AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bebo Norman

Artist:Bebo Norman

Song:Great Light of the World

Album:The Best of Bebo Norman: Great Light of the World

CCM singer songwriter Bebo Norman was very successful on the Christian charts with hits like the 2002 single Great Light of the World. That is probably his signature song. Norman retired in 2013. He was born Jeffrey Norman May 29, 1973 in Columbus, GA. The nickname Bebo was because his little sister couldn't pronounce "big brother" and started calling him Bebo and the nickname stuck. As a teen, Norman wanted to be a doctor. So he attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC. While there, he got involved with the local branch of Young Life Ministries and he started performing at their summer camp. This led to Norman self releasing an album followed by a tour. And that led to a record deal with Sony's Essential label. Great Light of the World is from the 2002 album Myself When I Am Real. The song reached #3 on the Christian Songs chart. Norman writes all his own songs. The album was produced by Ed Cash who has produced Chris Tomlin and Amy Grant. Norman recorded four albums for Essential and then he left for EMI's BEC label. That's when this comp of Norman's Essential recordings was released. He wasn't as successful at BEC and after the 2012 album Lights of Distant Cities, he decided to retire from music. He only recorded three albums for BEC. Norman explained that he now had a family and he didn't want to tour anymore. He said he was planning this move since he married in 2003. Norman was a stay at home dad. Then he started a renovation business. Then he studied to be a physician assistant and that's what he's doing today. Here's Bebo Norman with Ben Shive on piano performing Great Light of the World  at the Community Coffeehouse in Danbury, CT. 2013.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Yotam

Artist:Yotam

Song:Two Bass Hit

Album:Resonance

Israeli guitarist Yotam Silberstein has been playing New York clubs for over twenty years. Those who enjoy straight ahead jazz should enjoy his music. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1981. He started playing guitar at age ten and he attended the prestigious Alon High School for the Arts. He was discovered at a workshop by legendary saxophonist James Moody who told him that he "played like an old man". Yes, that's a compliment. Silberstein released an album after he graduated from high school in 2003. Then he moved to New York and Moody got him into the club scene. Silberstein appeared with Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hargrove and Paquito D'Rivera and he appeared on albums by John Patitucci, David Sanborn and Marcus Miller. This recording of the jazz standard Two Bass Hit is from the 2009 album Resonance, the first of two albums on Jazz Legacy. Of course Two Bass Hit was written by Modern Jazz Quartet leader John Lewis. Musicians are Aaron Goldberg on piano, Chrisian McBride on bass and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. Trumpeter Roy Hargrove guests on a couple of tracks. Since then, he has released albums on the French label Jazz&People. His latest album Standards was released last year on JoJo Records. Musicians are George Coleman on tenor sax, John Patitucci on bass and Billy Hart on drums. He still plays New York clubs and plays shows with guys like Charles McPherson and Paquito D'Rivera. You may see him at your local jazz festival this summer. Here's Yotam Silberstein with Aaron Goldberg on piano, Or Bareket on bass and Daniel Dor on drums performing Two Bass Hit at Pitt Inn in Tokyo Sept. 4, 2016.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Embrace

Artist:Embrace

Song:Gravity

Album:Out of Nowhere

Embrace is a band that have had success at home in England. Their big problem is they sound too much like other bands. In fact, Coldplay wrote Gravity and gave it to Embrace. Embrace is from Bailiff Bridge, West Yorkshire, England led by brothers Danny McNamara on lead vocals and Richard McNamara on guitar. Other members are Mickey Dale on keyboards, Steve Firth on bass and Mike Heaton on drums. A couple of demos got them a record deal at Virgin. They released three albums on Virgin. They scored three top ten hits from their 1997 album The Good Will Out. After three albums, they switched to Independiente Records owned by former Go Discs owner Andy MacDonald. Out of Nothing was the first album in 2004. The single Gravity reached #7 on the British Singles chart. The album Out of Nothing was certified 2XPlatinum. The McNamara brothers wrote all the songs. But Gravity was written by Chris Martin and Coldplay and they gave the song to Embrace. Out of Nothing is Embrace's best selling album to date. The album was produced by Martin "Youth" Glover of Killing Joke. After two albums, they switched to Cooking Vinyl for the 2014 album Embrace. These days The McNamaras write and produce everything themselves. They seem to be happy being a middle of the road band. Here's the video for Gravity by Embrace.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rush of Fools

Artist:Rush of Fools

Song:Undo

Album:Rush of Fools

The 2007 single Undo topped the Christian charts. It was all downhill for Rush of Fools from there. At this point, they don't seem to be active. They are from Birmingham, AL. The lead singer is Wes Willis. Other members are Jacob Huguley on guitar, JD Frazier on keyboards, Jacob Chestnut on bass and Jamie Sharpe on drums. After winning a contest called Band with a Mission, record companies came calling and they signed with Midas Records. I don't think they are in business anymore. Undo was the first single from their 2007 debut album Rush of Fools. Undo topped the Christian charts for a month in 2007. The band usually wrote all their own songs usually with a producer. Scott Davis produced and wrote the song with Wills and Huguley. The song won the ASCAP Christian Song of the Year. Subsequent albums did not do as well. After  two albums on Midas, they released albums on eOne and Provident. That final album was released in 2014. After That, Rush of Fools self released a few singles. It looks like the band ended in 2020. That's the last time they posted on Facebook. I think personnel changes and record company problems led to their demise. Sometimes a big hit the first time out leads to heightened expectations and a big thud when a band doesn't meet those expectations Here's the video for Undo by Rush of Fools. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Henry Girls

Artist:The Henry Girls

Song:Sweet Dreams

Album:December Moon

The Henry Girls is an Irish folk group. Unlike many Irish folk groups, they perform mostly original songs. The Henry Girls are sisters Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin. They named the group after their grandfather. After self releasing a couple of albums, they signed with the German label Beste! Unterhaltung. Sweet Dreams is from the 2011 album December Moon. They wrote most of the songs including Sweet Dreams. Karen sings lead and plays piano. Joleen plays harp. Lorna plays accordion. And they sing in harmony. Other musicians are Denise Boyle on viola, Ted Ponsonby on dobro, Nicky Scott on bass and Liam Bradley on drums. The album was produced by Scottish producer Calum Malcolm who has worked with similar groups like Capercaillie and Clannad. The Henry Girls released their latest album in 2024. They toured North America for the first time in November. This CD is available on Amazon. But I sure would like to see a US label like Compass pick them up for better distribution. Here's The Henry Girls performing Sweet Dreams at The Playhouse in Derry, Ireland Feb. 2012.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Arabella Hong

