AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Julianne Hough

Artist:Julianne Hough

Song:That Song In My Head

Album:Julianne Hough

Julianne Hough is a dancer best known as a regular on the celebrity dance competition show Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) from 2007-09. At the height of her popularity on the show, she went to Nashville to launch a singing career. The 2008 single That Song In My Head was a hit and her album topped the country charts. When her singing career didn't pan out, she returned to DWTS as a judge in 2014. She was born July 20, 1988 in Orem, UT. Her father Bruce Hough has been chairman of the Utah Republican Party. Her brother Derek Hough is also a dancer. Her grandparents were dancers too. Julianne began dancing competitively at age nine. She and Derek went to London to train with ballroom dancers Corky and Shirley Ballas. At age 15, she was the Junior World Dance Champion at the Blackpool Dance Festival. She attended high school in Las Vegas. After Julianne was one of the Million Dollar Dancers on the 2006 game show Show Me the Money, she won season four of DWTS with Olympic Gold Medal winning speedskater Apollo Ohno. Then she won season five with Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. She was Emmy nominated for one of her dance routines. This was when she decided to make a detour to Nashville and launch a singing career. That was a good idea as DWCS is very physically demanding. When she felt abdominal pains during a 2008 episode of DWCS, she had her appendix removed. She would also go on to do acting. So she signed with Mercury Nashville and released the 2007 single Will You Dance with Me. Then they released the 2008 album Julianne Hough and the single That Song in My Head reached #18 on the Country Singles chart. The album topped the country albums chart and reached #3 on the Billboard 200. So it did pretty well. The album was produced by former Elektra Nashville head David Malloy. He produced Eddie Rabbitt. He came out of retirement to do this. That Song in My Head was written by veteran songwriters Jim Collins, Tony Martin and Wendell Mobley. This album is available as a budget CD. Julianne appeared on a 2008 episode of On Air with Ryan Seacrest to announce that she was leaving DWTS to further her music career. After releasing a Christmas album, Julianne recorded a second album. A single was released in 2009. She told The Boot in 2012 that when the single didn't chart, the album and her record deal were cancelled. Since then she has released one 2019 single. Julianne got into acting and most notably appeared in the 2011 remake of Footloose. On TV, she has mostly appeared as herself on reality shows. She returned to DWCS as a judge from 2014-17. She appeared on Broadway in 2022 and became a host on the Tony Awards broadcast. She appeared in the 2016 live broadcast of the musical Grease!. Currently she is filming the 2025 film The Bride!. It's a sci-fi film inspired by the 1935 film The Bride of Frankenstein. Here's the video for That Song in My Head by Julianne Hough.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jelly Roll

Artist:Jelly Roll

Song:Need a Favor

Album:Whitsitt Chapel

Jason "Jelly Roll" DeFord started out as a rapper. But he has recently had several top ten country hits led by the 2022 single Need a Favor. His music is country rock so he could cross over to pop. DeFord has been recording for over a decade. His recent success is because he is on a major label. He was born Dec. 4, 1984 in Antioch, TN which is a Nashville suburb. As a teen, DeFord landed in jail for drug possession and aggravated robbery. Then he started rapping inspired by Three 6 Mafia. He started doing mixtapes in 2003. He was a member of the hip hop group SNO. He released many mixtapes and collaborated with Struggle Jennings, Haystak and Tech N9ne. These were mostly self released and DeFord has said that music is therapeutic for him. He finally started to make progress when the 2022 single Dead Man Walking topped the Alternative Rock chart. This got DeFord a record deal with BBR Music Group for the 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel. The single Need a Favor reached #3 on the Country Singles chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. DeFord wrote all the songs with co-writers. Zach Crowell was the main producer. He has worked with Dustin Lynch among others. Need a Favor was the exception. Austin Nivarel produced and wrote the song with DeFord and Joe and Robert Ragosta of the band Patent Pending. Since then Deford has been a fixture on the country charts. He won Best New Artist on the 2023 CMA Awards. For the 2024 album Beautifully Broken, DeFord moved to the much larger Republic label. It was released a couple of weeks ago. Here's the video for Need a Favor by Jelly Roll. The actor is Will Koberg of the Disney+ TV series The Crossover. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Low Anthem

Artist:The Low Anthem

Song:Charlie Darwin

Album:Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

The folk music duo The Low Anthem made a big splash when their 2009 album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin was released on Warner Music's Nonesuch label. They have returned to indie labels. But the exposure they got from releasing a couple of albums on a major label has given them longevity. The Low Anthem is from Providence, RI. Ben Knox Miller and Jeffrey Prystowsky met while DJing a jazz radio show on Brown University's radio station WBRU. After playing together on a local baseball team, they formed The Low Anthem in 2006. Bluesman Dan Lefkowitz joined and contributed a couple of songs. He left the music business. But The Low Anthem continued to perform his songs. They started mixing electronics in with their music. They self released an album in 2006. Then they added clarinetist and singer Jocie Adams for the 2007 album What the Crow Brings. Then they released the album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin in 2008, their big break came when they went to the Newport Folk Festival and gave copies of the album to Paste Magazine. After Paste featured the album, The Low Anthem signed with Warner's Nonesuch label and on Bella Union in England. The major label exposure got them appearances on Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, The Newport Folk Festival and Austin City Limits. They appeared on the TV shows Later...with Jools Holland and Late Show with David Letterman. The album sold 100K copies. There's no way they sell that many on their own label. Miller and Prystowsky wrote and produced the album. Their interest in Charles Darwin came after a trip to a local zoo. The 2011 album Smart Flesh was also released on Nonesuch. After they toured to promote the album, the band announced that they would not perform songs from Charlie Darwin/Smart Flesh anymore because they were concerned about getting complacent. They also left Nonesuch and Bella Union. Since then, they released the 2016 album Eyeland on Razor & Tie's Washington Square label and the 2018 album The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea on Joyful Noise Recordings. In 2019, they released a 10th anniversary limited edition vinyl pressing of Oh My God, Charlie Darwin and toured to support it. It's not known if The Low Anthem is still together. They haven't posted on Facebook since 2019. That's not a good sign. Here's the video for Charlie Darwin by The Low Anthem.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia vs Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade

Here's the match video of Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia vs Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade from last night's WWE NXT Halloween Havoc show in Hershey, PA. Though Halloween Havoc is a gimmick show, they decided to make this a standard tag team match. It was second on the card. I thought it should have been higher on the card. Of course it was predictable that Stephanie and Giulia won. It was clearly a showcase match. Stephanie and Giulia just got to NXT and they already have that big star aura. Plus they can do everything in the ring and they work well together. They gave Roxanne and Cora plenty of offense though Cora looked slower due to inactivity. But she didn't even take the fall. Stephanie won the fall over Roxanne with a Sky Twister Press. That move was the specialty of 90s AJW wrestler Chapparita Asari. The problem was she messed it up half the time. That's why no one does it anymore. It's a very difficult move and Stephanie executed it perfectly. Afterwards this new wrestler Zaria showed up. She will make her in ring debut on Tuesday. So check out the match as I thought Stephanie and Giulia both looked great. 

Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer vs Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade (Full Match) by tokyvideo.com

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roxy Coss

Artist:Roxy Coss

Song:Waiting

Album:Restless Idealism

Roxy Coss is a jazz saxophonist and the leader of the Women In Jazz Organization. Over the years women have had difficulty being accepted as serious jazz musicians. My suspicion is the problem is with jazz record labels rather than musicians. Roxy has recorded a few albums in recent years that have been critically acclaimed. She was born Apr. 20, 1986 in Riverside, CA but she grew up in Seattle. She taught herself to play piano as a child. Then she started playing sax in her high school jazz band. After graduating from high school, Roxy studied at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor in Music in Jazz Studies/Performance. She self released a 2010 album. Then she moved to New York and played with Clark Terry, Louis Hayes, Rufus Reid and Claudio Roditi. She joined trumpeter Jeremy Pelt's band in 2012 and remained there until she signed with Origin Records and released the 2016 album Restless Idealism. Roxy wrote the songs and produced the album. Jeremy Pelt is the special guest. Guitarist Alex Wintz has played on all of Roxy's albums. Other musicians are Chris Pattishall from Jamison Ross' band on piano. Dezron Douglas from Brandee Younger's band on bass and Willie Jones III of Houston Person's band on drums. This album is available on CD. Roxy currently records for Outside in Music and her latest album Disparate Parts was released in 2022. As I said, she leads Women In Jazz Organization and is on Juilliard's faculty. Here's Roxy Coss with Alex Wintz on guitar, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Rick Rosato on bass and Craig Weinrib on drums performing Waiting at Smalls Jazz Club in New York Jan. 14, 2016. Other than Weinrib, this is her current band.

   

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marvin "Smitty" Smith

Artist:The Buddy Rich Big Band f/Marvin "Smitty" Smith

Song:Standing Up in a Hammock

Album:Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich Vol. 2

Again I am using this Buddy Rich tribute album to feature a drummer who I normally wouldn't be able to feature due to lack of video footage and other reasons. Marvin "Smitty" Smith is an in demand sideman and session musician who rarely records as a leader. He was born Marvin Smith Jr. June 24, 1961 in Waukegan, IL which is a Chicago suburb. His father Marvin Smith Sr. was also a drummer and Smith Jr. learned to play when he was very young. After graduating from high school, Smith studied at Berklee in Boston. After graduating in 1981, he moved to New York and joined singer Jon Hendricks' band. Since then he seems to live in the recording studio. Smith has recorded two albums as a leader for Concord in the late 80s. He was also the drummer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno band led by Kevin Eubanks from 1995-2009. He works frequently with bassist Ray Drummond. I guess they are hired as a unit. Who has Smith worked with? The question is who hasn't he worked with. It's a laundry list including Donald Byrd, Michel Camilo, Robin Eubanks, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Dave Holland, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, McCoy Tyner and many others. He still does that today. So it shouldn't be surprising that Smith appeared on this Buddy Rich tribute concert organized by Rush drummer Neil Peart. Peart is a drum geek. Every song has a guest drummer. Rich recorded Standing in a Hammock on 1968 album The New One!. It was written by Woody Herman pianist and arranger Bill Potts. Of course drum geeks will love this. But I'm not a drum geek and I've been a Marvin "Smitty" Smith fan for years. Here's The Buddy Rich Tribute Band featuring Marvin "Smitty" Smith performing Standing in a Hammock at the Ritz Theater in New York City Apr. 8, 1991.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Duke Ellington

Artist:Duke Ellington

Song:Satin Doll

Album:The Essential Duke Ellington

This is part of my ongoing series Jazz for Beginners. My only criteria is to have a performance video and an album suitable for beginners. Of course it's impossible to cover Duke Ellington's entire career with one post. There are so many songs starting in the 20s. Satin Doll is one of his most popular songs. But it was written and recorded at a low point in his career. I'll get to that in a minute. Edward Kennedy Ellington was born Apr. 29, 1899 in Washington, DC. His parents both played piano. His mother started having him take piano lessons at age seven. Duke was a childhood nickname. As a teen, Ellington was interested in baseball. And then he got more interested in music by ragtime pianists like Eubie Blake. Washington pianist and bandleader Doc Perry taught Ellington to read music. And that's when he got serious. He just wasn't sure if music was a full time profession. Ellington studied commercial art. So he used that to get music gigs. He became successful locally. But when his drummer Sonny Greer was offered a job in New York, Ellington went with him. By 1926, Ellington signed with publisher Irving Mills and that's when Ellington started recording. He started working at the Cotton Club and got national exposure through their weekly radio show. And with the help of trumpeter Bubber Miley, Ellington's music got a harder edge. Miley died in 1932. Ellington was riding high for the next twenty years. But after WWII, most of the big bands faded and bebop was on the rise. Big bands were expensive to run. Count Basie ended his band but Ellington continued to tour. Guys started leaving the band. Ellington left Columbia and signed with Capitol in 1953. That's when Ellington wrote Satin Doll with Billy Strayhorn and it was released as a single. Capitol never released it on an album. Later, Johnny Mercer wrote lyrics for Satin Doll and Ella Fitzgerald sang it. That's when it became popular. Of course Ellington's career was revived after the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival and he returned to Columbia. You can get Satin Doll on this 2CD budget comp. This is from Sony so this version is  probably from the 1959 album Jazz Party. Ellington's career revival continued until his death on May 24, 1974 at age 75. I hope to look at other periods of Ellington's career in the future. Here's Duke Ellington performing Satin Doll 1962.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aldo Nova

Artist:Aldo Nova

Song:Fantasy

Album:The Best of Aldo Nova

Canadian rocker Aldo Nova had success with his 1982 debut album Aldo Nova and the top 30 single Fantasy. He is considered to be influential on the hard rock of the 80s. Then he went on to a very successful songwriting and production career. He was born Aldo Caporuscio Nov. 13, 1956 in Montreal. His parents were Italian immigrants. He was inspired by Jimi Hendrix to learn to play guitar at age 15. While playing local clubs, Aldo played George Harrison in a production of the musical Beatlemania and he worked as a recording engineer. He got a publishing deal and that led to a record deal with Columbia's Portrait label. At the time, Portrait was having success with Cyndi Lauper. Nova's debut album Aldo Nova was released in 1982. The single Fantasy reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Learning the inner workings of the recording studio certainly paid off because Nova wrote and produced the album and played all the instruments. He hired musicians for touring. Fantasy is thought of as a one hit wonder but a couple of his other songs charted so technically it is not a one hit wonder. Nova released three albums for Portrait. But he clashed with them over commercial expectations so he stopped recording for them. This budget comp covers the Portrait years. After Aldo wrote the guitar riff for the 1991 Jon Bon Jovi single Blaze of Glory, Bon Jovi agreed to release Nova's album Blood on the Bricks on his Jambco label with Mercury distribution. This is when Nova got into producing. He has been especially successful with Celine Dion. Nova won a Grammy for producing her 1996 album Falling into You. He has produced others but he has had his greatest success with Celine. Aldo still releases music on his own label, most recently in 2022. But I think most folks have only heard Fantasy. Here's the video for Fantasy by Aldo Nova.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gene Watson

