AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jung Joc

Artist:Jung Joc f/Nitti

Song:It's Goin' Down

Album:Norbit: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Jasiel "Yung Joc" Robinson scored a top five hit with the 2006 single It's Goin' Down. Some of his other songs charted so he is not a one hit wonder. I don't think the song is particularly memorable but I'm not a rap fan. He was born Sept. 20, 1980 in Atlanta. His father owned a hair care products company and got his teenage son to write and produce a jingle for Revlon. That's when Robinson decided to be a rapper. Atlanta is a rap hotbed. And OutKast was an influence. But when T.I. came on the scene, Robinson decided to pattern himself after him. He started his own company and recorded It's Goin' Down with producer Nitti Beatz. Block Entertainment owner Russell Spencer got Robinson a record deal with Bad Boy South and Warner Bros. It's Goin' Down reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Why was it a hit? My guess is listeners thought it was T.I. Soundalike hits are very common. But the problem with soundalike hits is it doesn't lead to long term success. The follow up single I Know You See It reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album was certified Gold. You can get It's Goin' Down on this soundtrack for the 2007 Eddie Murphy film Norbit which is available as a budget CD. The other place you might have heard Robinson was on T-Pain's 2007 single Buy U a Drink. His 2007 album Hustlenomics didn't do nearly as well. Robinson started his own label Swagg Team and signed with J Records. He recorded an album. But then J Records was closed and Robinson was moved to RCA. The album was never released. After that he did reality shows like Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. In 2020, he was filmed driving for a rideshare company which made folks think he had fallen on hard times. Robinson claimed he was volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters. But Jasiel "Yung Joc" Robinson simply wasn't distinctive enough to have long term success. Sounding like other guys leads to being a one hit wonder. Here's the video for It's Goin' Down by Yung Joc featuring Nitti.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kruger Brothers

Artist:Kruger Brothers

Song:Choices

Album:Best of the Kruger Brothers

Fans of bluegrass and folk are going to want to check out the Kruger Brothers. You may not have heard of them because they record for their own label as opposed to one of the bluegrass labels like Sugar Hill. Uwe and Jens Kruger were born in Switzerland. Uwe plays guitar and sings. Jens plays banjo. They started playing folk music at an early age influenced by Doc Watson, Flatt & Scruggs and Bill Monroe. After busking across Europe, they got a radio show on SRG SSR which is the Swiss public broadcaster. And that's where they met American Joel Landsberg who plays bass. And they have been together since 1995. Before they teamed up, Jens Kruger was in Bluegrass Family and Uwe Kruger was in Clover Leaf. Both were in Appalachian Barn Orchestra. They now live in Chapel Hill, NC and tour the folk festival circuit and record for their own label. Choices is from the 2004 album Choices. Though they occasionally perform bluegrass standards, the Kruger Brothers write and produce most of their own songs. This comp is a good intro to their music. Apparently the late Doc Watson was a big fan. The Kruger Brothers recorded a Doc Watson tribute album in 2013. Happy Traum has also expressed his admiration for them. When the Kruger Brothers played on Late Night with David Letterman in 2013, Steve Martin played with them. So even if you haven't heard of the Kruger Brothers, those guys have and they like what they hear. The Kruger Brothers released their latest album in 2021. They will be playing folk festivals this summer. So check them out if they are coming your way. Here's the Kruger Brothers performing Choices in Ashburn, VA. June 2008. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chris Rice

Artist:Chris Rice

Song:The Other Side of the Radio

Album:Short Term Memories

CCM singer Chris Rice had success as a songwriter before he got a record deal in the late 90s. After some success on the Christian charts, he went on hiatus in 2007. His attempts to return haven't been successful. He was born June 11, 1962 in Clinton, MD. His parents owned a Christian bookstore. He took piano lessons but he wasn't looking for a career in music though he was a youth group leader. After attending college and earning a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Communications, he got back into leading youth groups on a full time basis. He moved from his home in Washington, DC to Nashville to get into the music business. Some of his songs were recorded by artists like Kathy Troccoli. After the Christmas song Welcome to Our World was recorded by Amy Grant, John Tesh and Michael W. Smith, Smith offered Rice a record deal on his new label Rocketown. Rice recorded four albums for Rocketown all produced by Monroe Jones who had produced Third Day. The Other Side of the Radio is from is the 2003 album Run the Earth...Watch the Sky. This was Rice's final album for Rocketown. He didn't fit into the label's demographic. This comp was released after that. Rice recorded three albums for Jones' label Ebb + Flow with INO/Sony distribution. Then he went on hiatus. He returned in 2019 with the duo Ripp+Rice with Andrew Ripp. Then in 2020, there were sexual assault allegations from 1995-2003 when Rice was a youth worship leader at Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, KY. The church hired the non profit GRACE to investigate and they found that the allegations were credible. That should end his music career. Here's the video for The Other Side of the Radio by Chris Rice.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rachael Lampa

Artist:Rachael Lampa

Song:Live for You

Album:Blessed: The Best of Rachael Lampa

Rachael Lampa was fifteen years old when she topped the Christian charts with the 2000 album Live for You. She probably should have crossed over to pop but she never did. Maybe she didn't want to. These days she is mostly a background singer. She was born Jan. 8, 1985 in Ann Arbor, MI But she grew up in Louisville, CO which is near Boulder. She started singing as a child and was good enough to appear at special events across Colorado. At age 14, she attended the Music in the Rockies Christian music conference in Estes Park, CO when Word Records producer Brent Bourgeois discovered her and signed her to a record deal. Bourgeois and Amy Grant's producer Brown Bannister produced the 2000 album Live for You. Three singles including Live for You topped the Christian Singles chart. Chris Eaton and Chris Rodriguez wrote Live for You. They played on the album. Bourgeois wrote several songs on the album. Rachael appeared on The Tonight Show and The View. She recorded a song with Aaron Neville. Her 2002 album Kaleidoscope also did well. Bourgeois and Bannister produced again. But she wanted to write her own songs. So she got to do that on the 2004 album Rachael Lampa. Tommy Sims produced and wrote several of the songs with Rachael. But the album didn't do as well and she left Word. They released this budget comp. Since then she has done background singing in Nashville studios. Rachael has toured with Hozier since 2015. She is married with two sons. She still releases occasional singles. But her time is past. She was fine until she insisted on writing her own songs. Here's the video for Live for You by Rachael Lampa.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nora Cornolle vs Hailey Cowan

Here's the fight video of Nora Cornolle vs Hailey Cowan from last night's UFC show in Miami. This fight was supposed to be at Bantamweight but Nora missed weight so it was fought at a 137lb. Catchweight. It's the second time Nora has missed weight. Nora is 35 years old from Epinay Sur Seine, France. Her UFC record is 2-1. She is a former Muay Thai champ. Hailey is 33 years old from Waco, TX. She trains at Blitz Sport MMA coached by Jake Brennan. Her UFC record is 0-1. She has had several fights cancelled due to health problems. I recall seeing her on DWCS in 2022. Though she won the fight by split decision, I don't think she deserved a UFC contract. I guess they liked her looks. In round one, Nora goes for a takedown but ends up in bottom position. She almost gets an armbar from bottom position. Hailey did nothing in top position so I scored the round 10-9 for Nora. Nora turned the tables in round 2 and won with a rear naked choke at 1:52 of round two. Nora better make weight next time. And Hailey doesn't belong in the UFC. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Virna Jandiroba vs Yan Xiaonan