Artist:Arabella Hong

Song:Love, Look Away

Album:Flower Drum Song: Original Broadway Cast

Arabella Hong Is a Chinese American singer best known for playing seamstress Helen Chao in the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song and Love, Look Away was her only song in the show. She did not appear in the film version. She has a couple of TV appearance and that's it. She doesn't have a Wikipedia page. But she did perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. She was born Oct. 20, 1927 in Stockton, CA. to Chinese immigrants. She studied at Juilliard and became an opera singer. When Rodgers & Hammerstein were casting Flower Drum Song, they needed to find actors that at least looked Chinese. So Arabella was cast as Helen Chao. In the 1962 film, Reiko Sato played Helen Chao and her singing voice was dubbed by opera singer Marilyn Horne. My guess is Arabella didn't want to go to Hollywood. She stayed in New York and appeared in the TV shows Deadline and Armstrong Circle Theater. But for most of her life, Arabella was a vocal coach. She worked at Berghoff Studios for over thirty years. And she gave private lessons. Her only appearance in anything was as The Shopkeeper in the 1983 TV Movie Big Bird in China. Apparently she retired in 2014. But I couldn't even tell you if she's still alive. She hasn't posted on Facebook since 2019 and her website is kaput. Here's Arabella Hong performing Love, Look Away on The Ed Sullivan Show Dec. 14, 1958.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chanel

Artist:Chanel

Song:Believe

Album:Trin-i-Tee 5:7 According to Chanel

Chanelle Haynes was a member of the very successful gospel girl group Trin-i-Tee 5:7. After they split up in 2012, Chanelle renamed herself Chanel and released a 2014 album on her own label. The album was very successful in the gospel market. She hasn't recorded since then. But she has been acting in musicals. Wait until I tell you what she's doing now. She was born Dec. 31, 1978 in New Orleans. She and fellow Trin-i-Tee 5:7 member Angel Taylor entered local singing competitions. They were childhood friends. Trin-i-tee 5:7 was formed in 1997 and were very successful in the gospel market. After recording the 2011 album Angel & Chanelle, they split up and Chanel released the 2014 album Trin-i-tee 5:7 According to Chanel on her own label with Central South distribution. They distribute to Christian bookstores but Chanel spent her own money to promote it. Chanel wrote and produced the album with PJ Morton who had worked with Trin-i-tee 5-7. The album was successful in the gospel market. But I am surprised a label like RCA Inspiration didn't sign her. Chanel is a great singer with a distinctive voice. And she looks great. Maybe her age was an issue. I guess Chanel couldn't afford to spend her own money to make another album. So she started appearing in stage musicals in 2015 at the Zach Theater in Austin, TX including playing Billie Holiday in a 2017 production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. Chanel auditioned for the lead in the Broadway musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical but the more experienced Adrienne Warren got the role. Chanel later played that role at London's West End. So now what? Chanel joined The Rolling Stones and sang Gimme Shelter on a 2022 show on Italy. And she's still touring with them. She appeared on their 2024 album Hackneyed Diamonds. The Stones always like to have great backup singers. Maybe she will return to her own music in the future. But a girl has to make a living. Here's the video for Believe by Chanel.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Run River North

Artist:Run River North

Song:Run or Hide

Album:Drinking from a Salt Pond

The indie band Run River North has had modest success as an album and touring band. They have been on hiatus since 2021 so the band may have ended. They were called Monsters Calling Home when they formed in 2011 in Los Angeles. All band members are Korean American. They are Alex Hwang on lead vocals and guitar, Daniel Chae on guitar, Jennifer Rim on violin, Sally Kang on keyboards, Joe Chun on bass and John Chong on drums. Monsters Calling Home self released an album in 2011 and they played gigs in the Los Angeles area. To avoid comparisons with the popular band Of Monsters and Men, they decided to change the band name to Run River North. Then they signed with the Canadian label Nettwerk Music Group. Run or Hide is from the 2016 album Drinking from a Salt Pond. This was their second album for Nettwerk. They performed the song on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Apr. 26, 2016. The band writes and produces everything. The producer was recording engineer Lars Stalfors. They toured to support the album including appearances in Korea and Japan. Then the band started to fall apart. Chong was replaced by Abe Kim. Then after a 2017 tour, Kim left and so did Jennifer Rim and Joe Chung. So they are now a three piece and they hire musicians for touring. Nettwerk sees that they are falling apart and releases them. The band continues to self release music to streaming services. They have been on hiatus since 2021 and last posted on Facebook in 2022. So why were they unsuccessful? I just don't think they were distinctive enough and when band members started leaving, that's when the band should have ended. Here's the video for Run or Hide by Run River North. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tommy Rall and Ann Miller

Artist:Tommy Rall and Ann Miller w/Bobby Van, Bob Fosse

Song:From This Moment On

Album:Kiss Me, Kate: Original MGM Soundtrack

Here's a song from the 1953 MGM musical Kiss Me, Kate featuring Ann Miller and Tommy Rall. I am going to feature Tommy Rall and talk about Ann Miller some other time. Rall was featured in several MGM musicals in the 50s and then became an opera singer. He was never a big star. He was born Dec. 27, 1929 in Kansas City, MO. and he grew up in Seattle. He took dancing lessons as a child and performed in local theater. His family moved to Los Angeles in the 40s. Rall took tap dancing lessons and appeared in several Universal films including Private Buckaroo (1942) as a member of the jitterbugging Jivin' Jacks and Jills. Then he moved to New York and appeared in several shows, most notably the principal dancer in the 1950 show Call Me Madam. Then he returned to Hollywood and signed with MGM. Kiss Me, Kate was his first film. This was the film version of Irving Berlin's hit Broadway show. The stars were Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel and Ann Miller. Rall plays Bill Calhoun and he's in a romance with Ann Miller's character. They were the featured dancers. Rall is not a featured singer. On From This Moment On, it's a duet with Ann along with dancers Bobby Van and Bob Fosse. Fosse was also the choreographer. From This Moment On was not in the Broadway show Kiss Me, Kate. It is from Porter's 1950 show Out of This World. Fosse choreographed that show and danced to this song. So adding it to this show may have been his idea. The Kiss Me, Kate soundtrack is available as a budget CD. Rall appeared in other MGM musicals like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Invitation to the Dance (1958). He returned to Broadway and became an opera singer with the New York City Opera. Though Rall was respected by his fellow dancers like Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor, he was never a star. He died on Oct. 6, 2020 at age 90. Here's Tommy Rall and Ann Miller with Bobby Van and Bob Fosse performing From This Moment On from the 1953 film Kiss Me, Kate. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Seun Kuti + Egypt 80

