AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dado Moroni

Artist:Dado Moroni

Song:Ghanian Village

CD/DVD:Live in Beverly Hills

Edgardo "Dado" Moroni is an Italian jazz pianist who is unknown here in North America. This 2011 album is to date his only recording for a US record label. He was born Oct. 20, 1962 in Genoa, Italy. He started playing piano at age four. And as a teenager, he played local clubs. Moroni recorded his first album in 1980. He played European jazz festivals and clubs in the 80s as a member of a band led by bassist Jimmy Woode. Woode was a former Duke Ellington bassist who moved to Europe in 1960. Moroni moved to New York in 1991 and though he currently lives in Italy, he still goes to New York a lot. He has recorded with Clark Terry, Ray Brown, Ron Carter and Tom Harrell. Moroni started recording regularly as a leader in the late 90s for Italian labels like Abeat. Ghanian Village is from the 2011 album Live in Beverly Hills. This was recorded and filmed at Rising Jazz Stars in Beverly Hills on Apr. 10/11, 2010. The album was produced by Resonance Records owner George Klabin. He had the foresight to film the show and a bonus DVD comes with the CD. The band is bassist Marco Panascia and drummer Peter Erskine. Panascia is an Italian who lives in Los Angeles. Erskine is a former member of Weather Report and Steps Ahead who has played on tons of records. This is to date Moroni's only album for a US label. Moroni is back recording for Italian labels. He is currently Professor of Jazz Piano at Guiseppi Verdi Conservatory of Music in Turin. Here's Dado Moroni with Marco Panascia and Peter Erskine performing Ghanian Village from the DVD Live in Beverly Hills.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aaron Tveit

Artist:Aaron Tveit w/Karen Olivo

Song:Your Song

Album:Moulin Rouge! The Musical: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Aaron Tveit won a Tony for playing Christian in the 2019 musical adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film Moulin Rouge!. Luhrmann had wanted to turn Moulin Rouge into a musical since 2002. He signed with Global Creatures to develop it as a musical in 2016 and it played on Broadway in 2019. Similar to the film, it mixes original songs with classics and is classified as a jukebox musical. Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo are the leads. And as I said Tveit won a Tony. He was born Oct. 21, 1983 in Middletown, NY which is in the Hudson Valley. In high school, Tveit was in all the school shows. Then he attended Ithaca College with a musical theater major. While attending college, he appeared in national tours of Rent and Hairspray. He got college credit for this. He also appeared on Broadway in Hairspray. He appeared in regional productions of Calvin Berger and The Three Musketeers. The musical Next to Normal was his first big show. Tveit appeared off Broadway and when the show came to Broadway in 2009. Then he appeared in the musical adaptation of the film Catch Me If You Can. He also had a recurring role on the TV series Gossip Girl. Then Tveit got his first big film role as Enjorlas in the 2012 film of the musical Les Miserables. The led to a starring role in the USA TV series Graceland which ran for three seasons. He was looking to return to Broadway and that happened with Moulin Rouge! in 2019 The show won several Tonys including one for Tveit. Moulin Rouge! closed in 2022 because of COVID so Tveit appeared in the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! which is a parody of musicals. He is currently set to replace Josh Groban in the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. So at this point he is juggling Broadway and films & TV which is tough to do. Here's Aaron Tveit with Karen Olivo performing Your Song on a 2019 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Henningsens

Artist:The Henningsens

Song:American Beautiful

Album:American Heartland

American Beautiful was a top 30 country hit in 2012 for The Henningsens. It was their debut single so it was a good start but they never released an album before Sony Nashville released them in 2015. They still record for their own label. But I guess the question is why were they dropped. I have a theory. The Henningsens is a family group from the small town of Atwood, IL. Brian Henningsen played in bands in the 80s and started writing songs in the 90s. He was interested in getting a publishing deal but he put that on hold to run the family farm. He started performing with son Aaron Henningsen and daughter Clara Henningsen as The Henningsens. They recorded a demo and they were going to shop it around when Aaron met Cactus Moser of Highway 101 at church. Moser is married to Wynonna Judd. He gave the demo to producer Paul Worley. Worley is a former Sony and Warner exec who at the time was mostly producing Lady Antebellum. He liked what he heard. Meanwhile The Henningsens wrote several songs for The Band Perry including the hit single You Lie. The Henningsens signed with Arista Nashville and Worley produced the 2012 single American Beautiful. It reached #29 on the Country Singles chart and #17 on the Country Airplay chart. The Henningsens wrote the song with Dierks Bentley's producer Brett Beavers. An EP was released in 2013 along with a couple more singles. But an album was never released. You can get American Beautiful on this 3CD various artists comp. I assume an album was recorded but Sony chose not to release it. And then The Henningsens were dropped in 2015. So what happened? One problem I see is The Henningsens are way too similar to The Band Perry to the point where listeners would confuse the two. And maybe radio programmers gave them that feedback. Also, Sony Nashville got a new president and they purged a few acts including two decade RCA Nashville artist Sara Evans. They weren't going to do anything with The Henningsens anyway so they might as well let them go. The Henningsens released a 2016 album on their own label and they continue to perform. I guess that's the way things go in the record business sometimes. Here's the video for American Beautiful by The Henningsens. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rae Allen

Artist:Rae Allen

Song:Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO.

Album:Damn Yankees: A Broadway Cast Recording

For all the roles she played in her 70 year acting career, character actress Rae Allen is best known for playing Gloria Thorpe in the Broadway musical and film Damn Yankees. She was in several musicals on Broadway but this was her only singing appearance on film. She was born Rae Julia Abruzzo July 3, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY. Her father was an opera singer and her uncles were in vaudeville. Rae trained at HB Studios and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947. On Broadway she appeared in musicals like Call Me Madam and The Pajama Game. But her big role was in Damn Yankees especially the 1958 film version. She returned to Broadway to appear in the 1963 production of Oliver!. But she moved to Hollywood and appeared in films and TV for the rest of her career. Both the original cast and the soundtrack of Damn Yankees are available on CD but the original cast is cheaper. Rae's film appearances include The Tiger Makes Out (1967), Where's Poppa (1970), A League of Their Own (1992). On TV, she had a recurring role as Amelia DeKuyper in All in the Family and she starred in the Fox Family series The Fearing Mind. Mostly she did guest shots on shows like The Patty Duke Show, Hill Street Blues and Seinfeld. Rae Allen retired in 2011 and she died on Apr. 6, 2022 at age 95. Here's Rae Allen performing Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO in the 1958 film Damn Yankees. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kabuki Warriors vs Katana Chance and Kayden Carter

Here's the match video of Katana Chance and Kayden Carter defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships vs the Kabuki Warriors from last night's episode of Smackdown. The best thing about this match was that the Kabuki Warriors won the titles as expected. Other than that, the match was OK but nothing special. I thought Katana and Kayden got way too much offense in this match. And I also think the Kabuki Warriors need to be more heelish. You know, they are supposed to be heels. But putting the titles on them is the right call. Now Damage CTRL has all but one of the titles. And that puts pressure on Bayley which should lead to more drama. The problem with Katana and Kayden is promoting them as party girls is lame and Michael Cole going overboard with that doesn't help. Congratulations to Kairi Sane and Asuka for winning the titles. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Boys

