Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Virna Jandiroba vs Loopy Godinez

Here's the fight video of Virna Jandiroba vs Loopy Godinez from last night's UFC show in Atlantic City. This fight is at Strawweight. Virna is 35 years old from Bahia, Brazil. She trains at Academia Fight House. She's 5-3 in the UFC. Like a lot of Brazilian fighters, Virna is a BJJ whiz. I don't think she's aggressive enough. Maybe she's too nice. Loopy is 30 years old. She was born in Mexico but her family lives in Vancouver. She currently trains at Lobo in Guadalajara, Mexico which is owned by Alexa Grasso's father. Her UFC record is 7-3. She's on a four fight winning streak. Coming into this fight, Virna was ranked #5 and Loopy was ranked #10. So this was a good opportunity for Loopy to move up. But I wasn't surprised that she couldn't do it. Virna isn't over the hill yet. I scored the fight 29-28 for Virna. Two judges scored it the same and the third scored it 30-27. So Virna won the fight by unanimous decision. So now the UFC knows that Loopy is not as good as they may have thought. I could have told them that. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Manon Fiorot vs Erin Blanchfield

Here's the fight video of Manon Fiorot vs Erin Blanchfield from last night's UFC show in Atlantic City. This fight is at Flyweight and it's a five round main event. The winner gets a title shot. Manon is 34 years old from Nice, France. Her coach is Aldric Cassata. She's the 2017 IMMAF World Champion. She's 6-0 in the UFC. Manon is a great striker and like Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she is very difficult to take down. Erin is 24 years old from Elmwood Park, NJ. She trains at MK Muay Thai. She's 6-0 in the UFC. She has a strong ground game. Erin was the home town favorite and she was also the betting favorite. Her big problem was trying to take Manon down. Manon has a big size advantage. Plus she's always well prepared. The bottom line is Manon pitched a shutout. Erin couldn't take her down. Manon took Erin down in round one. Erin turned it into a guillotine. So Manon could have taken her down again. But her strategy was to keep it standing and keep Erin at a distance and win by decision. Manon executed it perfectly. When Erin returned to her corner between rounds, they couldn't help her. I believe Erin and her coaches underestimated Manon. She seemed poorly prepared. All three judges scored the fight 50-45 for Manon. Manon said during the week that she would wait for the title shot. Cassata might want her to take a fight just to keep active. We'll see. She looked great last night. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Skillet

Artist:Skillet

Song:You Are My Hope

Album:Alien Youth

The 2002 album Alien Youth was the breakthrough album for the CCM band Skillet. It led to them getting a record deal with a major label and mainstream success as an album and touring band. Skillet is from Memphis let by lead singer, main songwriter and bassist John Cooper. He formed Skillet in 1996 after his previous band Seraph split up. Guitarist Ken Steorts' previous band Urgent Cry had also split up and their pastor suggested the two work together. They had only been together for a month when CCM label ForeFront Records came calling. Skillet signed with them and Ardent Records for the secular market. They recorded two albums as a CCM version of a grunge band. Steorts left to start his school Visible Music College. He was replaced by Kevin Haaland. Cooper's wife Korey Cooper had already joined to play keyboards and help her husband with songwriting. As of the 2002 album Alien Youth, Cooper took over production of the music. Alien Youth is available as a budget CD. The turning point for Skillet was when Ardent was sold Atlantic's label Lava Records. And Atlantic brass thought Skillet had potential to cross over to the mainstream. Though Skillet has never had that big hit single, their albums have done very well and they are a concert draw. Skillet's latest album was released in 2022 and they are on tour in Australia in April. Here's Skillet performing You Are My Hope at the 2002 Luis Palau Festival in Colombia.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Taio Cruz

Artist:Taio Cruz f/Ludacris

Song:Break Your Heart

Album:Rokstarr

Break Your Heart topped the US and British charts in 2009. It is the biggest hit for Taio Cruz. These days he seems to prefer writing and producing to recording himself. He was born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere Apr. 23, 1980 in Brent, Greater London, England. His father is a Nigerian lawyer and his mother is a Brazilian hairdresser. Cruz went to private schools before moving to London to attend Stanmore College. Cruz's songwriting career started as part of producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart's RedZone Entertainment. Cruz won a 2005 Brit award for co-writing Will Young's 2004 single Your Game. Cruz started his own company Rockstar Music in 2006. When his debut single I Just Wanna Know reached #29 on the British Singles chart, that got him a record deal with Universal. He was on Island in England and Republic in the US. His 2007 album Departure was released and the single Come On Girl reached #5 on the British Singles chart. A couple of songs charted in England but the album went nowhere in the US. After Cruz appeared on Tinchy Stryder's 2009 UK top five single Take Me Back, he decided to work with that song's producer Fraser T. Smith on his 2009 album Rokstarr. Smith had previously worked with Craig David and Adele. The two wrote and produced most of the album including the lead single Break Your Heart. It topped the British charts and Cruz won a Best British Single Brit award. Cruz was still with Republic in the US. But when David Massey of Mercury heard Break Your Heart, Mercury took over the release of Rokstarr. They produced a new video featuring rapper Ludacris and supermodel Nadya Nepomnyashaya. It topped the Billboard Hot 100. The singles Dynamite and Higher were also big hits. This album is available on CD. When Cruz's 2011 album TY. O didn't do nearly as well, Cruz decided to concentrate on other things. I should point out that Smith did not work on TY. O. Cruz worked quite a bit with Dr. Luke. And he planned to record his next album with him. But it was never released and Cruz announced in 2015 that he would only release singles online in the future. He thinks physical releases are outdated. I think you still need to do both. Cruz hasn't released anything anyway. Mostly he concentrates on writing and producing for others. After leaving TikTok in 2020, he has kept a low profile and I expect that to continue. Here's the video for Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ashley McBryde

Artist:Ashley McBryde

Song:A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega

Album:Girl Going Nowhere

Country music singer songwriter Ashley McBryde has had some success since her 2018 album Girl Going Nowhere. I guess she is perceived as an up and comer. But at age 40, she's getting a little old to be an up and comer. She was born July 29, 1983 in Waldron, AR. Her father is a farmer, a doctor and a preacher. So Ashley had a very strict upbringing. She liked to play her father's guitar. So her parents bought her a guitar. Ashley wrote her first song at age 12. Ashley was in the high school marching band. And she studied French horn at Arkansas State. But she preferred performing in Memphis clubs. So she left school and moved to Nashville in 2007. During the day she worked at Guitar Center. And she performed at night. Ashley's big break came when Eric Church heard her 2016 EP Jalopies & Expensive Guitars and invited her on stage to perform. This led to a record deal with Warner Nashville and her 2018 debut album Girl Going Nowhere produced by Church's producer Jay Joyce. A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega was the first single. It reached #30 on the Country Singles chart. Ashley writes all her songs with co-writers. A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega was written with Jesse Rice and Nicolette Hayford. Rice co-wrote the Florida Georgia Line song Cruise. He says A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega  is about how he met his wife in Georgia. The album was critically acclaimed. Ashley was nominated for a Grammy and named New Artist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Ashley has since released three albums. Though she continues to be critically acclaimed, the album sales have decreased. I wonder how long Warners will keep her around. She can always be a songwriter for hire. As I said, Ashley is too old to be an up and comer. Here's the video for A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega by Ashley McBryde.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pantera