 Here's the fight video of Virna Jandiroba vs Yan Xiaonan from last night's UFC show in Miami. This fight is at Strawweight. Virna is 36 years old from Bahia, Brazil. She trains at Academia Fight House. Her UFC record is 7-3 and she's on a three fight winning streak. I think she has improved in the last couple of years. She's more aggressive. Yan is 35 years old from China. She trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento with Uriah Faber and Danny Castillo. Her UFC record is 9-3 and one of those losses was a failed title shot. The winner of this fight gets the next title shot. Virna won the fight convincingly. She wasn't able to get a finish but she was in control for all three rounds. So I scored the fight 30-27 for Virna and so did all three judges. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Digital Underground

Artist:Digital Underground

Song:The Humpty Dance

Album:No Nose Job: The Legend of Digital Underground

The 1990 single The Humpty Dance was the only big hit for the rap group Digital Underground. One of their other songs charted so they are not a one hit wonder. The leader of Digital Underground was Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs. He was born Aug. 25, 1963 in New York City but he grew up in Tampa, FL. Jacobs started out playing drums. But when hip hop started, he turned his drums in for turntables. His first group was called Master Blasters. He DJd for a while and then travelled around the US. He decided to return to Tampa and learn to play piano at Hillsborough Community College. While there, he started working with DJ Kenneth "Kenny K" Waters and they worked in several groups. After Jacobs got married, he and Waters moved to Oakland, CA and they formed Digital Underground with Jimi "Chopmaster J" Dright. Jacobs' main influence was Parliament/Funkadelic. He called Digital Underground's music Rackadelic. After releasing singles on a small label, Digital Underground signed with Tommy Boy in 1989. At first, Jacobs wanted to record politically charged music. After Public Enemy and N.W.A. became popular, he decided to use humor to sell his music. And that's when he started wearing a false nose and glasses on stage and started calling himself Humpty Hump. It worked because The Humpty Dance reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album Sex Packets was certified Platinum. It's considered to be one of the better rap albums of the era. The Humpty Dance has been sampled plenty of times. Digital Underground toured a lot and their albums sold OK. But radio just refused to play them. This was not unusual for rapper. This comp is a good intro to Digital Underground's music. They recorded four albums for Tommy Boy. Jacobs recorded a couple of solo albums and had success as a producer. The sampling of Humpty Dance generated plenty of money. Jacobs died from an accidental drug overdose on Apr. 22, 2021 at age 57. Here's the video for The Humpty Dance by Digital Underground.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jason Danieley

Artist:Jason Danieley

Song:I Miss the Music

Album:Curtains: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Actor Jason Danieley is mainly a Broadway performer. But he also appears in New York City clubs and makes guest appearances with regional symphony orchestras. He's not a big star but he has appeared in a few musicals that did well like Curtains. He was born July 13, 1971 in St. Louis. After classical voice training at the University of Missouri and Southern Illinois University, Danieley moved to New York. After a couple of off Broadway shows, he made his Broadway debut in the 1997 revival of the musical Candide. Then he appeared for almost two years in the musical adaptation of the film The Full Monty. Then he was cast in the 2007 musical Curtains. It's a send up of backstage murder mystery plots. It was the final musical written by Fred Ebb. He usually wrote musicals like Cabaret with John Kander. Charade screenwriter Peter Stone wrote the book. Stone died in 2003 and Ebb died in 2004. Rupert Holmes was brought in to do rewrites. Curtains premiered in Los Angeles July 2006 and then it was moved to Broadway and premiered in Mar. 2007. It was directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Rob Ashford. Most of the Los Angeles cast led by Frasier's David Hyde Pierce was brought to Broadway. the co-stars were Debra Monk and Karen Ziemba. It ran for a year so it did well. Danieley plays Aaron Fox who wrote the show within a show. I Miss the Music is his big song in the show. Danieley claims that Ebb told him that he wrote that song especially for him. The show was nominated for Tonys but Pierce was the only winner. The original cast album is on EMI's Broadway Angel label and is available on CD. Danieley appeared in the PBS Great Performances broadcast of South Pacific. He's appeared in a few other Broadway musicals but nothing notable. Danieley has appeared in New York clubs. He was married to the late Marrin Mazzie and they appeared together a lot and recorded the 2019 album Broadway and Beyond in 2017. He also does a lot of guest appearances with regional symphony orchestras. He has not done TV and films. He seems to prefer live performing. Here's Jason Danieley performing I Miss the Music at the New York club Below 54. This is from the album Broadway and Beyond. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Young the Giant

Artist:Young the Giant

Song:Superposition

Album:Mirror Master

Young the Giant is an indie band that has had moderate success and has had critical acclaim. They just haven't been successful enough to remain on a major label. Currently they record for their own label with distribution by their music publisher. Young the Giant is from Irvine, CA. They were called The Jakes when they were formed in 2004. Sameer Gadhia is the lead singer and main songwriter. Other members were Jacob Tilley on guitar, Ehson Hashemian on keyboards, Francois Comtois on bass and Sean Fischer on drums. The band name was an acronym of the first letter of their names. They recorded an EP and the younger guys had to decide if they wanted to continue in school or stay in the band. Fischer was replaced by Jason Burger. When Burger decided to attend Manhattan School of Music, Comtois switched to drums and Gadhia's childhood friend Payam Doostzadeh was brought in to play bass. They also brought in second guitarist Eric Cannata. They played shows at the 2009 South by Southwest in Austin to try and get a record deal. They signed with Roadrunner Records. Meanwhile, Hashemian left the band and Gadhia, Tilley and Doostzadeh took turns playing keyboards. Then the band name was changed to Young the Giants. There were copyright issues and the new members didn't like the old name. Gadhia says Young the Giant has no meaning except to portray youthful energy. In other words, they want to appeal to young people. Their 2010 debut album Young the Giant was produced by The Shins producer Joe Chiccarelli. The album was favorably reviewed and two of the singles did well on the Alt Rock chart. The album was certified Gold. Young the Giant toured and appeared on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. So they were off to a good start. Despite this, Young the Giant decided to move to the label Fueled by Ramen with Elektra distribution. They thought that success would come with moving to a larger label. But that didn't happen. The albums Mind Over Matter (2014) and Home of the Strange did OK. But they didn't do as well as the first album and none of their singles crossed over to mainstream radio which is why they switched labels. Then Elektra bought Fueled by Ramen and Young the Giant was just another band on a big label instead of being on a boutique label with major label distribution. Not surprisingly, the 2018 album Mirror Master didn't sell either though the single Superposition did Well on the Alt Rock chart probably because the song appeared on the TV show Grey's Anatomy and Young the Giant performed the song on all the late night talk shows. Two producers worked on the album, Harry Styles producer Alex Salibian and Cage the Elephant producer Jack Hill. Hill produced Superposition. Gadhia wrote Superposition. Young the Giants left Elektra and released the 2002 album American Bollywood on their own label with distribution by their publisher AWAL. They are currently on tour. This just shows that major labels aren't for everyone. Young the Giant should have stayed with Roadrunner. Here's the video for Superposition by Young the Giant. The band has produced two other videos for this song. This is the original.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bob Seger