Artist:The Boys

Song:Dial My Heart

Album:Message from the Boys

Dial My Heart was a top 20 hit in 1988. It was the only big hit for the R&B boy band The Boys. One of their other songs charted so they are technically not a one hit wonder. And they did well on the R&B charts. The Boys should remind you of New Edition. They were on the same label. The Boys are four brothers from Carson, CA. They are Khiry, Tajh, Hakim and Bilal Abdulsamad. In 1988, they ranged in age from 15 (Khiry) to 10 (Bilal). So they were a preteen version of New Edition. They started out entertaining on Venice Beach for tips during summer vacation. They earned $22,000 one summer. Then they hired a manager and started performing at private parties. They sent out a demo and MCA Records executive Jheryl Busby signed them. After Motown owner Berry Gordy retired, MCA made Busby president of Motown, he took The Boys with him. Obviously he thought they would be big stars. They even wrote their own songs. Half of The Boys' 1988 debut album Messages from the Boys was written and produced by LA Reid and Babyface including Dial My Heart. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B Singles chart. When there were no other hits on the album, The Boys complained to Busby and told him they wanted to produce themselves. Busby had to be disappointed. I just think they were too similar to New Edition. They weren't distinctive. They recorded three albums for Motown and The Boys got to write and produce themselves on the third album. But it didn't help. Message from the Boys is available on CD. The Boys left Motown, moved to Gambia and changed their name to Suns of Light. All of them have left the music business. But they made a fortune during their brief run. Here's the video for Dial My Heart by The Boys. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Grant Stewart

Artist:Grant Stewart

Song:The Scene Is Clean

Album:Around the Corner

Jazz saxophonist Grant Stewart has been on the New York club scene since he was 19 years old. He was born June 4, 1971 in Toronto. His father was a part time jazz guitarist. He gave Stewart a saxophone and some transcriptions to practice. He played clubs as a teen, led his own band and had a regular gig at Toronto's C'Est What cafe. That's when he moved to New York. He has played clubs ever since. Stewart studied with Donald Byrd and Barry Harris. He made his recording debut in 1992 on the Dutch label Criss Cross. Stewart has also recorded for the Japanese label VideoArts, Marc Edelman's Sharp Nine Records and he currently records for Cellar Live owned by Vancouver based jazz saxophonist Cory Weeds. The Scene Is Clean is from Stewart's 2010 album Around the Corner on Sharp Nine. Stewart's drummer brother Phil Stewart has been in his band since 2005. Other musicians are New York City jazz scene veterans Peter Bernstein on guitar and Peter Washington on bass. Stewart does write but on this album, he's performing jazz standards including Tadd Dameron's The Scene Is Clean. Stewart's latest album The Lighting of the Lamps was released in 2022. Stewart, Eric Alexander, Vincent Herring, Harry Allen and Chris Byers are currently going into the second year of their music school Tribeca Jazz Institute. Here's Chris Stewart with Bruce Harris on trumpet, Tim Brey on piano, Madison Rast on bass and Byron Landham on drums performing The Scene Is Clean at Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia July 17, 2021.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bukka White

Artist:Bukka White

Song:Aberdeen Mississippi Blues

Album:Shake 'Em on Down

Like a lot of bluesmen from the Mississippi delta, Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White recorded a few records in the 30s and then he faded into obscurity. Fortunately, he was still around when the folk music boom happened in the 60s. So he got to record and tour until his 1977 death. He was born Nov. 12, 1904 in Aberdeen, MS which is on the eastern border near Houston. White's birth year is confirmed by census data. His first cousin was B.B. King's mother. His father was a railroad worker who played mostly fiddle in his spare time. He gave White a guitar for his ninth birthday. And then he gave him a new guitar when he married at age 16 and moved to Houston. Sadly, his wife died from a burst appendix. While working on a farm, he told friends he wanted to be like bluesman Charley Patton. White was spotted by talent scout and general store owner Ralph Lembo and he took White to Memphis to record a couple of sides for RCA in 1930. White started playing with harmonica player George "Bullet" Williams in 1932. White's mother died in 1933 and then he married Williams' niece in 1934. They moved to Aberdeen to farm while White toured. He went to Chicago in 1935 with Peetie Wheatstraw and made friends with Big Bill Broonzy and others. He returned to Chicago to record a couple of sides for Vocalion Records producer Lester Melrose. When they spelled his name "Bukka" on the record label, White took the name Bukka White. When White returned home, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in Mississippi State Penitentiary or as it was commonly known Parchman Farm. Meanwhile, Shake 'Em on Down became a hit. While in jail, White recorded for folklorist John Lomax. Then when he was released from jail in 1940, he went to Chicago to record for Vocalion. After divorcing his wife, White moved back to Chicago and played clubs in 1942. Aberdeen Mississippi Blues were among his recordings for Columbia's race label Okeh. You can get all of White's recordings from that period on this budget CD from the British label Catfish. Changing musical styles meant that White's country blues was out of style in the 50s. But then the 60s folk music boom made country blues popular again. And White was one of several musicians who rode that wave and recorded and toured in the 60s. White started having health problems in 1975 and he died on Feb. 26, 1977 at age 72. White was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1990. Here's Bukka White performing Aberdeen Mississippi Blues 1967.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gary Burton & Makoto Ozone

Artist:Gary Burton & Makoto Ozone

Song:Laura's Dream

Album:Face to Face

Of course most jazz fans are familiar with vibraphonist Gary Burton who started out in Stan Getz's band and retired in 2017. What you may not know is that Burton taught at Berklee College of Music for thirty years. Of course he mentored many young musicians. But the one musician that really stands out is Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone. He was in Burton's band for several years and they recorded a couple of albums together. Ozone also appeared on Burton's 2017 retirement tour. Ozone was born on Mar. 25, 1961 in Kobe, Japan. His father was a pianist and nightclub owner and they once appeared together on TV. Ozone took classical piano lessons and was a big Oscar Peterson fan. While attending Berklee in 1981, he asked Burton for private lessons. Burton was so impressed with Ozone, he asked him to join his band. Ozone appeared on the Burton albums Real Life Hits (1984) and Whiz Kids (1986). After Ozone returned to Japan to resume his solo career, he occasionally reunited with Burton. Their first album together was the 1995 album Face to Face on GRP Records. There is no band. It's just the two of them. Laura's Dream was written by Tango master Astor Piazzolla and Burton and Piazzolla recorded it on the 1986 album The New Tango. Burton also recorded it with pianist Paul Bley on the 1990 album Right Time, Right Place. Face to Face is available as a budget CD. They recorded two other albums together and as I said, Ozone appeared on Burton's retirement tour. Ozone currently records for Verve and he released an album in 2022. Here's Gary Burton & Makoto Ozone performing Laura's Dream at the 1995 Munich Piano Summer Festival in Germany.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Milt Jackson