Artist:Pantera

Song:Cowboys from Hell

Album:Reinventing Hell: The Best of Pantera

The hard rock band Pantera had success when they signed with a major label in the early 90s. They never had a hit single but they didn't need one as they already had a rabid following from their early days. All they really needed was better distribution. Pantera was formed in 1981 in Arlington, TX by guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and his drummer brother Vinnie Paul. At first they were called Gemini, then Eternity before settling on Pantera. The other original members were Donny Hart on lead vocals, Terry Glaze on rhythm guitar and Tommy D. Bradford on bass. After Hart left, Glaze took over as lead singer. Then Bradford was replaced by Rex Brown. They toured the south opening for other hard rock bands like Stryper and Dokken. Then they released the 1983 album Metal Magic released on their own label and produced by the Abbott brothers father Jerry Abbott. He owned a recording studio in Arlington. After three albums, it became clear that Pantera was going to have to abandon glam rock. Glaze was the wrong singer for that and after they tried out a couple of guys, 18 year old Phil Anselmo was hired. After the success of thrash metal bands like Metallica and Slayer, Pantera decided to go that route. Then they signed with Atco Records for the 1990 album Cowboys from Hell. Though there was no hit single, the album was certified 2XPlatinum. Pantera wrote all the songs. The album was recorded at Abbott's recording studio with recording engineer Terry Date brought in to help. The success continued with the 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power which was also certified 2XPlatinum. Sales started to decrease especially when Pantera was moved to Warner's East West label. I guess they spent less on promotion but Pantera was still touring a full schedule. They were still a great concert draw. Then Anselmo almost died from a 1996 heroin overdose. After Pantera's 2000 album Reinventing the Steel was released, it became clear to the Abbott brothers that the end was near and after a couple more tours, Pantera split up in 2003. They weren't getting along anyway. The Abbott brothers formed a new band Damageplan. After releasing a 2004 album on Elektra, Damageplan toured. And that's when on Dec. 8, 2004 in Columbus, OH, Nathan Gale walked on stage and shot and killed Darrell Abbott. It is not known why he did that. This 2CD budget comp cover Pantera's Atco recordings. Vinnie Paul died in 2018. Pantera has reformed in recent years to tour. They have not recorded new music. I guess they are now a nostalgia act. Here's the video for Cowboys from Hell by Pantera.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pink Martini

Artist:Pink Martini

Song:Sympathique

Album:A Retrospective

Pink Martini is a mix of jazz and several other musical styles. The 1997 single Sympathique is from their debut album and is probably their best known song. Pink Martini is from Portland, OR. Pianist Thomas Lauderdale saw the Del Rubio Triplets on Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Special and brought them to Portland to do a political fundraiser and he needed an opening act. He formed an ad hoc group and called it Pink Martini. He decided to turn it into a real band and he brought in a friend from Harvard named China Forbes to be lead singer. Those two are the main members of Pink Martini. At first Pink Martini performed at fundraisers. But Lauderdale decided to record on his own label in 1997. He uses various distributors. Sympathique charted in Europe and the album is still their biggest seller. Pink Martini performs all kinds of songs but occasionally they write their own songs like Sympathique. Pink Martini has recorded a total of seven albums. The latest was released in 2016. Because Lauderdale records for his own label, I guess Pink Martini is a cottage industry. They have had longevity because they are diverse and interesting. They have their own sound. This comp is a good intro to their music. Though they haven't recorded recently, Pink Martini still tours. They are going on a world tour in April. Here's the video for Sympathique by Pink Martini.

   

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-5 Seconds Of Summer

Artist:5 Seconds of Summer

Song:She Looks So Perfect

Album:5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) have been very successful in their native Australia. Since 2014 they have sold over ten million albums. They haven't been as successful outside Australia because it's a crowded marketplace for their brand of power pop. Not surprisingly, they sound a lot like other similar bands. 5SOS is from Sydney, Australia. They were formed in 2011. Lead singer and guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford and bassist Callum Hood went to the same high school. Hemmings started posting videos on his YouTube channel. Then Clifford invited drummer Ashton Irwin to join. Clifford also came up the band name. After signing a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music, 5SOS released a couple of EPs and went to London on a songwriting trip. Finally all four left school and 5SOS toured with One Direction. Then they signed with Capitol Records and released the 2014 album 5 Seconds of Summer. She Looks So Perfect was the first single and it topped the Australian and British charts and reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum in Australia and Platinum in the US and England. 5SOS write a lot of their own songs. They worked with various producers but seven of the twelve songs were produced by Goldfinger lead singer John Feldmann. Irwin and Clifford wrote She Looks So Perfect with producer Jake Sinclair who has produced similar bands. 5 Seconds of Summer is available as a budget CD. 5SOS had continued success in Australia. All three Capitol albums topped the charts but they didn't do as well elsewhere. Since leaving Capitol, they recorded one album for Interscope and their latest album in 2022 for BMG. They have faded pretty badly and I think they are too similar to other bands to be successful in the long run. Here's the video for She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Robert Nighthawk

Artist:Robert Nighthawk

Song:Goin' Down to Eli's

Album:Live on Maxwell Street 1964

Robert Nighthawk was a Mississippi Delta bluesman who started out in the 30s and was part of the 60s blues revival. He was born Robert Lee McCollum Nov. 30, 1908 in Helena, AR. He usually performed and recorded as Robert Nighthawk. But sometimes he used his real name or Robert Lee McCoy. Nighthawk left home at an early age and became a busker. So he travelled all over the south. He lived in Memphis for a while where he was in the Memphis Jug Band. He learned to play slide guitar from Houston Stackhouse and those two performed together on the radio. In the 30s he moved to St. Louis and called himself Robert Lee McCoy (his mother's maiden name). He played with Henry Townsend, Big Joe Williams and Sonny Boy Williamson. They recorded for RCA Victor in 1938. Nighthawk continued to travel around and in the 40s he recorded for Bluebird and Decca. Nighthawk moved to Chicago in 1948 and recorded for Aristocrat and Chess. But he was too similar to Muddy Waters and Nighthawk never got the same promotional push. So he left Chess but Nighthawk never had commercial success. He continued to perform and in 1964 he recorded an album called Live on Maxwell Street. Goin' Down to Eli's is from that album. Musicians are Johnny Young on guitar and Robert Whitehead on drums. This album was released by Bullseye Blues in 2000 and it's available as a digital download. Robert Nighthawk returned to Arkansas and after a stroke and a heart attack, he died on Nov. 5, 1967 at age 57. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983. Here's Robert Nighthawk performing Goin' Down to Eli's on Maxwell Street in Chicago 1964.

