AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jump 'n The Saddle Band

Artist:Jump 'n the Saddle Band

Song:The Curly Shuffle

Album:Jump 'n the Saddle Band

The novelty song The Curly Shuffle was a top 20 hit in 1984. Not only was it a one hit wonder but Jump 'n the Saddle Band only recorded one album. Jump 'n the Saddle Band was a Western Swing band from Chicago. So they were similar to Asleep at the Wheel. Lead singer Peter Quinn wrote The Curly Shuffle as a tribute to Curly Howard of The Three Stooges. They released the single on Acme Records. No, that's not owned by Wile E. Coyote. They recorded it at Chicago's Acme Recording Studios and it's common for recording studios to offer record pressing as part of their service. A video of Three Stooges clips was played on MTV. When the record got too big, Acme suggested the band take it to a bigger label who could distribute it nationally. Jump 'n the Saddle Band signed with Atlantic Records. The Curly Shuffle reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It probably should have been higher but there were still radio stations who refused to play records that were MTV hits. They released an album which was mostly Western Swing. That's the kind of music they usually performed. The Curly Shuffle was clearly a one off novelty song. When Atlantic wanted Jump 'n the Saddle to continue doing novelty songs, they didn't like that and left. They never recorded again. The album was released on CD in 2005. It's out of print and it doesn't seem to be on many various artists CDs. But you can get The Curly Shuffle as a digital download. Warners releases so many various artists CDs on Rhino, one would think that The Curly Shuffle would be on some of them. Anyway, it's like I always say. One hit is better than none. Here's the video for The Curly Shuffle by Jump 'n the Saddle Band. 

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs Nora Cornolle

Here's the fight video of Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs Nora Cornolle from yesterday's UFC show in Paris, France. This fight is at Bantamweight. Germaine De Randamie was supposed to be Nora's opponent but she pulled out due to injury. So Jacqueline came in on short notice. She won her last fight last month. Jacqueline is 27 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil but she trains at Reborn Fight Team in Portugal. She's 2-0 in the UFC. She was on last year's Paris show. Nora is 34 years old from France. She has her own gym. She's 2-0 in the UFC but she missed weight for her last fight. Both fighters are kickboxers. The big difference is that Jacqueline has a significant reach advantage and she really used it well. Round one was close because Nora scored a takedown. But Jacqueline reversed it and took control of the fight. I scored the round 10-9 for Jacqueline but it could have gone the other way. It looks like Nora got tired because Jaqueline won the other two rounds easily. She was able to keep Nora at distance and land shots. So I scored the fight 30-27 for Jacqueline. Two of the judges scored it 29-28 for Jacqueline. All three gave round one to Nora. The third judge gave round three to Nora so he scored it 29-28 for Nora. So Jacqueline won by split decision. So what happened? When the UFC goes anywhere, they have to use local judges. And that's what this guy was. He wasn't a regular judge. He was judge on two other fights with no issues. The bottom line is the right fighter won and I would like to see Jacqueline against better competition. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ailin Perez vs Darya Zheleznyakova

Here's the fight video of Ailin Perez vs Darya Zhelezyakova from yesterday's UFC show in Paris, France. This fight is at Bantamweight. Ailin is 29 years old from Argentina. She trains at The Goat Shed in Miami with coach Asim Zaidi. The Goat Shed has mostly ex-ATT fighters and coaches. Ailin is 3-1 in the UFC. She won her last three fights. So she is now ranked. The wins were over UFC veterans. So she has potential. She also has more personality than most fighters. Unfortunately, she missed weight. She looked terrible on the scale. They said on the broadcast that Zaidi told them that she was faking that part. Darya is 28 years old from Saint Petersburg, Russia. She trains at MMA Factory in Paris with coach Fernand Lopez. She won her UFC debut but it's too soon to tell if she's any good. Like all Russian female fighters, she's pretty. The fight didn't last long. Ailin took Darya down and finished her with an arm triangle at 3:52 of round one. Then Ailin twerked in Darya's face. Obviously I would like to see Ailin against a ranked fighter to see if she has potential. I like what I have seen so far. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mr. Scruff

Artist:Mr. Scruff

Song:Get a Move On!

Album:Keep It Unreal: 10th Anniversary Analogue Remaster Edition

Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy is a British DJ known for sampling jazz and blues. He has had success mostly in British clubs. The 1999 single Get a Move On! has a catchy refrain so it was used in commercials. It's his best known song to date. Carthy is also a cartoonist who draws all his album covers. And you'll notice the video is drawn like his cartoons. He was born Feb. 10, 1972 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England but he grew up in Manchester. The nickname Mr. Scruff is because of his beard. He started DJing in 1992, first in Manchester and as he became better known, he started touring. After releasing a 1997 album, Carthy signed with Ninja Tune for the 1997 album Keep It Unreal. Ninja Tune was founded by the electronic music duo Coldcut and that's the kind of music they specialize in. So Carthy fits right in. Get a Move On! is Carthy's most popular song because it was used in commercials for Lincoln, Volvo, France Telecom and GEICO. That's how folks find music these days. They hear it in a commercial and Google it. The main sample which is repeated many times is from Bird's Lament by the blues artist Moondog. He also samples T-Bone Walker's Hypin' Woman Blues and That's the Blues by Rubberlegs Williams. I guess Carthy is a blues fan. At least he samples good music. Simon "Sneaky" Houghton of the electronic music duo Fingathing played bass. Carthy directed the video with Warren Edmond. The album Keep It Unreal is available in a tenth anniversary edition with a bonus disc of unreleased tracks from Keep It Unreal. Carthy continues to perform live. But he last released an album in 2014. He does a lot of remixes. He has a thing for tea so he owns the online tea company Make Us a Brew. Here's the video for Get a Move On! by Mr. Scruff.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Enya

Artist:Enya

Song:Only Time

Album:The Very Best of Enya

Enya is the best selling Irish solo artist of all time. The best selling Irish artist is U2. Enya has sold over 80 million albums. She's had two hit singles. The 1988 single Orinoco Flow which topped the British charts. And the 2000 single Only Time which is her only US top ten hit. Her success is mostly as an album and touring artist. She was born Eithne Padraigin Ni Bhraonain May 17, 1961 in Dore, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland. Her whole family are musicians. Her dad Leo Brennan owned Leo's Tavern in Meenaleck and led the Slieve Foy Band. That's where he met Enya's mom. She was a music teacher in a local school. Her birth name is Gaelic. But anglicized it becomes Enya Patricia Brennan. There were nine kids in the family so there was a lot of noise. Enya was the quiet one which she preferred. She started singing as a child and took piano lessons. Enya loved movie musicals especially Jesus Christ Superstar. She attended a convent boarding school as a teen where Enya learned about classical music. She also studied classical music in college. Enya thought she would be a music teacher like her mother and grandmother. Then her dad formed the band Clannad with several family members. Nicky Ryan was the band's manager, sound engineer and producer. His wife Roma was tour manager. When Enya returned from college, Ryan brought her into Clannad to play keyboards. She was never really a member of the band. And when Ryan left in 1982, Enya went with him. She did some studio work and recorded instrumental albums. And that led to film producer David Putnam hiring Enya to compose the score for the 1984 film The Frog Prince. Then she worked on the 1985 BBC documentary series The Celts. That was released as her debut solo album Enya. Atlantic released it in the US. Warner Music UK chairman Rob Dickins liked it so much that he signed Enya. The key thing is he gave her artistic freedom. She was on Geffen in the US. The 1988 album Watermark became an unexpected hit. The single Orinoco Flow topped the British Singles chart for three weeks. It reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Watermark was certified 4XPlatinum. It was a big surprise but Enya's subsequent albums also sold well. Her other big hit was the 2000 single Only Time from the album A Day Without Rain. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 7XPlatinum. It's Enya's biggest seller. You can get both songs on this budget comp. The success of Only Time was because the song was used in news coverage of the 9/11 attack. Then she was Oscar nominated for the song May It Be from the 2001 film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. She performed it on the Oscar broadcast. Enya hasn't been as successful since then. She last recorded in 2015. There is talk Enya is working on a new album. Her website was rebooted so it doesn't look like she is retiring. I don't like Enya's music. It's too "easy listening" and "new age" for me. But that's why Tim Dickins liked Enya's music in the first place. It helped him get to sleep. That she became a big seller was a fluke. Here's the video for Only Time by Enya.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet

Artist:BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet

Song:Zydeco Gris-Gris

Album:Make the Veiller

BeauSoleil performs what is known as Cajun music. The music is rooted in the Cajuns and Creoles of Louisiana. It's the music of rural Louisiana as opposed to jazz which is urban music. The leader of BeauSoleil is violinist Michael Doucet. He was born Feb. 14, 1951 in Scott, LA. He comes from an informal musical family. As a child, he learned to play banjo and guitar. As a teen, he had a band with another Cajun musician Zachary Richard. After a trip to France, Doucet made the violin his primary instrument. He founded BeauSoleil in 1977 and the band has been recording and touring ever since. The other constant member of BeauSoleil is Doucet's brother David Doucet on guitar. Beausoleil has recorded for several different labels including Swallow, Arhoolie, Rounder and Rhino. Zydeco Gris-Gris is from the 1986 album Bayou Boogie on Rounder. The album is a mix of traditional and original songs. Doucet wrote Zydeco Gris-Gris and several other songs. Doucet also produced, played violin and mandolin and sang. Other musicians are David Doucet on guitar, Errol Verret on accordion, Steve Conn on piano, Russell Keyes on bass, Tommy Alesi on drums and Billy Ware on percussion. There is a comp of the Rounder recordings. But with this kind of music, you don't need to have original  recordings. So I recommend the 2009 album Make the Veiller on Fuel 2000. This is a live recording and it comes with a bonus DVD and is available as a budget CD. It's a greatest hits live album. Along with Michael and David Doucet, musicians are Jimmy Breaux on accordion, Mitch Reed on bass, Tommy Alesi on drums and Billy Ware on percussions. It looks like they last recorded in 2013. But BeauSoleil continues to tour the festival circuit. Here's BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet performing Zydeco Gris-Gris on a 2013 episode of the PBS TV series Bluegrass Underground. You should be able to watch the entire episode on the PBS website.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Karol G

Artist:Karol G f/Anuel AA and J Balvin

Song:Location

Album:KG0516

Colombian singer Karol G is a rising star in Latin American music. She's been successful since her 2017 debut album and she has also won Grammys. She was born Carolina Giraldo Navarro Feb.14, 1991 in Medellin, Colombia. At age 14, she appeared on the Colombian version of X Factor. Then she started posting videos on YouTube. She signed with Flamingo Records in 2007 and decided to call herself Karol G. She released a few singles while studying music at the University of Antioquia. In 2012, she went to Miami to meet with Universal Music. They decided not to sign her because they didn't think a woman could be a successful reggaeton singer. When her career wasn't progressing quickly enough, Karol moved to New York to live with her aunt and enroll in music business administration classes. When some of her singles started to have success, Universal Music Latino signed Karol in 2016. She released her 2017 album Unstoppable and the single Ahora Me Llama featuring Bad Bunny was her first top ten Latin hit. Karol has been riding high ever since with a string of top ten Latin hits. Location is from Karol's 2021 album KG0516. That is the date she signed with Universal. The song reached #6 on the Latin charts. The album was certified 11XPlatinum. Location features rapper Anuel AA and singer J Balvin. Karol writes and produces everything with Daniel Echavarria Oveideo AKA Ovy on the Drums. They have worked together going back to her early days in Colombia. He has produced all her albums. KG0516 is available as a budget CD. Karol's 2023 album Manana Sera Bonito did even better. Karol won a Grammy for Best Musica Urbana Album. Karol has moved to Interscope. Three singles have been released from an upcoming album. She was also named Woman of the Year by Billboard Women in Music. And she has a recurring role in the Netflix miniseries Griselda starring and produced by Sofia Vergara. All this makes me wonder if Karol has loftier ambitions like doing movies and singing in English and conquering mainstream music. That would explain the move to Interscope. Here's the video for Location by Karol G featuring Anuel AA and J Balvin.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexia Thainara vs Rose Conceicao

Here's the fight video of Alexia Thainara vs Rose Conceicao from last night's Dana White Contender Series in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Alexia is 26 years old. She trains with UFC fighter Amanda Ribas and her father Marcelo Ribas in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Her MMA record is 11-1. In her last fight, she won the SFT Strawweight Championship. Rose is 27 years old. She trains with Bellator's Pitbull Brothers in Natal, Brazil. Her MMA record is 7-1. In her last fight, she won the LFA Strawweight Championship. So both are supposed to be decent fighters. But Alexia was a lot quicker, scored a couple of takedowns and was a lot quicker on her feet too. I thought Alexia won the fight 30-27 and so did all three judges. She got that UFC contract. The only thing is I would have liked to see a finish. But we'll see how Alexia does. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Anderson

Artist:John Anderson

Song:Seminole Wind

Album:RCA Country Legends

After country singer John Anderson crossed over to pop with the 1983 single Swingin', he was trying to repeat that success until he finally returned to the top of the country charts in the early 90s. The 1993 single Seminole Wind was one of several singles that accomplished that. So how did he do it? In Nashville, when an artist has success, the label tries to keep the artist with the same producer to continue the success. That didn't happen with Anderson. The single Swingin' and the 1982 album Wild & Blue was produced by Warner Bros. Nashville house producer Frank Jones. The problem was that Jones left Warners for Polydor Nashville in 1983. So they brought in recording engineer Lou Bradley. Anderson was usually a co-producer so maybe he didn't really need a producer. He recorded four albums with Bradley. It didn't work out. Anderson wasn't having the same success. Warners brought in veteran producer Jim Ed Norman but ultimately, Anderson left Warner Bros. for MCA in 1986. He recorded three albums with veteran producer Jimmy Bowen. The problem was MCA's Nashville office was closed and folded into Capitol Nashville. So Anderson was never promoted properly. So he left for RCA's BNA label and producer James Stroud. Stroud was owner of Giant Records and a successful producer. The 1992 album Seminole Wind returned Anderson to the top of the country charts. The single Straight Tequila Night topped the country charts. The title song Seminole Wind reached #2. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Anderson wrote Seminole Wind about environment conservation. The fiddle solo is by Joe Spivey of The Time Jumpers. Anderson's 1993 album Solid Ground also did well with the single Money in the Bank topping the country charts. Not counting a 1994 Christmas album, Anderson recorded four albums with Stroud. You can get all of Anderson's hits on this comp. After leaving BNA in 1996, Anderson recorded for Mercury and Columbia. And more recently he has recorded for labels owned by Stroud and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. I guess Anderson's career has been the ups and downs of the record business in a nutshell. Here's the video for Seminole Wind by John Anderson. 