Artist:Gene Watson

Song:Should I Go Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)

Album:18 Greatest Hits

Gene Watson scored a string of top ten country hits from 1975-85 on two different labels. Of course he faded after that. But he still tours and records for small labels. He was born Oct. 11, 1943 in Palestine, TX but he grew up in Paris, TX. Watson moved to Houston in 1963. He performed in clubs at night while working at an auto body shop during the day. He released a 1969 album produced by Cowboy Jack Clement for World Wide Records. Russ Reeder was one of the label owners and he started a new label Resco. The goal was to get Watson a major label record deal. When the 1975 single Bad Water charted nationally, Capitol signed Watson and the single Love in the Afternoon reached #3 on the Country Singles chart. This began a string of top ten country hits. The big advantage of getting on a major label in those days was getting access to Nashville songs and session musicians. Reeder produced all of Watson's albums. And he never produced anyone else. And Watson was not a songwriter. So they needed the Nashville machine. Should I Go Home (Or Should I Go Crazy) is from the 1979 album Should I Go Home. It reached #3 on the Country Singles chart. The song was written by Joe Allen who played bass on the album. The cream of Nashville session musicians led by pianist Hargus "Pig" Robbins played on the album. This comp which was sold on TV has all of Watson's Capitol hits. They are original recordings. Watson switched to MCA in 1981 no doubt for more money. He brought Reeder with him. They continued to have success including his 1981 #1 country hit Fourteen Carat Mind. Inevitably Watson faded in the late 80s. He recorded for Epic and Warner Bros. with little success. He even worked with legendary producer Billy Sherrill at Epic with little success. Watson continues to record and tour. He released his latest album in 2022 on his own label. Here's Gene Watson performing Should I Go Home (Or Should I Go Crazy) on a 1985 episode of the TV show Play It Again Nashville.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia vs Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne

Here's the match video of Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia vs Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne from last night's episode of NXT. The idea here is to give Stephanie and Giulia a warmup match before Sunday's Halloween Havoc match against Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade. And that's what the match was. Stephanie and Giulia looked great and they made their opponents look good too. Mission accomplished. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO SKY and Kairi Sane vs Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson

Here's the match video of IYO SKY and Kairi Sane vs Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson from last night's episode of NXT. Lash and Jakara have been getting in IYO and Kairi's business. So they decided to come to NXT and take care of business. They didn't quite do that because of Chelsea Green and Piper Niven interfering at the end of the match. But the match was good and IYO and Kairi made Lash and Jakara look good. IYO did slip on the ropes once. But it turned out fine. Considering their opponents are still green, I thought the match turned out well. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aerosmith

Artist:Aerosmith

Song:Angel

Album:The Essential Aerosmith

Most fans are familiar with Aerosmith's hits from the 70s on Columbia. They had a few hits but they were mostly were an album and touring band. They switched to Geffen in 1985. The 1988 single Angel was one of four top ten hits from that era. Aerosmith returned to Columbia in 1997. The late 70s decline of Aerosmith started with constant touring and drug abuse. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry became known as The Toxic Twins. Then backstage at the 1979 World Series of Rock festival in Cleveland, Tyler and Perry got into an argument over Perry's wife's behavior. That led to Perry leaving and starting his own band The Joe Perry Project. Needless to say, Columbia was not happy. Then guitarist Brad Whitford left in 1981 and joined The Joe Perry Project in 1984. Then Perry divorced his wife and reunited with Tyler. Drug abuse was still a problem. So Columbia didn't renew Aerosmith's contract. They signed with Geffen. They were still in a funk when they released the 1985 album Done with Mirrors. Aerosmith was still a popular touring act mostly for their 70s hits. No one was interested in the new stuff. Then Aerosmith got a big boost when Run DMC's 1986 cover of Walk This Way featuring Tyler and Perry reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This led to a real comeback starting with Tyler going to rehab. And that led to the success of the 1987 album Permanent Vacation. The album was certified 5XPlatinum. There were three hit singles. Angel reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tyler and Perry still wrote most of the songs. But Tyler was open to getting help with songwriting, something he resisted in the past. He wrote Angel and a couple of other songs with Desmond Child. The success continued with the 1989 album Pump. Then Aerosmith signed a new record deal with Columbia in 1991. But they still had three albums remaining on their Geffen deal. At the time, Sony was throwing a lot of money around. They had just signed Michael Jackson to a big deal. Geffen couldn't match it. They eventually worked things out and recorded for Columbia in 1997. This 2CD comp is the only one that has Columbia and Geffen hits. Here's the video for Angel by Aerosmith.

  

Big Bad Blog video Theater-IYO SKY and Kairi Sane vs Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez

 Here's the match video of IYO SKY and Kairi Sane vs Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez from last night's episode of RAW. The match was OK but this was more about the angle. IYO and Kairi are getting a little tired of all these girls getting in their business. Last week it was Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. They interfered again last night to set up tonight's NXT match. Be sure you watch that. And then Rhea Ripley came out and confronted Liv and Raquel and Dirty Dom made the save. And then later on IYO and Kairi complained to GM Adam Pearce and he promised to make it right. So we'll see what comes from that. But this was one of those times when the match didn't matter. BTW, IYO and Kairi won by DQ. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brittany Howard

Artist:Brittany Howard

Song:Stay High

Album:Jaime

Fans of the band Alabama Shakes will want to check out the 2019 debut solo album from that band's lead singer Brittany Howard. She's a major talent but I don't think she is a mainstream artist. I would say she is an album and touring act. She was born Oct. 2, 1988 in Athens, AL which is a suburb of Huntsville. Her father is black and her mother is white. The family lived in a junkyard which burned down after a lightning strike. She learned to write poetry and play piano from her older sister Jaime who died from the rare cancer of the eye retinoblastoma in 1998. Brittany suffered the same affliction and she is partially blind in one eye. After her parents separated, Brittany learned to play guitar and began to write songs. She met bassist Zac Cockrell in high school and they would form Alabama Shakes. Brittany was lead singer, lead guitarist and main songwriter. The band was very successful as an album and touring act from 2012 to 2018. They went on hiatus and Brittany released the 2019 album Jaime dedicated to her late sister. The album was on Alabama Shakes' label ATO. I don't think she signed a solo deal. The album was highly acclaimed and reached #13 on the Billboard 200. The single Stay High topped the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. Actor Terry Crews appears in the video. Stay High won a Grammy for Best Rock Song. Brittany wrote and produced and played all the instruments except for Zac Cockrell on bass and and jazz drummer Nate Smith. Robert Glasper appeared on a few tracks. The album is available on CD. For the 2023 album What Now, Brittany signed with Island Records. Again, she wrote and produced with Shawn Everett who had worked with Alabama Shakes. But the album did not do as well. And that's the problem with going to a larger label. Sales expectations are higher. And when they aren't met, Island will want her to compromise. Then what? I understand she's getting more money at Island. But she should have stayed at ATO as they know how to market her. We'll see how things go. I'm a big fan so I'll keep an eye on her. Here's the video for Stay High by Brittany Howard. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bobby Bloom