 

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rose Namajunas vs Amamda Ribas

Here's the fight video of Rose Namajunas vs Amanda Ribas from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Rose is 31 years old from Milwaukee and she trains at 303 Training Center in Denver. She's a two time Strawweight champ moving up to Flyweight. Her UFC record is 10-4. She's on a two fight losing streak. These days she's fighting more defensively and her results depend on if her opponent falls for that trick. You saw what happened when Carla Esparza didn't buy into it. Amanda is 30 years old from Varginha, Brazil. She trains with her father and at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. Her UFC record is 7-3. She is ranked at Strawweight and Flyweight but I would prefer she stay at Strawweight. Her big problem in this fight is she is not able to get close enough to land effective strikes. And every attempt at a takedown backfired on her and Rose ended up in top position. As I said, Rose is playing it safe these days so once she got in top position, she just sat on her. So for the most part, Rose won the fight with ground control. She didn't advance her position. Her corner was yelling at her to sit on Amanda. Should ref Jason Herzog have stood them up? Maybe but he didn't do that and the judges are going to give Rose those rounds where she has ground control. So I scored the fight 49-46 for Rose and two of the judges scored it the same. The third judge scored it 48-47. So Rose won by unanimous decision. The fight was disappointing as there wasn't much action. Rose playing things safe worked on this occasion. She talked about fighting Maycee Barber who she knew when Maycee was young. Maycee is from Colorado. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jakob Bro

Artist:Jakob Bro

Song:Mild

Album:Bay of Rainbows

Danish jazz guitarist Jakob Bro will probably remind you of Bill Frisell. He plays in an atmospheric style that a lot of European jazz musicians favor. Not surprisingly, he records for the German label ECM. He was born Apr. 11, 1978 in Risskov, Denmark. Bro listened to his dad's jazz record collection and played the trumpet as a child. He took up guitar as a teen and studied at the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen. Then he moved to the US and studied at Berklee in Boston and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York. Drummer Paul Motian spotted Bro and hired him to play in his Electric Bebop Band. Bro appeared on Motian's 2004 album Garden of Eden. Bro has also recorded with Paul Bley, Bill Frisell, Lee Konitz, Mark Turner and Kenny Wheeler. Bro started out recording on his own label. He signed with ECM for his 2015 album Gefion. Bro usually records with a trio. On that album it was Thomas Morgan on bass and Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen. The 2018 album Bay of Rainbows was recorded live at The Jazz Standard in New York City. Morgan is still playing bass. The new drummer is Joey Baron who has been around since the 70s. Bro's latest album is Once Around the Room (A Tribute to Paul Motian) with special guest saxophonist Joe Lovano. This was released in 2022. Bro has composed the music for a new film called Music for Black Pigeons which premieres today in Knoxville. Then he is playing a week at the Village Vanguard in New York followed by stops in South America and then back to Europe. Here's Jakob Bro with Thomas Morgan and Joey Baron performing Mild at Brorson's Church in Copenhagen during the Winter Jazz Festival Feb. 7, 2019.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO SKY vs Naomi

Here's the match video of IYO SKY vs Naomi from last night's episode of Smackdown. This was set up last week when Naomi tried to help Bayley and was misted by Asuka. Before this match, Bayley thanked Naomi. And then Bianca Belair told Naomi that Bayley didn't deserve her help. Before IYO came out, she attacked Bayley backstage to keep her from interfering. The match was pretty good. I thought it was a little too competitive. And like Asuka, I know IYO doesn't like squashes. But I would have never let Naomi do a superplex. She's not that good. Of course Damage CTRL came out to distract Naomi and that led to IYO winning with the moonsault. Bianca came out to help Naomi during the post match beatdown and both got laid out. BTW, Asuka looked OK after tweaking her knee last week. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jose Llana

Artist:Jose Llana f/Lea Salonga

Song:You Are Beautiful

Album:Flower Drum Song: The New Broadway Cast Recording

Filipino born actor Jose Llana has had success mostly on Broadway especially in revivals of Flower Drum Song and The King and I. He also starred as Philippines president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the off-Broadway musical Here Lies Love. He was born May 5, 1976 in Manila, Philippines but he grew up in Springfield, VA which is a suburb of Washington, DC. While studying classical voice at Manhattan School of Music, he auditioned for a 1996 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I and he made his Broadway debut as Lun Tha starring with Lou Diamond Phillips and Donna Murphy. He was in that show from Mar. 1996-June 1997. Llana's next big show was as Wang Ta in the 2002 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song starring with Lea Salonga. That ran from Oct. 2002-Mar. 2003 and there is an original cast album available as a budget CD. Then he played Chip Tolentino in the 2005 musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. That show ran for two years. Llana has had success as a recording artist in his native Philippines. He also appeared in the 2005 film Hitch and the HBO TV series Sex and the City. But mostly he has stayed in New York. Llana played Ferdinand Marcos in David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim's off-Broadway musical Here Lies Love in 2014. He returned to Broadway starring in a 2015 revival of The King and I. Most recently he appeared in a 2023 production of Here Lies Love. I'm sure we'll see him again very soon. Here's Jose Llana with Alvin Ing and Telly Leung performing You Are Beautiful at the 2018 Red Bucket Follies for Broadway Care/Equity Fights AIDS in New York City.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kutless

Artist:Kutless

Song:Strong Tower

Album:The Ultimate Collection

Kutless has been a very popular CCM band for over 20 years. I would describe their music as Alternative with Praise & Worship leanings. They have not crossed over to secular music. Kutless is from Portland led by lead singer Jon Micah Sumrall. His is a pastor's son so he grew up in church. Sumrall led a worship band named Call Box while attending Warner Pacific College in Portland in 1999. When the original guitarist was replaced in 2001 by James Mead, the band name was changed to Kutless and they signed with the CCM label BEC. The band name comes from a bible verse. Sumrall and Mead are the only original members still with Kutless. Band personnel has turned over a couple of times. They released their debut album Kutless in 2002 followed by the 2004 album Sea of Faces. They toured and opened for Audio Adrenaline and MercyMe. This gained them a strong CCM following and the 2005 album Strong Tower was certified Gold. The single Strong Tower reached #4 on the CCM chart. All of Kutless' early albums were produced by BEC house producer Aaron Sprinkle. This is when they had their first personnel turnover. Bassist Kyle Ziegler and drummer Kyle Mitchell left Kutless to start their own record label. They were replaced by bassist Dave Luetkenhoelter and drummer Jeffrey Gilbert from the recently disbanded band Seven Places. That band was also from Oregon and were on BEC. Kutless has continued to have success in the CCM market. This 2CD comp is available as a budget CD. Sumrall and Mead still lead Kutless. They last released an album in 2017. But they have released a couple of singles recently. So it looks like they have a new album coming soon. And then I assume they will tour. Here's the video for Strong Tower by Kutless.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Khruangbin

