't do much and Stephanie won round three. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Luana. Two judges scored it the same and the third scored it 30-27 for Luana. So Luana won by unanimous decision. Obviously I would like to see her face better competition. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Kalin Twins

Artist:The Kalin Twins

Song:When

Album:The Rock 'N' Roll Era 1958

The 1958 single When was a top five hit. It was the only big hit for The Kalin Twins. A couple of their other songs charted so they are not technically one hit wonders. But When is their only memorable song. Hal and Herbie Kalin were born Feb. 16, 1934 in Port Jervis, NY. Because they came from a middle class family, they listened to early 50s pop music rather than R&B. After Hal returned from a stint in the US Army, the twins moved to Washington, DC to perform in nightclubs. They recorded a demo but all the record labels turned them down. They were spotted by songwriter Clint Ballard Jr. and he became their manager. Ballard wrote You're No Good which was a hit for Betty Everett, The Swinging Blue Jeans and Linda Ronstadt. Ballard got The Kalin Twins an audition with Decca Records house arranger and conductor Jack Pleis and he signed them. When their first two singles bombed, Ballard went through a stack of demos and found When written by Paul Evans and Jack Reardon. Evans wrote the 1962 Bobby Vinton #1 hit Roses Are Red. Reardon wrote the English lyrics for the 1963 Tony Bennett hit The Good Life. When was supposed to be the B side for the single Three O'Clock Thrill. But The Kalin Twins preferred When so Decca released it as the A side. When reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it topped the British Singles chart. I am told the sax solo was by Plas Johnson (Pink Panther Theme). The Kalin Twins' next single Forget Me Not reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. And that was it. They recorded two albums for Decca and they were gone. Bear Family and Jasmine have both released Kalin Twins CDs. But I think most will only want When and you can get it bon this Time Life various artists budget comp. The Kalin Twins left the music business and went to college. They only returned to performing a couple of times. Once was in England with Cliff Richard in 1989. Richard opened for The Kalin Twins when they played England in the 50s. Hal Kalin died on Aug. 24, 2005 at age 71 from injuries sustained in a car accident. Herbie Kalin died on July 21, 2006 at age 72 from a heart attack. Here's The Kalin Twins performing When on a French TV show in 1959. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Charlotte Flair from last night's episode of Smackdown. As you have probably heard, Charlotte hurt herself during this match. It happened during commercial so we didn't see what happened. But apparently Charlotte's foot slipped while the two were climbing the ropes. They were both down when Smackdown returned. Ref Charles Robinson was checking on Charlotte and he told Asuka to go for the cover. Charlotte kicked out but it was clear that her knee was messed up and she couldn't stand. So they went to the planned finish. Charlotte attempted her figure eight finisher which she couldn't apply anyway. Bayley interfered and Asuka won with a rollup. Charlotte needed help to go to the back. I have not heard anything about Charlotte's knee. She probably needs an MRI but it didn't look good. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Broken Bells

Artist:Broken Bells

Song:Holding on for Life

Album:After the Disco

Broken Bells is a side project from producer Brian Burton AKA Danger Mouse featuring The Shins lead singer James Mercer. They have done well on the Alternative Rock chart and the 2013 single Holding on for Life is their biggest hit to date. Burton is so busy I am surprised he has time for this. Burton and Mercer met when both appeared at the 2004 Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Burton expressed his admiration for Mercer's vocals and suggested they record together. And that's what they did in 2008 at Burton's recording studio in Los Angeles. When they announced the project in 2009, they described the music as melodic but experimental. Broken Bells signed with Columbia and released their self titled debut album in 2010. It's just Burton and Mercer in the studio but they hire musicians for tours. The album was certified Gold and the tour went well. So they released a second album After the Disco in 2013. As with the first album, Burton and Mercer wrote all the songs and played all the instruments. Again they hired musicians for touring. The single Holding on for Life reached #2 on the Adult Alternative chart. It's their biggest hit to date. The song has a Bee Gees vibe. This album didn't sell as well as the first album. The album is available as a budget CD. By the time Broken Bells returned with the 2022 album Into the Blue, Sony moved Broken Bells from Columbia to the much smaller AWAL label. It's probably a smaller promotion budget and I don't think they toured either. With diminishing returns and Burton and Mercer's busy schedules, this could be the end for Broken Bells. It lasted longer then most side projects. Here's the video for Holding on for Life by Broken Bells. The couple in the video is played by actors Kate Mara and Anton Yelchin.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Outhere Brothers