Artist:Seun Kuti + Egypt 80

Song:African Airways

Album:A Long Way to the Beginning

Seun Kuti is the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. And after his dad's death, Kuti took over his band Egypt 80. Kuti sings, plays alto sax and writes and produces everything. He was born Jan. 11, 1983 in Lagos, Nigeria. By the age of nine, he was opening for his dad's shows. After Fela Kuti died in 1997, Seun took over his band Egypt 80. He was a full time musician at age 18. Kuti has been releasing albums since 2008. African Airways is from the 2014 album A Long Way to the Beginning. It's on the French label Because Music and on Knitting Factory in the US. The album was produced by Robert Glasper. He has produced some of Kuti's other albums. Kuti wrote most of the songs, sings and plays alto sax. He released his latest album in 2024. When Kuti performs live, he performs a mix of originals and his dad's songs. He always wants to pay tribute to him. Kuti is politically active and many of his songs are political. So I think if you enjoy Afrobeat and Fela Kuti, you should enjoy Seun Kuti as he is a chip off the old block. Here is Seun Kuti + Egypt 80 performing African Airways at the 2012 North Sea Jazz Festival in The Netherlands.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sa-Fire

Artist:Sa-Fire

Song:Thinking of You

Album:Romantic Hits of the 80s

Puerto Rican born Freestyle singer Wilma "Sa-Fire" Cosme had success mostly on the dance charts in the late 80s. But she had her greatest success when the 1989 ballad Thinking of You was a top 20 pop hit. She sounds a lot like Madonna on the record. So my guess is most listeners thought it was Madonna. Soundalike hits are not unusual. She was born Jan. 16,1966 in San Juan, Puerto Rico but she grew up in the East Harlem section of New York City. She started out as a session singer and earned a record deal with Cutting Records at an audition. Cutting was a Freestyle label owned by Aldo Marin with Mercury Records distribution. Wilma recorded the 1988 album Sa-Fire. The debut single Boy, I've Been Told reached #13 on the Dance chart and #48 on the Billboard Hot 100. That song was written by Marc Anthony and he appeared on it. Thinking of You was the third single and it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It didn't do well on the Dance chart but Mercury liked it and wanted more of the same. Thinking of You was the only song on the album co-written by Wilma. She wrote it as a tribute to her uncle who died of AIDS in 1984. The other writers were Russell DeSalvo who played all the guitar solos and Bob Steele. Marin and partner Carlos Rodgers produced that song and most of the album. As I said, the record sounds a lot like Madonna and there may be those who still think that. But you can get Thinking of You on this K-Tel various artists comp. The album Sa-Fire is still available on CD. As I said, Mercury wanted more ballads on Sa-Fire's 1991 album I Wasn't Born Yesterday. But Marin was resistant to that and Freestyle music was fading anyway. So the album didn't sell and Wilma was released. Wilma signed with Sony Latin for the 1996 album Atrevida. She released an album of new and old songs and released an occasional single. But Thinking of You is Wilma's only big hit. Here's the video for Thinking of You by Sa-Fire.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bram Tchaikovsky

Artist:Bram Tchaikovsky

Song:Girl of My Dreams

Album:Strange Men, Changed Men: The Complete Recordings 1978-1981

After he left The Motors in 1977, singer songwriter Peter Bramall had brief success as leader of the band Bram Tchaikovsky. They scored a top 40 hit with the 1979 single Girl of My Dreams. But they only recorded three albums. And the two guys who were in the band on the first album had left and Bramall turned it into a solo project. Bramall was born Nov. 10, 1950 in Lincolnshire, England. While he was a member of The Motors, he released a few singles and decided he would be better served by becoming a solo artist. So he gave himself the stage name Bram Tchaikovsky and turned it into a band as he needed musicians for touring. The rest of the band was Micky Broadbent on bass and Keith Boyce on drums. He signed with Radar Records which was also the home for Nick Lowe. The 1979 album Strange Man, Changed Man was released by Polydor in the US. The big surprise was when the single Girl of My Dreams reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and then Bram Tchaikovsky appeared on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. Bramall was lead singer and wrote most of the songs. But Girl of My Dreams was written by Ronnie Thomas who was in the band Heavy Metal Kids with Boyce. Bramall produced the album with Nick Garvey of The Motors. After Broadbent and Boyce left, Bram Tchaikovsky was basically a Peter Bramall solo act. For the 1980 album The Russians Are Coming, he played all the instruments and brought in Nick Line to play drums. He moved to Arista Records for the 1981 album Funland and brought in musicians to the studio. And that was it. Bramall has owned a recording studio for years. And he owns the Bram Tchaikovsky recordings which is why you can only get Girl of My Dreams on this 3CD box set of all three albums plus extras. It was released on the British label Cherry Red. The song was never licensed to many various artists albums. And the ones it appears on are out of print. Here's Bram Tchaikovsky performing Girl of My Dreams on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert 1979.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ailin Perez vs Karol Rosa

Here's the fight video of Ailin Perez vs Karol Rosa from last night's UFC show in Los Angeles. This fight is at Bantamweight. Ailin is 30 years old from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She trains at The Goat Shed in Miami with coach Asim Zaidi. Her UFC record is 4-1. She is on a four fight winning streak. This is a big fight for her as Karol is ranked higher. Karol is 30 years old from Brazil. She is one of the former PRVT girls who now train at The GAEA Project. Her UFC record is 7-3 and she's on a two fight losing streak. During the fight, Joe Rogan put his finger on Karol's main flaw. He described her as "defensively responsible". The problem is there's no scoring criteria for defense. So Karol needs offense to win the fight and she didn't display any offense. And it's not like Ailin fought a great fight. But she scored a couple of takedowns and did enough for me to score the fight 30-27. Two of the three judges scored it the same and the third scored it 29-28 for Ailin. The fight was close but there was very little action. After Karol lost the first two rounds, her corner told her she needed a finish. She may have won the third round but that's not enough. I don't see Ailin as a contender in the Bantamweight division. Enjoy the video. 

AccuRadio Song Of The day-Adrian Legg

Artist:Adrian Legg

Song:The Irish Girl

Album:Guitars & Other Cathedrals

British acoustic guitarist Adrian Legg is greatly admired for his technique by guitar geeks. He's been around since the 70s but he became really popular with guitar geeks when his albums were available in the US in the 90s. He was born May 16, 1948 in Hackney, London, England. He started playing guitar as a teen. In the early 70s, he won composition and performance sections of a Guitar Magazine competition. They asked him to start writing for them. He was a bench technician customizing guitars As you will see in the video, he builds his own guitars. He wrote a 1981 book Customizing Your Electric Guitar. He designs guitars and amplification systems. After releasing a few albums in England, Legg signed a US record deal with Relativity Records. The 1990 album Guitars & Other Cathedrals was his first album. He mostly writes all his songs and only performs solo. Legg has appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival and he has toured with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. At one point, he recorded for Vai's record label Favored Nations. In recent years he has recorded for his own label, most recently in 2017. He also produces instructional videos. As I said, there is a subset of music fans who go for stuff like this. I call them guitar geeks. Guys like Legg have been able to make a living this way. I call it a cottage industry. Here's Adrian Legg performing The Irish Girl at Camp St. Cafe in Crockett, TX 2008. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Noah Kahan