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Damage Ctrl vs Unholy Union

Here's the match video of Damage Ctrl vs Unholy Union from last night's episode of RAW. IYO SKY and Kairi Sane had a brief confrontation with WWE Women's Tag Team Champs Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. So this match is supposed to lead to Damage Ctrl winning the titles on next week's Bad Blood show and the inevitable Bianca Jade split. The match was OK but nothing special. IYO looked great after the commercial. And while Kairi dropped her elbow outside the ring, IYO won the match with her moonsault. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Viscounts

Artist:The Viscounts

Song:Harlem Nocturne

Album:Rock Instrumental Classics Vol. 1: The Fifties

Instrumental fans will enjoy this 1959 recording of the classic Harlem Nocturne. It charted in 1960 and 1965 and is still considered to be a classic oldie. First of all, there were two bands called The Viscounts. One was a British band which included future songwriting legend Gordon Mills (It's Not Unusual). They had some success in England in the late 50s but I don't think their music was released in North America. This band called The Viscounts were an instrumental band formed in New Jersey in 1958. I think listeners are confused because both bands were around at the same time. The Viscounts were Harry Haller on sax, Bobby Spievak on lead guitar, Billy Slavis on rhythm guitar, Larry Vecchio on organ and piano, Joe Spievak on bass and Clark Smith on drums. They recorded for Larry Uttal's Madison Records. Among the groups on that label was Tico and the Triumphs featuring Paul Simon. Harlem Nocturne was the first single. It reached #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #17 on the R&B Singles chart. It didn't chart that high. But the record is still a popular oldie because it's a jazz standard and and this is the only version that charted. Harlem Nocturne was written in 1939 for The Ray Noble Orchestra by Dick Rogers and Earle Hagen. Both were in the Noble band. Rogers was a singer. Hagen went on to write 60s TV themes like The Dick Van Dyke Show. There was renewed interest in Harlem Nocturne when it was used as the theme for the TV series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. Jazz musician Bud Shank played alto sax. No doubt Uttal heard the song on TV and he got The Viscounts to record it. The Viscounts recorded an album and a few singles without further success. Then Uttal bought Bell Records. He re-released Harlem Nocturne on Amy Records in 1966 and it reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Viscounts released a couple of 1968 singles on Coral Records. Jasmine Records has released a Viscounts comp. But I think most will only want Harlem Nocturne and you can get it on this Rhino various artists budget CD. Here's a video for Harlem Nocturne by The Viscounts. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gene Hoskins

Artist:Gene Hoskins

Song:Make It with Jesus

Album:Homecoming

Gene Hoskins was mainly a background singer before taking the plunge and releasing a solo album. The single Make It with Jesus from the 2021 album Homecoming did very well on the gospel charts. Hoskins is from Charlotte, NC. He's a PK meaning both his parents are preachers so he grew up singing in church with his dad. It looks like his main mentor is Charlotte gospel music legend John P. Kee. He was a background singer for twelve years with Kee, Jonathan Nelson, Todd Dulaney, Maranda Curtis and Micah Stampley. Hoskins decided to go out on his own and release the 2021 album Homecoming on Shanachie Records. Shanachie is not a typical record label. They handle distribution but they don't do promotion. So Hoskins had to go out and promote it himself. Of course Hoskins is hoping to move up to a major label like RCA Inspiration that handles everything. But many gospel artists are in the same boat. He could return to background singing but I guess he got tired of that. Fortunately, the single Make It with Jesus did well on the gospel chart. Hoskins wrote and produced Homecoming with Phillip Bryant who produced Crystal Aikin. Maranda Curtis makes a guest appearance. Gospel music fans should check it out. When he's not singing, Hoskins has a psychotherapy practice in Durham, NC. Here's the video for Make It with Jesus by Gene Hoskins.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marianne McAndrew

Artist:Marianne McAndrew

Song:Ribbons Down My Back

Album:Hello, Dolly!

The role of Irene Molloy in the 1969 film of the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! was the high point in the career of actress Marianne McAndrew. She was nominated for a Golden Globe. It was her film debut. The rest of her career was not notable. She was born Nov. 11, 1942 in Cleveland. After graduating from Northwestern University, Marianne moved to New York and appeared in a tour of the musical Half a Sixpence.Then her agent called her about auditioning for the role of Irene Molloy in the film of the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!. Of course the film was a misfire mostly due to the miscasting of Barbra Streisand in the lead role. Marianne told her agent that she doesn't sing or dance so it would be pointless to audition. He told her the casting director liked her look and they could work around what she couldn't do. Ultimately she got the role but they had to dub her singing. That was by Melissa Stafford of Dean Martin's Golddiggers. And she couldn't dance. The director was Gene Kelly. I dunno. Maybe he felt sorry for her. Remember Marianne beat out Ann-Margaret for this role. I just think Marianne had the period look they wanted. As she was told, they figured they could work around her shortcomings. The soundtrack is available on CD. After Hello, Dolly!, Marianne mostly did TV guest shots. At least she met her husband on the set of the 1974 horror film The Bat People. She retired after appearing in the 2000 TV movie Growing Up Brady. There was a bit of a Hello, Dolly! revival when clips from the film appeared in the 2008 Pixar film WALL-E. But as I said, Hello, Dolly! was the high point of Marianne McAndrew's mundane acting career. Here's Marianne McAndrew performing Ribbons Down My Back (vocal by Melissa Stafford) from the 1969 film Hello, Dolly!. Thanks to the Hello, Dolly! website Call On Dolly for the Marianne McAndrew info. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Justin Bieber

Artist:Justin Bieber

Song:What Do You Mean?