Artist:The Outhere Brothers

Song:Boom Boom Boom

Album:1 Polish 2 Biscuits and a Fish Sandwich

The hip hop duo The Outhere Brothers had very brief success when two singles topped the British charts in 1995. Boom Boom Boom was the second single. I'll warn you right now their music is explicit. I guess that's why they were called The Outhere Brothers. They are from Chicago. Keith "Malik" Mayberry writes the lyrics. Lamar "Hula" Malone produces the music. As you can see in the video, they both rap. When Malone was one half of the duo Hula & K. Fingers with Craig Simpkins, they wrote the 1991 DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince top five hit Summertime. So Mayberry and Malone were writing and producing for others and they figured they could do their own thing and do just as well. Their decision to use explicit lyrics was a big mistake because it limits radio airplay and MTV won't play the video. There were clean edits that were picked up by WEA in Europe and those are the versions of Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle) and Boom Boom Boom that topped the British Singles chart. They did make the dance charts in the US. But if the songs had been clean in the first place, they could have been big hits as other similar records were hits. Both songs are on the 1994 album 1 Polish 2 Biscuits & a Fish Sandwich is available as a budget CD. The Outhere Brothers released three albums. Their albums are now owned by the dance music reissue label Unidisc. After they split up, it doesn't look like either Mayberry or Malone had any more hits either individually or producing for others. So I guess The Outhere Brothers should be viewed as a wasted opportunity. Here's the video for Boom Boom Boom by The Outhere Brothers. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tito Nieves

Artist:Tito Nieves

Song:La Salsa Vive

Album:Lo Mejor de Tito Nieves

Singer Tito Nieves was a big star in Puerto Rico for about three decades. He was known as El Pavarotti de la Salsa. He was born Humberto Nieves June 4, 1958 in the San Juan district of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. I assume Tito was a childhood nickname. It's a common nickname in Puerto Rico. He grew up in New York City. In the late 70s he started out with Orquestra  Cimarron, Hector Lavoe, Conjunto Clasico and The Fania All Stars. He was with Conjunto Clasico from 1979-86. He had his first success as a sol artist when he signed with RMM Records in 1988. Probably his biggest hit from that era was his cover of the Ray Rodriguez boogaloo classic I Like It Like That in 1994 with The Blackout All Stars. Nieves signed with WEA Latuna in 2001 and La Salsa Vive is from the 2002 album Muy Agradecido. For most of his career, Nieves worked with producer Sergio George who also wrote most of the songs. He still works with George. Nieves has recorded for his own label and George's label Top Stop. This 2CD budget comp is a good intro to his music. Based on his Facebook, Nieves has had some recent health problems. He seems to be recovering but it remains to be seen if he will perform again. Here's the video for La Salsa Vive by Tito Nieves. Celia Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Cheo Feliciano and Ismael Miranda make guest appearances.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roy Orbison