Artist:Noah Kahan

Song:Stick Season

Album:Stick Season

Noah Kahan is a singer songwriter who should remind you of similar guys like Ben Howard and Vance Joy. He's basically a folksinger. Kahan scored a top ten hit with the 2022 single Stick Season. He was born Jan. 2, 1997 in Strafford, VT on a tree farm. His dad taught him to play guitar and his mom taught him to write. Kahan started writing songs at age eight and uploaded them to SoundCloud and YouTube. He received his first guitar at age ten. After graduating from high school, Kahan could have attended Tulane University. But he decided to tour instead. And that led to a record deal with Republic Records in 2017. After appearing on Quinn XCII's 2018 song Tough, Kahan released his 2019 debut album Busyhead. The single Hurt Somebody featuring Julia Michaels charted. Joel Little produced and Kahan wrote most of the songs. In 2020, Kahan posted TikTok videos of the first verse of the song Stick Season. He continued to post on TikTok while he was recording the 2022 album Stick Season. For that album, he went with a more acoustic sound featuring Gabe Simon of the band Kopecky. Kahan wrote all the songs and Kahan and Simon produced and played all the instruments. The single reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album reached #2 on the Billboard 200. And this was all after posting videos on TikTok. The song is about life in Vermont. Stick Season is a term used for autumn in New England. This album is available on CD. The single is probably a fluke and a potential one hit wonder. But a guy like Kahan doesn't need hit singles and this one should keep his career going for the next twenty years. He was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy and named to Time Magazine's TIME100 Next. Kahan is currently headlining his own tour. He released a live album last year. We'll see how his next album does. But I think this was a fluke. Boy, record companies sure will miss TikTok. Here's the video for Stick Season by Noah Kahan.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Solas

Artist:Solas

Song:Granny Quinn's/The Lilac Reel/Sporting Pat

Album:The Hour Before Dawn

Solas is an Irish folk group that is based in the US but is a mix of Irish and American musicians. They have been around since the mid-90s performing a mix of traditional and original songs. Solas was formed in 1995 by Seamus Egan. He was born in PA to Irish immigrants. He was age three when the family returned to Ireland. After Egan saw James Galway perform on TV, he started playing the flute. He now plays several instruments. He returned to Philadelphia and got together with fiddler Winifred Horan. She's from New York. They added singer Karan Casey from Ireland, guitarist John Doyle from Ireland and accordionist John Williams from Chicago and Solas was born. They released their debut album in 1996. They recorded for Shanachie which is only a distributor. They don't do promotion. So touring is promotion for Solas. Granny Quinn's is from the 2000 album The Hour Before Dawn. By this time, Karan left to go solo and was replaced by Dierdre Scanlan and Donal Clancy replaced John Doyle for this album. Other musicians are Mick McAuley on accordion, Chico Huff on bass and Ben Wittman and John Anthony on drums. Egan produced. This is available as a budget CD. Solas switched to the larger Compass Records in 2006. After Dierdre retired in 2008, there was a revolving door of singers. Solas announced they were going on hiatus in 2017. That seemed to be the end. But they announced last summer that they would go on a 30th anniversary tour in 2025. Who knows what they will do after that. Here's Solas performing Granny Quinn's/The Lilac Reel/Sporting Pat's in Galway, Ireland 2002.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Burna Boy

Artist:Burna Boy

Song:Last Last

Album:Love, Damini

Damini "Burna Boy" Ogulu is a Nigerian who performs in the Jamaican Dancehall style. So far he has had international success. But he may be making inroads in the US as the 2022 single Last Last cracked the top 40. It was also a top five hit in England. He doesn't perform in English so crossing over to mainstream is a tall order. He was born July 2, 1991 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. His grandfather was a DJ on the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation and Fela Kuti's first manager. Ogulu started out creating his own beats using FL Studio. After graduating from high school, Ogulu studied at University of Sussex and Oxford Brookes University in England. He returned to Nigeria and was an intern at Rhythm 93.7 FM in Port Harcourt. Then he moved to Lagos to work on his music. After self releasing a 2013 album, Ogulu signed with Aristokrat Records. But he wasn't happy there and returned to self releasing. The international interest began when Ogulu appeared on the 2018 Fall Out Boy song Sunshine Riptide. Then he released the album Outside with guest appearances by J Hus, Lily Allen and Mabel. His music is a mix of Afrobeat and Dancehall. Ogulu started performing internationally including a sold out concert at the O2 Academy Brixton in London. And he was named Best International Artist at the 2019 BET Awards. But to go farther, he needed a major label so he signed with Atlantic Records. Then he made a guest appearance on Beyonce's soundtrack for the 2019 film The Lion King: The Gift produced by Richard "P2J" Isong who has worked with Ogulu for his entire career. He continued to have success as a concert draw and he appeared as a guest artist with Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Justin Bieber. He also won a Grammy. But he finally got that hit single with Last Last from the 2022 album Love, Damini. Last Last reached #4 on the British Singles chart, topped the R&B Singles chart and reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ogulu writes and produces with various producers, most notably Isong. He wrote Last Last with Finnish producers Off & Out, MDS and Ruuben and Nigerian producer Chopstix. The main sample is Toni Braxton's 2000 single He Wasn't Man Enough. You can hear her in the background throughout the song. So LaShawn Daniels, Harvey Mason Jr., Fred Jerkins III and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins all got a songwriting credit. Guests on the album include Ladysmith Black Mambazo, J Hus, Ed Sheeran, J Balvin and Khalid. That is likely to be his biggest hit as US radio station programmers will always be reluctant to play an artist who sings in a foreign language. He doesn't need it anyway as he is now a big international star. A top ten pop hit sure would be nice though. Here's the video for Last Last by Burna Boy. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chico Cesar

Artist:Chico Cesar

Song:A Primeira Vista

Album:Millennium

Chico Cesar is part of the new wave of singer songwriters to emerge in Brazil in the 90s. He's popular in Brazil but virtually unknown elsewhere. He was born Francisco Cesar Goncalves Jan. 26, 1964 in Catole da Rocha, Paraiba, Brazil. He worked in a record store at age eight. Then he was in the band Super Som Mirim. Cesar moved to Paraiba's largest city Joao Passoa to attend high school. And he studied journalism at Universidade Federal da Paraiba. He was in the band Jaguaribe Carne. After graduating from college, Cesar moved to Sao Paulo to work as a journalist. Meanwhile, he was writing poetry and working on his music skills. Cesar moved to Germany in 1991 to get experience performing live. When Cesar returned to Brazil, he decided to be a full time musician. Some of his songs were already being interpreted by others. So he self released a 1995 live album. That got the attention of MZA Music owner Marco Mazzola and he signed Cesar to a record deal. MZA specialized in the new generation of Brazilian performers and he had distribution from PolyGram and then Universal. A Premeira Vista is from Cesar's 1996 debut album Cuscuz Cla. The record was a hit. And it became a bigger hit when Daniela Mercury sang it in the soap opera Rei do Gado. Cesar won several awards. That established Cesar and he has been recording ever since. This budget comp is a good intro to his music. Cesar currently records for his own label and his latest album was released in 2022. Here's the video for A Premiera Vista by Chico Cesar. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Jones & Tammy Wynette