Artist:Bobby Bloom

Song:Montego Bay

Album:AM Gold: Early 70s Classics

Montego Bay was a top ten hit in 1970. It was the only big hit for singer songwriter Bobby Bloom. Some of his other songs charted so he was not a one hit wonder. He also had success as a songwriter. He was born Jan. 15, 1946 in New York City. He was a member of the early 60s doo wop group The Imaginations. After releasing a single on Kapp Records in 1965, Bloom became a staff songwriter for Buddah Records. Though he released a few singles, he mostly wrote songs for others. His biggest success was when he co-wrote the 1968 number one hit Mony Mony by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was around this time that Bloom started working with veteran songwriter Jeff Barry. At the time, Barry was working on The Archies and The Monkees. Bloom wrote songs with Barry for both. After Bloom wrote and sang a 1969 Pepsi jingle, he got a record deal with Polydor in England and released the 1970 album The Bobby Bloom Album. When Montego Bay became a hit in England, it was picked up in the US by L&R Records owned by jingle writer and singer Joey Levine and veteran songwriter Artie Resnick. Both guys worked on Kasenetz-Katz acts like 1910 Fruitgum Company. When Montego Bay reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, L&R couldn't handle the demand. So they sold Bloom's contract to MGM and closed the company. Bloom and Barry wrote and produced Montego Bay and they played all the instruments on the album. Is Montego Bay a precursor of the rise of reggae.? I don't think so. I think Barry and Bloom spent some time there and wrote it as a tribute to Jamaica. Bloom's 1971 album Where Are We Going didn't do nearly as well. And then he died on Feb. 28, 1974 at age 28 when he accidently shot himself while cleaning his gun. You can get Montego Bay on this Time Life various artists budget comp. Here's the video for Montego Bay by Bobby Bloom. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Melissa Martinez vs Alice Ardelean

Here's the fight video of Melissa Martinez vs Alice Ardelean from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Rayanne Amanda was Alice's original opponent. Melissa came in on short notice. She's 27 years old from Mexico City. She lost her UFC debut but she was 6-0 in Combate Americas. Alice is 32 years old from Romania. She trains with John Kavanagh in Ireland. She lost her UFC debut. Alice had a size advantage. But Melissa used her quickness to get the upper hand. Then she landed a body kick that should have ended the fight. But ref Keith Peterson was out of position and called it a low blow. They really need to use replay in that situation. Melissa should have gotten a finish. She won the fight easily. Round one was close but I scored it 30-27 for Melissa and so did all three judges. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Elise Reed vs Jessica Penne

Here's the fight video of Elise Reed vs Jessica Penne from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight was at Strawweight. Elise is 31 years old. She trains at Kickside Martial Arts in Princeton, NJ with coach John Kanabay. Her UFC record is 3-4. She was 4-0 in Cage Fury Fighting Championships. Sometimes that success doesn't transfer to the UFC. She hasn't looked good. Jessica is 41 years old. She trains with Angela Hill at Alliance in San Diego. She's 3-5 in the UFC and is on a two fight losing streak. She used to be a good fighter. But now she lacks quickness and even someone mediocre like Elise can beat her. Round one was close but Elise won rounds two and three easily. So I scored the fight 29-28 and so did the judges. Jessica has been around for a long time. She should retire. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joselyne Edwards vs Tamires Vidal

Here's the fight video of Joselyne Edwards vs Tamires Vidal from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Joselyne is 29 years old from Panama but she trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA. Her UFC record is 4-4 and she's on a two fight losing streak. Plus she missed weight for the third time. Tamires is 26 years old from Niterol, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She trains at Team Brothers. Her UFC record is 1-2 and she is also on a two fight losing streak. I don't think either fighter is very good and neither should be in the UFC. But they have to fill the prelims with something. As I expected, it was a terrible fight. But I thought Joselyne was winning until she won with a rear naked choke at 4:33 of round three. This was Joselyne's first ever UFC finish. I just think she should be released for missing weight three times. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Altar Boys

Artist:Altar Boys

Song:Forever Mercy

Album:The Collection

The Altar Boys started out in the early 80s as a punk influenced CCM band. By the time they released their 1989 album Forever Mercy, they were a standard hard rock band. I don't know if there has ever been a successful punk influenced CCM band which may explain why Altar Boys changed their sound and appearance. The Altar Boys were formed in 1982 in Los Angeles. The lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter was Mike Stand. Other members were Steve Pannier on guitar, Ric Alba on bass and Jeff Crandall on drums. As I said, they sounded like The Ramones and they had the punk sound when they released their first couple of albums. Then they signed with Degarmo & Key's Frontline label and they got Altar Boys to change to a more mainstream rock sound. For most of their run, Altar Boys wrote and produced themselves. Stand wrote most of the songs. For the 1989 album Forever Mercy, Frontline brought in Steve Griffith of the CCM band Vector to produce. Vector was also on Frontline. After they toured to support the album, Alba left Altar Boys and they went on an indefinite hiatus in 1992. You can get all their hits on this comp. Altar Boys have reunited a couple of times, most recently in 2018. It looks like Stand owns the Altar Boys recordings so that keeps him busy. Here's the video for Forever Mercy by Altar Boys. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jason Michael Carroll