Artist:Roy Orbison

Song:Oh, Pretty Woman

Album:The Real...Roy Orbison

The 1964 single Oh, Pretty Wonan was one of two #1 hits in the 60s for singer Roy Orbison. He had other hits but Running Scared and Oh, Pretty Woman are about even according to Music VF which assigns point value to hit singles. He was born Apr. 23, 1936 in Vernon, TX. His family moved to Fort Worth in 1942 so his father could find work in the aircraft industry. They returned to Vernon after a polio scare. Orbison's dad bought him a guitar on his sixth birthday. And that was it. From there, Orbison wanted to be a musician. He was a big fan of country music guitar legend Lefty Frizzell. All the Orbison children had poor eyesight. So he had to wear thick glasses. And his hair was white so he dyed his hair black. He went to high school in Wink, TX. I assume his dad worked in the oil fields. Orbison was in the band Wink Westerners. They played local dances. After they were paid $400 for a gig, Orbison thought he could make a living in music. But he studied geology at North Texas State just in case. He was encouraged that classmate Pat Boone got a record deal. The Wink Westerners got their own TV show in Midland, TX. When Johnny Cash toured the area in 1955 and appeared on a TV show with Wink Westerners, Cash suggested Orbison approach Sun Records owner Sam Phillips but Phillips told him to get lost. Then they got another TV show, changed their name to The Teen Kings and recorded the song Ooby Dooby on a local label. When a record store owner played it over the phone for Phillips, he offered The Teen Kings a contract. Ooby Dooby reached #59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and The Teen Kings toured. The music was rockabilly and Orbison started writing songs. The band split up over money but Orbison continued to record at Sun. Phillips and Sun producer Jack Clement liked Orbison's guitar playing but they never thought he would make it as a singer. Orbison left Sun and worked as a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Publishing in 1959. He kept trying to record and get with a label without successful. Finally Wesley Rose of Acuff-Rose introduced Orbison to producer and Monument Records owner and producer Fred Foster. And that's when things really picked up for Orbison. His first big hit was the 1960 single Only the Lonely followed by his first #1 hit Running Scared in 1961. Orbison had a total of nine top ten hits from 1961-64. The biggest and final of these hits was Oh, Pretty Woman which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. The song came from a comment that Orbison's songwriting partner Bill Dees made to Orbison's wife Claudette. She said she was going out and Orbison asked her if she had enough money. Dees said "a pretty woman never needs any money". After that, the song wrote itself. Monument released Oh, Pretty Woman as a single and it was added to albums afterwards. You can get it on this 3CD budget comp from Sony in The Netherlands. Orbison left Monument for MGM in 1965. He just didn't have the same success there. Then Claudette died in a 1966 car wreck. Then his house burned down in 1968. Orbison was on tour in England at the time. Orbison's music career appeared to be over until Don McLean's 1980 cover of Crying topped the charts. This led to several collaborations. But the big one was when Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne put the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys together. And that got Orbison back in the spotlight. It was short lived because Orbison died from a heart attack on Dec. 4, 1988 at age 52. Virgin Records released Orbison's final album Mystery Girl in 1989. The single You Got It reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Orbison wrote the song with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne and Lynne produced. Then Pretty Woman was used in the hit 1990 film Pretty Woman. So Orbison went out on a high note. Here's Roy Orbison performing Pretty Woman with his band in 1965. BTW, that's Bill Dees on piano and backup vocals. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Garage A Trois

Artist:Garage A Trois

Song:Assault on Precinct 13

Album:Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil

Garage A Trois is a side project led by Galactic drummer Stanton Moore. When he isn't touring with Galactic, he tours with Garage A Trois. The formation of Garage A Trois came out of the recording of Moore's 1998 album All Kooked Out!. Moore, guitarist Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Eric "Skerik" Walton thought they could turn it into a band. So with the assistance of Fog City Records owner Dan Prothero, they recorded the album Mysteryfunk. They decided to call themselves Garage A Trois. The music is not jazz. It's more experimental than jazz. Moore and Hunter are jazz musicians but are open to adventurous music. Walton plays saxophonics which is experimental as well. Moore was happy with the results so he decided to keep Garage A Trois Going. For the 2003 album Emphasizer, Moore added vibraphonist and percussionist Mike Dillon who he knew from Galactica. For the 2009 album Power Patriot, Garage A Trois signed with the indie label The Royal Potato Family and they added keyboardist Marco Benevento from El Michels Affair. And those four are the band for the 2011 album Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil. Other than this cover of John Carpenter's theme from the 1976 film Assault on Precinct 13, all the songs are written by the band. This album is available as a budget CD. I guess Moore was busy with other projects because Garage A Trois returned with the 2021 album Calm Down Cologne. Hunter returned for this album along with Moore and Walton. They toured and who knows if Garage A Trois will record again. Here's Garage A Trois performing Assault on Precinct 13 at Regattabar in Cambridge, MA May, 20, 2011.