Artist:Bob Seger

Song:Night Moves

Album:Greatest Hits

The 1976 single Night Moves was the first big hit for Bob Seger. So he was an overnight success after almost ten years in the music business. I first heard of him in 1969 when he recorded Ramblin' Gamblin' Man. He was born May 6, 1945 in Detroit but he grew up in Ann Arbor. His father was a medical technician for Ford and he played music on the side. Seger's parents argued a lot and his father abandoned the family and moved to California in 1956. After leaving high school, Seger moved to Detroit and was in several early 60s bands including The Decibels, The Town Criers and Doug Brown & the Omens. He formed Bob Seger & the Last Heard in 1966. After a single had local success, Seger signed with Cameo-Parkway Records. They had some success. But Cameo-Parkway was on their last legs and soon closed. He signed with Capitol and they changed the band name to The Bob Seger System. He has been with Capitol for his entire career. The 1968 single Ramblin' Gamblin' Man was Seger's first national hit single as it reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. But Seger brought Tom Neme in to take over as lead singer and songwriter. That did not go over well. Seger even quit the music business to attend college. He got rid of Neme for the 1970 album Mongrel. The album was praised but didn't sell. Capitol dropped him. Seger joined Teagarden & Van Winkle who had success with the 1970 single God, Love, and Rock & Roll. They recorded on Seger's manager's label. The turning point was when Seger formed The Silver Bullet Band and that brought Seger back to Capitol after the single Get Out of Denver charted. Plus his cover of Nutbush City Limits from the 1976 album Live Bullet. That album was certified 5XPlatinum without a hit single. The 1976 album Night Moves was recorded mostly in Detroit and Muscle Shoals, AL. But Seger's manager really wanted a hit single. So he sent Seger to Toronto to work with The Guess Who producer Jack Richardson. After they recorded a couple of songs, most of the band left Toronto. Seger played Night Moves for Richardson on the piano. Seger didn't think the song was good enough. But Richardson liked it and wanted to record it. The problem was most of the band had left. Bassist Chris Campbell and drummer Charlie Allen Martin were still there. Richardson brought in guitarist Joe Miquelon and Dr. Music himself Doug Riley to play organ. Once Capitol heard Night Moves, it was the album title and lead single. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 6XPlatinum. You can get it on this comp. Seger continued to have success until the late 80s. He took a sabbatical from 1997 to 2005 to spend more time with his family. Seger last released an album in 2017 and he retired in 2018. He returned last year and is currently on tour. Here's the video for Night Moves by Bob Seger. This video was produced in 1994 and features Matt Leblanc and Daphne Zuniga. The video was produced for the Greatest Hits album. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bomb the Bass

Artist:Bomb the Bass f/Lorraine

Song:Don't Make Me Wait: Maximum Frequency Mix

Album:Into the Dragon

Producer and DJ Timothy Simenon had success on the British charts as Bomb The Bass. There were three hit singles from the 1988 album Into the Dragon. He also charted in Europe and the US Dance charts despite not being released in the US. Simenon was born in 1968 in Brixton, England. He got interested in producing after studying recording engineering. Simenon and his Belgian recording engineer partner Pacsal Gabriel signed with Rhythm Kings Records. At first they were called the Rhythm Kings All Stars and they were supposed to remix songs from Rhythm Kings' back catalogue. When the 1987 single Beat Dis topped the British charts and even topped the US Dance chart, Simenon changed the group name to Bomb the Bass and recorded the 1988 album Into the Dragon. Supposedly Beat Dis was the first "acid house" single and originated the use of the smiley face on "acid house" singles. How was it a hit in the US? Apparently they convinced British clubs that the song was recorded in the US and it spread from there. There were three British top ten hits from Into the Dragon including Don't Make Me Wait. The album was certified Gold in England. Not surprisingly, Simenon used guest singers on the album including Nellee Hooper of Soul II Soul. On Don't Make Me Wait, the singer is Lorraine McIntosh. It looks like she was a studio singer. Her husband Steve McIntosh is also a studio musician. The guitar solo is the only credit for Roddy Marsh. Into the Dragon was reissued in 2010 by the British label Cherry Red and includes bonus tracks including this remix of Don't Make Me Wait. Simenon co-produced Neneh Cherry's 1989 hit Buffalo Stance. Since then, Simenon has released occasional Bomb the Bass albums and he has produced Seal, Depeche Mode and Bjork among others. Timothy Simenon retired from the music business in 2020. Here's the video for Don't Make Me Wait by Bomb the Bass featuring Lorraine. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kenny Chesney

Artist:Kenny Chesney f/Pink

Song:Setting the World on Fire

Album:Cosmic Hallelujah

Kenny Chesney scored his first number one country hit in 1997. The 2016 single Setting the World on Fire is his most recent number one country hit. What they have in common is they were on Sony. Cosmic Hallelujah was his final album on Sony. His three latest albums have been on Warner Bros. Chesney first recorded for Capricorn Records in 1994. Capricorn soon closed their Nashville office and Chesney signed with RCA's BNA label. He scored 21 number one country hits on BNA. Then Sony closed BNA in 2011 and Chesney was moved to Columbia and he started his own label Blue Chair. He continued to have success but he only had two number one country hits on Columbia. The 2016 single Setting the World on Fire was his final #1 hit on Columbia. It's from the album Cosmic Hallelujah. The album was certified Gold. Chesney and his long time producer Buddy Cannon produced the album. Setting the World on Fire was written by veteran songwriters Ross Copperman, Matt Jenkins and Josh Osborne. The record was nominated for a Grammy. The actors in the video are Joel Ezra Hebner and Abigail Kuklis. The album is available on CD. Sony hasn't released a comp since 2009. Then Chesney announced that he was leaving Sony for Warner Bros. Chesney's statement at the time was that he was impressed with the enthusiasm of Warners management. I'm sure he spoke to Warners artists like Blake Shelton. Sometimes an artist makes a change for change's sake. And that may be true of Chesney. He has released three albums for Warners. And he's still working with Buddy Cannon. Maybe he was just complacent at Sony. But the change to Warners hasn't been successful yet. Maybe Chesney is getting old and it's time to slow down. I doubt he will admit that. Here's the video for Setting the World on Fire by Kenny Chesney featuring Pink. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Celeste Holm