Album:Purpose: Deluxe Edition

For most of the last decade, Justin Bieber has been on top in the pop music world. The 2015 album Purpose is his biggest seller and the single What Do You Mean? was one of three number one hits. Bieber is not on top right now because he's not active. It remains to be seen if he can reach that level again. He could retire. He was born Mar. 1, 1994 in London, ON. He grew up with his mom and stepfather in low income housing. After Bieber placed second in a local singing competition in 2007, His mom posted videos on YouTube. When former So So Def marketing exec Scooter Braun was on YouTube looking for a different singer, he accidently clicked on one of Bieber's videos. After he tracked Bieber down, church elders convinced his mom to sign and let him go with Braun. She was concerned because Braun is Jewish. She's an idiot. They went to Atlanta to record demos. Bieber auditioned for Usher and Braun and Usher formed a partnership. Usher got Bieber an audition with LA Reid of Island Def Jam and Bieber signed with Island Records. Bieber brought his mother to Atlanta and Braun became his manager. They released an EP My World in 2009 and the first two singles charted. Things picked up when the 2010 album My World 2.0 was released. Baby featuring Ludacris was his first top five hit. That song was written and produced by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. The album was certified 4XPlatinum. Bieber toured and appeared a lot on TV. After the 2011 Christmas album Under the Mistletoe, Beiber released the 2012 album Believe. Boyfriend was the highest charting of three top ten hits. It reached #2. That song was written by Mike Posner and Mason "MdL" Levy. BTW, Bieber was now getting songwriting credits on everything. I assume this was Braun's idea. Levy became a key contributor on the 2015 album Purpose. What Do You Mean? was the first single from Purpose and it was also Bieber's first number one hit. Levy wrote and produced it with Jason "Pooh Bear" Boyd. Sorry and Love Yourself also topped the charts. Sorry was written and produced by Michael "BloodPop" Tucker and Sonny "Skillrex" Moore. Love Yourself was written and produced by Benny Blanco. Purpose was certified 6XPlatinum. It's available on CD in a Deluxe Edition with five bonus tracks. That's the peak of Bieber's career. He's only released two albums since then and they weren't as successful as Purpose. His latest album was Justice in 2021. He has had some success guesting on other people's records. He has a family now. His son was born last month. And he sold his publishing rights to Hipgnosis for 20M in 2023. So he doesn't need the money. There have been reports that Bieber will retire but he hasn't said anything. Time will tell but retirement wouldn't surprise me. Here's the video for What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Queen and David Bowie

Artist:Queen and David Bowie

Song:Under Pressure

Album:The Platinum Collection

The 1981 one off single Under Pressure topped the British charts. And that was big deal for Queen who hadn't topped the British charts for a while. It didn't do as well in the US probably because this was a time when radio stations resented the rise of MTV and there were songs they refused to play just for spite. So I think it did better than its chart position. Under Pressure appeared on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space but it did not appear on a Bowie album. So it is a half discography orphan. Under Pressure happened by accident. Queen was working on Hot Space at Mountain Studios Montreux, Switzerland. Bowie was also there recording vocals for the theme for the 1982 film Cat People. Bowie was between record labels. He was planning to leave RCA for EMI America. They ran into each other at the studio. After Bowie recorded background vocals for the song Cool Cat that weren't used because Bowie was unhappy with them, they decided to write a new song and perform it together. Though the songwriting is credited to Queen and David Bowie, Queen bassist John Deacon says that Freddie Mercury wrote Under Pressure and they all worked on the arrangement. It was based on the song Feel Like written by Deacon and Roger Taylor. Under Pressure was released as a one off single in 1981. It topped the British Singles chart and reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. MTV played the video in heavy rotation and that's what made the single go 4XPlatinum in the US. It was a big deal for Queen as it was their first #1 hit in England since the 1975 single Bohemian Rhapsody. Under Pressure wasn't supposed to be on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space but they decided to add it after the song was a hit. It appears on this Queen 3CD comp. Under Pressure does not appear on a Bowie album. But it does appear on Bowie comps. I just think that at the time, the success of the song was a bigger deal for Queen. Of course Under Pressure was sampled in the 1991 Vanilla Ice hit Ice Ice Baby. They had to sue him and the publishing is now shared. Here's the video for Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Passion

Artist:Passion f/Kristian Stanfill

Song:One Thing Remains

Album:3 CD Collection

Passion is the music branch of Atlanta's Passion Church. Like many Praise & Worship (P&W) groups, the church and the music go hand in hand. That is true of other P&W groups like Hillsong and Bethel Music. Passion started in 1995 when Louie Giglio moved from Texas to Atlanta to care for his sick father. Giglio is an Atlanta native but he ran a student ministry at Baylor University. After releasing a couple of albums on Star Song, Giglio and partner Chris Tomlin started sixstepsrecords with Capitol EMI distribution. As one of CCM's most popular artists, Tomlin obviously carries the load. But Passion has also had commercial success. Normally they record an album at their annual convention. One Thing Remains is from the 2012 album White Flag. This was recorded live at the 2012 Passion Conference in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with 42,000 in attendance. It's like I always say. P&W may be at the fringe of the music business. But they know their audience and how to appeal to them. One Thing Remains topped the Christian Singles chart. It is to date Passion's only #1 single. The lead singer is Kristian Stanfill who is a worship leader at Passion. The song was written by Brian Johnson and Jeremy Riddle of Bethel Music who originally recorded it. Other featured singers on the album include Chris Tomlin, David Crowder and Matt Redman. Nathan Nockels is credited as producer. His wife Christy Nockels is one of the singers. They led the band Watermark but are now full time in Passion. This album is available as a budget CD. But I recommend this 3CD Collection containing White Flag, the 2013 album Let the Future Begin and the 2014 album Take It All at a reasonable price. Passion usually records a live album at each annual conference. So there is plenty of music available. Here's Passion featuring Kristian Stanfill and Brian and Jenn Johnson of Bethel Music performing One Thing Remains on the 2013 GMA Dove Awards broadcast. And that is Louie Giglio introducing them. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Gente de Zona

Artist:Gente de Zona f/Marc Anthony

Song:La Gozadera

Album:Visualizate

The Cuban reggaeton duo Gente de Zona topped the Latin charts with the 2016 single La Gozadera. For those who don't know, reggaeton is Latin hip hop. We hear Latin influences in hip hop all the time. But reggaeton is aimed at the Latin market. Alexander Delgado started Gente de Zona in Havana in 2000 as a hip hop group playing at parties. But he switched to reggaeton to appeal to Cuban fans. Gente de Zona released a couple of albums on the Italian label Planet Records. But things started to pick up when Delgado teamed up with Randy Malcom from the timba band Charanga Habanera and signed with Sony Latin. This led to their appearance on the 2014 Enrique Iglesias single Bailando. This reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by the 2015 single La Gozadera featuring Marc Anthony and that topped the Latin charts. This was followed by the 2016 album Visualizate. This was Gente de Zona's first album on Sony. Pitbull also appears on the album. Delgado and Malcom wrote all the songs with Arbise "Motiff" Gonzalez and he produced the album. Gonzalez has worked with Gloria Estefan and others. The album was certified 2XPlatinum and won a Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Fusion Album. This album is available on CD. Gente de Zona has released a couple of albums since then. But it looks like La Gozadera may turn out to be their biggest hit. Here's the video for La Gozadera by Gente de Zona featuring Marc Anthony.