Artist:Milt Jackson

Song:I Should Care

Album:Bags of Soul

This is part of my series of classic jazz for beginners. The only requirements are a performance video clip and a CD appropriate for beginners. Milt Jackson was the first bebop vibraphonist. Up until then, Lionel Hampton was the best known vibraphonist. Jackson was a member of The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). But he also recorded as a leader and he recorded I Should Care on one of his own albums and performed it live with MJQ. MJQ never recorded it in the studio. Jackson was born Jan. 1, 1923 in Detroit. He started playing guitar at age seven and switched to piano at age 11. Jackson says his major musical influence was in church. While in high school, Jackson played drums, tympani and violin and he also sang in the gospel quartet The Evangelist Singers. Then he heard Hampton play the vibraphone in Benny Goodman's band and that was it. Jackson was discovered in 1945 by Dizzy Gillespie and that's where he learned bebop in Gillespie's band and playing with Howard McGhee, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. Out of the Gillespie band, Jackson formed The Milt Jackson Quartet in 1950 with John Lewis on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. They became MJQ in 1952 with Percy Heath replacing Brown. Connie Kay replaced Clarke in 1955. And that was MJQ until they split up in 1974. Lewis liked to mix jazz with classical themes and Jackson like to mix swing and bebop. So it's not surprising that Jackson had a career as a leader separate from MJQ. I Should Care is from Jackson's first album as a leader Milt Jackson Quartet. It was his only album for Prestige Records.The band is MJQ with Horace Silver subbing for Lewis on piano along with Heath and Kay. It was probably supposed to be an MJQ record as they were on Prestige at the time. I Should Care was written by Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston for the 1944 Esther Williams musical Thrill of a Romance. It was performed in the film by Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra. Stordahl was Frank Sinatra's musical director so Sinatra recorded it in 1945. It was then recorded by Peggy Lee, Harry James and Bud Powell and is now a jazz standard. Jackson signed with Savoy Records and recorded five albums for them. Those recordings are what you will find on this 4CD budget box set from the British label Proper. MJQ and Jackson both signed with Atlantic. MJQ stayed with Atlantic until the 1974 split. Jackson left Atlantic in 1961 and recorded for Verve, Impulse, Riverside, Limelight and later CTI, Pablo and Qwest. MJQ reformed in 1981. So Jackson continued to record and tour with MJQ and his own band until he died on Oct. 9, 1999 at age 76. Here's Milt Jackson with Modern Jazz Quartet performing I Should Care on the Italian TV network RAI 1961.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Artist:Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Song:Up Above My Head, I Hear Music in the Air

Album:Up Above My Head

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a gospel music pioneer. Of course she was a great singer. But she may be the greatest guitarist you never heard. She sure could swing that axe. She was born Rosether Atkins Mar. 20, 1915 in Cotton Point, AR. Her parents picked cotton but they also sang. Her mom was a preacher for Church of God in Christ (COGIC). At age six, Rosetta and her mom joined a traveling evangelical troupe. Rosetta was already playing guitar. They settled in Chicago in the mid 20s and performed at the Roberts Temple COGIC and they toured. Rosetta stood out because of her guitar playing. At age 19, she married COGIC preacher Thomas Tharpe and he joined the act. The marriage only lasted a few years but she kept his name. After they split in 1938, Rosetta and her mom moved to New York. Rosetta signed with Decca Records and she remained there for most of her career. She also joined Lucky Millender's band and played nightclubs with him. This was very controversial at the time as the church crowd is very conservative. For the most part, she recorded with Decca house pianist Sammy Price. And his boogie woogie style was well suited to Rosetta's guitar slinging. Then in 1946, Rosetta saw Marie Knight at a Mahalia Jackson concert and took her on the road. She also appeared on her late 40s recordings like Up Above My Head, I Hear Musi in the Air. Up Above My Head is based on another gospel song Over My Head. It's basically the same song but Up Above My Head is more popular because of Rosetta's 1947 recording which reached #6 on Billboard's "Race Records" chart. Musicians are Sammy Price on piano, George "Pops" Foster on bass and Wallace Bishop on drums. You can get all of Rosetta' 40s recordings on this comp. Mahalia Jackson became more popular in the 50s mostly because she had her own TV show. Rosetta continued to perform and record occasionally until she died of a stroke on Oct. 9, 1973 at age 58. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is now called The Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll because she mixed gospel with her electric guitar. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Here's Sister Rosetta Tharpe performing Up Above My head, I Hear Music in the Air on Gospel Time TV 1960. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Priscila Cachoeira

Here's the fight video of Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Priscila Cachoeira from last night's UFC show in Toronto. This fight was supposed to be at Flyweight. But Priscila said she couldn't make weight so it became a Bantamweight fight. Jasmine is 34 years old from St. Catherines, ON. She trains at Niagara Top Team in Niagara Falls with coach Chris Prickett. She's 3-2 in the UFC. She's probably a midcard fighter at best. Priscila is 35 years old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She trains at MMA Masters in Miami. Her UFC record is 4-5. Though she is obviously tough, she's a terrible fighter. And she cheats. In this fight, she tries to grab Jasmine's hair. The switch to Bantamweight is evidence of more shady behavior. Well, at least Jasmine got 30% of her purse. This was a one way fight that really should have been stopped in round one if Jasmine's ground and pound was any good. But it's not. She finally got a finish with a round three D'arce Choke. And she got a $50,000 bonus. But the fight was laughably bad. It didn't make me think that Jasmine can beat anyone who is good. But it did make me think that the UFC should release Priscila. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Gillian Robertson vs Polyana Viana

Here's the fight video of Gillian Robertson vs Polyana Viana from last night's UFC show in Toronto. This fight is at Strawweight. Gillian is 28 years old from Niagara Falls, ON. She trains at The Goat Shed in Miami with her longtime coach Din Thomas. Her UFC record is 9-6. She's a great wrestler but her striking is terrible. And that's why she has had mixed results. Polyana is 31 years old. She trains at Tata Fight Team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her UFC record is 4-5. Similar to Gillian, her jiu jitsu is great but her striking is terrible. Gillian got the first takedown and that was beginning of the end of the fight. Gillian wasn't quite able to get a finish in round one. But she did get a round two finish with ground and pound. And she got a $50,000 bonus. It doesn't make me think she can beat anyone who is good. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva

Here's the fight video of Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva from last night's UFC show in Toronto. This was for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship. Raquel is 35 years old from Colorado Springs, CO. She trains at Altitude MMA. She's been in the UFC for over ten years with a 12-5 record. She fought for the title in 2018 and lost to Amanda Nunes which is why she didn't get Amanda's final match. Amanda wanted someone she hadn't fought before. She's a decent but not great fighter. Mayra is 32 years old from Minas Gerais, Brazil. She trains at ATT in Coconut Creek, FL. with coach Marcos DaMatta. She's 5-2 in the UFC but she has been undefeated since moving from Flyweight to Bantamweight. I thought she had a good chance to win this fight in the early rounds but what happens later. And that's what happened. Mayra won round one but by the middle of round two she was out of gas and Raquel won by unanimous decision. I would have preferred a finish to put Mayra out of her misery. But instead Raquel sat on her for the rest of the fight. It was a boring fight but Raquel won 49-46. Julianna Pena will be her next challenger because the UFC promised her a title fight. After that, who knows. There ain't much in the Bantamweight division right now. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Days-Alfredo Antonini

Artist:Alfredo Antonini

Song:Gavotte

Album:The CBS Television Production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

Readers of this blog will know that sometimes I like to feature the musicians behind your favorite TV shows, movies and Broadway musicals. Alfredo Antonini was a symphony orchestra conductor who worked for CBS for many years. And one project he worked on was as musical director of the much beloved 1957 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Cinderella starring Julie Andrews. He was born May 31, 1901 in Alessandria, Italy. Antonini studied at the Milan Conservatory where he was a student of famed conductor Arturo Toscanini. He was an orchestra pianist for the La Scala opera house in Milan before moving to the US in 1929. He became an American citizen in 1938. Antonini started working for CBS in the 30s and became musical director in the 40s. He conducted the orchestra on live radio broadcasts like Viva America. When CBS Television started, Antonini was named musical director. He worked on all kinds of TV shows. But the biggest thing he ever worked on was the 1957 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical Cinderella starring Julie Andrews. This show reached an audience if 107 million so it was a big deal at the time. Gavotte is an instrumental that is supposed to resemble a French folk dance. The original cast is available on CD and can be streamed on YouTube. Most of the other shows he worked on were shows like Lamp Unto My Feet and Camera One. Antonini won an Emmy for the 1971 opera And David Wept. Antonini retired in 1977 and he died on Nov. 3, 1983 at age 82. Here's a video for Gavotte from the 1957 TV Show Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella conducted bt Alfredo Antonini.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jude Cole

Artist:Jude Cole

Song:Believe in You

Album:I Don't Know Why I Act This Way

After having modest success as a singer in the early 90s, Jude Cole has had success as a songwriter, producer and manager. I always say about artist that have that one big hit that songwriting is a great skill to fall back on. And Cole is a good example of a guy who has done that. And he never had a really big hit. He was born June 18, 1960 in Carbon Cliff, IL. I first heard of him when he was a guitarist and songwriter on Moon Martin's 1978 album Shots from a Cold Nightmare. He left to join the British band The Records as a singer and guitarist for their 1980 album Crashes. They were living in the US at the time. When they returned to England, Cole remained in the US to try and get a record deal. He signed with Reprise in 1987. But while he was waiting, he wrote songs for the films Where the Boys Are '84 (1984), Back to School (1986) and Karate Kid III (1988). Cole recorded three albums for Reprise. His best success was when the 1990 single Baby It's Tonight reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was from the 1990 album A View from 3rd Street produced by David Tyson. He was pretty hot at the time for producing Alannah Myles. When Cole's 1992 album Start the Car flopped, he left Reprise and signed with Island for the 1995 album I Don't Know Why I Act This Way. When that went nowhere, Cole turned to managing the band Lifehouse. He wasn't in the band but he wrote songs for them. He co-wrote their 2005 top five hit You and Me. Cole worked for Irving Azoff for several years. He recorded an album for his own label in 2000 and started Ironworks Studio in 2003 with partner Kiefer Sutherland. He manages singer songwriter Ron Sexsmith among others. Cole returned to recording a couple of years ago. But for the most part, he has been successful as a songwriter, producer and manager. Here's the video for Believe in You by Jude Cole.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Earl Thomas Conley

Artist: Earl Thomas Conley f/Keith Whitley

Song:Brotherly Love

Album:The Essential Earl Thomas Conley

Brotherly Love was a top five country hit in 1991. It was the final big hit for Earl Thomas Conley and it was released after Keith Whitley's 1988 death. Brotherly Love was recorded in 1987 which makes me think it was recorded for Whitley's 1988 album Don't Close Your Eyes but didn't make the album. It was produced by Whitley's producer Garth Fundis. Both Whitley and Conley were on RCA. Brotherly Love was written by Jimmy Alan Stewart and Tim Nichols. Stewart was a veteran songwriter and this was his biggest hit. This was Nichols' first big hit in his songwriting career. Moe Bandy charted with his 1989 recording of Brotherly Love. After Whitley's death, RCA was putting together a tribute album. Brotherly Love was one of several previously unreleased tracks that were on the 1991 album Kentucky Bluebird. RCA also added it to Conley's 1991 album Yours Truly which was mostly produced by Larry Michael Lee and Josh Leo. Brotherly Love reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. It was also nominated for a Best Country Duet Grammy award. Not only was this Conley's final big hit but Yours Truly was his final RCA album. You can get Brotherly Love on this Earl Thomas Conley budget comp. It also appears on a Keith Whitley comp but the Conley comp is longer and therefore a better value. Here's the video for Brotherly Love by Earl Thomas Conley featuring Keith Whitley. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Raymond & Real Feels

Artist:John Raymond & Real Feels

Song:Amazing Grace

Album:John Raymond & Reel Feels

Jazz trumpeter John Raymond is mostly an educator these days so I don't expect him to be a major star. But he has done well on the festival circuit with his band Real Feels. Raymond is from Minneapolis. He started playing trumpet in grade five and started taking it more seriously in high school after a friend played a Nicholas Payton record for him. Raymond moved to New York to attend school. But he got into the club scene and he has performed with Billy Hart and Kurt Rosenwinkel and recorded with Ann Nesby and Calvin Richardson. He released his debut album in 2011 on his own label and then he formed the trio Real Feels for the 2016 album Live Vol. 1. Amazing Grace is from the 2016 album John Raymond & Real Feels on the Minnesota based jazz label Shifting Paradigm. The band is Gilad Hekselman on guitar and Colin Stranahan on drums. Hekselman was born in Israel but he has been a very busy sideman since moving to New York in 2004. Stranahan is also a busy sideman. The band mostly records covers on this album. Raymond plays flugelhorn on Amazing Grace. This album is available as a digital download. Raymond moved to the larger Sunnyside label for the 2018 album Joy Ride. He is a Professor of Jazz and Trumpet at Indiana University. So obviously he has moved there with his family. So I don't know if Real Feels is still a band as Hekselman and Stranahan still live in New York. Raymond recorded the 2023 album Shadowlands with Bon Iver singer S. Carey and they just finished touring. Carey lives in Wisconsin. The album was produced by former ECM producer Sun Chung and released on his label Libelulle Editions. I don't know if that's a one off or an ongoing thing. Wisconsin is closer to Indiana. Here's John Raymond & Real Feels performing Amazing Grace in a church.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cyril Ornadel