Artist:Celeste Holm

Song:I Cain't Say No

Album:Oklahoma!: Original Broadway Cast 75th Anniversary

Celeste Holm was an award winning actress known for films and TV. But the role that made her a star was playing Ado Annie in the 1943 production of the landmark Broadway musical Oklahoma!. She was born Apr. 29, 1917 in New York City. Her father was a Norwegian businessman and her mother was a portrait artist. The family moved a lot because of her dad's business. But she attended high school in Chicago and studied drama at the University of Chicago. Her first major role on Broadway was in the 1940 drama The Time of Your Life. Gene Kelly was her co-star. Then she did Oklahoma!. It was the first of many musicals written by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Theresa Helburn of The Theater Guild wanted to turn an unsuccessful play called Green Grow the Lilacs into a musical. It was about settlers in Oklahoma. She contacted Richard Rodgers and he bought the rights. When his composing partner Lorenz Hart wasn't interested, Hammerstein agreed to do it. The cast included Alfred Drake, Joan Roberts, Howard Da Silva and Celeste Holm. The show was a big hit. It ran for five years. It was also the first ever Original Broadway Cast album. And it made Celeste Holm a star. The Oklahoma Broadway cast album is available in a 75th anniversary edition with bonus tracks. Celeste signed with 20th Century Fox in 1946. Her first film was Three Little Girls in Blue. Then she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the 1947 film Gentlemen's Agreement. She also appeared in All About Eve (1950), The Tender Trap (1955) and High Society (1956). She returned to Broadway and started doing TV. She did mostly guest shots on TV. She played The Fairy Godmother in the 1965 CBS production of the musical Cinderella. Though Celeste continued to work in films, she seemed to prefer Broadway and TV. Her health started failing in 2002 and she died on July 13, 2012 at age 95. Here's Celeste Holm performing I Cain't Say No on the Mar. 27, 1955 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Talita Alencar vs Vanessa Demopolous

 Here's the fight video of Talita Alencar vs Vanessa Demopolous from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Talita is 34 years old from Brazil. She trains at Fight Sports in Deerfield Beach, FL. She's a six time world BJJ champ but she is learning MMA. Her UFC record is 1-1. Vanessa is 36 years old from Columbus, OH. She's bounced around a lot of gyms. But she seems to train at Xtreme Couture and the UFC PI in Las Vegas. Her UFC record is 5-3 but she hasn't beaten anyone good yet. The big thing was Talita was much quicker than Vanessa. And once Talita took her down, Vanessa couldn't do anything. So Talita won the fight 29-28. That's the way the judges scored it too. I wasn't impressed with either of them. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loma Lookboonmee vs Istela Nunes

Here's the fight video of Loma Lookboonme vs Istela Nunes from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Loma's opponent was supposed to be Ariane Carnelossi. But she got injured and Istela was moved from the recent London show. Loma is 29 years old from Thailand. She trains with John Wood at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. Obviously, Muay Thai is her specialty. Her UFC record is 6-2. She's on a three fight winning streak. Istela is 32 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She trains at American Top Team Brasil. Her UFC record is 0-4. So she really needs a win. Loma managed to win this fight with ground control. I guess she has learned how to execute takedowns but then she doesn't know what to do. We call that Lay 'n' Pray around here. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Loma So did two of the judges and the third scored it 30-27. Like all of Loma's wins, it was uneventful. She beat a fighter who is probably getting released. At some point, she needs to beat a ranked fighter. And don't forget she probably should be an Atomweight. So I am not convinced that Loma will ever be any good. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Dione Barbosa vs Diana Belbita

Here's the fight video of Dione Barbosa vs Diana Belbita from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Dione is 32 years old from Reclife, Brazil. She trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA. She was supposed to fight in March but she was pulled and rescheduled. Dione is 1-1 in the UFC. Like many Brazilians, she's a BJJ whiz. Diana is 28 years old from Romania. She trains at House of Champions in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada. She's 2-5 in the UFC and is on a two fight losing streak. She needs a win or she could be gone from the UFC. The first part of round one is uneventful. But Dione has a clear quickness advantage. Then Dione lands a spinning elbow with Diana against the fence. And that leads to a takedown and Dione wins with an arm triangle at 4:13 of round one. So it's like I said. I expect the UFC to release Diana. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Fall

Artist:The Fall

Song:Victoria

Album:A-Sides 1978-2016

The British band The Fall were successful mostly at home. They had a few hits like this 1988 cover of The Kinks' classic Victoria. But mostly they had a rabid cult following and never crossed over to mainstream pop. And I don't think The Fall leader Mark E. Smith wanted anything more than that. He formed The Fall in Prestwich, England with Martin Bramah, Una Baines and Tony Friel. Influences include the German band Can, The Velvet Underground and The Stooges. After watching a Sex Pistols show, the four decided to start a band. Smith wanted to call the band The Outsiders. But Friel came up with The Fall which was a 1956 novel by Albert Camus. Smith was an avid reader so he liked that. The band was Smith on vocals, Bramah on guitar, Friel on bass and Baines on keyboards. They had a drummer at their first show. But he left and Friel brought in Karl Burns who he knew from another band. Buzzcocks manager Richard Boon saw them and paid for a recording session. When he couldn't afford to release them, Boon gave the tapes to Smith. Una's friend Kay Carroll became their manager and Smith's girlfriend. Friel didn't like her and was replaced by Eric McGann. He soon left and Uma was replaced by Yvonne Pawlett after Uma overdosed on drugs. They did record their first session with BBC DJ John Peel. He became a big fan. Bramah was the last original member to leave and he formed the band Blue Orchids with Uma. Since then, It's been Smith's show and anyone else is disposable. That's how he treated people. Some guys did stay like guitarist Craig Scanlon and bassist Steve Hanley. The Fall had released a couple of albums on a small label. But then they released the 1980 album Totale's Turns on Rough Trade. And that's when things started to pick up. The problem was Smith didn't like Rough Trade. So in 1984 he switched to Beggars Banquet and they stayed there a long time. While on tour in the US. Smith met Brix Salenger. She became his wife and Brix Smith moved to England and became lead guitarist. She also wrote songs with Smith. She stayed until 1989 and that was probably The Fall's most stable period. This cover of The Kinks' classic Victoria is from the 1988 album The Frenz Experiment. It was a top 40 hit in England. Other than that, Smith wrote all the songs on the album. Simon Rogers produced. He was guitarist for The Fall for a while. You can get Victoria on this 3CD box set of singles. The Fall was not as successful after that. But Smith continued to lead the band until he died of cancer on Jan.24, 2018 at age 60. Here's the video for Victoria by The Fall. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stars Go Dim