 

Big Bad Blog Video-Iyo Sky vs Bianca Belair

Here's the match video of Iyo Sky vs Bianca Belair from last night's episode of RAW. It was supposed to be Bianca vs Kairi Sane but they are still selling that cut over Kairi's eye from two weeks ago. So Iyo challenged Bianca and she accepted. The match was one of the better women's matches we have seen lately in the WWE probably because Bianca is a great athlete and Iyo knows how to put a great match together with her. Iyo's suicide dive is the best anywhere because she turns to the side when she goes through the ropes and it makes her easier to catch. Iyo won the match with a small package and this should lead to Iyo and Kairi winning the tag team titles and the inevitable split between Bianca and Jade Cargill. That feud should tell us if Jade has an aptitude for pro wrestling. I don't think she does. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eddie Murphy

Artist:Eddie Murphy f/Rick James

Song:Party All the Time

Album:Chart Toppers: Dance Hits of the 80s

Of course most fans are familiar with Eddie Murphy's stand up comedy, his days on Saturday Night Live and his successful film career. But he also scored a top five hit with the 1985 single Party All the Time. Most fans perceive it as a one hit wonder. But one other song charted so technically he is not a one hit wonder. Most fans will only remember Party All the Time. The big problem is that Murphy has a very thin high pitched singing voice. Richard Pryor was among those who told Murphy that he couldn't sing. They even made a $100,000 bet about his possible success. But by 1984, Murphy was a big enough star that he could do what he wanted. Murphy sang backup for The Bus Boys who appeared in the 1982 film 48 Hrs. and the comedy special Eddie Murphy Delirious. Plus he had recorded successful comedy records for Columbia. He would sometimes sing as part of his comedy act. But he was not really a singer. He convinced Columbia head of black music A&R Larkin Arnold to let him record music. The first guy he recruited to help him was Rick James. James was supposed to produce the album. But he only wrote and produced Party All the Time before they had a falling out. Fortunately the song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been named as one of worst songs of all time by VH1 and Blender among others. But a hit is a hit. Murphy brought Stevie Wonder in and supposedly Wonder brought in his cousin Aquil Fudge to produce the album. Wonder wrote and produced two songs and Fudge produced most of the album. I'm not convinced that Aquil Fudge is a real person. It may be an alias for Murphy himself. Murphy wrote three songs on the album. The album was certified Gold but even Murphy admitted that it wasn't very good. You can get Party All the Time on this various artists budget comp. Murphy released the 1989 album So Happy mostly produced by Narada Michael Walden. He also got to work with Nile Rodgers of Chic and Cameo leader Larry Blackmon. Murphy wrote several songs with David Allen Jones. He had worked with Murphy before. That album didn't sell and neither did the 1992 album Love's Alright for Motown. Murphy and Jones also produced that album. And that was Murphy's final music album. He does sing occasionally in films like Shrek and Dreamgirls. There was talk in 2014 that he was working on a new albums. And four singles were released. But the album never came out. Hopefully it never escapes. I think most of us think Murphy should stick to movies and forget about singing. Here's the video for Party All the Time by Eddie Murphy featuring Rick James.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vieux Farka Toure

Artist:Vieux Farka Toure

Song:Fafa

Album:Tondo

Vieux Farka Toure is a Malian singer songwriter and the son and the son of legendary singer Ali Farka Toure. So I guess it could be said that he is following in his footsteps. Toure made his first big appearance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and he's been doing very well since then. He was born Mar. 12, 1981 in Bamako, Mali. His father tried to discourage him from getting into music. But Toure secretly learned to play guitar and enrolled in the Institut National des Arts in Bamako. In 2005, Modiba Productions owner Eric Herman wanted to become Herman's manager and get him a record deal. But he had to get permission from his dad and other community elders. His 2006 debut album was released on World Village. for the 2009 album Fondo, Toure signed with Six Degrees Records. The album reached #5 on Billboard's World Albums chart and Village Voice named it one of the top albums of 2009. Toure appeared on the Kickoff Concert for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. So that was obviously a big deal. Toure wrote and produced the album. It's available on CD. Toure 2011 album The Secret featured guest appearances by Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks and John Scofield. Toure recorded six albums for Six Degrees. Toure's latest album was released in 2022. He is currently on tour in Europe. He should record a new album after that. Here's Vieux Farka Toure performing Fafa on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kickoff Concert in South Africa. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ketlen Souza vs Yazmin Jauregui

Here's the fight video of Ketlen Souza vs Yazmin Jauregui from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Ketlen is 29 years old from Amazonas, Brazil. She trains at Team Felipe Rego. Her UFC record is 1-1. Yazmin is 25 years old from Tijuana, Mexico. She trains at Entram which is the largest gym in Mexico. Her UFC record is 3-1. Ketlen knocked Yazmin down with a right cross and then pounced on her with a rear naked choke. Ketlen put her to sleep at 3:02 of round one. Ketlen gor $50,000 performance bonus. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Norma Dumont vs Irene Aldana

Here's the fight video of Norma Dumont vs Irene Aldana from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Norma is from Minas Gerais, Brazil and she trains at Gordin Fight Team. Her UFC record is 7-2 and she is on a four fight winning streak. She came to the UFC as a Featherweight. Irene is 36 years old from Guasalajara, Mexico. She trains at Lobo. Alexa Grasso is a teammate. Her UFC record is 8-5. She's a boxer. Norma's strategy was to keep moving to keep away from Irene. Irene is always coming forward and Norma used that against her. She never came close to a finish but she won easily 30-27. An accidental clash of heads caused a bad cut on Irene's forehead. Obviously that didn't help. But she was losing anyway. Is Norma a title contender? The Bantamweight division is very thin so she certainly is. I expected Norma to win this fight. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso

Here's the fight video of Alexa Grasso defending her UFC Flyweight Championship against Valentina Shevchenko from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Of course this is the third fight between these two. In the first fight, Valentina was winning when she made a very stupid mistake and Alexa submitted her to win the title. In the rematch, I thought Valentina won. But a really bad judge's scorecard turned the fight into a draw. So there had to be a third fight. Valentina's strategy to win this fight was lay and pray. She took Alexa down repeatedly and did enough so the ref wouldn't stand them up. So I thought Valentina pitched a shutout and I scored it 50-45. All three judges scored it the same. There were complaints that Alexa didn't get enough credit for submissions from bottom position. I didn't think it was enough to even win one round. What Alexa needed to do was get it back standing and show some urgency. It looked bad to the judges. She looked defeated very early in the fight and no one in her corner had a solution. The fight was boring but Valentina did what she had to do to get the title back. It was excellent strategy no doubt conceived by Valentina's long time coach Pavel Fedotov. I expect Manon Fiorot to be the next challenger and I think she will win the title. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Artist:Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Song:Tiger Rag

Album:The 75th Anniversary

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB) were the very first jazz band to record in 1917. Tiger Rag is their most popular song and they recorded it in 1918. ODJB billed themselves as the Creators of Jazz. Band leader and cornetist Nick LaRocca claimed that ODJB was the first band to record jazz commercially and the first to establish jazz as a musical genre. In 1916, a Chicago promoter approached clarinetist Alcide Nunez and drummer Johnny Stein about bringing a New Orleans style band like Brown's Band from Dixieland to Chicago. The other musicians were Eddie Edwards on trombone, Frank Christian on cornet and Henry Ragas on piano. Christian backed out and was replaced by Nick LaRocca. As Stein's Dixie Jazz band, they played Schiller's Cafe in Chicago. When they started getting better offers, they got rid of Stein and brought in Tony Sbarbaro. Stein was the only one under contract to Schiller's. Also, LaRocca and Nunez weren't getting along so Larry Shields replaced Nunez. ODJB was booked to play a club in New York City. They recorded Livery Stable Blues for Victor Talking Machine Company in 1917. This was the first jazz record. Other similar bands recorded. ODJB recorded Tiger Rag for Vocalion in 1917. They recorded it for Victor in 1918. This is the most popular version of Tiger Rag and you can get it on this budget comp. LaRocca copyrighted Tiger Rag in 1917 but there were claims that it was based on other songs. ODJB continued to record until they split up in the late 20s. They reunited occasionally. LaRocca owned the ODJB name and him and then his son led a version of ODJB for many years. But it all started in 1917. Here's a video for Tiger Rag by Original Dixieland Jazz Band. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Motherlode