Artist:George Jones & Tammy Wynette

Song:Golden Ring

Album:16 Biggest Hits

Country music legend George Jones recorded plenty of duets with female singers. But most fans will remember his duets in the 70s with real life wife Tammy Wynette. The 1976 single Golden Ring was one of their three #1 country hits. Among the singers he sang with before Tammy were Virginia Spurlock, Jeanette Hicks, Margie Singleton, Melba Montgomery and Brenda Carter. Jones had his best chart success with Melba including the 1963 top five hit We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds. And Jones claimed in his autobiography that she was his best duet partner. Jones and Tammy were still married to others when they met on tour. They were handled by the same booking agency. And they married in 1969. Jones wanted to record with her but he was still under contract to Musicor and Tammy was on Epic. So Jones bought out his contract and signed with Epic. They worked with her producer Billy Sherrill and became known as Mr. & Mrs. Country Music. Some thought that Jones and Sherrill might clash because of different styles. But Sherril has said that the only problem was he had to record them separately because if he recorded them together, Jones never sang the song the same way twice and that drove Tammy nuts. BTW, duets are frequently recorded separately, sometimes in different locations. George and Tammy topped the country charts with the 1973 single We're Gonna Hold On. The albums sold well. The big problem with the marriage was Jones' alcoholism and that led to brawls between them and the divorce in 1975. But they continued to record and tour together because fans didn't want to see them separately. The 1976 singles Golden Ring and Near You topped the country charts and so did the album. Golden Ring was written by veteran songwriter Bobby Braddock and Rafe Von Hoy. Braddock wrote the song after watching a TV drama about the life of a gun. He just changed the subject to a wedding ring. After recording a 1980 album together, Jones left Epic for MCA and was able to revive his solo career. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Here's George Jones & Tammy Wynette performing Golden Ring on an awards show 1976.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Yul Brynner

Artist Yul Brynner

Song:A Puzzlement

Album:The King and I: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Though he had a long Hollywood career, Russian actor Yul Brynner is mainly known for playing King Mongkut in the 1951 Broadway production and the 1956 film of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The King and I. He won awards for both versions. He was also known for his shaved head look which was very unusual at the time. He was born Yuliy Borisovich Briner on July 11, 1920 in Vladivostok, Far Eastern Republic, Russia. It's near the Chinese border. His family was well to do but their wealth was confiscated when the Red Army took over Vladivostok in 1922. His father was a mining engineer. His parents divorced in 1923 and his father lived with actress Katerina Kornakova. She would later help Brynner emigrate to the US. Brynner's mother moved the family to Harbin, China. His father gave him a guitar as a birthday present in 1930. He performed in nightclubs after his mom moved the family to Paris. Brynner became addicted to drugs after he suffered a back injury while working as a circus acrobat. His aunt was a physician and took him to Switzerland to recover. Meanwhile, Brynner met Jean Cocteau in Paris and became friends with him and other artists. After his recovery, Brynner moved to China for acting lessons from his stepmother. When Brynner's mother got sick and needed treatment in the US. he moved there with her in 1940. His sister was already living in New York working as an opera singer. During WWII, Brynner worked as an announcer for Voice of America and took acting lessons from Michael Chekhov. He married actress Virginia Gilmore and they appeared in the CBS TV series Studio One. Brynner made his film debut in the 1949 film Port of New York. I've seen that film.  Brynner has hair. Then he auditioned for the Broadway musical The King and I and won the starring role of King Mongkut. That's when he shaved his head. It became his signature role as he won a Tony. Then he won an Oscar when he reprised the role in the 1956 film version. He would reprise that role several times over the years. His shaved head became a thing and was known as the Yul Brynner look. Other films included The Ten Commandments, Anastasia and The Brothers Karamazov. Though this established him as a movie star, Brynner wasn't as successful in the 60s. Most of his films were commercial disappointments until he played the killer robot Gunslinger in the 1973 film Westworld. After appearing in the Westworld sequels, Brynner retired from acting and died from lung cancer on Oct. 10, 1985 at age 65. Here's Yul Brynner performing A Puzzlement in the 1956 film The King and I.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas

Here's the fight video of Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. This is a five round main event. Mackenzie is 31 years old. She trains in Huntington Beach, CA with Jason Parillo. Her UFC record is 9-5. Mackenzie is a former BJJ champ but her striking is subpar. That's why Parillo is her coach. Amanda is 31 years old from Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil. She trains with her father Marcelo Ribas and at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. Amanda is not as good as Mackenzie on the ground. But her striking is better. So I didn't like her chances if the fight went to the mat. And that's how it went. The first two rounds were pretty close. But Mackenzie took control in round three and submitted Amanda with an armbar with four seconds remaining in the round. Mackenzie got a $50,000 bonus. So in a couple of weeks, Zhang Weili will defend her UFC Strawweight Championship against Tatiana Suarez. Right now, the next title shot should go to Virna Jandiroba. My guess is e UFC will have Virna vs Mackenzie main event a Fight Night show later this year and the winner gets a title shot. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Grant Geissman

Artist:Grant Geissman

Song:Cuba Libre

Album:Take Another Look

Jazz guitarist Grant Geissman first came to the public's attention when he played the guitar solo on Chuck Mangione's 1977 hit single Feels So Good. Since then he has recorded as a leader, sideman and studio musician. He plays acoustic guitar which is popular with guitar geeks. He was born Apr. 13, 1953 in Berkeley, CA and he grew up in San Jose. He started taking guitar lessons from local musicians and they all told him the same thing. Learn to play jazz and he will be able to play anything. So he learned jazz from guitarist Jerry Hahn who was in John Handy's band. After graduating from high school, Geissman attended De Anza College. Herb Patnoe was director of Stan Kenton's Jazz Clinics. He placed Geissman in that band. That's where he met his long time buddy drummer Peter Erskine. Geissman moved to Los Angeles to continue school. But he wanted to get into the Hollywood studio scene. Geissman played in big bands led by Gerald Wilson and Louie Bellson. Then he joined flugelhornist Chuck Mangione's band and that's when he played the solo on Feels So Good. Geissman recorded his first album as a leader in 1978. And he left Mangione's band in 1981. Since then he has recorded mostly for Bluemoon/Mesa Records. Geissman currently records for his own label distributed by Bluemoon. Cuba Libre is from the 1991 album Take Another Look. Geissman wrote most of the songs including Cuba Libre which he wrote with pianist Emil Palame who was in his 90s band. The rest of the band is Jimmy Johnson on bass, Tom Walsh on drums and Brad Dutz on percussion. There are horns and strings on a couple of tracks. Pianist David Benoit guests on one song. Geissman is a Los Angeles session musician. He composed the themes for the TV shows Monk and Two and a Half Men. His latest album Blooz was released in 2022. He doesn't appear to be on tour right now. He could be recording a new album. Here is Grant Geissman with Al Williams on sax, Emil Palame on piano, Stan Sarget on bass and Tom Walsh on drums performing Cuba Libre. It doesn't give a date or location. But I think this is Geisman's 90s band.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rev. Milton Brunson