Artist:Stars Go Dim

Song:Heaven on Earth

Album:Better

Stars Go Dim started out as a CCM band. But it is now a solo outlet for singer songwriter Chris Cleveland. He has had success on the Christian charts with singles like Heaven on Earth. Cleveland is from Tulsa. Stars Go Dim started out in 2007 as a spinoff of the CCM band Pillar. Pillar bassist Michael Wittig and drummer Lester Estelle II formed this new band with Cleveland and guitarist Joey Avalos. Avalos had been a member of the CCM band Justifide and he toured with Pillar. They released an EP in 2008 and went on tour. Wittig and Lester left Pillar to concentrate on Stars Go Dim. They left the band in 2010. Cleveland kept the name and signed with Word's Fervent label. He has released three albums and has a new album coming out in July. Heaven on Earth is from the 2017 album Better. Cleveland writes all the songs with co-writers. He wrote Heaven on Earth with producer Jeff Pardo. And Pardo produced the album. He's a Grammy winning CCM producer. I don't know why Cleveland kept the band name. But I think CCM fans will enjoy his music. Here's the video for Heaven on Earth by Stars Go Dim. I believe the video was made this way deliberately.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tribalistas

Artist:Tribalistas

Song:Carnavalia

Album:Tribalistas

Tribalistas was a Brazilian supergroup that made a big splash with the 2002 album Tribalistas. The problem was they turned out to be a one off group. Obviously they could have been much bigger if they had continued. The leader of Tribalistas was the very popular singer Marisa Monte. She was not only the lead singer but she produced the album. The other members were Arnaldo Antunes of Titas and Carlinhos Brown of Timbalada. The three were already friends when Marisa was asked to appear on Antunes' 2001 album Paradeiro. Brown was producing the album. Marisa was only supposed to stay a couple of days. She stayed for a week. And they wrote a bunch of songs together. So they decided to record an album at Marisa's home recording studio in Rio de Janeiro. They wrote and produced the album with Ale Siqueira who had worked with Marisa in the past. Dadi Carvalho of A Cor Do Som was also a major contributor. The album was released on Marisa's label EMI and it topped the Brazilian charts and did well internationally to the point where Blue Note released it in the US. The album was nominated for several Latin Grammys and Tribalistas performed on the Latin Grammys broadcast. So the album was very successful. But with Marisa very busy with her solo career, they must have known that the possibility of Tribalistas continuing was a longshot at best. So all three returned to their own careers. But I guess it nagged at them that they only recorded one album. So a second album plus a DVD was released in 2017. The original 2002 album is available on CD. Brazilian music fans should check it out. Here's Tribalistas performing Carnavalia 2018.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Geno Delafose

Artist:Geno Delafose

Song:Hey, Geno!

Album:French Rockin' Boogie

Geno Delafose is a second generation Zydeco accordionist. His father John Delafose also played Zydeco accordion. Anyone familiar with this Louisiana Bayou music will know that this is not unusual. Delafose recorded in the 90s. He hasn't recorded recently. But he still performs regularly mostly in Lafayette clubs. He was born Feb. 6, 1971 in Eunice, LA. At age eight, he started playing rubboard in his dad's band The Eunice Playboys. He continued to play in his dad's band until his 1994 death. Then Delafose started his own band and signed with Rounder Records. Hey, Geno! is from Delafose's 1994 debut album French Rockin' Boogie. That is also the name of his band. Though Rounder A&R VP Scott Billington is credited as producer, the music is mostly homemade by Delafose. This is typical of Zydeco music. Delafose wrote most of the songs including Hey, Geno!. Musicians are Shelton Broussard on lead guitar. His father was also a Zydeco musician and Broussard leads the band Zydeco Force. Steve Nash played washboard. Charles Prudhomme played rhythm guitar. He was in Delafose's dad's band. Delafose's brother Tony Delafose played bass. Jermaine Jack played drums. He was also in Delafose's dad's band. And that's the band that is on this video. This album is available as a digital download. Delafose recorded three albums for Rounder and two albums for Times Square. He last recorded in 2007. These days he raises cattle and horses on his ranch outside Eunice. But he still plays Lafayette clubs and tours the festival circuit. Go see him if he's coming your way because Zydeco music is party music. You don't have to know what it is to enjoy it. Here's Geno Delafose with French Rockin' Boogie performing Hey, Geno! on the BET show Jazz Central 1997. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-M

 

Artist:M

Song:Pop Musik

Album:Then 1: Totally Oldies

The 1979 single Pop Musik topped the charts worldwide. It was the only chart single for Robin "M" Scott. So it is a one hit wonder. It was an early example of electropop. And since Scott did everything himself, it set things up for the future of electronic music. Scott was born Apr. 1, 1947 in Surrey, Croydon, England. He attended Croydon Art College and met Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren in the late 60s. They were friends with fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Scott was offered a partnership in her London clothing store SEX but he decided to pursue music instead. Scott started out as a folksinger and won a record contract in the 1972 talent contest Search for a Star. He turned it down because he didn't like the terms. He produced the band Roogalator. But they couldn't get a record deal. So he started his own label and released it. Then he moved to Paris with his girlfriend and produced the all female punk band The Slits. It was while he was in Paris that Scott got the idea to call himself M and use electronic keyboards. Pop Muzik was the third single and and it was a surprise hit. It topped the charts worldwide and got Scott got a record deal with MCA Records. Scott sang and played the synthesizer and guitar. John Lewis helped him with the synthesizer programming. His brother Julian played bass and his girlfriend Brigit sang the backup vocals. Wally Badarou played keyboards and Philip Goild played drums. Both were session musicians at the time but later were members of Level 42. The sax was by session musician Gary Barnacle. Despite the success of the single, the 1978 album New York-Paris-London-Munich did not do well and neither did subsequent singles. So it was a fluke hit that is now an official one hit wonder. You can get Pop Musik on this various artists budget comp from Varese. Scott recorded three albums as M. Scott has released occasional music over the years but nothing notable. But there's no question that Pop Musik was influential on 80s electropop. Here's the video for Pop Musik by M.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO SKY vs Rhea Ripley

Here's the match video of IYO SKY defending the WWE Women's Championship vs Rhea Ripley from last night's episode of RAW. Bianca Belair was the special referee. At Wrestlemania, IYO is supposed to defend against Bianca. But Rhea blames Bianca for IYO beating her in the first place. Of course it was Rhea's own fault as she allowed herself to get distracted by Bianca. Historically, Rhea's temper is her worst enemy. She has tried to get involved in the Wrestlemania match in the most obnoxious way. Instead, RAW GM Adam Pierce gave Rhea a rematch with with the unnecessary wrinkle of Bianca as ref. So that guarantees that the Wrestlemania match will be a three way because there wasn't going to be a finish in last night's match. It was a double DQ. The match was pretty good as I would expect from these two. The only problem is the WWE has been telegraphing the three way match for weeks. And we still are three weeks from Wrestlemania. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Paul Westerberg