Artist:Motherlode

Song:When I Die

Album:The Buddah Box

The 1969 single When I Die was a top twenty hit. But it topped the Canadian charts and the song is still a beloved oldie. I think many listeners have heard this song and don't know who the band is.  Motherlode is from London, ON. It all started in London's Blue Note club in 1964. Saxophonist Steve Kennedy was in the group The Silhouettes led by pianist Doug Riley. Riley would go on to be a major figure in Canadian music as leader of Dr. Music. Kennedy was dating the band's singer Dianne Brooks at the time. Keyboardist William "Smitty" Smith was in a different band but he and Kennedy planned to start their own band. They moved to Toronto and started The Soul Searchers in 1966 with Dianne and Eric Mercury as lead singers. After that band split up, Kennedy and Smith got together again in 1968 in Grant Smith and the Power. David Clayton-Thomas was lead singer. They released a 1968 album. But Kennedy, Smith, guitarist Kenny Marco and drummer Wayne Stone were unhappy with the album and moved back to London to form Motherlode. They signed with Revolver Records and the debut single When I Die reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Canadian charts. It was released on Buddah Records in the US. Kennedy and Smith wrote When I Die and most of the songs on the album. Doug Riley produced. Motherlode did not have a bassist so Carol Kaye of The Wrecking Crew played bass. By the time Motherlode had recorded their second album Tapped Out, the band split up and Kennedy, Marco and Stone joined Riley's new band Dr. Music. So that means When I Die is officially a one hit wonder. You can get it on this 3CD box set that is a history of Buddah Records. Revolver Records owned the name Motherlode so they formed new versions of the band. Smith was the only original member involved. Every version of Motherlode was different. That kind of thing never works. Smith went on to be a session musician. He died in 1997. Kennedy went on to be a member of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Lighthouse. Marco also went on to be a member of Blood, Sweat & Tears. It looks like Stone quit the music business. Here's Motherlode performing When I Die on a 1970 CBC show.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pete Yorn

Artist:Pete Yorn

Song:Life on a Chain

Album:musicforthemorningafter: Enhanced Edition

Singer songwriter Pete Yorn had success when his 2001 debut album musicforthemorningafter was certified Gold. He's still around and it's still his most successful album to date. He was born July 27, 1974 in Pompton Plains, NJ and he grew up in Montville. His father was a dentist and his mother was a school teacher. His older brother Rick Yorn is a Hollywood talent manager and he taught Pete to play drums. As a teen Yorn played guitar and started writing songs influenced by British bands like The Cure and The Smiths. After graduating from high school, Yorn attended Syracuse University and graduated in 1996. Yorn says the one band that influenced him was the Canadian band Sloan. He moved to Los Angeles and crashed on his brother's couch. Yorn's big break came when he wrote and recorded two songs for the 2000 film Me, Myself & Irene directed by the Farrelly Brothers and starring Jim Carrey. One of those songs Strange Condition appeared on the soundtrack, was released as a single and got enough airplay that Columbia Records gave Yorn a record deal. His 2001 album musicforthemorningafter was certified Gold. The single Life on a Chain got Alt Rock radio play. Rolling Stone named Yorn one of the Ten Best Bands to Watch in 2001. In the studio, Yorn writes, produces and even plays all the instruments himself. He has a band for touring. Liz Phair producers Brad Wood and R. Walt Vincent helped Yorn with the album. This album is available in a 2CD Enhanced Edition. Yorn recorded four albums for Columbia. But he was never able to get that big hit single. So Columbia dropped him. Yorn has recorded for Atco, Vagrant and Capitol. And he currently records for his own label. He released an album in June and is currently touring to support it. Obviously, he has a small but devoted following. I guess that's enough for him. Here's the video for Life on a Chain by Pete Yorn. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Hoppers

Artist:The Hoppers

Song:Song of Moses

AlbumLife Is Good

Like many Southern Gospel groups, The Hoppers is a family group and their history goes back to the 50s. This is the current version of the group. They were called The Hopper Brothers when Claude and Connie Hopper started the group in the 50s in North Carolina. After they performed at President Ronald Reagan's 1980 inauguration, his sons Dean and Mike Hopper took a more active role in the group and the name was changed to The Hoppers. The other big move was when Dean Hopper married Kim Greene. She was in her family group The Greenes and she joined The Hoppers in 1989. So that's the group today. You have Claude and Connie Hopper, Dean and Kim Hopper and their daughter Kariye Hopper. Mike Hopper still leads the band. Nathan Kistler was in the group when this 2017 album Life Is Good was recorded but he left after that. They do a lot of the Gaither Homecoming Tours so that keeps them in front of their target audience. Song of Moses was written by Paula Stefanovich who has written songs for Bill Gaither. It looks like The Hoppers own their recordings and license them out. This album was released by Daywind. Kim Hopper is credited as producer and frequently sings lead. It appears that pianist Lari Goss does the arrangements. He does that for many groups. The Hoppers' latest album was released in 2022 and they still tour with Gaither. So if this music is for you, you will want to check them out. Here's The Hoppers performing Song of Moses at the Daywind Gospel Showcase 2017. Daywind owns their own TV network.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Giulia vs Chelsea Green

Here's the match video of Giulia vs Chelsea Green from last night's episode of WWE NXT. This was Giulia's in ring debut. The main complaint I heard about this match was too competitive. It should have been a squash. I disagree because though Chelsea is a comedy character, she's pretty good in the ring. I also know that the joshi wrestlers won't do squash matches. They want the opponent to look good. Asuka has been in the WWE for ten years and I don't think she has ever done a squash. Plus those who haven't seen Giulia get to see what she does in the ring. And she did great. Her craziest move was a neckbreaker on the floor. But she did it safely and the match continued. The one hiccup was when Chelsea was supposed to toss Giulia over the announce table. She had to do it a second time. Giulia won with a modified suplex. She showed that she is really good and she looks good too. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nicolle Callari vs Corinne Laframboise

Here's the fight video of Nicolle Callari vs Corinne Laframboise from last night's Dana White Contender Series (DWCS) in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Nicolle is 27 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. She trains at Thai Brasil in Florianopolis with Marcio Malka. The fighters from there tend to be strikers. Her record is 8-2. She's on a four fight winning streak. Corinne is 35 years old from Montreal. She trains at Brazilian Top Team Canada with Fabio Holanda. Her record is 8-5 and she won her last three fights for UAE Warriors. I think she is too old to be on DWCS and I think she was brought in to lose. So it did not surprise me when Nicolle won with an armbar at 4:45 of round one. Nicolle was much quicker than Corinne. So she got the win and a UFC contract. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chris and Conrad