Artist:Rev. Milton Brunson

Song:Rise Up and Walk

Album:Praise God

Rev. Milton Brunson led Chicago's Thompson Community Singers for almost fifty years. He was also the pastor and musical director of Christ Tabernacle Church in Chicago. He recorded since the 60s but with the rise of contemporary gospel in the 80s, Brunson's music became more popular and he won some awards. Brunson's music was traditional gospel with some contemporary elements. He was born June 28,1929 in Chicago. After graduating from high school, Brunson was trained by gospel music legends Thomas A. Dorsey and Mahalia Jackson. He formed the Thompson Community Singers in 1948. After he was ordained, Brunson was pastor and music director at Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church. Brunson started recording in the 60s first on Vee Jay and then on Nashboro. With the rise of contemporary gospel artists like Andrae Crouch in the 70s, secular record companies wanted to see if it could be sold to a mass audience. Before that, gospel was sold mostly in Christian book stores. Brunson signed with Word's Myrrh label in the early 80s. And Word made agreements with A&M and Epic to market Christian music to a mainstream audience. Brunson and the Thompson Community Choir were chosen for this experiment. The one big mainstream crossover artist that came from this was Amy Grant. But the labels were happy enough with the results that they all own gospel labels today. So they must have made money or they wouldn't spend money on it. When Brunson recorded for Epic starting in the late 80s, he was nominated for Grammys and Soul Train Music Awards. Rise Up and Walk was written by Jessy Dixon and Brunson first recorded it in the 70s. This budget comp is a good intro to Brunson's music. The choir continued to record until Brunson died on Apr. 1, 1997 at age 67. The Thompson Community Choir continued to record as The Tommies. Here's Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Choir performing Rise Up and Walk. There's no date but it looks like the 80s. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Blu Cantrell

Artist:Blu Cantrell

Song:Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops)

Album: So Blu

Hit 'Em Up Style was a top five hit in 2001. It was the only big hit for Blu Cantrell. One of her other songs charted so she is not a one hit wonder. To date she has only released two albums. Most folks should remember this song but know nothing about the singer. She was born Tiffany Cobb Mar. 16, 1976 in Providence, RI. Her mom is former beauty queen and jazz singer Susi Franco. After watching her mom sing, Blu recorded a demo and took it to producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. He started using her as a background singer. She was in the girl group 8th Avenue. They were supposed to be on Interscope and produced by Teddy Riley. But then Riley left Interscope and 8th Avenue's record deal was cancelled. BTW, Blu was a childhood nickname. So Blu started recording her own album. Stewart was planning to put her in his girl group 321. At the time, LA Reid was president and CEO of Arista Records. He signed Blu  and the album So Blu was released in 2001. The lead single Hit 'Em Up Style reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. I think women loved Blu's attitude in the video. Though Stewart produced a lot of the album and Blu co-wrote most of the songs, Hit 'Em Up Style was written and produced by TLC producer Dallas Austin. This album is available as a budget CD. When the 2003 album Bittersweet didn't do as well and there were no hit singles, the end was near. When Arista was folded into RCA and LA Reid left, Blu decided not to renew her contract. She hasn't recorded since then. I don't think she is active anymore. Her website is kaput and she last posted on Facebook in 2017. Here's the video for Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops) by Blu Cantrell.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bob Crosby's Bob Cats

Artist:Bob Crosby's Bob Cats

Song: Who's Sorry Now

Album:Palesteena

Singer Bob Crosby started out in the 30s with the Dixieland band The Bob Cats and then led a larger band mostly on the radio. He was very successful in the late 30s. But music changed and he adapted to swing though he wasn't as successful. He was born Aug. 23, 1913 in Spokane, WA and he was the younger brother of the much more famous crooner and actor Bing Crosby. There were seven children in the family. He attended Gonzaga College. But as his brother had done before him. he dropped out of school to pursue a singing career. He started out in the early 30s with the Delta Rhythm Boys, three years with pianist Anson Weeks' band followed by a stint with The Dorsey Brothers. He became a bandleader in 1935 when the members of Ben Pollock's band quit en masse in an effort to make more money. They had an agent Cork O'Keefe who helped organize The Casa Loma Orchestra. He thought they needed a singer and Crosby was hired. His brother was already successful and they felt they could use that to sell the band. They signed with Decca and had success with vocal tracks like the #1 hits In a Little Gypsy Tea Room (1935) and Whispers in the Dark (1937). Those were by the larger band. But there was a band within a band called The Bob Cats and they recorded mostly instrumental. When they recorded Who's Sorry Now in 1938, the band was Eddie Miller on tenor sax, Yank Lawson on trumpet, Warren D. Smith on trombone, Nappy Lamare on guitar, Irving Fazola on clarinet, Bob Zurke on piano, Haig Stephens on bass and Ray Bauduc on drums. This comp from Naxos has all of The Bob Cats late 30s hits. With the rise of swing in the late 30s, Crosby realized that the band would have to change as Dixieland wasn't popular anymore. Crosby's solution was to combine the bands and work mostly on the radio from 1943-50. And Crosby's singing was emphasized. Crosby knew that he couldn't be more popular than Harry James or Tommy Dorsey. So he didn't try to do that and the band continued to record and make a good living. Crosby continued on radio in the 50s and he even had his own TV show for a while. Crosby recorded for Dot Records in the 50s. Then he recorded for small labels until he died on Mar. 9, 1993 at age 79. So Bob Crosby wasn't as famous as his brother. But he did have a pretty good career. Here's a video of Who's Sorry Now by Bob Crosby's Bob Cats. This seems to be a Snader Telescription from 1951. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Giulia vs Roxanne Perez

Here's the match video of Giulia vs Roxanne Perez from last night's NXT show in Los Angeles. This match is for the NXT Women's Championship. I expected Giulia to win because it's time for Roxanne to move up to the main roster. Fans need to remember that the main purpose of NXT is to prepare wrestlers for the main roster. In Roxanne's case, she only needed TV time. She's a really good wrestler already. Giulia lost a title match to Roxanne in September after Cora Jade interfered. They had Cora interfere again but it didn't work this time. The match was very competitive. But I knew it was over when Giulia kicked out of Roxanne's Pop Rocks finisher. Giulia won with a knee followed by her Northern Lights Bomb to win the title. Though there were no surprises in this match, it was really good and well worth watching. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Smith And Buddy's Buddies