Artist:Khruangbin

Song:Maria Tambien

Album:Con Todo El Mundo

With their mix of World Music styles, you might think that the instrumental trio Khruangbin is from someplace exotic. But they are actually from Houston. They are not a commercial band. But they have had success in secondary markets like Adult Alternative. Khruangbin is known for mixing different musical styles. The name Khruangbin is Thai for "airplane". Guitarist Mark Speer and drummer DJ Johnson met at Houston's Red Cat Jazz Cafe. Then they worked together in the St. John's Methodist Church band. Speer met Laura Lee Ochoa in 2007 and both had a mutual interest in Afghan music. Laura Lee played piano but Speer taught her to play bass. After touring with Yppah, they decided to work together and eventually Johnson was asked to join them. They record all their music in a barn in Burton, TX with recording engineer Steve Christensen. When they started playing live gigs, Laura Lee was learning Thai and she came up with the name. Speer now says that if he had any foresight, they would have chosen an easier to pronounce name. He says they lucked into their diverse musical style too. You'll also notice that Laura Lee and Speer wear black wigs on stage. After touring with British DJ Bonobo, Khruangbin's Calf Born in Winter appeared on Bonobo's 2013 CD Late Night Tales and that led to a record deal with the British label Night Time Stories. Dead Oceans is their US distributor. After the 2014 EP History of Flight, their 2015 debut album The Universe Smiles Upon You was released. The Guardian name Khruangbin Band of the Week and they opened for Father John Misty and Massive Attack. And they played the festival circuit. Maria Tambien is from Khurangbin's 2018 album Con Todo el Mundo. They continued to get critical praise. This album is available as a digital download. Since then they have released two album and a new album will be released in a couple of weeks. Their most high profile gig was touring with Leon Bridges. They recorded the single Texas Sun and appeared with him on Austin City Limits. They also recorded an album with Malian singer songwriter Vieux Farka Toure. Looking for something different? This might be for you. Here's Khruangbin performing Maria Tambien on Seattle radio station KEXP Apr. 26, 2018. There is a video for this but I preferred the performance clip.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Albita

Artist:Albita

Song:Que Manera de Quererte

Album:Mis Favoritas

Cuban singer Albita Rodriguez had success when she moved to Miami in 1993 and got together with Miami Sound Machine leader Emilio Estefan. The 1995 single Que Manera de Quererte was her first big hit. She currently records on her own label. She was born June 6, 1962 in Havana, Cuba. Her parents were folksingers who performed as Martin y Minerva and Mima y Pipo. Albita has been performing professionally since she was a teen. She released her debut album in 1988. In 1990 she moved to Colombia for a couple of years. When it was time to return home, Albita defected and moved to Miami. She signed with Emilio Estefan's Crescent Moon label with Sony distribution and released the 1995 album No Se Parece a Nada. The first single Que Manera de Quererte (What a Way of Loving You) was a big Latin hit. She recorded three albums with Estefan and was nominated for Grammys. Once that established her, she started her own label and she now produces her own music. This comp covers Albita's recordings with Estefan. Albita's latest album was released in 2017 but she still tours. Here's the video for Que Manera de Querterte by Albita. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Onyx

Artist:Onyx

Song:Slam

Album:Bacdafucup

The rap group Onyx scored a top five hit with the 1993 single Slam. They had success on the rap chart but this was their only pop hit. They were considered in the industry as too hardcore to go mainstream. They should remind you of Run-DMC but even louder. Onyx was formed in 1988 in Queens, NY by high school classmates Fred "Fredro Star" Scruggs Jr., Tyrone "Sonny Seeza" Taylor and Marlon "Big DS" Fletcher. They signed with Profile Records and released a 1990 single that went nowhere. They had a chance encounter with Run-DMC DJ Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell and he asked them for a demo. But Fletcher and Taylor couldn't make it to the recording studio, Onyx's manager asked Scruggs to bring his cousin Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones with him. The demo got them a deal with Mizell's JMJ label with DefJam distribution. Jones joined Onyx and after their DJ was killed, Chylow "Chyskills" Parker became Onyx's new DJ. Onyx released their 1993 debut album Bacdafucup and it was certified Platinum. The first single Throw Ya Gunz topped the rap charts. But the second single Slam reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Getting Onyx a mainstream radio hit was always going to be a tall order. But the video was played on MTV and BET. And then the NBA used the song to promote the playoffs. That's when radio picked it up and it became a hit. It turned out to be their only big hit. Bacdafucup is available on CD. Onyx recorded three albums for JMJ and then started their own label. Scruggs and Jones still record as Onyx. They released three albums in 2022. But my guess is most listeners would be hard pressed to distinguish them from other rap groups from the era. Here's the video for Slam by Onyx. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mac and Katie Kissoon

Artist:Mac and Katie Kissoon

Song:Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep

Album:Hard to Find 45s on CD Vol. 11: Sugar Pop Classics

The brother sister duo of Mac and Katie Kissoon scored a top 20 hit with the 1971 single Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. It was their only chart single in the US so they are a one hit wonder. The two were born in Trinidad and moved to England with their family in 1962. Katie Kissoon recorded four singles in 1965 as Peanut. Then she was a member of The Rag Dolls and they released a couple of singles. Mac Kissoon was a member of The Marionettes. Then he led a band that toured US military bases in Europe. He released a solo album in 1970. Lally Stott wrote Chirpy Chirpy Cheep and it was a hit in Italy where he was living at the time. The Scottish band Middle of the Road were living in Italy and producer Giacomo Tosti signed them to RCA and produced a 1971 album featuring Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. That recording topped the British Singles chart and was a hit across Europe. But it went nowhere in the US. Mac and Katie Kissoon recorded Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep with producer Miki Dallon. He sold it to ABC Records in the US. The record reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm not sure why the Middle of the Road version didn't chart in the US. But I get the impression that the band didn't like the song and planned to tour in the US and didn't want Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep to be their calling card. You can get Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep on this various artists comp from the oldies label Eric Records. This was Mac and Katie Kissoon's only US chart single. But they had success in England with hits like Sugar Candy Kisses and Don't Do It Baby in 1975. After recording five albums in the 70s, Mac and Katie Kissoon became session singers singing backup for all kinds of acts. Both were regulars in James Last's band in the 80s. It looks like they are now retired. Here's a video for Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Mac and Katie Kissoon.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jaqueline Amorim vs Cory McKenna