Artist:Chris and Conrad

Song:Lead Me to the Cross

Album:Chris and Conrad

Based on this 2009 album, the vocal duo of Chris Kuti and Conrad Johnson had the potential to be huge stars in the CCM market. The 2009 album Chris and Conrad got plenty of hype and did well on the charts. Then they split up in 2010. They only recorded one album. The two are from Lakeland, FL. Kuti and Johnson were performing solo but they were managed by the same guy. Kuti released a solo album in 2007 and he wrote songs for Big Daddy Weave. They started writing together and signed with VSR Music Group with EMI distribution. Chris and Conrad was released in 2009. They were named by CCM Magazine as an Artist You Oughta Know. Lead Me to the Cross was the first single and it topped the Christian charts. So they were going places. The two wrote all the songs together except for Lead Me to the Cross written by Brooke Fraser for Hillsong. That's one of the reasons the first single was a hit. Listeners were already familiar with it. They produced the album with David Ravilla Garcia who also produced Kuti's album. They toured and things looked optimistic. Then they split up in 2010. The album is available as a budget CD. Kuti and his wife are pastors at Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, TX. Johnson released an album in 2019. Here's Chris and Conrad performing Lead Me to the Cross on K-LOVE Radio 2009. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Fedchock New York Big Band

Artist:John Fedchock New York Big Band

Song:Havana

Album:Like It Is

John Fedchock is a jazz trombonist known for his big band compositions and arrangements. He has led his own band since the 90s. He was born Sept. 18,1957 in Cleveland. Fedchock graduated from Ohio State University and studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. In the 80s, he was in Woody Herman's band for eight years. He also toured with Gerry Mulligan, Louie Bellson and Bob Belden. He finally formed his own New York Big Band and released his debut album in 1992. Fedchock recorded for Reservoir Records for over a decade. Havana is from the 2015 New York Big Band album Like It Is on MAMA Records. Fedchock wrote and arranged the song and played the trombone solo. Mark Vinci played the flute solo and also plays alto sax. Other musicians are Charles Pillow on alto and soprano sax, Scott Robinson on baritone sax, Rich Perry and Walt Weiskopf on tenor sax, Barry Ries, Scott Wendholt and Tony Kadleck on trumpet and flugelhorn, Clark Gayton and Keith O'Quinn on trombone, George Flynn on bass trombone, Allen Farnham on piano, Dick Sarpola on bass, Dave Ratajczak on drums and Bobby Sanabria on percussion. This album is available on CD. I think this is Fedchock's most recent big band album. But he has released the 2020 album Into the Shadows by the John Fedchock NY Sextet. His most recent appearance is on the 2024 album Slush Pump Truck Stop by the Alex Heitlinger Jazz Orchestra. Fedchock makes a lot of guest appearances with regional big bands and gives seminars to local musicians. Here's John Fedchock with the Radio Television of Serbia Big Band performing Havana in Belgrade, Serbia June 23, 2018.

   

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Arletty

Artist:Arletty

Song:Coeur de Parisienne

Album:Arletty

Arletty was a popular actress and singer in France in the 30s. She got into trouble during World War II and that killed her career. She sang Coeur de Parisienne in the 1932 film Un Chien qui Rapporte and that made her a star. She was born Leonie Marie Julie Bathiat May 15, 1898 in the Paris suburb of Courbevoie, France. After her father's death, she left home to pursue a modelling career. She took the name Arlette after a heroine in a story by Guy de Maupassant. Art dealer Paul Guillaume suggested that she might want to try acting. She appeared in music halls in the 20s. After performing in Maurice Yvain's 1928 opera Yes, she made her film debut in 1930. Her next film was the 1932 film Un Chien qui Rapporte written and directed by Jean Choux. She starred with Rene Lefevre and she sang Coeur de Parisienne in the film. She appeared in several films over the next few years including the 1939 film Fric Frac with Michel Simon and the 1945 film Les Enfants du Paradis directed by Marcel Carne. She appeared in several of his films. It all came to a screeching halt in 1945 when Arletty was imprisoned for her wartime liaison with German Luftwaffe officer Hans-Jurgen Soehring. during the occupation of France. She was guilty of treason mostly because she was famous. After 18 months in prison, Arletty returned to acting though she eventually retired due to failing eyesight. This comp has her songs from the 30s. Here's Arletty performing Coeur de Parisienne from the 1932 film Un Chien qui Rapporte.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jaqueline Amorim vs Vanessa Demopoulos

Here's the fight video of Jaqueline Amorim vs Vanessa Demopoulos from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Jaqueline is 29 years old from Amazonas, Brazil. She trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. Her UFC record is 2-1. But she beat Cory McKenna in her last fight. And I think that got the UFC's attention. Jaqueline is a former BJJ world champ. Vanessa is 35 years old from Columbus, OH. She has bounced around different gyms but she's been training in Las Vegas recently. Her UFC record is 5-2. The main thing she needed to do was prevent Jaqueline from taking it to the ground. But she couldn't do that and Jaqueline won with an armbar at 3:28 of round one. Just before the finish, Jaqueline seemed to grab Vanessa's glove to transition to the armbar. Vanessa screamed about it. But ref Jacob Montalvo didn't call it and that led to the finish. This is no different than fence grabs that don't get called. Herb Dean, Montalvo and the NSAC looked at replays but nothing was called. I guess they didn't think it was a big deal. Jaqueline is elite on the ground so I think she would have won anyway. But we see a lot of this stuff not get called and some fans are tired of it. But I don't expect anything to change. I would like to see Jaqueline face a ranked fighter. Enjoy the fight! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Natalia Silva vs Jessica Andrade

Here's the fight video of Natalia Silva vs Jessica Andrade from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. It is the co-main event. Natalia is 27 years old from Minas Gerais, Brazil. She trains at Team Borracha co-owned by UFC fighter Paulo Costa. She's 5-0 in the UFC. After her win over Viviane Araujo, it was time to move Natalia up to see if she's an elite fighter. She's a great striker plus she has charisma. Jessica is 32 years old from Parana, Brazil. She trains at that new gym she started with some of her PRVT teammates. Her UFC record is 17-10. Jessica is a former Strawweight champ but she is also ranked at Flyweight. And the UFC told her that she needed to fight at Flyweight to keep her ranking. She last fought at Flyweight last year. I expected a striking battle. But Natalia has a big height and reach advantage. And we all know that Jessica's fighting style is to go forward even if she's getting hit. And Natalia hit her a lot during this fight. It was certainly a fun fight. They got the Fight Of The Night bonus. But Natalia won easily 30-27. All three judges scored it the same. Jessica needed to make adjustments and do something different and she didn't do that. Natalia used kicks to keep Jessica away and then followed with strikes. She sure looked like an elite fighter. We'll see what's next after next week's Flyweight title fight. I hope this was Jessica's final Flyweight bout and she stays at Strawweight. She could still be a contender there. Enjoy the video!  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sebastian Yatra