Artist:Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddies

Sonh:Nutville

Album:Very Live at Ronnie Scott's London Set Number One

Steve Smith is best known as the longtime drummer for Journey. But he has a side career as a Buddy Rich influenced jazz drummer. Like Neil Peart of Rush and the late Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones, Smith makes a living in rock music but would prefer playing jazz. He was born Aug. 21, 1954 in Whitman, MA. He got his first drum kit at age two, took formal lessons from big band drummer Bill Flanagan and got his first full drum set at age 12. Needless to say, if you lived in the neighborhood, you could hear Smith practicing in a backyard shed. As a teen, he played in all kinds of bands. Smith attended Berklee in Boston and studied with jazz drummer Alan Dawson. He recorded and toured with French jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. He started his own jazz fusion band Vital Information. Then he joined Journey in 1978. Smith had three stints with Journey; 1978-85, 1995-98, 2015-20. Vital Information released their first album in 1983 and they are still active. Neil Peart invited Smith to appear at a 1991 Buddy Rich Tribute Concert in New York. Each track has a different drummer. Smith performs the Horace Silver classic Nutville. Smith started Buddy's Buddies in 1999. They record for the jazz label Tone Center. They have recorded five albums. Nutville is from the 2003 album Live at Ronnie Scott's London. This album is available as a budget CD. The second set is on a separate CD. The band performs mostly jazz standards. It's basically a Buddy Rich tribute band. Musicians are Andy Fusco on alto sax. He played with Rich from 1978-83. Steve Marcus on tenor and soprano sax was also in the Rich band. Mark Soskin on piano has recorded as a leader since 1980. Bassist Baron Browne played with Smith in the Jean-Luc Ponty band. In 2001, Modern Drummer named Smith one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time. As a member of Journey, Smith is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In recent years, Smith has concentrated on recording and touring with Vital Information. Here's Steve Smith with The Buddy Rich Tribute Band performing Nutville at the Ritz Theater in New York City July 6, 1991. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Elton John

Artist:Elton John

Song:Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Album:Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume 2

Elton John's cover of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds topped the charts for two weeks in 1974. The big thing is that John Lennon appears on the record. Also it was only released as a single which makes it a discography orphan. And it doesn't appear on many Elton John comps. The thing that complicates matters is John's albums get different releases in different countries. The genesis of these two appearing together was when John appeared on Whatever Gets You Through the Night on Lennon's 1974 album Walls and Bridges. In return, Lennon agreed to appear on John's upcoming Madison Square Garden show. But Lennon also agreed to appear on a couple of Beatles covers. He is billed as Dr. Winston O'Boogie. Winston was Lennon's middle name. It was released only as a single and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. The first album it appeared on was the soundtrack for the 1976 film All This and World War II. This was a WWII documentary using Beatles songs on the soundtrack. When getting Beatles songs was too expensive, the producers decided to use Beatles covers including Elton John's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Though the film bombed, the soundtrack album sold well. MCA could have put Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds on the 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. But they didn't though it was added as a bonus track on the 1995 reissue of that album. The song does appear on the 1977 comp Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 so that's the album I recommend. It also may appear on the 2007 comp Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits but it appears mainly on the US/Canada release and I couldn't tell if that edition is available on Amazon. So I'm sure recording with John Lennon was on Elton John's bucket list and it should be on his fans' list too. Here's Elton John performing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds on The Old Grey Whistle Test. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Acorn

Artist:The Acorn

Song:Restoration

Album:No Ghost

The Canadian band The Acorn is another solo act turned into a band mainly to play live. They had modest success as an indie band. They don't seem to be currently active. The Acorn is from Ottawa. Rolf-Carlos Klausener first started The Acorn as a home recording project. Then he turned it into a band by adding Howie Tsui on guitar, Jeff Debutte on bass and Jeffrey Malecki on drums. They released the 2005 album The Pink Ghosts on Kelp Records. They toured and released Live At Royal Albert Hall in 2006. They signed with Paper Bag Records and released the 2007 album Glory Hope Mountain which was about Klausener's Honduras born mother. This album seemed to reach a larger audience and was nominated for a Polaris Music Prize. Restoration was first released as an EP and then on the 2010 album No Ghost. Paper Bag signed an international distribution deal with the British label Bella Union. As with all of The Acorn's albums, Klausener wrote and produced everything. By the time the 2015 album Vieux Loup was released, Klausener may have been tired of The Acorn and decided to end the band. They last performed in 2017. Klausener is currently creative director of the Ottawa music festival Bon-Fire. He doesn't seem to be interested in reforming The Acorn. Here's the video for Restoration by The Acorn.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bad Meets Evil

Artist:Bad Meets Evil f/Bruno Mars

Song:Lighters

Album:Hell: The Sequel

Rappers Marshall "Eminem" Mathers and Ryan "Royce da 5'9"" Montgomery joined forces and scored a top ten hit with the 2011 single Lighters. They have only recorded one album to date. But no doubt fans of Mathers should check this out as they might overlook it. They met in 1997 when Montgomery was opening for Usher at the London Palladium. Montgomery appeared on Mathers' 1999 album The Slim Shady LP. Of course that's the album that made Mathers famous. After Montgomery signed with Dr. Dre's label Aftermath Entertainment, there was talk that they might record together again after they released a couple of singles in 1998. They called themselves Bad Meets Evil. It took a while but they released the EP Hell: The Sequel in 2011. Lighters featuring Bruno Mars was the second single and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The EP was certified Gold. The song was supposed to be on one of Montgomery's albums. That version was produced by Battle Roy. When Mars was brought in, he brought in his production team The Smeezingtons (Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine) to produce. A lot of the album was produced by Mr. Porter. He is a member of Mathers' group D12. Other guest artists include Mike Epps and Slaughterhouse. A couple of bonus tracks were added to make this EP album length. Could these two record another album? It didn't look good for a while as there was a rift mostly caused by D12 members. But they have released a couple of singles so I guess it's possible. We'll see. Here's the video for Lighters by Bad Meets Evil featuring Bruno Mars.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jocelyn Enriquez