Artist:Cyril Ornadel

Song:Overture

Album:My Fair Lady: Original Cast

Cyril Ornadel was a composer and songwriter primarily known as a musical director in London. That's what he did on the 1958 production of My Fair Lady. He also worked in TV and recorded many easy listening albums. He was born Dec. 2, 1924 in London, England. After studying at the Royal College of Music, he became famous in England for conducting the orchestra for ITV TV show Sunday Night at the London Palladium. This led to him as musical director of the 1958 production of the Lerner and Loewe musical My Fair Lady. That show was produced on Broadway in 1956 and then came to London. The original cast of the London production was reissued on CD and remastered in 1998. It's available as a budget CD. The London album has a gold cover. The Broadway album has a white cover. Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews starred in both but everyone else was different. Ornadel was also musical director on London productions of the musicals The Sound of Music and The King and I. He wrote the 1963 musical Pickwick with Leslie Bricusse starring Harry Secombe. The song If I Ruled the World won an Ivor Novello Award. Pickwick ran for two years in London but flopped on Broadway. Ornadel wrote the song Portrait of My Love with EMI A&R director Norman Newell and it was a top ten hit in England in 1960 for Matt Monro. Steve Lawrence's 1962 recording was a top 10 hit in the US. Ornadel recorded many instrumental albums with symphony orchestras for MGM and Columbia. He got into film and TV work in the late 60s including the 1974 TV movie Brief Encounter starring Richard Burton an Sophia Loren and the science fiction TV series Sapphire & Steel. He scored several films for exploitation director Pete Walker including Man of Violence (1969) and Die Screaming, Marianne (1971). It looks like Ornadel retired in the early 80s and died on June 22, 2001 at age 86. Here's a video for the Overture from the 1958 London production of My Fair Lady by Cyril Ornadel.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bobby Valentino

Artist:Bobby Valentino

Song:Slow Down

Album:Bobby Valentino

Bobby Valentino is a former member of the R&B boy band Mista and he scored a top ten hit with the 2005 single Slow Down. It's his only big hit to date. He was sued for using the name Bobby Valentino so he is now known as Bobby V. He was born Bobby Marcel Wilson Feb. 27,1980 in Mississippi but he grew up in Atlanta. He used his real name when he joined the R&B boy band Mista in 1996. After they charted with the single Blackberry Molasses, they split up in 1997. Wilson attended Clark Atlanta University majoring in mass communications while trying to get a record deal. After earning a bachelor's degree in 2003, one of Wilson's demos got the attention of rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and he signed Wilson to his Disturbing tha Peace label distributed by DefJam. Wilson's name was changed to Bobby Valentino and he appeared on the top ten hit Pimpin' All Over the World from the 2004 Ludacris album The Red Light District. Then his 2005 debut album Bobby Valentino was released and the debut single Slow Down reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it topped the R&B Singles chart. Wilson wrote the songs including Slow Down with veteran producers Tim & Bob (Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson). They produced Mista's never released second album. The album was certified Gold and it is available as a budget CD. Subsequent singles did not do as well and Wilson's 2008 album Special Occasion flopped. Wilson left DefJam and it was around this time that British musician Bobby Valentino sued Wilson and DefJam for copyright infringement. Wilson started his own label Blu Koala Dreams and signed with Capitol. He changed his name to Bobby V. He released two albums under that deal with no success. Then he signed with Universal for the 2018 album Electrik which reunited him with Tim Kelley. But that didn't help. In 2022 he appeared on the popular webcast Verzuz with Ray J, Sammie and Pleasure P. And they are currently developing the R&B supergroup R.S.V.P. It remains to be seen if this will go anywhere. Here's the video for Slow Down by Bobby Valentino.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Karen Peck & New River

Artist:Karen Peck & New River

Song:Messiah Overcame

Album:Lift His Name

Karen Peck & New River is classified as Southern Gospel. But I think their sound is more contemporary than other Southern Gospel acts but not enough to alienate the faithful. Karen is from Gainesville, GA. Karen and her sisters grew up listening to gospel and their parents took them to concerts in Atlanta. One group they saw was The Lefevres who became The Nelons. Karen joined The Nelons in 1981 and performed with them for ten years. In 1991, Karen started New River with husband Rickey Gooch and sister Susan Peck. Gooch is not in the group but he is the road manager. The current version of New River is mostly family members including Kari Gooch, Matthew Gooch and Grant Gibson. Messiah Overcame is from the 2020 album Lift His Name on Daywind Records which is one of the big Southern Gospel labels. Karen Peck & New River have been very successful in this market. As I said, I think they are more contemporary than other Southern Gospel acts. But I also think they are happy where they are and I don't see them trying to cross to CCM. The fans of Southern Gospel are very loyal but they can abandon her if they aren't happy with the music. Here's Karen Peck & New River performing Messiah Overcame at the Daywind studio.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Sandpipers

Artist:The Sandpipers

Song:Guantanamera

Album:Guantanamera/The Sandpipers

This 1966 cover of the Cuban folk song Guantanamera was a top ten hit in 1966. It was the biggest hit for the vocal trio The Sandpipers. I would describe their music as easy listening folk. Or it could be described as ant-psychedelic. Jim Brady, Mike Piano and Richard Shoff were all members of the Mitchell Boys Choir in Los Angeles when they decided to start their own vocal group with a fourth member called The Four Seasons. When they discovered there was already a group with that name, they reduced to a trio and changed their name to The Grads. After recording unsuccessful singles for Mercury and MGM, they released the 1966 single Stage Door on A&M Records. A&M owner Herb Alpert said he liked their music but he wanted a new name for the group. Supposedly they got The Sandpipers from the dictionary though there was also the popular 1965 film The Sandpiper starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Producer Tommy LiPuma suggested they cover the Cuban folk song Guantanamera. The single reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Guantanamera was written by Cuban poet Jose Marti. The music was written by singer Joselito Fernandez in the 20s. Legendary folksinger Pete Seeger wrote English lyrics and recorded Guantanamera in 1963. This is where LiPuma heard it. The Sandpipers' version was arranged by Mort Garson. The Sandpipers were nominated for two Grammys. You can get Guantanamera on this twofer of the 1966 album Guantanamera and the 1967 album The Sandpipers from the British label Collector's Choice available at a reasonable price. The Sandpipers recorded nine albums from 1966-71. Their other big hit Come Saturday Morning reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. It was one of three songs The Sandpipers recorded for the 1969 film The Sterile Cuckoo. They performed it on the Oscars broadcast. The Sandpipers continued to record until the late 70s and then performed on the nostalgia circuit. Piano died in 2014 and Brady died in 2019. Here's The Sandpipers performing Guantanamera on The Lloyd Thaxton Show 1966.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gotan Project