Artist:Paul Westerberg

Song:Dyslexic Heart

Album:Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Deluxe Edition

After the popular 80s band The Replacements split up, lead singer Paul Westerberg launched a solo career and had success with the 1992 single Dyslexic Heart from the soundtrack of the popular film Singles. He wasn't that successful after that. He was born Dec. 32, 1959 in Minneapolis. One day he was walking home from his job as janitor for Senator David Durenberger when he heard a band practicing. That band was The Replacements. He talked his way into the band by convincing the lead singer that he was going to be fired. He quit and Westerberg joined the band. At first they were called The Impediments. But they changed the name to The Replacements after clubs complained about the name. The Replacements released four albums for Sire Records. And though they were critically acclaimed, commercial success eluded them. So they split up in 1991. Westerberg's first solo recordings were for Cameron Crowe's 1992 film Singles. The film was about the emerging Seattle grunge music scene. And the soundtrack featured several Seattle bands including Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone. Dyslexic Heart was one of two songs that Westerberg recorded for the film. The film and soundtrack were very successful. And Dyslexic Heart charted on the Alternative Rock chart. Singles is available as a 2CD Deluxe Edition. Then he released two albums for Reprise. Westerberg wrote and produced everything. There were problems with the second album and he left Reprise for Capitol to release the 1999 album Suicaine Gratifaction. There were management problems at Capitol so the album wasn't properly promoted. Westerberg returned with three albums on the indie label Vagrant. He also continues to write and record for films, most notably the 2006 film Open Season. Since then he has released songs digitally. The Replacements reformed in 2011 and disbanded in 2015. And he formed the band The I Don't Cares with Julianna Hatfield and released an album in 2016. Here's the video for Dyslexic Heart by Paul Westerberg.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Headpins

Artist:Headpins

Song:Don't It Make Ya Feel

Album:Turn It Loud

The Canadian band Headpins had success in the early 80s mostly in Canada. But they also gained a following in the US when MTV played their videos. They only released three albums. Headpins were from Vancouver. They were a spinoff of the popular band Chilliwack led by guitarist Brian MacLeod. He saw singer Denise McCann perform and wanted to build a band around her. He brought in Chilliwack bassist Ab Bryant and drummer Matt Frenette of Streetheart. They swapped Frenette for drummer Bernie Aubin of Loverboy. Headpins started playing Vancouver clubs in 1981. Denise soon left and she brought in Steelback lead singer Darby Mills as her replacement. Headpins' debut album Turn It Loud was released om Solid Gold in Canada and Atco in the US. Solid Gold was also Chilliwack's label. The album was certified 2XPlatinum in Canada. The album did OK in the US when MTV played the videos. MacLeod wrote most of the songs and produced with Chilliwack lead singer Bill Henderson. Guitarist Scott Reid and keyboardist Darcy McDonald were added to the band. Turn It Loud is available as a digital download. Headpins opened for bands like Kiss and ZZ Top. While they were recording the 1985 album Head Over Heels, Solid Gold went bankrupt. Darby left to go solo in 1986 and was replaced by Chrissy Steele. They recorded an album. After MacLeod was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1990, the album was released as a Chrissy Steele album by Charisma. MacLeod died in 1992. Bryant and Aubin still lead a version of Headpins and they are touring Canada with Bachman-Turner Overdrive starting next week. Here's the video for Don't It Make Ya Feel by Headpins.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loopy Godinez vs Julia Polastri

Here's the fight video of Loopy Godinez vs Julia Polastri from last night's UFC show in Mexico City. This fight is at Strawweight. This fight was supposed to be Yazmin Jauregui vs Dione Barbosa. Julia replaced Dione who is fighting next week. Then Yazmin got injured and Loopy replaced her. Loopy is 31 years old from Guadalajara, Mexico and she lives in Vancouver. She trains at Lobo in Mexico. Her UFC record is 7-5 and she's on a two fight losing streak. She comes from a wrestling background. Her two losses were to Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern. Those are the kind of fighters she needs to beat to get anywhere. Julia is 27 years old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She trains at CWB Fighter. Her UFC record of 1-1. She's a striker. Loopy was able to win the first two rounds by scoring several takedowns. She tried to advance her position in round two. I scored both rounds 10-9 for Loopy. Julia's striking was much better in round three. I scored the round 10-9 for Julia. But she needed a finish and she doesn't have the power to KO anyone. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Loopy and so did all three judges. The win does nothing for Loopy in the rankings. But a win in Mexico is a big deal. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-SoulDecision

Artist:SoulDecision f/Thrust

Song:Faded

Album:No One Does it Better

The Canadian pop group SoulDecision topped the Canadian charts with the 2000 single Faded. It also charted in the US. They probably could have been more successful except for some very poor decisions made by group leader Trevor Guthrie. SoulDecision was a band and they played their own instruments. Guthrie was lead singer and he wrote and produced everything. He was born Feb. 11, 1973 in North Vancouver, BC. He's been playing piano since he was a child. He was attending Capilano College in Vancouver when he formed the band Indecision with David Bowman and Ken Lewko. After releasing a couple of singles, they signed with MCA Records. They were told to find a new band name as Indecision was already being used. Their manager chose SoulDecision. They went to Australia to record the 1999 album Nobody Does it Better with Savage Garden producer Charles Fisher. Guthrie wrote most of the songs. Faded was the fourth single. It topped the Canadian charts and reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The rapper is Thrust from the Canadian rap group Rascalz. The album was certified Platinum in Canada. So they did OK. This album is available as a budget CD. After touring, Guthrie decided to leave MCA and start his own label. He wanted to make his own decisions. The 2004 album Shady Satin Drug was released. Guthrie even brought in Nile Rodgers of Chic to produce. The problem was their record distributor went bankrupt so the album never got to stores. So leaving MCA was a very poor decision. I guess Guthrie thought having control was more important than the success SoulDecision could have had with MCA. Guthrie still releases the occasional single but I wonder if he ever thinks about what could have been. Here's the video for Faded by SoulDecision. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Katie Dey

Artist:Katie Dey

Song:Fleas

Album:Flood Network

Katie Dey records music in her home that has gotten a following online. It's not commercial music but it shows that any kind of music can get a following these days. Katie is from Melbourne, Australia and she is autistic. She was messing around with electronic keyboards in her bedroom. She posted songs on her blog. Mat Cochran of the band Elvis Depressedly brought her music to the attention of indie label Orchid Tapes owner Warren Hildebrand and he asked Katie if she wanted to record an album. She agreed because she was a fan of the label. The 2015 album Asdfasdf got a seven out of ten from Pitchfork. And that's how Katie's music has spread. Fleas is from the 2016 album Flood Network on the indie label Joy Void. Then she recorded a couple of albums for the indie label Run for Cover. And she has recorded a couple of albums with Devi McCallion of the Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses. Katie self released her latest album in 2023. I guess Katie's music might appeal to fans of noise pop or neo psychedelia. Her music has been described as "digitally warped" with "distinctive vocal effects". It's not my kind of music. Look, there are plenty of people recording in bedrooms these days. It's even called "bedroom pop". I don't know if any of it should be released commercially. And I don't think Katie intended to release her music commercially. Someone else thought it was marketable. I don't believe that it is marketable. Decide for yourself. Here's the video for Fleas by Katie Dey.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-New Fast Automatic Daffodils