 Here's the fight video of Jaqueline Amorim vs Cory McKenna from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Jaqueline is 28 years old from Manaus, Brazil. She trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL with coach Conan Silveira. She's 1-1 in the UFC. She's a finisher with elite BJJ. Her one loss was by decision so endurance could be a problem. Cory is 24 years old from Wales. But she now trains with Danny Castillo at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. Her UFC record is 3-1 but that loss convinced her to leave home. Jaqueline is much quicker than Cory and wastes no time taking her down and tries to finish her with an arm triangle. Ref Mike Beltran thought Cory tapped but then he changed his mind and told them to continue. Jaqueline simply switched to an armbar and the fight was over at 1:38 of round one. Beltran's mistake could have been a big problem but Jaqueline did great and got a $50,000 bonus. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Chelsea Chandler vs Josiane Nunes

Here's the fight video of Chelsea Chandler vs Josiane Nunes from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Both of these fighters were brought in as Featherweights. Chelsea missed weight. She is 33 years old. She trains at Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu in Stockton, CA. That's the Diaz brothers. She's 1-1 in the UFC. Josiane is 30 years old. She trains at Striker's House in Curitiba, Brazil. She's 3-0 in the UFC. Her big problem is she is 5'2" trying to fight girls who are much taller than her. Round one was the key round in this fight. Chelsea won round two by taking Josiane down and controlling her. She didn't try to finish. Josiane won round three with striking. In round one, Josiane displayed very effective striking but Chelsea may have stolen the round with a late round takedown. I scored it 10-9 for Josiane and all three judges scored it 10-9 for Chelsea. So Chelsea won the fight 29-28. The round could have gone either way. I was expecting a split decision. I doubt that either fighter has a long term future in the UFC. They aren't good enough. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Macy Chiasson vs Pannie Kianzad

Here's the fight video of Macy Chiasson vs Pannie Kianzad from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Both fighters were in TUF 28 for Featherweights and Macy beat Pannie in the final. I expected the same result. Macy is 32 years old from New Orleans. She trains at Fortis MMA in Dallas with Saif Saud. Her UFC record is 6-3. She's a good fighter but probably not a title contender. Pannie is 32 years old. She lives in Denmark but she trains in Sweden. Her UFC record is 5-4. She's a midcard fighter at best. That both of these fighters are ranked in the top ten says more about the lack of depth in the Bantamweight division than anything else. As I expected, it didn't take long for Macy to take Pannie down and submit her with a rear naked choke at 3:54 of round one. Macy got a $50,000 bonus for that. Her problem is when she has gotten the opportunity to get in a position to be a title challenger, she has failed miserably. This win doesn't help her get that title shot. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Souad Massi

Artist:Souad Massi

Song:Yawlidi

Album:Deb

Souad Massi is an Algerian singer songwriter who has lived in Paris since 1999 because of the political climate at home. That's not unusual for African musicians. And though you won't understand what she's singing, her music is in the Western style as she works with French studio musicians. She was born Aug. 23, 1972 in Algiers, Algeria. She started singing as a child. She was a big fan of country and roots music. In the early 90s, Souad joined the Algerian political rock band Atakor. She was in that band for eight years. They were influenced by Led Zeppelin and U2. They released a successful album. But they became a target because of political content. After anonymous death threats, Souad moved to Paris in 1999. After performing at the Femme d'Algerie festival in Paris, she signed with Island Records and released the 2001 album Raoui. The album was a hit in France. Souad sings mostly in Arabic and French. Yawlidi is from Souad's 2003 album Deb. It was her second album. As with all her albums, Souad writes and produces her own music with French studio musicians like Jean-Francois Kellner on guitar, Jean-Rene Zapha on bass and David Fall on drums. They tour with her too. This album is available on CD. A few years ago, Universal sold Souad's French contract to the British label Wrasse. They were already releasing her albums internationally. So her recent albums including the 2022 album Sequana are on Wrasse. She's worth checking out. Here's Souad Massi with Jean-Francois Kellner on guitar, Rabah Khalfah on debourka, Jean-Rene Zapha on bass and David Fall on drums performing Yawlidi at the Bridgestone Music Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil June 21,2008.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Keith Carradine

Artist:Keith Carradine

Song:I'm Easy

Album:Singers and Songwriters: Late '70s

Actor Keith Carradine had success on his brief foray into music when I'm Easy was a top 20 hit in 1976. Carradine wrote and performed the song in the 1975 film Nashville. Carradine recorded two albums in the late 70s and then returned to acting. He was born Aug. 8, 1949 in San Mateo, CA. Of course his father was legendary actor John Carradine and his brothers are all actors too. His childhood was troubled as his father drank and his mother was mentally ill. They divorced in 1957 and after a custody battle, Carradine was raised by his maternal grandmother. After performing in high school, Carradine studied drama for one semester at Colorado State University. After returning to California, his older brother David Carradine helped him get into acting. After appearing in the 1969 Broadway musical Hair, Robert Altman cast him in the 1972 film McCabe & Mrs. Miller and the 1974 film Thieves Like Us. Altman knew that Carradine could sing and play guitar. So he was a natural as womanizing folk singer Tom Frank in the 1975 film Nashville. After he wrote and performed I'm Easy in Nashville, ABC Records released it as a single and it reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it won the Best Original Song Oscar. Carradine signed a two album deal with Asylum Records. The 1976 album I'm Easy did OK. Carradine rerecorded I'm Easy for the album. He wrote all the songs on the album. L.A. Express drummer John Guerin produced and arranger Dave Grusin played piano and led the band of studio musicians. After his 1978 album Lost & Found, Carradine returned to acting and never recorded again. Neither the Nashville soundtrack or Carradine's album are available but you can get I'm Easy on this 2CD Time Life various artists comp. Carradine still appears regularly in films and on TV. He will appear in the upcoming Blumhouse film They Listen. On TV he mostly does TV movies and guest shots. But he was a regular on the series Madam Secretary a few years ago. Carradine's one notable singing appearance was in the 1991 Broadway musical The Will Rogers Follies for which he was Tony nominated. Here's Keith Carradine performing I'm Easy in the 1975 film Nashville. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Katinas

Artist:The Katinas

Song:Thank You

Album:Destiny

The CCM group The Katinas had success in the early 00s on Gotee Records. They are still around but they record for their own label. The Katinas are five brothers from Samoa. They all sing but John and Jesse are the lead singers. Sam plays keyboards, James plays bass and Joe plays drums. They also write songs. They grew up singing in church and the family moved to the state of Washington in 1988. Their mom died shortly after the move. They released a couple of albums and their live shows got them a deal with the CCM label Gotee owned by Toby Mac of DC Talk. The Katinas had success on the Christian charts with the 1999 album The Katinas and the 2001 album Destiny. Toby Mac produced and The Katinas wrote most of the songs. The Katinas' music has more of an R&B feel than most CCM artists so it also appealed to gospel fans. They released a total of five albums on Gotee including a live album and a Christmas album. Since then they have released albums on their own Destiny label. Their latest album was a 2018 Christmas album. It doesn't look like they are active right now. They played a show a few months ago but that looks like a one time thing. Here's The Katinas performing Thank You on a Gaither DVD.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Flying Lizards