Artist:Gotan Project

Song:Notas

Album:Lunatico

Gotan Project is a mix of tango and electronica. Gotan is an anagram for tango. They had success on the festival circuit in the 00s. Gotan Project was formed in Paris in 1999. Guitarist Eduardo Makaroff is from Argentina. He moved to Paris in 1990. He formed Gotan Project with Christopher H. Muller and Philippe Cohen Solal in 1999. Both play keyboards. Muller is from Switzerland and Solal is a French DJ and owner of Ya Basta Records. After releasing the 2001 album La Revancha del Tango, they got the attention of British DJ Gilles Peterson and he got them an international record deal with XL Recordings which is the home for Adele. So that's when Gotan Project started touring internationally. Notas is from the 2006 album Lunatico. The album did well considering this is not commercial music. They usually bring in outside singers and musicians. The spoken word is by Juan Carlos Caceras of Paris Gotan Trio. The bandonleon is by Nestor Marconi. Both guys are from Argentina. This album is available as a budget CD. Singer Christina Villalonga was added as a permanent member after this album. After the 2010 album Tango 3.0, Makaroff and Muller split from Solal. Solal owns the Gotan Project name and recordings. Makaroff and Muller went on to form Plaza Francia with singer Catherine Ringer of Les Rita Mitsouko in 2014. They have released a couple of albums on Les Rita Mitsouko's label Because Music, most recently in 2017. They have also recorded as Muller & Makaroff on the German Gronland label. Here's Gotan Project performing Notas at the 2007 Fiesta des Suds in Marseille, France.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Leela James

Artist:Leela James f/Anthony Hamilton

Song:Say That

Album:Fall for You

Singer songwriter Leela James has had success on the R&B charts. She's a little girl with a big voice and big hair. She was born Alechia Campbell May 22, 1983 in Los Angeles. After a couple of background vocal appearances on rap tracks, she changed her name to Alechia James and sang with The Roots on the song Work from the 2000 film Bait starring Jamie Foxx. After Leela appeared on Pete Rock's 2004 single No Tears, she signed with Warner Bros. for her 2005 debut album A Change Is Gonna Come. The music is retro soul. Leela writes and produces everything with co-writers and co-producers. Raphael Saadiq was one of the producers. When album sales didn't meet Warner Bros.' expectations, Leela's contract was cancelled. Her 2009 album Let's Do It Again was a tribute to The Staple Singers on Shanachie Records. Shanachie doesn't promote. They just distribute to stores. So she signed for Concord's Stax label for the 2010 album My Soul. When that didn't work out, Leela returned to Shanachie for the 2013 album Loving You More...In the Spirit of Etta James. For the 2014 album Fall for You, Leela started her own Shesangz label with BMG distribution. The singles from that album including Say That did well on the R&B charts. As with previous albums, Leela wrote all the songs with co-writers and executive produced with Tim Kelley of Tim & Bob. Of course Say That features Anthony Hamilton. Leela wrote Say That with guitarist Darrell Crooks and keyboardist Rex Rideout who both play on the song. Rideout produces Ledisi and he produces a few songs on this album. The album did well and it's available as a digital download. Leela continues to work with Rideout on subsequent albums. Her latest is the 2023 album Thought U Knew Me. Soul fans should check her out Here's the video for Say That by Leela James featuring Anthony Hamilton.

 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford

Artist:Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford

Song:I Need Your Lovin'

Album:The Very Best of Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford

The 1962 single I Need Your Lovin' was a top 20 hit. It was the only big hit for the duo of Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford. A couple of their other singles charted so they are not technically a one hit wonder. Gardner was a jazz drummer. He was born May 9, 1931 in Philadelphia. He grew up singing in church. He was still in high school when he started playing in local clubs. He first recorded as a singer for Gotham Records in 1949. He also recorded for Cameo, DeLuxe and VAL-UE. Gardner formed his band The Sonotones in 1953 and they played clubs in the Northeast US. When organist Richard "Groove" Holmes left The Sonotones in 1959, Dee Dee Ford replaced him. She was born Wrecial Holloway in 1936 in Minden, LA. Her family moved to Newark, NJ in 1951. She played organ and sang in a gospel group. After Dee Dee joined The Sonotones, they were spotted by Fire Records owner Bobby Robinson and he told Gardner the two could be successful singing together. Robinson owned a New York record store. Gardner and Robinson wrote I Need Your Lovin' and the record reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the R&B Singles chart. Not surprisingly, the record has a real gospel vibe. They recorded an album and toured for a couple of years. But though a couple of songs charted, they were never able to score another big hit. Gardner and Dee Dee split up in 1965. Dee Dee quit the music business. But Gardner continued to tour and record until he died on Sept. 5, 2018 at age 87. This budget CD from Collectables has all of their recordings. Here's a video for I Need Your Lovin' by Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day.Waterfront

Artist:Waterfront

Song:Cry

Album:Waterfront

Cry was a top ten hit in 1989. It was the only big hit for the Welsh duo Waterfront. One of their other songs charted so technically they are not a one hit wonder. Besides, they only released one album. Waterfront is from Cardiff, Wales. Singer Chris Duffy and guitarist Phil Cilia had released a 1981 single as The Official Secrets. They were recording demos at a local recording studio when the studio owner John Newman became their manager and got them a record deal with Polydor Records. The album Waterfront was released in 1989 and the single Cry reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #17 on the British Singles chart and it topped the Adult Contemporary chart. Blue Eyed Soul was very popular at the time and I think Cry was a hit because it sounds like Spandau Ballet and similar acts. The album sold 600K copies and BMI gave Cry an award for one million radio plays. Duffy and Cilia wrote all the songs. The album was produced by Killing Joke producer Glenn Skinner. The sax solo is by Molly Duncan of Average White Band. This album is available on CD. It is not clear why Waterfront only released one album. It looks like they started to record an album and then split up. Duffy finished the album solo. It was called All the Time in the World and Polydor released it in 1992. Duffy and Cilia wrote three songs. Duffy wrote the rest with producers Glen Ballard and Greg Haver. So I think this was supposed to be a Waterfront album. Waterfront has reunited occasionally and they released a 2011 album. But they are known mostly for Cry. Here's the video for Cry by Waterfront.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-I Mother Earth