Artist:Sebastian Yatra

Song:Dos Oruguitas

Album:Encanto: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Sebastian Yatra is a Colombian pop singer who sang a song in the 2021 Disney film Encanto. Yatra says that singing in a Disney film about his country was a dream come true. Usually Yatra is a very popular pop singer in his native Colombia and other Latin American countries. He was born Oct. 15, 1994 in Medellin, Colombia but he grew up in Miami with his mother. His father remained in Colombia working in real estate. He studied piano, guitar and vocal technique and after attending a concert by the popular singer Juanes at age 12, he decided to become a singer. He started releasing singles in 2013 and signed with Universal Music Latino in 2016. His first number one hit in Colombia was Traicionera and he has had great success in Latin America since then. His main songwriters and producers are Andres Torres and Mauricio Rengifo. Torres produced the 2017 Luis Fonsi hit Despacito. Rengifo is half of the duo Cali & El Dandee. Encanto songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda brought Yatra in to sing Dos Orguitas after hearing his 2021 single Adios. Of course Encanto was a very successful film. I'm a big Miranda fan, especially In the Heights. There are soundtrack albums for Encanto in English and Spanish. You can stream Encanto on Disney+. It's a must watch if you haven't seen it. Yatra released his latest album Dharma in 2022 and he toured to support it. He's released a few singles. I would expect a new album in the near future. Here's the video for Dos Orguitas by Sebastian Yatra.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Winans

Artist:The Winans

Song:A Friend

Album:Gospel Greats

The Winans is a large gospel music family from Detroit. There are ten siblings and most of them record and perform gospel with varying degrees of success. The Winans were four of the Winans brothers. There was Ronald Winans (2nd oldest), Marvin and Carvin Winans (twins) and Michael Winans (5th oldest). The oldest brother David Winans II didn't sing but he was in the band. All four sang but Marvin was the best singer and frequently sang lead as he does on A Friend. The Winans were a big part of the modernization of gospel music after Andrae Crouch discovered them and got them a record deal with Light Records. I think it's fair to say that Crouch was the father of contemporary gospel music. At first The Winans worked with Crouch producing with Bill Maxwell. They topped the gospel charts and won a couple of Grammys. The thinking was that they could cross over to R&B and pop similar to Amy Grant. So they signed with Quincy Jones' Qwest label with Warner Bros. distribution. They had some commercial success. But they crossed over to R&B bigtime with the 1990 album The Return and the hit singles It's Time and A Friend. The key figure for both songs was producer Teddy Riley. Riley was already known as the producer of Guy and the creator of New Jack Swing. So they were looking to mix gospel with Riley's very popular sound. Michael J. Powell was the main album producer. He had worked with Anita Baker and Regina Belle. Riley was brought in to write and produce three songs. It's Time and A Friend were two of those songs. It's Time reached #5 on the R&B Singles chart and A Friend reached #11 on the R&B Singles chart. The album The Return was certified Gold. They didn't work with Riley on the albums All Out (1993) and Heart & Soul (1995). They did work with R.Kelly and George Duke. But the albums didn't do as well. And that was The Winans' final album. You can get their hits on this budget comp. Marvin Winans has concentrated on pastoring The Perfecting Church in Detroit. He last recorded in 2007. Ronald Winans owned an Atlanta restaurant until his 2005 death. Michael has recorded three albums with his wife Regina, most recently in 2008. Carvin Winans didn't seem to do much for years. He did appear on the Winans Family Reunion tours. But he released the 2019 album In the Softest Way mostly produced by Tommy Sims with family members making guest appearances. Here's the video for A Friend by The Winans. R&B singer Aaron Hall appears in the video.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lotte Lenya

Artist:Lotte Lenya

Song:Pirate Jenny

Album:The Threepenny Opera: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album

Lotte Lenya is probably best known for her Oscar nominated performance in the 1961 film The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone and her villainous Rosa Klebb in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. But she performed on stage in Europe and in nightclubs after moving to the US. She is most associated with the music of her composer husband Kurt Weill and she won a Tony for playing Jenny in the 1956 production of The Threepenny Opera. Lotte was born Karoline Blaumauer Oct. 18, 1898 in Vienna, Austria. She performed in a neighborhood circus as a child. She moved to Zurich in 1913 and took dancing and acting lessons. Then she moved to Berlin in 1921. Lotte met Weill and they married in 1926. She appeared in his 1931 production of The Threepenny Opera in Germany. With the rise of Nazism, they moved to Paris and then to New York in 1935. Lotte started singing in nightclubs in 1938 and she occasionally recorded. After Weill died in 1950, Marc Blitzstein wrote English lyrics for The Threepenny Opera and it was performed on Broadway in 1956. Lotte won a Tony for playing Jenny. Pirate Jenny is her big song in the show. Of course Mack the Knife is the best known song in The Threepenny Opera and this remastered edition of the original cast album includes a bonus track of Lotte singing Mack the Knife with Blitzstein on piano. The exposure got Lotte a record deal with Columbia and film roles in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone which got her an Oscar nomination and From Russia with Love. She also played Fraulein Schneider in the 1966 Broadway show Cabaret. Lotte continued to appear in films, record and perform in clubs until her death on Nov. 27, 1981 at age 83. Here's Lotte Lenya performing Pirate Jenny on German TV 1956. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Hayden and Sally Murphy

 

Artist:Michael Hayden and Sally Murphy

Song:If I Loved You

Album:Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel: 1994 Broadway Cast Recording

Michael Hayden is mainly a stage actor on Broadway and London. His best known role was as Billy Bigelow in the 1994 revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel. He was in the London and Broadway productions. He has done TV but seems to prefer performing on stage. Sally Murphy played Julie Jordan. She doesn't have a Wikipedia page but I did dig up a little info about her. Hayden was born July 28, 1963 in St. Paul, MN. He studied at Juilliard. Hayden is a member of the Roundabout Theater Company and has appeared in several of their productions. He first played Billy Bigelow in the 1992 London production of Carousel directed by Nicholas Hytner. Joanna Riding played Julie. The show won several Olivier awards and then moved to Broadway in 1994. Hayden again played Billy and Sally Murphy played Julie. She was born Oct. 12, 1962 in Chicago. She is a member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company and has appeared in several of their productions. Like Hayden, Carousel was Sally's best known performance. The show ran for almost a year and won five Tonys. Hayden was nominated for a Tony. Hayden has appeared in several other Broadway shows including Cabaret (1999), Judgement at Nuremberg (2001), Merrily We Roll Along (2002) and Henry IV (2003). Most recently he appeared in a 2023 revival of The Light in the Piazza. Hayden has rarely done films. But he does plenty of guest shots on TV. And he played Chris Docknovich on Steven Bochco's series Murder One from 1995-97. Sally Murphy appeared in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof and the 2007 play August: Osage County which ran for two years. She also does guest shots on episodic TV and she was in the films Scent of a Woman (1992) and Fearless (1993). She still lives in New York but I don't think she is appearing in anything right now. The original cast of Carousel is available on CD. Here's Michael Hayden and Sally Murphy performing If I Loved You on a 1995 episode of PBS Great Performances.