Artist:The Flying Lizards

Song:Money

Album:The Flying Lizards

This 1979 cover of the Motown classic Money was a top ten hit in England. It wasn't as big a hit in the US because radio stations were reluctant to play the emerging New Wave sound. But the video was played a lot on MTV. So I think the song was a bigger hit than its chart position. It's still a one hit wonder. The guy behind The Flying Lizards was Irish composer David Cunningham. He was attending Maidstone College of Art in Canterbury, England when he self released a 1975 album of minimalist music called Grey Scale. As an experiment, he recorded a minimalist cover of the Eddie Cochran classic Summertime Blues. The deliberately flat vocals were by his classmate Deborah Evans. He turned it into a demo and Virgin Records was the only label that liked it. They released it as The Flying Lizards and it did well enough that they agreed to a second single. That single was Money and after it reached #7 on the British Singles chart, Virgin wanted a whole album. Cunningham brought in free music composers David Toop and Steve Beresford to help him. Then Money crossed the pond and reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. MTV played the video in heavy rotation so I think the record was a bigger hit than the chart position. I suspect that radio stations didn't like the song and refused to play it. It reached #7 in Canada. The album is available. Cunningham released three Flying Lizards albums. Then he retired the name. In recent years he he has worked with composer Michael Nyman on some of Peter Greenaway's films. I guess Money is the prototype of the fluke one hit wonder. Here's the video for Money by The Flying Lizards. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sir Douglas Quintet

Artist:Sir Douglas Quintet

Song:She's About a Mover

Album:Complete Singles 1964-1966

The 1965 single She's About a Mover was the biggest hit for the Sir Douglas Quintet. The band's leader Doug Sahm had a long career as a musical cult figure. But this is where it all started. Sahm was from San Antonio, TX and as a high school student he was already building a reputation as a musician. The story goes that veteran producer Huey P. Meaux was analyzing Beatles records to see if there was a way to compete with them. He came to the conclusion that the beats resembled Cajun dance songs. So he wanted a group that could mix the two music styles. He already knew about Sahm and Meaux told him his idea. Sahm formed a band with his childhood pal Augie Meyers on organ, Frank Morin on sax, Jack Barber on bass and Johnny Perez on drums. Meaux gave them the name Sir Douglas Quintet because it sounded British. He released the single Sugar Bee and it flopped. But the second single She's About a Mover on Meaux's Tribe label reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sahm wrote the song and sang lead. Meyers' organ riff distinguished it from other songs of the era. After the single The Rains Came was a top 40 hit, Meaux released the album The Best of Sir Douglas Quintet. Shortly after, Sahm moved to San Francisco and formed an all new Sir Douglas Quintet. And he signed with Mercury. The band had some success on Mercury. But they rerecorded all their early songs including She's About a Mover. This CD from Varese is the only one that I can be sure has the original Tribe recordings. Remember the San Francisco band was different than the original band. So of course it's going to sound different. The Sir Douglas Quintet recorded for Mercury until 1973 and Sahm led a version of the band until his death on Nov. 18, 1999 at age 58. Meyers continued to work with Sahm including in the 90s band The Texas Tornados. Here's Sir Douglas Quintet performing She's About a Mover on Hullaballoo 1966. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-The Kabuki Warriors vs Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler

Here's the match video of The Kabuki Warriors defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships vs Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler from last night's episode of RAW. Zoey and Shayna's gimmick is they are tough. It's probably not enough for them to win the titles. The match was OK but not great. The commercial break in the middle didn't help. The end came when Shayna applied her Kirifuda Clutch finisher on Kairi. Obviously I don't recommend using that in a tag team match as it can be easily broken up. Then Dakota Kai grabbed Shayna's leg which distracted her enough that Asuka kicked her in the head and followed that with their Insane Elbow double team for the finish. I don't think there is a tag team that can beat The Kabuki Warriors right now. So I don't know what will be done with them for WrestleMania. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jackie Moore

Artist:Jackie Moore

Song:Precious, Precious

Album:Sweet Charlie Babe

R&B singer songwriter Jackie Moore had success in the early 70s mostly on the R&B charts. The 1970 single Precious, Precious was her biggest hit. No doubt the rise of disco killed her career. She was born in 1946 in Jacksonville, FL. After recording a couple of singles for Bang's Shout label and Wand, Jackie got together with her cousin and Atlantic Records house producer Dave Crawford. He wrote and produced the Linda Lyndell hit What a Man. At Atlantic he worked with Wilson Pickett. Crawford took Jackie to Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia to record. Precious, Precious was the first single in 1970 and it reached #12 on the R&B Singles chart and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Gold. This would turn out to be her biggest hit. Jackie wrote the song with Crawford and Crawford played piano on the song. It also features guitarist Cornell Dupree and The Memphis Horns. Andrew Love played the sax solo. They didn't record an album at first. Instead a few singles were released that didn't do as well as Precious, Precious. The album Sweet Charlie Babe was released in 1973. It has been released on CD by Collectables. That was Jackie's only album for Atlantic. The 1975 album Make Me Feel Like a Woman was released by TK's Kayvette label and recorded at Muscle Shoals with guys like Barry Beckett and Roger Hawkins. Then she recorded a couple of disco albums for Columbia produced by guitarist Bobby Eli. And that was Jackie's final album. She recorded a couple of singles in the early 80s. But like I said, disco killed her career. Some singers adapted to it and some didn't. Jackie Moore never recorded again and she died on Nov. 8, 2019 at age 73. Here's a video for Precious, Precious by Jackie Moore.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Caravans