Artist:I Mother Earth

Song:Rain Will Fall

Album:Dig

The hard rock band I Mother Earth had modest success in their native Canada. They never had a big hit single to take them to a higher level that could have broken them in the US. But they are still around so they did OK. I Mother Earth was formed in 1990 in Toronto. Drummer Christian Tanna and his guitarist brother Jagori Tanna met lead singer Edwin Ghazal at a rehearsal space and they formed a band. Ghazal was billed as Edwin. They brought in bassist Franz Massini but he was replaced by Bruce Gordon in 1992. Jag Tanna says the band name has no meaning. Jag Tanna wrote all the songs. A five song demo got them a record deal with Capitol Records in the US and Canada. They recorded the 1993 album Dig in Los Angeles with former Guns 'N' Roses producer Mike Clink. It was after the album was finished that former Rocktopus bassist Gotdon replaced Massini. Rain Will Fall was the first single from Dig and it did OK in Canada. Keep in mind that Canadian radio stations have a Canadian Content quota. Also the music video was played on MTV and MuchMusic. So I would say that and live gigs is what got I Mother Earth a following. I would describe their music as alternative influenced hard rock. Dig is available as a budget CD. It won a 1994 Juno for Best Hard Rock Album. The 1996 album Scenery and Fish also did OK but again there was no hit single. There were problems in the band as Edwin wanted more creative input. This led to his departure. He was replaced by Brian Byrne for the 1999 album Blue Green Orange on Mercury Records. The album didn't do any better than previous albums. When the 2003 album The Quicksilver Meat Dream didn't sell, I Mother Earth went on hiatus. Gordon joined Blue Man Group. Jag Tanna started his own record label, opened a recording studio and opened a nightclub in his home town of Peterborough. Byrne released two solo albums. They reunited in 2012. Edwin returned in 2016 after Byrne left. I Mother Earth has released three singles and they still play occasional shows. But the Tannas have moved back to Peterborough and they have businesses there that are more important than the band. Here's the video for Rain Will Fall by I Mother Earth.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Todd Clouser's A Love Electric

Artist:Todd Clouser's A Love Electric

Song:Needle and the Damage Done

Album:20th Century Folk Selections

Jazz guitarist Todd Clouser can play all kinds of music. But he seems to prefer the kind of experimental music he has recorded with his band A Love Electric since 2010. He was born Feb. 17, 1981 in Minneapolis. He attended Berklee in Boston and toured with the rock band 4 Letter Men. Then he moved to Baja, Mexico in 2006. He currently lives in Mexico City. He released his debut album Baja in 2007 on his own label. The music was a mix of experimental jazz and rock. He followed this up with the 2008 album Beatnik Highway. This album caught the ear of trumpeter Steven Bernstein and he went to Mexico City to work with Clouser. Bernstein appeared on Clouser's 2010 album A Love Electric. They decided to start a band called A Love Electric and played New York clubs. Bernstein wasn't able to commit to the band full time but he does appear on the 2012 album 20th Century Folk Selections on Royal Potato Family Records. The album is jazz covers of songs like Neil Young's The Needle and the Damage Done. Musicians are Adam Meckler on trumpet, Mark Aanderud on piano and Herman Hecht on drums. Hecht is a native of Mexico. Rick Parker plays trombone on The Needle and the Damage Done. A Love Electric has recorded five albums. The latest was released in 2016 on Ropeadope Records. Last year Clouser released the album The Mexico City Experiment recorded with Mexican musicians. Clouser is a member of the neo psychedelic band Magnet Animals. Here's the video for The Needle and the Damage Done by Todd Clouser's A Love Electric with Brian Allen on trombone, Mark Aanderud on piano, Aaron Cruz on bass and Herman Hecht on drums.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Grace Potter

Artist:Grace Potter

Song:Love Is Love

Album:Daylight

Grace Potter is best known as lead singer of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. They disbanded in 2015 and she has made a new start as a solo artist. So far her success is as an album and touring act. She was born June 20, 1983 in Waitsfield, VT. Her parents own a woodworking business and her mother is a piano teacher. Her sister is a glass artist. While attending St. Lawrence University, Grace met drummer Matt Burr. They married and formed Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in 2002. After signing with Hollywood Records, the band was very successful. After Grace divorced Burr, the band split up. Grace had previously recorded two solo albums and she released the album Midnight in 2015. That album was produced by veteran producer Eric Valentine. She was still married to Burr. Grace says she fell in love with Valentine while recording the album. She said after The Nocturnals split up that she would never record again. She married Valentine in 2017 and gave birth to their son. And not surprisingly, she changed her mind and signed with Fantasy Records for her 2019 album Daylight. The album has done well on the Adult Alternative market. Some critics complained that the music is much slicker than The Nocturnals and that is probably Valentine's influence. Her second album on Fantasy was released in 2023. Former Nocturnals guitarist Benny Yurco played on Daylight but the other members haven't done anything yet. I don't expect Grace Potter to ever top the Billboard Hot 100 but she'll do OK with an older audience. Here's the video for Love Is Love by Grace Potter. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Anna Jay

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Anna Jay from last night's episode of AEW Rampage. The AEW story is that Anna lost to Hikaru in her first match four years ago but she has come a long way and has a chance to win this match. Of course this is complete nonsense. So Anna gets a lot of offense especially during the commercial break. But Hikaru takes control and is on her way to winning when she doesn't kick out of a rollup in time but the ref doesn't count three because that's not supposed to be the finish. Refs are supposed to count like it's a shoot. But I guess they don't do that in AEW. This kind of junk is why I don't watch AEW except for Hikaru Shida matches. Of course Hikaru won soon after that. Look, I hated the story AEW was trying to push anyway. The match should have been a squash. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO SKY vs Michin

Here's the match video of IYO SKY defending her WWE Women's Championship against Michin who got a title shot by pinning IYO in that Holiday Havoc match. The match was what I expected. A standard IYO match is she takes ridiculous bumps followed by tremendous athleticism. Some might suggest that the match was too competitive. But that's what IYO wants. Michin has slowed down a lot due to injuries. But IYO made her look much better than she actually is. Of course the big bump was Michin's Styles Clash from the second rope. That's a bump that should end the match but the pin was too close to the ropes. That was followed by Michin missing a suicide dive to the floor and IYO's moonsault. Next week will have Bayley vs Bianca Belair. Of course Bianca should win and maybe that will advance the Damage CNTRL angle. Enjoy the video. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gene McDaniels

Artist:Gene McDaniels

Song:Tower of Strength

Album:Look to Your Heart: The Gene McDaniels Story

The 1961 single Tower of Strength is one of two top five hits for R&B singer Gene McDaniels. His other top five hit A Hundred Pounds of Clay (1960) gets more play on oldies radio so it's better known. But according to MusicVF which gives point value to chart position, the two songs are about equal. McDaniels moved to Europe and had success as a songwriter and producer. He was born Feb. 12, 1935 in Kansas City, KS and he grew up on Omaha. McDaniels grew up singing in church and he loved jazz too. He was in the gospel group Echoes of Joy. They changed their name to The Sultans when they switched to R&B. McDaniels studied at University of Omaha Conservatory of Music and toured with the gospel group Mississippi Piney Woods Singers. While in California, he sang in clubs with The Les McCann Trio and he was spotted by Sy Waronker and signed to Liberty Records. After recording two unsuccessful albums with producer Felix Slatkin, Liberty brought in Snuff Garrett to produce. They were looking for a more contemporary sound. It worked because the first single A Hundred Pounds of Clay reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over a million copies. Tower of Strength was the first single from McDaniels' next album and it reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard. Though Hal David was Bacharach's better known songwriting partner, Bacharach and Hilliard wrote several hits together including the 1965 Chuck Jackson hit Any Day Now. Johnny Mann arranged the record. I don't know who plays the trombone solo. In those days, session musicians were not identified. After one more top ten hit, Chip Chip in 1961, McDaniels faded and left Liberty in 1966. This 2CD comp from the reissue label Jasmine covers the Liberty years. McDaniels went on to record for Columbia, Atlantic and MGM with little success. After the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, McDaniels moved to Europe and concentrated on songwriting. And that paid off when his song Compared to What was popularized on the 1969 Les McCann Eddie Harris album Swiss Movement and covered by Roberta Flack on her debut album First Take. McCann discovered her. Then Roberta topped the charts in 1974 with the McDaniels song Feel Like Makin' Love. Of course he could live off the royalties for that. McDaniels went on to produce Merry Clayton and Melba Moore and others. He moved back to the US and lived in Maine until he died on July 29, 2011 at age 76. Here's a video for Tower of Strength by Gene McDaniels.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ashley Monroe

Artist:Ashley Monroe

Song:On to Something Good

Album:The Blade

Singer songwriter Ashley Monroe has had modest success on the country charts. The 2015 album The Blade has been her biggest seller to date but it wasn't that big. She is also in Miranda Lambert's group The Pistol Annies. She was born Sept. 10, 1986 in Knoxville, TN. She won a talent contest at age 11. And she started writing songs at age 13 after her father died of cancer. Ashley moved to Nashville to play in clubs. A publishing deal led to a record deal with Columbia. Her debut album Satisfied was supposed to be released in 2006. When the first two singles did not reach the top 20, Sony decided not to release it. This was around the time Sony merged with BMG and the BMG people were against releasing albums that were in this kind of limbo. Sony did release it in 2009. But by that time, Ashley had left Columbia. After self releasing an EP in 2009, Ashley signed with Warner Bros. She recorded three albums for Warners. Meanwhile she started The Pistol Annies with Miranda Lambert and they made two albums. On to Something Good is from Ashley's 2015 album The Blade. Vince Gill produced Ashley's first two albums. Ashley wrote the song with veteran Nashville songwriters Barry Dean and Luke Laird. The Blade was highly acclaimed. Time Magazine named it the best album of 2015. Veteran country music writers believe that Ashley's music is too traditional and listeners prefer the country rock mix of acts like Florida Georgia Line. Ashley left Warners after three albums. Meanwhile Ashley married Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks and they had a son. Ashley released an album in 2021. And The Pistol Annies released a Christmas album in 2021. Then Ashley announced that she is undergoing chemotherapy for a rare form of blood cancer. There is no cure but the chemo is supposed to delay the effects. Well, she can still write songs and she still performs. Here's the video for On to Something Good by Ashley Monroe.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ugly Kid Joe

Artist:Ugly Kid Joe

Song:Everything About You

Album:Love Sucks

The 1992 single Everything About You was one of two top ten hits by the hard rock group Ugly Kid Joe. Their 1992 debut album America's Least Wanted sold over a million copies and it was all downhill from there. Lead singer Whitfield Crane and guitarist Klaus Eichstadt were friends while growing up in Palo Alto, CA. They started a band in 1989 and recorded a demo. By the time they got a record deal in 1991 from Mercury Records, the band was Crane, Eichstadt, Roger Lahr on rhythm guitar, Cordell Crockett on bass and Mark Davis on drums. At first they called themselves Overdrive and then Suburban White Alcoholic Trash. The name Ugly Kid Joe is a parody of the Las Angeles glam band Pretty Boy Floyd as they were supposed to open for them at a show in Santa Barbara. After Pretty Boy Floyd pulled out of the show, They decided to keep the Ugly Kid Joe name. Ugly Kid Joe's music is Black Sabbath influenced hard rock but with satirical lyrics. After signing with Mercury, the 1991 EP As Ugly As They Wanna Be was released. Everything About You reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first EP to be certified 2XPlatinum. After the 1992 album America's Least Wanted was released, their cover of Harry Chapin's The Cat's in the Cradle reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Crane and Eichstadt wrote and produced most of the songs. America's Least Wanted is out of print and so are the two Ugly Kid Joe comps. But you can get Everything About You on this Rhino various artists budget CD that contains anti love songs. That was about it for Ugly Kid Joe. Subsequent albums didn't sell and Mercury dropped them in 1995. They released a 1996 album on their own label. And when it didn't sell, they split up in 1997. Crane led the band Medication from 1999-2003 and the band Another Animal from 2006-2009. Crane and Eichstadt reformed Ugly Kid Joe in 2010. They have released an EP and two albums. The latest album was released in 2022 and they toured in 2023. Obviously they are a long way from the heyday of the early 90s but there is still money to be made on tour. Here's the video for Everything About You by Ugly Kid Joe. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Arnett Cobb

Artist:Arnett Cobb

Song:Smooth Sailing

Album:The Big Horn: The History of the Honkin' & Screamin' Saxophone

Tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb is best known for his time in Lionel Hampton's band in the 40s. He was known as the Wild Man of the Tenor Sax. Smooth Sailing is his best known composition. Cobb's career was severely derailed by health problems beginning in 1950. He was born Aug. 10, 1918 in Houston. His grandmother taught him to play piano. He also learned to play violin before taking up the tenor sax in his high school band. He played in Frank Davis' band and toured Texas and Louisiana clubs when he was on summer holidays. From 1936 to 1942, he was in bands led by Chester Boone, Milt Larkin and Floyd Ray. He played with musicians like Illinois Jacquet, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Wild Bill Davis. After turning down a 1939 offer to join the Count Basie band, Cobb replaced Jacquet in Lionel Hampton's band in 1942. With his honking style, Cobb was very similar to Jacquet. So it was a perfect place for him. Cobb played the sax solo on Hampton's signature song Flying Home and that's when he was given the nickname Wild Man of the Tenor Sax. Cobb left Hampton in 1947 and started his own band. He recorded for Apollo and Columbia. Smooth Sailing was Cobb's first Columbia single in 1950. He was billed as Arnett Cobb and his Orchestra with David Page on trumpet, Michael Wood on trombone, Charles Fowlkes on baritone sax, George Rhodes on piano, Walter Buchanan on bass and George Ballard on drums. Smooth Sailing became a hit when Ella Fitzgerald wrote lyrics for it and charted with her 1951 recording. The song is now considered to be a jazz standard. It was around this time that Cobb needed spinal surgery. He returned in 1956 but a 1958 car accident derailed him again. He needed crutches to get around for the rest of his life. Of course he continued to play and he recorded for Prestige and Black & Blue. He toured Europe a lot in the 70s and 80s. But I don't think he ever lived in Europe. Cobb returned to Houston and died on Mar. 24, 1989 at age 70. You can get Cobb's original recording of Smooth Sailing on this 4CD box set of "honking" saxophonists from the British label Proper. Here's Arnett Cobb with Jay McShann on piano, Al Casey on guitar, Roland Lobligeois on bass and Paul Gunther on drums performing Smooth Sailing on French TV 1973.