Artist:New Fast Automatic Daffodils

Song:Fishes Eyes

Album:Pigeonhole

The British band New Fast Automatic Daffodils (NFAD) were part of the Madchester sound of the late 80s but not as successful as bands like Happy Mondays. The main criticism of NFAD is they were too similar to Happy Mondays. The band was formed in 1988 by Dolan Hewison on guitar, Justin Crawford on bass, Perry Saunders on drums and Icarus Wilson-Wright on percussion. They were students at Manchester Polytechnic. They found lead singer and songwriter Andy Spearpoint at a local drama school. The band name came from a poem by Adrian Henri that was used in an ad for DAF Trucks. Spearpoint has said that all the other Madchester bands had short names and they wanted to be different. They later shortened the band name to New FADS. NFAD released the 1989 single Playtime on the Scottish label Postcard Records. It was followed by a 1990 EP. Then they signed with the Belgian label Play It Again Sam (PIAS) who had an office in London. They were on Mute Records in the US with Elektra distribution. Fishes Eyes is from their 1990 debut album Pigeonhole. The album was written and produced by FADS. Pigeonhole is available as a budget CD. The band had a good reputation as a live band. But it didn't convert to record sales or radio airplay. PIAS brought in outside producers like Martin Hannett (Joy Division) and Craig Leon (The Ramones, Blondie). And of course the band name was shortened to New FADS. But nothing seemed to work and NFAD split up in 1995. Spearpoint attempted to return to acting. But he is now living in Ireland and has self released music. Hewison is managing director of an ad agency. Wilson-Wright has had success as a percussionist with the electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. Crawford is one half of the DJ duo Unabomber and he records solo as Only Child. Saunders was doing remixes. But he doesn't seem to be in the music business anymore. The lesson to be learned is bands need to have names that are easy to remember. Even the record label saw that which is why the name was shortened. Here's the video for Fishes Eyes by New Fast Automatic Daffodils.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Diahann Carroll

Artist:Diahann Carroll

Song:A Sleepin' Bee

Album:House of Flowers: Original Broadway Cast

Diahann Carroll is probably best known for her TV and film appearances. But she also recorded and appeared on Broadway. So she was very versatile. House of Flowers was her first Broadway show in 1955. It didn't do well but there is an original cast album and a clip of Diahann performing A Sleepin' Bee. So I thought that was interesting. She was born Carol Diann Johnson July 17, 1935 in New York City. She grew up in Harlem. Diahann remembered her parents enrolled her in singing and dance lessons. By age 15, she was modeling at Ebony Magazine. She attended Music and Art High School. She entered TV talent contests as Diahann Carroll while studying sociology at New York University.  He big break came when she appeared on a 1954 episode of Chance of a Lifetime and won top prize of $1,000. She started singing in nightclubs and appeared in the 1954 film Carmen Jones as a friend to the lead character played by Dorothy Dandridge. Then she was cast in the 1955 Broadway musical House of Flowers. House of Flowers was based on a Truman Capote short story. Capote wrote the songs with Harold Arlen. Pearl Bailey was the star. Diahann was billed fourth. It's about two neighboring bordellos. A Sleepin' Bee was Diahann's big song in the show. Barbra Streisand performed the song on her 1961 TV debut on The Jack Paar Show. And jazz pianist Bill Evans performed it regularly. Though House of Flowers was panned by critics and failed at the box office, Columbia Masterworks released an original cast album which was released on CD in 2003. A Sleepin' Bee was included on Diahann's 1957 album Diahann Carroll Sings Harold Arlen Songs with The Ralph Burns Orchestra. Diahann did record occasional albums but she was better known for TV and film especially the late 60s show Julia. But House of Flowers is where her career began. Here's Diahann Carroll performing A Sleepin' Bee 1955.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-P.O.D.

Artist:P.O.D.

Song:Sleeping Awake

Album:Greatest Hits

P.O.D. is a Christian metal band that had success when they signed with Atlantic Records in 2000. Most of their success has been as an album and touring band. Sleeping Awake is one of their more popular songs as it appeared in the 2003 film Matrix Reloaded and was released as a single. P.O.D. is short for Payable on Death. They are from San Diego. They were formed in 1991 when lead singer Sonny Sandoval led a rap act called Unlicensed Product. Guitarist Marcos Curiel, bassist Gabe Portillo and drummer Wuv Bernardo had a thrash metal band called Eschatos but they needed a singer. Sandoval joined the band and it was renamed Payable on Death or P.O.D. for short. The name was suggested by Bernardo's girlfriend who worked in a bank. They released two studio albums and a live album on Rescue Records owned by Bernardo's father and Sandoval's uncle. Bernardo's father was also their manager. Portillo left in 1993 and was replaced by Trea Daniels. After the third album, CCM label Essential Records offered P.O.D. a record deal. They turned it down for a much bigger deal from Atlantic Records. And that's when P.O.D. really started to take off. The 1999 album The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was certified Platinum and the 2001 album Satellite was certified 3XPlatinum without a big hit single. The 2002 single Youth of the Nation reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. That is their highest chart single. P.O.D. wrote all the songs. Howard Benson produced most of their Atlantic albums. Curiel was replaced by Jason Truby and that's when P.O.D. was asked to record Sleeping Awake for the 2003 film Matrix Reloaded. It was the lead single. The song was not on P.O.D.'s 2005 album Payable on Death but it is on this budget comp. Things cooled off at Atlantic and P.O.D. left after the 2006 album Testify. Since then they have recorded for INO, Razor & Tie and Universal. They currently record for the Dutch label Mascot and released an album last year. Bernardo went on hiatus in in 2021 and P.O.D. hire drummers for touring. Obviously albums aren't selling like 20 years ago. But P.O.D. is currently on a European tour. That's where the money is though touring is a grind. Here's the video for Sleeping Awake by P.O.D.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Modjo

Artist:Modjo

Song:Lady (Hear Me Tonight)

Album:Kiss House Nation 2001

The 2000 single Lady (Hear Me Tonight) was a big hit in Europe and on the dance charts. The French duo who recorded this split up soon after the album was released in 2001. Romain Tranchart produced the music and Yann Destal was the singer. Both guys were born in Paris. Tranchart grew up in Brazil and learned to play guitar. When he returned to Paris, he was in a rock band. After they split up, he got interested in house music and released a single as Funk Legacy. Then he attended the American School of Modern Music in Paris. That's where he met Destal who was influenced by rock acts and learned to play drums. He was also in a few bands before he met Tranchart. They decided to call themselves Modjo. The 2000 single Lady (Hear Me Tonight) was released on Universal's Barclay label. It samples the 1982 Chic song Soup for One. The single topped the charts across Europe and in England. Then it was picked up by MCA in the US and topped the dance charts there. The album Dodjo was released in 2001. By that time, most listeners had forgotten about Modjo. So attempts to score another hit single that could sell the album were unsuccessful. You can get Lady (Hear Me Tonight) on this 2CD various artists budget comp. Dodjo only released one album. Tranchart has been a producer with various partners ever since. Destal released albums in 2003 and 2013. Here's the video for Lady (Hear Me Tonight) by Modjo. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Coro