Artist:Jason Michael Carroll

Song:Alyssa Lies

Album:Waitin' in the Country

The 2006 single Alyssa Lies was the biggest hit for country music singer songwriter Jason Michael Carroll. He has those hunky good looks and baritone voice that usually has record company executives seeing dollar signs. Think Josh Turner. So Carroll should have been a big star. So why did Arista Nashville drop him after two albums? He was born June 13, 1978 in Youngsville, NC. His dad was a minister who wouldn't allow secular music to be played in the house. So when he found a copy of Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart in Carroll's bedroom, he spanked him. In 2004, Carroll's mother encouraged him to enter the singing competition Gimme the Mic at WRAZ Fox 50 in Raleigh. After he won, Carroll moved to Nashville and signed a record deal with Arista Nashville. Alyssa Lies was his debut single in 2006. It reached #5 on the Country Singles chart. When the album Waitin' in the Country was released in 2007, it zoomed to the top of the Country Album chart and #8 on the Billboard 200. Carroll says it took him two years to write Alyssa Lies. The song is based on a true story of a girl who was a victim of child abuse. Carroll says writing this song gave him migraine headaches. Carroll's second single Livin' Our Love Song reached #6 on the Country Singles chart. So he was off to a good start. Both of Carroll's Arista albums were produced by Don Gehman who has worked with John Mellencamp among others. Carroll wrote Alyssa Lies solo and four other songs with co-writers. Jewel made a guest appearance. This album is available on CD. Carroll's 2009 album Growing Up Is Getting Old didn't do as well as the first album but it did OK. So it must have been a big shock when Arista literally handed Carroll a pink slip giving him his release in 2010. Carroll doesn't seem to know why he was released. But he still records on his own label and he still tours. His latest album was released in March. It's his first gospel album. I don't see Carroll charting again unless he lands on a major label. But he could do well in the gospel market with the right label. Here's the video for Alyssa Lies by Jason Michael Carroll.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Gothard Sisters

Artist:The Gothard Sisters

Song:Marching On

Album:Story Girl

Fans of Celtic music should enjoy The Gothard Sisters. They perform traditional and original songs and they tour across the US. They produce everything for their own label. They are not from Ireland. They are from Edmonds, WA. The oldest is Greta Gothard followed by Willow and Solana. They all took violin lessons as children. One day their mom brought home a video of the Broadway show Riverdance. After watching that, they decided to take Irish dance lessons. And they wanted to learn about Celtic music. The dancing is part of their act and all three have competed in the world championship of Irish dancing. They were spotted by a Nashville talent scout in 2007 and he became their agent. They learned to play other instruments like electric guitar, bodhran and mandolin. They sing in harmony. Solana is usually the lead singer. The Gothard Sisters were named Best New Artist at the 2013 Irish Music Awards. Since 2006, they have recorded for their own label. Marching On is from the 2011 album Story Girl. The album is half traditional songs and half original songs. Marching On is an original song. They self produce and arrange everything. This album was named Album of the Year by Celtic Radio. Greta produces all their YouTube videos and Willow makes all the costumes. The album is available as a digital download. They released the album A Celtic Christmas last year. I assume that The Gothard Sisters could get a record deal or a PBS deal if they wanted. But I guess they like to do everything themselves. Here's the video for Marching On by The Gothard Sisters. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ferlin Husky

Artist:Ferlin Husky

Song:Gone

Album:Capitol Collectors Series

The 1957 single Gone topped the country charts and was a top ten pop hit. It was Ferlin Husky's biggest hit and an early example of the mix of country and pop that became known as Countrypolitan in the 60s. He was born Dec. 3, 1925 in Cantwell, MO. He grew up on a farm. An uncle taught him to play guitar. After dropping out of high school, Husky moved to St. Louis and worked as a truck driver and steel mill worker while playing honky tonks at night. During WWII, Husky was a US Merchant Marine and he entertained on the ship. This is when he created his Simon Crum comedy character based on one of his neighbors in Missouri. After WWII, Husky worked as a DJ in Missouri and then in Bakersfield while working on the Simon Crum character. He took the stage name Terry Preston after actor Smiley Burnette told him the name Ferlin Husky wouldn't work on a marquee. He recorded several singles as Terry Preston for 4 Star Records. These were in the Honky Tonk style. After he signed with Capitol in 1953, he continued to record as Preston including his original version of Gone. After returning to his real name, Husky's 1953 duet with Jean Shepherd A Dear John Letter topped the country charts and was a top five pop hit. And that's when Husky started to have success. Capitol Nashville A&R head Ken Nelson decided that with his soaring vocals, Husky could not only top the country charts but could cross over to pop. And that led to the 1957 re-recording of Gone. It topped the Country Singles chart and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gone was written by Smokey Rogers who was in Spade Cooley's band in the 40s. The background vocals were by The Jordanaires and by Millie Kirkham who also sang on Elvis Presley's Blue Christmas. She was a career background singer. The song was such a big hit that Husky appeared on several network TV shows including The Ed Sullivan Show. Husky also topped the country charts with the 1960 single The Wings of a Dove. Husky didn't have the same success in the 60s because Countrypolitain was a crowded field by then. You can get Gone on this budget comp. Husky left Capitol for ABC in 1972. But he started having health problems. He had heart surgery in 1977. He continued to perform but the heart problems continued until his death on Mar. 17, 2011 at age 85. Here's Ferlin Husky performing Gone on the Grand Ole Opry TV show.

  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Julieta Martinez vs Leslie Hernandez

Here's the fight video of Julieta Martinez vs Leslie Hernandez from last night's episode of Dana White Contenders Series (DWCS) in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Julieta is 20 years old from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dominick Cruz is her coach. She has a 7-0 record. Leslie is 26 years old. She was born in Mexico but she grew up in Phoenix and trains at MMA Lab. Her record is 4-2 in LFA. Leslie had a big size advantage and she used it to win round one. But Julieta came back and won the second and third round. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Julieta. Two judges scored it the same. But the third judge scored round three for Leslie. So Julieta won by split decision. I thought she looked good enough to get a UFC contract. But Dana White thought Julieta was too young and probably too small. He also talked about possibly starting an Atomweight division which he should have done several years ago instead of a Featherweight division. So the obvious question is why was Julieta at DWCS in the first place if he wasn't going to give her a contract regardless. It's ridiculous. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lewis Del Mar

Artist:Lewis Del Mar

Song:Loud(y)

Album:Lewis Del Mar

The 2015 single Loud(y) was the only notable hit for Lewis Del Mar. The song charted but it was mostly a viral hit. First of all, Lewis Del Mar is not a solo act. It's a duo that started in Washington, DC. Singer guitarist Danny Miller and drummer and producer Max Harwood were classmates who moved to Rockaway Beach, NY and decided to call themselves Lewis Del Mar. Their fathers are both named Lewis. After the 2015 single Loud(y) topped the music blog aggregator Hype Machine, Lewis Del Mar got a record deal with Columbia and released a 2016 EP. Loud(y) reached #22 on the Alternative Rock chart. The album was released Oct. 2016. It was critically acclaimed and Lewis Del Mar appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden and Conan. They went on tour and played the festival circuit. It turned out to be their only album for Columbia. The album is available as a budget CD. I couldn't find a reason why they left Columbia. But my guess is Columbia was disappointed with the album sales and wanted a more commercial sound with outside producers. Miller and Harwood wrote and produced themselves. They signed with the indie label Fader for the 2020 album AUGUST. There is not pressure for commercial success from a smaller label. Lewis Del Mar has since gone on hiatus and Miller has moved to Los Angeles and recently released the album Disintegration produced by John Hallenbeck (HAIM). He is still recording for Fader. Here's the video for Loud(y) by Lewis Del Mar. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs Kairi Sane and IYO SKY