Artist:The Caravans

Song:I Won't Be Back

Album:Where Gospel Meets Soul 1952-1962

The gospel group The Caravans are best known today as the starting point for gospel music legend Shirley Caesar. She sings lead on the 1962 classic I Won't Be Back. They started out in the late 40s but by the early 60s the lineup was more stable and they were very active during the civil rights movement. They started out in 1947 in Chicago as Robert Anderson and his Gospel Caravan. Anderson was lead singer. The Gospel Caravan was three female singers, a pianist and organist. In 1952, they were called Robert Anderson and the Caravans. They had signed a record deal with Savoy. Albertina Walker and Nellie Grace Daniels joined the group. Anderson left during the recording session and Albertina was now lead singer of the group now called The Caravans. James Cleveland joined The Caravans in 1953 and he wrote and arranged everything until he left in 1957. Albertina was the only consistent member of The Caravans. Bessie Griffin, Cassietta George and Dorothy Norwood were all members at one time. But Shirley Caesar was the key addition in 1958. Along with Delores Washington and pianist and songwriter James Herndon, that's the version of The Caravans that recorded I Won't Be Back in 1962. That was their final recording for Savoy. They signed with VeeJay. Shirley left to go solo in 1966. Albertina finally ended The Caravans in 1976. This 2CD comp from the British label Acrobat covers the Savoy recordings. Albertina reunited The Caravans occasionally and the 2006 album Paved the Way was nominated for a Grammy. The Savoy recordings are a must for gospel fans. Here's The Caravans featuring Shirley Caesar performing I Won't Be Back at Boston University 1962. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joanne Wood vs Maryna Moroz

Here's the fight video of Joanne Wood vs Maryna Moroz from last night's UFC show in Miami. This fight is at Flyweight. Joanne is 38 years old from Scotland. She trains with her husband John Wood at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. Her UFC record is 8-8. This is her retirement fight. She was supposed to do it last summer but she pulled out. Maryna is 32 years old from the Ukraine. She trains at American Top Team in Florida. Her UFC record is 6-5. Her history is she pulls out of a lot of fights. She's on a two fight losing streak. Joanne is a kickboxer and Maryna is a boxer. So I expected the fight to stay standing. Maryna won round one and Joanne won round three. But round two was very close. I scored it for Maryna so I scored the fight 29-28 for Maryna. Two of the three judges scored round two for Joanne so she won by split decision. I wish for Joanne Wood a happy retirement. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Maycee Barber vs Katlyn Cerminara

 Here's the fight video of Maycee Barber vs Katlyn Cerminara from last night's UFC show in Miami. This fight is at Flyweight. Maycee is 25 years old from Fort Collins, CO. She trains with Danny Castillo at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. Her UFC record is 8-2 and she's on a four fight winning streak. Katlyn is a former title challenger. She is 35 years old and she trains at All Star Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Jersey City, NJ. Her UFC record is 11-5. She lost her last fight. The main reason to do this fight is Katlyn is ranked #4 and Maycee is ranked #6. The problem Katlyn has is she needs to fight at distance to win and I don't think there is any way she can keep an aggressive fighter like Maycee off of her for three rounds. And that's how it went. I scored the fight 30-27 for Maycee. Two of the three judges scored it the same. The third scored round two for Katlyn when she was able to keep Maycee at distance for part of the round. Katlyn needed to do something different from her usual style and she couldn't do it. Maybe she should retire. A win doesn't get Maycee any closer to a title shot. The UFC just named Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko coaches of the next The Ultimate Fighter. There will be a title fight after that. Maycee wouldn't get the next title shot anyway. That will go to the winner of Erin Blanchfield vs Manon Fiorot. I doubt Maycee could beat either of them. But to get a title shot, she might have to. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gaither Vocal Band

Artist:Gaither Vocal Band

Song:I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary

Album:Best of the Gaither Vocal Band

Bill Gaither is probably the most successful Southern Gospel artist and this is because he produces so much content that it's hard to avoid him. The Gaither Vocal Group (GVB) is an offshoot of The Bill Gaither Trio which started in 1956. Gaither has been very careful in balancing appealing to his existing fanbase and being contemporary enough to attract new fans. I guess I should call them followers since we are talking about religious music. The Gaither Vocal Band was formed backstage at a 1981 Bill Gaither Trio concert. The original group was Gaither and Gary McSpadden of the trio and backup singers Steve Green and Lee Young. It was decided to call them Gaither Vocal Band so they could vary the number of members. Gaither also thought the term "quartet" was archaic in gospel music. For most of its history, GVB has had four members though currently it has five. McSpadden was the original lead singer. But after Michael English replaced him in 1985, McSpadden left to go solo in 1988. Mark Lowry replaced him and remained until 2001. After English left in 1994, Guy Penrod replaced him and remained until 2009. I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary was written by Bill and Gloria Gaither and it appears on the 1997 album Lovin' God & Lovin' Each Other. The members at the time were Jonathan Pierce formerly of The Imperials, Penrod, Lowry and Gaither. Pierce would soon leave and was replaced by David Phelps. This 2CD budget comp is a good intro to GVB's music. After Penrod left in 2009, English and Phelps returned and Gaither turned GVB into a quintet. Adam Crabb of The Crabb Family is the current lead singer. GVB's latest album was released in 2022. Gaither also produces GVB reunions and of course there are videos available for purchase. So Gaither Vocal Band is a real cash cow. Here's Gaither Vocal Band performing I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary. I think this was from when Phelps, English and Lowry returned to the group. 

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Taylor

Artist:Steve Taylor

Song:Meltdown (At Madame Tussauds)

Album:Now the Truth Can Be Told

CCM singer songwriter Steve Taylor had success in the early 80s by recording CCM in the popular New Wave style. The 1984 single Meltdown topped the CCM Rock chart. Taylor was also known for using humor in his music but that wasn't always well received by the audience. He has gone on to be a successful record company owner and producer. He was born Dec. 9, 1957 in Brawley, CA. His father was a Baptist minister. When Taylor was six years old, his family moved to the Denver suburb of Northglenn. He got into music during high school. While attending Biola University in Los Angeles, he attended John Davidson's summer camp for aspiring singers. Then he studied music at the University of Colorado at Boulder and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. After writing a musical comedy and a short film, Taylor wrote for the Christian humor magazine The Wittenburg Door and CCM Magazine. A demo got him a job as assistant director for the church singing group Continental Singers. After touring with them, Taylor was asked to perform at the 1982 Christian Artists Music Seminar in Denver. Sparrow Records president Billy Ray Hearn was backstage and immediately signed Taylor to a record deal. His EP I Want to Be a Clone was released in 1083 and Taylor became known for his use of satire. Meltdown was the title song of Taylor's 1984 album Meltdown. It topped the CCM Rock chart. The video was played on MTV and featured an appearance by Facts of Life actress Lisa Whelchel. Taylor recorded three albums for Sparrow. He continued to have success but the 1985 single I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good about Ant-abortion activists who kill doctors in abortion clinics was not received well by Christians. Sparrow pulled his albums from Christian bookstores. Taylor left Sparrow and formed the band Chagal Guevara. They released one unsuccessful album for MCA and split up. For the 1993 album Squint, Taylor signed with Warner Alliance. After they closed, Taylor started his own Squint label and he has had a lot of success producing Newsboys and Sixpence None the Richer. Taylor has also directed music videos. Though Taylor still records occasionally, he mostly runs his record label these days. This 2CD comp covering Taylor's entire career is available as a digital download. Here's the video for Meltdown (At Madame Tussauds) by Steve Taylor. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jason Lytle

Artist:Jason Lytle

Song:Brand New Sun

Album:Yours Truly, The Commuter

Jason Lytle is best known as leader of the band Grandaddy. It started out as a home recording project and he turned it into a band. After Grandaddy disbanded in 2005, Lytle signed a new record deal and released the 2009 album Yours Truly, The Commuter. He reformed Grandaddy in 2012 and now he goes back and forth between solo and the band. He was born Mar. 26, 1969 in Modesto, CA. Lytle played drums as a child. He was a competitive skateboarder as a teen until he blew out his knee. That's when he started Grandaddy and signed with Virgin Records. After modest success, Lytle got tired of touring and Grandaddy split up in 2005. Eventually Lytle signed a new record deal with ANTI- and released the 2009 album Yours Truly, The Commuter. So what's the difference between Grandaddy and a Jason Lytle solo album? Probably not much but I think at the time, he had no plans to reform Grandaddy. He formed another band Admiral Radley and released an album in 2010. After releasing another solo album, Lytle reformed Grandaddy in 2012. They are now signed with Dangerbird Records and they released an album last month. So I think at this point Lytle is concentrating on Grandaddy but that could change tomorrow. Here's Kevin Lytle performing Brand New Sun at the 2009 SXSW in Austin, TX.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Imogene Coca

Artist:Imogene Coca

Song:Repent

Album:On the Twentieth Century

Of course Imogene Coca was best known for her days on the 50s TV series Your Show of Shows. But she started out on Broadway in the 30s. Imogene made a triumphant return to Broadway when she was Tony nominated for playing Leticia Primrose in the 1978 Broadway musical On the Twentieth Century. Repent was her big song in the show. She was born Nov.18,1908 in Philadelphia. Her father was a violinist and a vaudeville orchestra conductor. Her mother was a dancer. After Imogene took piano, dance and voice lessons as a child, she moved to New York at age 16 and got her first job in the chorus of the 1925 musical When You Smile. After that, she performed in clubs until she got her first big break in the 1934 show New Faces of 1934 where she performed a comic strip tease. Imogene continued to perform mostly on stage until the dawn of TV and she appeared with Sid Caesar on The Admiral Broadway Review in 1949 which led to Your Show of Shows from 1950-54. Imogene won an Emmy in 1951 So this was really the high point of her career. After Your Show of Shows ended, Imogene did mostly TV guest shots. A couple of unsuccessful attempts were made to give her a series. Then she made her big Broadway comeback in the 1978 musical On the Twentieth Century. This was based on Ben Hecht's 1932 play Twentieth Century and the 1934 film version. This new version added songs by Adolph Green and Betty Comden and music by Cy Coleman. Madeline Kahn and John Cullum starred. Imogene was billed third. Imogene was Tony nominated and her career was revived. This was her final Broadway show. But I'm sure most will remember her as the dead mother in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation. And she was a regular on the daytime soap One Life to Live. Today Imogene Coca is considered to be a big influence on female comics like Carol Burnett and Whoopi Goldberg. So it's great that she had that big Broadway comeback. The original cast album of On the Twentieth Century is available as a digital download. Imogene Coca was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and died on June 2, 2001 at age 92. Here's Imogene Coca performing Repent from On the Twentieth Century on the 1982 TV special Broadway Plays Washington on Kennedy Center Tonight. 

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-The Kabuki Warriors vs Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley

Here's the match video of The Kabuki Warriors defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships against Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley from last night's episode of NXT. The Kabuki Warriors are in NXT mainly to give the ratings a boost. Lyra and Tatum are a makeshift team. Lyra is the current NXT Women's Champion. So the match could have been a squash. But Asuka and Kairi don't do squash matches. They will normally allow opponents to get in more offense than expected. That makes for a more entertaining match. So the match is pretty good with fans going nuts for The Kabuki Warriors. It looked to me that Kairi got her bell rung at one point. Keep in mind that she is concussion prone. But she looked OK by the end of the match. The end for Lyra and Tatum came when Tatum accidently nailed Lyra with a spinning back kick. And that led to Kairi's Insane Elbow for the finish. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lavelle White

Artist:Lavelle White

Song:Don't Let My Baby Ride

Album:It Haven't Been Easy

Singer Lavelle White has been around since the 50s. But she didn't get to record an album until the 90s. In the interim she has mostly been a backup singer and songwriter. She was born July 3, 1929 in Amite City, LA. Her parents were sharecroppers. She started writing at age 12 and performed in local clubs when she moved to Houston at age 15. Lavelle's big break came when blues singer Johnny Copeland spotted her and recommended her to Duke Records owner Don Robey. Lavelle recorded several singles for Duke from 1958-64 as Miss La-Vell. She also recorded with Copeland. Lavelle wrote her own songs and wrote songs for Duke artists like Bobby "Blue" Bland. She toured with Bland and others until she moved to Chicago in 1978 and worked with Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks and Buddy Guy. She returned to Houston in 1986 and then moved to Austin in the 90s. And that's when Lavelle got to record three albums for the label owned by the Austin club Antone's. Don't Let My Baby Ride is from the 1996 album It Haven't Been Easy. This was Lavelle's second album. Lavelle wrote and produced the album though Don't Let My Baby Ride was written by O.V. Wright. From what I could tell, Lavelle White still performs in Austin clubs and music festivals. Here's Lavelle White performing Don't Let My Baby Ride.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan

Artist:Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan

Song:Tennessee Birdwalk

Album:Life and Death and Almost Everything Else

The husband and wife duo of Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan topped the country charts with the 1970 single Tennessee Birdwalk. This crossed over to be a top 30 pop hit. This was their only big hit but it allowed them to tour for many years. As novelty songs go, it's fairly memorable. I recognized it immediately when AccuRadio played it today. But I'm sure many of you have never heard it. Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan were both born in Buffalo. And they both grew up in Ohio. But they didn't meet until both were living in Florida in 1963. Blanchard was a comedian and Misty was a pianist. They started working together and released a couple of 1965 singles. They married in 1967. They signed with Wayside Records for the 1969 album Birds of a Feather. The album was produced by the label's owner Little Richie Johnson. Tennessee Bird Walk was the third single and it topped the Country Singles chart and reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The next single Humphrey the Camel reached #5 on the Country Singles chart. And That was their final big hit. For their 1972 album Two Sides of Jack and Misty, they signed with the much larger Mega label. Some of their songs charted but not high enough to keep them on the label. They released a few singles on Epic but Blanchard and Misty wouldn't release another album until 1987. But they continued to tour for many years. This comp is available as a digital download. Blanchard has written a column in Florida newspapers for years. They recorded a final album in 2012 and then Misty died on Jan. 1, 2021. Here's Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan performing Tennessee Birdwalk on a 1975 episode of Pop! Goes the Country.