Artist:Jocelyn Enriquez

Song:A Little Bit of Ecstasy

Album:Jocelyn

Singer Jocelyn Enriquez had success in the late 90s mostly on the dance charts. A Little Bit of Ecstasy topped the dance chart in 1997. She was born Dec. 28, 1974 in San Francisco. She is Filipino American. Jocelyn trained at the San Francisco Girl Chorus and San Francisco Opera Company. She was in a girl group in high school. A demo got her a record deal with Classified Records which was owned by Filipino Americans. Jocelyn was their first signing. Despite limited distribution, Jocelyn had chart success with the 1994 single I've Been Thinking About You. That got the attention of Tommy Boy Records and they worked out a distribution deal with Classified. That got them international distribution. Jocelyn recorded the 1997 album Jocelyn and the single A Little Bit of Ecstasy topped the dance charts. Most of the album including A Little Bit of Ecstasy was written and produced by Glenn Gutierrez who had previously worked with Stevie B. He also produced Jocelyn's previous album. Typical of dance music, there's not much to the song. There's a chorus and a repetitive hook and that's it. The album is available on CD. The song appeared in the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury. So things were looking up for Jocelyn. Then Tommy Boy ended the deal with Classified but Jocelyn stayed with Tommy Boy. Classified closed in 2001. Jocelyn appeared with Dutch singer Amber and Ultra Nate as Stars on 54. Their dance cover of Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind was featured in the 1998 film 54 and was a worldwide chart hit. After giving birth to her first child, Jocelyn recorded a couple of singles including one for the Disney film 102 Dalmatians. When they didn't chart, Tommy Boy dropped her. Since then Jocelyn has occasionally released music on her own label. She and her minister husband moved to San Antonio in 2005 and they run a church there. I'm sure that and their four kids keep Jocelyn busy. She last released a single in 2018 and she still tours. Here's the video for A Little Bit of Ecstasy by Jocelyn Enriquez. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joy Williams

Artist:Joy Williams

Song:I Believe in You

Album:Every Moment: The Best of Joy Williams

Most music fans should remember Joy Williams as one half of the duo The Civil Wars with John Paul White. They made a big splash with the 2011 album Barton Hollow and appeared on the Grammy Awards broadcast. They went on indefinite hiatus in 2012 and announced they split up in 2014. But before that Joy recorded five CCM album and she seemed to be on her way to a successful solo career. She was born Nov. 14, 1982 in West Brandt, MI and she grew up in Santa Cruz, CA where her parents were ministers. So she's a PK. So she sang in church and she started writing songs. Joy signed with Sony's CCM label Reunion label at age 17. Obviously Reunion wanted to market her to teens similar to how Rachel Lampa was sold in the 90s. So for Joy's 2001 album Joy Williams, they brought in producer Dan Muckala who has worked with teen acts like Mandy Moore and CCM acts like Chris Tomlin. So he knew what Reunion wanted. Joy recorded three albums for Reunion. They sold OK and Joy was nominated for 11 Dove awards. The problem I see is Muckala wrote most of the songs including I Believe in You. And I guess Joy wanted to write more of the songs. So for the 2002 album By Surprise, Reunion brought in veteran CCM producer Brown Bannister. Joy wrote four songs with her guitarist Rob Graves. So for the 2005 album Genesis, Matt Bronleewe produced. Joy wrote all the songs with another CCM veteran Jason Ingram. Joy decided not to renew her contract with Reunion. It was after she self released a couple of EPs that she met John Paul White at a songwriter's camp in Nashville and formed The Civil Wars. They were successful but weren't getting along. So White went home to his family in Alabama and refused to work with Joy. Since then Joy has released a couple of albums on her own label. Her 2019 album Front Porch was nominated for a Best Folk Album Grammy. She says she wanted a more acoustic sound. Keep in mind that Reunion wanted to sell her to teens. Joy and John Paul White both appeared on Taylor Swift's 2023 re-recording of Safe & Sound which the three wrote together. Joy and White recorded their parts separately. Joy gave birth to a son in 2023. She currently hosts Southern Craft Radio on Apple Music Country. Don't know if she will record again. Here's Joy Williams performing I Believe in You on the 2001 Dove Awards broadcast. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Galway

Artist:James Galway f/The Chieftains

Song:Danny Boy

Album:The Essential James Galway

Irish flutist James Galway is known as The Man with the Golden Flute. He is mainly a classical musician but he does record other types of music including Danny Boy from a 1987 album with The Chieftains. He has recorded for RCA since the 70s but he now records for Deutsche Grammophon. He was born Dec. 8, 1939 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His father and other family members played the flute. His uncle taught him to play and at age 11, Galway won the Belfast Flute Competition. He left school at age 14 to work as an apprentice for a piano repairman. Galway moved to London and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music. He also studied at the Paris Conservatoire. When he asked the great Jean-Pierre Rampal for lessons, Rampal told Galway that he didn't need lessons. So he returned to London to work for Sadler's Wells Opera. Galway was principal flute for Herbert von Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1969-75. He moved to the US to launch a solo career and took a teaching job at the Eastman School of Music. He signed with RCA Records in 1975. Galway has always recorded all kinds of music. Not surprisingly, he is especially fond of Irish music. This recording of the standard Danny Boy is from the 1987 album James Galway And The Chieftains In Ireland. The songs are mostly traditional produced by The Chieftains leader Paddy Moloney. You can get Danny Boy on this 2CD budget comp. One CD has classical recordings and the second CD has more popular music. So it's a good intro to Galway's music. Galway switched from RCA to Deutsche Grammophon in 2004. He recently appeared on a Daniel Hope album of Irish favorites. Galway and his wife are concentrating on their Galway Flute Academy. Here's James Galway performing Danny Boy in Japan. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Corona

Artist:Corona

Song:The Rhythm of the Night

Album:Unstoppable 90s

The 1993 single Rhythm of the Night was a worldwide dance hit. Here in North America it was a top ten dance hit and a top 20 pop hit. It was Corona's only big hit but they are not a one hit wonder. I guess they are a one album wonder which is not unusual for this kind of music. The guy behind Corona was Italian DJ and producer Francesco "Checco" Bontempi. He sometimes recorded as Lee Marrow. In those days, it was not unusual for dance music producers to use studio singers on the records and models in the videos. That is what C+C Music Factory and Black Box did. Seeing this, Bontempi decided to do the same thing. So the girl in the video is not the singer. She is Brazilian model Olga Souza. She moved to Italy in 1990. She was spotted performing in a club and brought in to be the face of Corona. The singing on The Rhythm of the Night was by Italian singer Giovanna Bersola AKA Jenny B. At the time, she was a studio singer. Supposedly, Giovanna suffered from stage fright and she didn't want to be a public figure. The funny part is Olga could sing but Bontempi wanted her for her looks. The Rhythm of the Night was on the local label DWA (Dance World Attack) and distributed in Europe by the German label XYZ. When the song became a big hit in Europe, Warner Bros. picked up the North American rights and released it on EastWest. In the US, the song reached #7 on the Dance chart and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bontempi wrote and produced but it's based on the 1987 song Save Me by the German pop duo Say When!. British musicians Pete Glenister and Mike Gaffney wrote that song and got a songwriting credit. After the song was a hit, Bontempi recorded the rest of the album with British singer Sandy Chambers. You can get The Rhythm of the Night on this various artists budget comp. The Corona name is still around. But Bontempi left and two other guys are in charge. Most folks are only going to be interested in The Rhythm of the Night. Here's the video for The Rhythm of the Night by Corona.