Here's the match video of Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships against Kairi Sane and IYO SKY. This was taped last week because the WWE is on a European tour this week. So if you saw the spoiler, the match is worth watching so you get the proper context. And that is that Bianca and Jade appeared on last week's NXT. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson challenged them to a match which they lost on Friday's Smackdown. So they were in the audience at last night's RAW and they were involved in the ending. The match was fine and competitive until the finish. It went to the floor. Lash and Jakara were jawing with Bianca and Jade. IYO approached Lash and Jakara and Lash nailed IYO with a forearm and that led to Bianca pinning IYO. The problem was I think Lash missed. But IYO sold it anyway like she was supposed to. So yeah, the ending was lame. So I'm sure we will see a rematch in the near future. Meanwhile, Kairi and IYO will go to NXT and beat Lash and Jakara while everyone else goes to Saudi Arabia. IYO didn't go to Saudi Arabia last time either so maybe she doesn't want to go. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Renzo Arbore

Artist:Renzo Arbore e i suoi Swing Maniacs

Song:Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo

Album:Renzo Swing!

Renzo Arbore is a popular Italian TV show host who decided to be a jazz musician in the 90s. His albums are popular in Italy but I don't think his music is very good. He was born Lorenzo Giovanni Arbore June 24, 1937 in Foggia, Italy which is in Southern Italy. Renzo is his nickname. After graduating from high school, Arbore moved to Naples where he earned a law degree. Then he got into radio, first as a programmer then as a show host. And that led to Arbore hosting Speciale per Voi, Italy's very first TV talk show. And that and other shows made him a big star. Then he got into movies and directed and starred with Roberto Benigni in the 1980 film Il Pap'occhio. Then Arbore got into music first as a singer and clarinetist for Orchestra Italiano. His albums sold well mostly because he was already famous. These were not jazz albums. But Arbore signed a new deal with WEA Italy in the early 90s and decided to record Swing. He got some international notice by playing jazz festivals and places like Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden. Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo (Mamma, I Love the Rhythm) is from his 2002 album Renzo Swing!. This was Arbore's first album with his new band Swing Maniacs. It's mostly 40s influenced swing. Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo was written and recorded by Natalino Otto in 1948. Arbore continues to do that today. I don't think Arbore can sing or play piano very well. And the music is not jazz. But he's very popular with an older audience in Italy and they eat this stuff up. Here's Renzo Arbore performing Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo on Italian TV. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ruth La'Ontra

Artist:Ruth La'Ontra

Song:Kingdom

Album:I Got You

Fans of contemporary gospel are going to want to check out Ruth La'Ontra. Her 2017 album I Got You did well on the gospel charts. She was born Ruth La'Ontra Jones July 22, 1992 in Pinehurst, NC but she grew up in the nearby town of Aberdeen. Her father is Bishop Arvetra Jones Jr. of Come As You Are Evangelistic Center in Aberdeen. So she's a PK and she grew up singing in church. When Ruth decided to pursue a music career, she dropped her last name and released an EP. That got her a record deal with Tyscot Records owned by Dr. Leonard Scott. She has released two albums and both have done well on the gospel charts. Kingdom is from the 2017 album I Got You. The album was written and produced by Anthony Brown and Justin Savage. Brown leads the group Group TherAPy. They also record for Tyscot. This album is available as a budget CD. Ruth hasn't recorded since then. Brown also hasn't recorded since 2017. Ruth still performs live. I sure would like to see someone like RCA Inspiration pick her up. Here's the video for Kingdom by Ruth La'Ontra.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Julia Polastri vs Cory McKenna

Here's the fight video of Julia Polastri vs Cory McKenna from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Polyana Viana was Cory's original opponent. Julia was brought in on short notice. Julia is 26 years old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her coach is Douglas Bastos at CWB Fighter. She came from Contenders Series and lost her UFC debut. Cory is 25 years old from Wales. She trains with Danny Castillo at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. She also came from Contenders Series. She was highly touted but she's 3-2 in the UFC. So she needs a win here. But Julia seems much stronger in round one. She get Cory in the clinch and scores a lot with knees and elbows. She is also landing at a distance. Cory can't seem to get close enough to get a takedown. Danny Castillo is yelling at Cory to stay out of the clinch. By the time she gets a takedown in round three, it's too late. Julia won the first two rounds and Cory needs a finish. I scored the fight 29-28 for Julia but 30-27 would be OK as round three was close and it didn't matter. One judge scored the fight 30-27 for Julia. The second scored it 29-28 for Julia. But Sal D'Amato scored round two for Cory and scored it 29-28 in her favor. So Julia won by split decision. Cory just didn't look good in this fight. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stardust

Artist:Stardust

Song:Music Sounds Better with You

Album:Cream Anthems

The 1998 single Music Sounds Better with You was a worldwide dance hit and a top five hit in England. It was the only song recorded by Stardust. It's pretty catchy so if you are into this kind of music, you may already know about it. French DJ Alan Braxe and singer Benjamin Diamond were friends in boarding school. Braxe was really into late 80s house music. Braxe gave a demo to Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and he released it on his label Roule in 1997. The three performed together at The Rex Club in Paris. During rehearsal, they needed a track to complete the set and they wrote Music Sounds Better with You. It's based on a sample of the 1981 Chaka Khan song Fate. After the show, they went to Bangalter's studio and recorded it using electronic keyboards. Diamond didn't like his own vocals but Bangalter and Braxe thought they were fine. I don't like his vocals either but it didn't matter. If people like the beat, they will like the song. Bangalter released the record on his own label. After BBC 1 DJ Pete Tong played it, Bangalter got Virgin Records to release it. And that's when Music Sounds Better with You really took off. It reached #2 on the British Singles chart and topped Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. You can get it on this 2CD budget comp of remixes. The problem was Bangalter didn't like the attention that success brought. He prefers anonymity. So when Virgin offered him $3M to record an album, he ultimately declined. Braxe says he likes the mystique on only releasing one song. Of course Bangalter returned to Daft Punk and they were successful. Now we know why they wear disguises. Braxe returned to doing remixes which he still does today. Diamond released the 2000 album Strange Attitude on Epic. It was unsuccessful. Here's the video for Music Sounds Better with You by Stardust.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nate Smith

Artist:Nate Smith

Song:World on Fire

Album:Nate Smith: Deluxe

Nate Smith started out as a CCM singer songwriter. When that didn't work out, he returned to Nashville and he had success as a country singer with the 2023 album Nate Smith. World on Fire is his biggest hit to date. He was born Sept. 19,1985 in Paradise, CA. This is in the Sierra Nevada foothills. He learned to play guitar as a teen and sang in church and became a worship leader. Smith moved to Nashville and signed with Word Records and a publishing deal with Centricity. The record deal didn't work out. He never recorded for Word. Eventually Smith returned home and the 2018 Butte County Camp Fire burned down his home. His song One of These Days was picked up by local media. There was enough interest that Smith returned to Nashville. When Smith's next single Wildfire went viral on TikTok, Sony Music Nashville signed Smith and assigned him to Arista Nashville. After three singles were released, the 2023 album Nate Smith was released. Most of the album was produced by Lindsay Rimes who has also worked with Kane Brown and Dylan Scott. The other producer was Joel Bruyere of the CCM band Thousand Foot Krutch. World on Fire was the highest charting of three chart singles. It reached #6 on the Country Singles chart and #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. Smith wrote most of the songs on the album with co-writers. Smith wrote World on Fire with Rimes, Ashley Gorley and Taylor Phillips. Phillips is a volunteer firefighter and he came up with the title. Inspired by the wildfire that burned his house down, Smith wrote the lyrics. Rimes brought in top songwriter Gorley to polish it up. By the time the song was recorded, the master tracks for the album had already been submitted to Sony. World on Fire was released as a single. After it was a hit, Sony decided to release a deluxe edition of Nate Smith with a different cover. World on Fire is on a bonus CD with five other tracks. After Sony closed Arista Nashville, Smith was moved to RCA Nashville for the 2024 album California Gold. The album hasn't done nearly as well which is not unusual when an artist is moved to a different label within the company. RCA just doesn't have the same commitment to Smith or promotion budget. So it remains to be seen if Smith will have long term success. I don't think he's distinctive enough. He still writes songs. And he could be a big deal in CCM. He might prefer that. Here's the video for World on Fire by Nate Smith. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jack Nitzsche

Artist:Jack Nitzsche

Song:The Lonely Surfer

Album:Teen Beat Vol. 5

Jack Nitzsche was a jack of all trades of the Los Angeles studio scene and a member of The Wrecking Crew studio musician collective. He rarely recorded as a leader but he scored a top 40 hit with the 1963 instrumental single The Lonely Surfer. Later he got into composing film music and he won an Oscar. He was born Apr. 22, 1937 in Chicago but he grew up on a farm in Newaygo, MI. His parents were German immigrants. Nitzsche moved to Los Angeles in 1955 looking to get into jazz. Specialty Records A&R exec Sonny Bono hired Nitzsche as a music copyist. He worked for Capitol Records when he wrote Bongo Bongo Bongo for Preston Epps. He was an arranger and conductor for Phil Spector and he worked on all of Spector's hits. And of course he worked with The Wrecking Crew. Meanwhile, Nitzsche and Bono wrote the song Needles and Pins for Jackie DeShannon. The Searchers scored a big hit with that. It looks like Spector got Nitzsche a record deal with Reprise recording instrumentals. Spector wrote the liner notes for the 1963 album The Lonely Surfer. The album was mostly movie themes. But Nitzsche and his producer buddy Marty Cooper wrote The Lonely Surfer and it reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's considered today to be an instrumental classic and you can get it on this all instrumental various artists CD from Ace Records. Jimmy Bowen produced the album. Johnny Vidor provided the strings. He usually worked with Spector. Musicians included Don Randi and Leon Russell on piano, Bill Pitman, Ray Pohlman and Tommy Tedesco on guitar, David Gates of Bread on bass and Hal Blaine on drums. All are Wrecking Crew members. Nitzsche only recorded two albums for Reprise. While working on the 1964 TV special The T.A.M.I. Show, Nitzsche met The Rolling Stones and played piano on several of their albums. He also brought in slide guitarist Ry Cooder. After working with Buffalo Springfield, Nitzsche joined Neil Young's band after they split up. He was in Young's band until he left in 1974 after substance abuse problems. Then Nitzsche got into films and was nominated for an Oscar for the score of the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He won an Oscar for writing the song Up Where We Belong with Will Jennings and Buffy Sainte-Marie for the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. He and Buffy were married from 1982-89. Nitzsche continued to have drinking problems and even appeared on an episode of COPS brandishing a gun. He suffered a stroke in 1998 and died on Aug. 25, 2000 at age 63. Here's a video for The Lonely Surfer by Jack Nitzsche.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dead Celebrity Status

Artist:Dead Celebrity Status

Song:We Fall, We Fall

Album:Blood Music

This Canadian rap duo got some notoriety when the 2004 single We Fall, We Fall had negative commentary about the music business. I'm sure that and the ridiculous group name prevented them from being successful. But there is a video for We Fall, We Fall. So my guess is folks saw the video and thought maybe it was The Beastie Boys or another white rap duo. And then they didn't follow up the album in a timely way. The beginnings of Dead Celebrity Status (DCS) was with the late 80s duo Project Wyze. Yas Taalat and Bobby McIntosh were high school classmates in Sudbury, ON. For those who aren't Canadian, that's in northern Ontario. They started out in local clubs including opening for Public Enemy. After graduating high school, the two moved to London, ON. They joined a punk band and signed with Sony Canada. After a couple of albums, Project Wyze split up in 2002 due to internal conflicts. They moved to Toronto and met Ryan "DJ Dopey" Santiago. He was the 2003 DMC Champion DJ. They decided to work together and called themselves Dead Celebrity Status. I can't overemphasize what an awful name that is. Radio station programmers would see the name and not listen to it and they need Canadian content. The other key figure was Los Angeles DJ and producer Danny Saber. He produced the 2004 album Blood Music and also got guest musicians to appear on the album. They did a video for We Fall, We Fall and it was played on MuchMusic. Plus Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction appeared on the song. So that got them some attention. McIntosh and Saber and Jeff Dalziel of the band Briton wrote We Fall, We Fall and most of the other songs. The album was on the Vancouver based label Her Royal Majesty's Records owned by Canadian singer Bif Naked. She appeared on the album. So did Joss Stone. They licensed it in the rest of the world to Bodog Music. Anyone familiar with the fight or gambling business knows about Bodog. Until now, I was not aware that they had a record label. They were only around for a couple of years. The album is available as a budget CD. Obviously DCS could have done better on a larger label. But that name had to be a big problem. They went on tour. But they didn't release a second album until 2013 on their own label. By that time, they were forgotten. It doesn't appear that any of them are still in the music business. But Taalat has been writing and producing the occasional film. Here's the video for We Fall, We Fall by Dead Celebrity Status.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Idle Cure

Artist:Idle Cure

Song:Breakaway

Album:Idle Cure

The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music described Idle Cure as "the best example of cloning a sound for Christian markets". Their 1986 debut album was compared to Def Leppard's Pyromania. I wrote about a band like this a few days ago called Jars of Clay that did the same thing. Idle Cure wasn't as successful. Lead singer and bassist Steve Shannon and guitarist Mark Ambrose were in the band Sojourn in 1979. They left that band and formed Eden with guitarist Chuck King. They released the 1983 single Break Out of the Night on Maranatha Music. The song was written by Sojourn leader Roger Charles and recorded at a studio owned by John Elefante of Kansas who has a long history of producing CCM artists. Shannon, Ambrose and King started a new band Idle Cure and signed with the new CCM label Forefront Records. This label was owned by CCM artists DeGarmo and Key and distributed by Benson. At the time, some wanted CCM to cross over to mainstream. So some bands would be made to sound like mainstream bands. Forefront was a main label to do this. Breakaway was the debut single from Idle Cure self titled 1986 album. If I didn't already know they were CCM, I wouldn't have thought that they were any different from bands like Def Leppard. The album was produced by Benson A&R director Bill Baumgart. Keyboardist Pete Lomakin was added to the band. Dave Spurr was the drummer. Most of the songs were written by Idle Cure. This album is available on CD. Idle Cure recorded four albums from 1986-91. King left after the first album and Idle Cure never had a permanent drummer. They recorded a 1994 album for a different label. After King left Idle Cure, he joined the CCM band Shout. From what I can tell, Idle Cure had success in the Christian market but never crossed over to mainstream. And I think that was the goal. So I guess they weren't successful. Here's the video for Breakaway by Idle Cure.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Little Steven

Artist:Little Steven

Song:No More Party's

Album:Greatest Hits

Steven Van Zandt is best known as long time guitarist for his old buddy Bruce Springsteen and for playing Silvio Dante in the HBO series The Sopranos. He recorded as Little Steven in the 80s and had modest success as an album artist. He hasn't recorded as much in recent years as he still tours with Springsteen. He was born Steven Lento Nov. 22, 1950 in Winthrop, MA and he grew up in Watertown, MA. His grandparents were Italian immigrants. When his mother remarried in 1957, he took his stepfather's name Van Zandt. Actor Billy Van Zandt is his half brother. The family moved to Middletown Township, NJ. He got interested in music after watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. He has always acknowledged the British Invasion as his biggest influence. While in high school, he was in a car crash and his head went through the windshield. That's when he started wearing his trademark bandana. He became friends with Springsteen on the New Jersey music scene but he was not in the early version of the E Street Band. Instead he formed Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and recorded several albums for Epic. By that time, he had joined the Springsteen band and led the Asbury Jukes when they weren't touring. Van Zandt wrote and produced all of the Asbury Jukes music. He was in the Springsteen band periodically while attempting to establish his career with the Asbury Jukes. He's been a regular member of the E Street Band since 1999. When the 1974 Southside Johnny debut album I Don't Want to Go Home and the title song got positive reviews, It looked like Van Zandt might be successful. But when subsequent albums didn't do well, Epic dropped him. Splitting his time between the band and Springsteen didn't help. After Van Zandt produced the successful 1981 Gary U.S. Bonds album Dedication, EMI America signed him as Little Steven. He called his band The Disciples of Soul. He recorded three albums for EMI. No More Party's is from the 1987 album Freedom-No Compromise. Van Zandt wrote and produced. That was his final album for EMI. They released this comp in 1989 and it's available as a budget CD. The 1989 album Revolution was released on RCA. He hasn't recorded much in recent years though he did reform the Disciples of Soul and released a couple of albums on his own label. Meanwhile, he continued to perform with Springsteen. He is also known for playing Silvio Dante on the HBO series The Sopranos from 1999-2007. He has hosted his own radio show since 2002 and he's a program director for Sirius XM. Van Zandt has been in Springsteen's shadow for his entire career. So it was always going to be tough for a solo career to be successful. Here's the video for No More Party's by Little Steven. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ian Gillan

Artist:Ian Gillan

Song:Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)

Album:Jesus Christ Superstar

Ian Gillan is best known as lead singer of Deep Purple and then leader of his own band. But he also played Jesus Christ on the original 1970 recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm sure most of you are familiar with either the film or stage version of Jesus Christ Superstar. But when Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber couldn't get financing for a stage production, they decided to record it as a concept album. Gillan was already in Deep Purple when Rice saw him perform the song Child in Time and offered him the role of Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar. Others in the cast included Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and Barry Dennen who all appeared in the stage and film versions. The recording session only took three hours so Gillan didn't think it was a big deal. But when the album was successful and was turned into a stage production and ultimately a film, Gillan demanded a ridiculous amount of money because he didn't want to leave Deep Purple. He did this without talking to his manager who probably would have asked him if he wanted to be a big movie star. So I don't think he wanted to do it. Ted Neeley was cast as Jesus Christ in first the stage production and most notably in the 1973 film. This would turn out to be Neeley's best known role in his career. He was never a big star. So maybe Gillan's instincts were correct and remaining in Deep Purple was a better career move for him as he has had a long music career. The Jesus Christ Superstar album is available on 2CDs. Here's the video for Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) by Ian Gillan.

  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tecia Pennington vs Carla Esparza

Here's the fight video of Tecia Pennington vs Carla Esparza from last night's UFC show in Salt Lake City. This fight is at Strawweight. Of course the big story is this is Carla's retirement fight. She is a two time Strawweight Champion. But after losing to Zhang Weili in Nov. 2022, she had a baby and decided to retire. It's likely she is going into the UFC Hall Of Fame. Tecia is an appropriate opponent as they are about the same age. She's been in the UFC for a long time too. Tecia is still in great shape. But she's a limited fighter. She's a striker with no ground game. And she doesn't punch hard enough to finish fights. Tecia was complaining this week about losing close fights. The answer is she is a points fighter. And that's a double edged sword. This fight was typical. It was very close. I thought Tecia won 29-28. Two of the three judges scored it the same. The third scored it 30-27 for Tecia. That was a local judge. The fight was forgettable. But at least Carla got a nice video package in her post fight interview. Her son is cute too. Here's to a happy retirement. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Iasmin Lucindo vs Marina Rodriguez

Here's the fight video of Iasmin Lucindo vs Marina Rodriguez from last night's UFC show in Salt Lake City. This fight is at Strawweight. Iasmin is 22 years old from Fortaleza, Brazil. She trains at Academia Fight House. Virna Jandiroba is a teammate. She's 3-1 in the UFC. She has looked pretty good so far. But Marina is a ranked opponent. She's 37 years old. She trains with Marcio Malko at Thai Brasil in Florianopolis, Brazil. All the fighters from that gym are kickboxers. Marina is 7-4-2 in the UFC. She has had opportunities to get to the title. But her limitations have hurt her. I thought it was a close fight. But I though Marina won round one and Iasmin won the other two rounds. So I scored it 29-28 for Iasmin. The judges gave it to Iasmin by split decision. But I think it was a close fight and judges don't have to agree. I expect Iasmin to be ranked. Enjoy the video!