Artist:Coro

Song:Where Are You Tonight

Album:Freestyle Explosion Volume 2

Like many Freestyle singers, Jose Coro had very brief success on the dance charts with Where Are You Tonight and a couple of other songs. He only recorded one album. He still performs today on the Freestyle nostalgia circuit. Coro was born in New York City but he grew up in Miami. He is of Cuban and Dominican descent. Coro started out in acting. But he really wanted to sing. His attempts to put a group together were unsuccessful. Then he met Freestyle singer Stevie B who was just starting to have success and was getting ready to tour. So Coro joined Stevie B's band as a backup singer. After a while, Coro decided to move to New York and try to get a record deal. He signed with Aldo Marin's Freestyle label Cutting Records. Marin put Coro together with producer Zahid Tariq and the 1989 single Where Are You Tonight reached #25 on the dance chart. They decided to record an album and they got Charisma Records to distribute. Tariq wrote and produced everything and a couple of singles did well on the dance charts. Coro continued to record for Cutting until 1998 but nothing caught on. They tried different producers and that didn't work either. Coro's album is not available but you can get Where Are You Tonight on this Thump Records various artists comp. Coro released a single in 2011. And he continues to perform today on the Freestyle nostalgia circuit. Here's Coro performing Where Are You Tonight on a TV show. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Shauna Bannon vs Puja Tomar

Here's the fight video of Shauna Bannon vs Puja Tomar from last night's UFC show in London, England. This fight is at Strawweight. Shauna is 31 years old from Dublin, Ireland. She trains at Holohan Martial Arts owned by former UFC fighter Paddy Holohan. Her UFC record is 1-1. Puja is 31 years old from India. She trains at Soma Fight Club in Bali. The UFC made a big deal about her signing as the first female fighter from India. But she seems inexperienced not to mention a little small. Shauna is a points fighter who likes to use a side kick like Tecia Pennington to keep fighters at distance. I hate that. So I don't think either fighter should be in the UFC. Not much happened in round one. Then in round two, Toma nailed Shauna with a head kick. I thought the fight was over. But the ref didn't stop it. And in a moment of indecision, Toma hastily jumped right into an armbar and tapped out at 3:22 of round two. Shauna got a $50,000 performance bonus. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexia Thainara vs Molly McCann

Here's the fight video of Alexia Thainara vs Molly McCann from last night's UFC show in London, England. This fight is at Strawweight. Istela Nunes was supposed to be Molly's opponent. But she had visa problems and Alexia was brought in on a week's notice. Istela will fight in a couple of weeks. Alexia is 27 years old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She trains at Academia Ribas Family in Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil so Amanda Ribas is her teammate. She won a DWCS fight in September. This is her UFC debut. She has charisma too. She trains at a great camp so I like her chances. Molly is 34 years old from Liverpool, England. She trains at Next Generation MMA. Her UFC record is 7-6. She's a fan favorite in England. But I have never liked her much. If she was really good, her record would be better. But she tends to underperform when she's not fighting at home. And Alexia was looking to make a good first impression in the UFC. By the middle of round one, Alexia took Molly down and eventually finished her with a rear naked choke at 4:32 of round one. Alexia got a $50,000 bonus. So that's an excellent UFC debut. Afterwards, Molly announced her retirement. She might have been released anyway. But I think she decided that she would retire if she lost the fight. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stan Kenton

Artist:Stan Kenton

Song:Intermission Riff

Album:The Stan Kenton Story

This is another in my series of Jazz for Beginners with an affordable CD appropriate for beginners and a live video clip. Stan Kenton was a jazz pianist who started his big band in the 40s when there was plenty of competition. But Kenton's sound was more progressive which was why he remained popular after the rise of bebop in the late 40s. And he continued to tour and record for decades. He was born Dec. 15, 1911 in Wichita, KS. His family moved to Colorado and then in 1924 to Bell, CA near Los Angeles. He learned to play piano in high school and heard Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines. Kenton started playing local clubs with his band The Bell-Tones. He played with Gus Arnheim, Vito Musso and the NBC House Band. Kenton formed his first orchestra in 1940. They played regularly at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Newport Beach influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford. He recorded for Decca but the recordings didn't sell. He also was Bob Hope's radio backup band. But that didn't go well and Les Brown replaced him. Things started to pick up when Kenton signed with Capitol Records in 1943 and the record Eager Beaver was successful. Kenton spent most of his career with Capitol. The success continued after singer Anita O'Day was brought in. The turning point was when Pete Rugolo was brought in as chief arranger followed by June Christy replacing O'Day. Rugolo was a jazz fan and a fan of contemporary classical composers like Stravinsky and Bartok. And Kenton encouraged Rugolo to bring those influences into the band. And this led to Kenton's 1946 album Artistry in Rhythm. This would be very successful. This was a different sound from most WWII big bands and would serve Kenton well for many years. The song Intermission Riff is typical of Kenton's music of the late 40s. It was released as a single in 1946 and then on the 1950 album Stan Kenton's Milestones. The song was written by trumpeter Ray Wetzel who was in the Kenton band at the time and had also been in Woody Herman's band. Rugolo wrote the arrangement. This 4CD box set from the British label Proper is available as a budget comp. As I said, Kenton's success continued for many years and this is a good place for beginners to start. Here's Stan Kenton and his band performing Intermission Riff in London, England Feb. 6, 1972. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Andy Gtammer

Artist:Andy Grammer

Song:Keep Your Head Up

Album:Andy Grammer

The 2011 single Keep Your Head Up is probably a song you remember hearing but you don't know who recorded it. The chorus is a memorable earworm. Singer songwriter Andy Grammer has had most of his success in the Adult Contemporary market. But Keep Your Head Up crossed over to pop. It was probably a bigger hit than its chart position. He was born Dec. 3, 1983 in Los Angeles and he grew up in Chester, NY. His father Red Grammer is a singer songwriter known for children's songs. Grammer moved to Los Angeles at age 20 and earned a BA in music industry at Cal State Northridge. He signed with S-Curve Records in 2009. Keep Your Head up was his debut single. It reached #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart but #53 on the Billboard Hot 100. The record was certified Platinum so it probably should have charted higher. The song became popular due to the music video and over a million streams. And it appeared in the 2012 hit film Pitch Perfect. Billboard's criteria at the time was still based on radio airplay. They have changed things in recent years to account for streaming. Half of the 2011 album Andy Grammer was produced by Matt Wallace who worked with Maroon 5. Keep Your Head Up was produced by The Lion's share. It looks like they were brought in by S-Curve owner Steve Greenberg. Grammer wrote all the songs. The album is available on CD. For his 2014 album Magazines and Novels, Honey, I'm Good reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. So technically it's his biggest hit but Keep Your Head Up may be more memorable. As with the first album, Grammer wrote all the songs. Most of the album was produced by Canadian Jon Levine of The Philosopher Kings. Grammer still records for S-Curve and he released an album last year. But he isn't having the same success. Here's the video for Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer.