AccuRadio Song Of The Day-El Michels Affair

Artist:El Michels Affair

Song:Slide Show

Album:Sounding Out the City

Leon Michels is a songwriter and producer who records as El Michels Affair on his own label. His music is instrumental like The Budos Band. He's part of the same New York neo soul scene. Michels was born in 1982 in New York City. He started out as a member of The Mighty Imperials who became The Soul Providers and they toured with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings for several years. He has produced albums for singer Lee Fields since 2002. Michels left The Dap-Kings to start El Michels Affair. Slide Show is from the 2005 debut album Sounding Out the City. Michels has recorded four albums for his own Big Crown label. He has a new album coming out in a couple of weeks. No doubt he tired of the road grind and studio work is more to his liking. Along with writing and producing, Michels plays sax, flute and bass. The musicians on the album are guys he plays with in other bands. Michels is a member of Menehan Street Band led by guitarist Thomas Brenneck. They back up soul singer Charles Bradley. When The Black Keys leader Dan Auerbach heard the 2009 Lee Fields album My World, he brought Michels to Las Vegas and they formed The Arcs who have released two albums. Michels has also produced Aloe Blacc and Liam Bailey among others. Here's the video for Slide Show by El Michels Affair. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Maycee Barber vs Andrea Lee

Here's the match video of Maycee Barber vs Andrea Lee from last night's UFC show in San Antonio, TX. This fight is at Flyweight. Maycee is 24 years old from Fort Collins, CO but she trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento with Urijah Faber and Danny Castillo. She recently had shoulder surgery. Maycee is mainly a striker but I would like to see her go for the body more. She's too much of a headhunter. She is 7-2 in the UFC. Andrea is 33 years old from Shreveport, LA. She's 5-4 in the UFC. She looked pretty good a couple of years ago when she trained with Sayif Saud at Fortis in Houston. But she left and looked terrible in her last fight. So I scored round one 10-9 for Andrea because of ground control. Maycee did land some strikes. But I didn't think it was enough. The only problem was Andrea didn't advance her position so all three judges scored it 10-9 for Maycee. Round two was similar and I also scored it 10-9 for Andrea. Two of the three judges scored it 10-9 for Maycee. Thinking she was down two rounds, Maycee was better in round three and I scored it 10-9 for her. Two of the three judges scored it 10-9 for Andrea. So Maycee won by split decision 28-29, 29-28, 30-27. So what happened? When someone complained to me about the judging in England last week my response was wait until we get to Texas nest week. It will be worse. And in this fight I would say that two of the three judges were inept. Chris Lee is a regular UFC judge and he scored it 29-28 for Andrea. Frank Collazo is a local guy who should have been fired after screwing up as a ref on Friday. He scored it 29-28 for Maycee. But the worst was Dan Miriagliotta who is normally an inept ref. He scored the fight 30-27 for Maycee. I guess he's an inept judge too. I can blame the Texas AC for Collazo. But there is no excuse for someone as experienced as Miragliotta to be that inept. Check out the video for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Holly Holm vs Yana Santos

Here's the match video of Holly Holm vs Yana Santos from last night's UFC show in San Antonio, TX. This fight is at Bantamweight. At 41 years old, Holly is a former UFC champ headed to the UFC Hall of Fame. She's a boxer who trains at Jackson Wink in Albuquerque, NM. And she just signed a new six fight contract. Yana is 33 years old from Saint Petersburg, Russia. She trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL with her husband Thiago Santos. She is returning from having a baby. She's 4-3 in the UFC. She's a veteran fighter but not a very good one. So I expected Holly to win easily and she did. Rounds two and three were close to 10-8. Holly wins by a one sided unanimous decision. Could she fight for the title again? The division is thin so it is possible. She thinks a win over Julianna Pena could get her a title shot. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich

Artist:Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich

Song:The Drum Battle

Album:The Drum Battle

It's not something we see today but jazz has a long history of Battle of the Bands going back to when Chick Webb invited all comers to The Savoy Ballroom in the 30s. Of course Gene Krupa was king of the drums in the 40s. So when Buddy Rich emerged as the new king of the drums in the late 40s, Verve Records owner Norman Granz brought both of them in to a 1952 Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) concert and have them battle it out to see who was the real king of the drums. Of course it was all for fun. Krupa and Rich were good friends and recorded two albums together. The first was the 1955 album Krupa and Rich. The second was the 1962 album Burnin' Beat. And they would also recreate the original drum battle for concerts and TV shows. This concert was recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York Sept. 13, 1952. It was supposed to be released as part of Verve's JATP series. But it wasn't released until 1960. I don't know why. It's only 35 minutes long so that could be the reason. And 1960 was when Granz sold Verve to MGM. MGM released the album with a new cover. When the album was released on CD in 1999, it was with the original cover. Along with the usual Verve musicians, Krupa's trio with Willie Smith on sax and Hank Jones on piano is featured. Ella Fitzgerald appears on Perdido. Other musicians are Roy Eldridge and Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Flip Phillips and Lester Young on tenor sax, Benny Carter on alto sax, Oscar Peterson on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The Drum Battle is just improvised. It's not actually a song. No one actually writes a song like that. When Krupa and Rich did a drum battle, they never did it the same twice. Here's Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich performing The Drum Battle on The Sammy Davis Jr. Show 1966.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Montrose

Artist:Montrose

Song:Bad Motor Scooter

Album:An Introduction To Montrose

Today the 70s band Montrose is best known as the launching pad for singer Sammy Hagar. They never had a hit single but the 1973 album Montrose was certified Platinum. Bad Motor Scooter is their best known song. I don't know why guitarist Ronnie Montrose named the band after himself. He wasn't well known. Mostly he played sessions and was in The Edgar Winter Group for the 1972 album They Only Come Out At Night. But producer Ted Templeman had a good relationship with Warner Bros. by producing The Doobie Brothers. So Montrose got a record deal and instead of billing himself as a solo artist, he formed the band Montrose. Sammy Hagar was in a San Francisco cover band when Montrose recruited him. Drummer Denny Carmassi was also recruited from a San Francisco cover band. Montrose knew bassist Bill Church from playing together on Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey. When they recorded the 1973 album Montrose, the band didn't have a name. When they appeared on Tom Donohue's Apr. 21, 1973 broadcast on radio station KSAN, they were called Ronnie Montrose and Friends. I guess Montrose is a shortening of that. Bad Motor Scooter is Montrose's best known song. Sammy Hagar wrote it but Montrose and Hagar wrote most of the songs together. The problem was Montrose had a bad temper. As a result, the band had a heavy turnover. Church was replaced by Alan Fitzgerald for the 1974 album Paper Money. The album was not as hard rock as the first album. Hagar didn't like that so he left during a European tour and was replaced by Bob James. Montrose recorded four albums for Warners. The changes and the constant touring was wearing thin. Montrose even parted ways with Templeman. Montrose split up on New Year's Eve 1976. Montrose released the 1978 album Open Fire. It was instrumental similar to Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow. Montrose formed the progressive rock band Gamma in 1979. They recorded three albums for Elektra and had similar personnel problems. Montrose  reformed with a new lineup in 1987 and recorded an album for EMI's Enigma label. Montrose continued to perform occasionally. He even successfully battled prostate cancer. But he suffered from clinical depression and he committed suicide on Mar. 3, 2012 at age 64. Here's the video for Bad Motor Scooter by Montrose. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Platinum Blonde

Artist:Platinum Blonde

Song:Situation Critical

Album:Seven Year Itch 1982-1989

Situation Critical was one of two Canadian top ten hits for the 80s band Platinum Blonde. They were unable to convert this into success in the US. Singer, songwriter and bassist Mark Holmes was born July 26, 1960 in Mansfield, England. He moved to Toronto in 1977 and was playing in bands on the side while working as an apprentice hairdresser. Platinum Blonde was formed in 1979 as a glam cover band. They released one single and split up. In 1982, Holmes placed an ad in a newspaper looking for musicians. Guitarist Sergio Galli and drummer Chris Steffler responded. The band recorded a demo and British producer David Tickle (Split Enz) liked it enough to move to Toronto to work with them. Tickle would go on to produce several Canadian bands. Platinum Blonde signed with Epic and released an EP followed by the 1983 album Standing in the Dark. The album did OK mostly because the videos were played a lot on Canadian music video channel MuchMusic. The music was similar to Duran Duran and the glam look appealed to teen girls. For the 1985 album Alien Shores, Kenny MacLean was brought in to play bass so Holmes could concentrate on singing. Born in Scotland, MacLean was a hairdresser like Holmes. Steffler worked with him in a couple of bands. Eddy Offord was brought in to produce. He is a recording engineer who worked with Yes. Holmes was credited as co-producer. The first single Crying Over You topped the Canadian charts. Situation Critical was the second single and it reached #8. So the album did well in Canada. For the 1988 album Contact, Steffler was replaced by Sascha Tukatsch. David Bendeth was the main producer. Bernard Edwards of Chic was brought in to produce a couple of tracks and he brought with him drummer Tony Thompson and Ohio Players singer Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner. Holmes was a big Ohio Players fan and the album contains a cover of Fire. But the album didn't do as well in Canada. And it flopped when it was released in the US. Platinum Blonde split up in 1989. This comp is available on CD. There was a 1990 album Yeah Yeah Yeah released as The Blondes. Kenny MacLean said this album was a contractual obligation and not recommended. MacLean had already released a solo album and released another in 1995. Galli started the architectural design firm Belair Design. That's what he studied in college. Steffler owned the nightclub Twiggy's from 1993-2000. Holmes and Tukatsch formed the band Vertigo in 1996. And though the band went nowhere, it led to Holmes opening The Mod Club in 2002. MacLean convinced Holmes to reform Platinum Blonde. But MacLean died in 2008 before they could do it. As a tribute, Platinum Blonde reformed and released the 2012 album Now & Never. They were active in 2020 but the pandemic may have shut them down. Holmes was forced to close The Mod Club due to the pandemic. Here's the video for Situation Critical by Platinum Blonde.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gary Moore

Artist:Gary Moore

Song:Still Got the Blues

Album:The Platinum Collection

Guitarist Gary Moore played different styles of music. But he is probably best remembered for his 90s blues albums. The 1990 single Still Got the Blues is probably his signature song. He was born Apr. 4, 1952 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His father was a promoter who operated a local ballroom. His father got him into music and bought him a guitar at ten years old. Moore played in bands as a teen. His main influence was Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green. Moore moved to Dublin in 1968 and joined the blues rock band Skid Row. Phil Lynott was lead singer. The two became roommates. After Lynott left the band, Skid Row recorded two albums. Moore wasn't happy and left. After Lynott formed Thin Lizzy, Moore was brought in to replace Eric Bell in 1974. He left after a couple of months and returned in 1977 for a US tour. He returned in 1979 but Moore didn't like the drug abuse in the band and left again. After Thin Lizzy split up in 1983, Moore appeared on the farewell tour. Meanwhile Moore had success on the British charts with the 1978 single Parisienne Walkways featuring Phil Lynott. After living in Los Angeles for a while, Moore moved to London and signed with Virgin Records. He was on Virgin from 1982-97. Moore's 80s albums were hard rock similar to Thin Lizzy. After Lynott's 1986 death, Moore dedicated the 1987 album Wild Frontier to him. Moore's albums were selling in Europe. But after the 1989 album After the War, Moore decided he didn't like his own music. For the 1990 album Still Got the Blues, Moore returned to his blues roots. The album was certified Platinum in England and Gold in the US. So it was his biggest seller in the US. The single Still Got the Blues charted. Moore wrote that and most of the songs. The band was his touring band of Don Airey on keyboards, Andy Pyle on bass and Graham Walker on drums. Rolling Stones pianist Nicky Hopkins made a guest appearance. Other guests on the album include Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison. So Moore's transformation to a blues artist was very successful. This 3CD comp at a reasonable price covers Moore's entire career. After he left Virgin, Moore recorded for Sanctuary and Eagle Rock. Moore continued to record and tour until he died from a heart attack on Feb. 11, 2008 at age 58. He was on holidays in Spain at the time. Here's the video for Still Got the Blues by Gary Moore.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cracker

Artist:Cracker

Song:Low

Album:Garage d'Or

After the 80s band Camper Van Beethoven split up in 1990, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist David Lowery started recording demos with his childhood friend guitarist Johnny Hickman. They are from Redlands, CA. They brought in another Redlands native bassist Davey Faragher and moved to Richmond, VA. After recording demos and playing a brief tour, Cracker signed with Virgin Records which was Camper Van Beethoven's label. The band did not have a permanent drummer. They brought in Jim Keltner and other session musicians for recording and hired drummers for tours. Low is from the 1993 album Kerosene Hat which was Cracker's second album. Low reached #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the US Modern Rock chart. It is Cracker's biggest chart hit and probably their signature song. And yes, that is comedian Sandra Bernhardt in the video. Michael Urbano from the 80s band Bourgeois Tagg was the drummer on the album. I guess he was supposed to be permanent. But after Cracker toured, Faragher and Urbano left to tour with John Hiatt. Faragher has been in Elvis Costello's band since 2001. Urbano was in Smash Mouth for several years. Since then Cracker has had a revolving door of bassists and drummers. They recorded five albums for Virgin. This 2CD budget comp covers those years. Since Camper Van Beethoven reformed in 1999, Lowery has been in both bands. Though Cracker last released an album in 2014, Lowery and Hickman still lead the band on tour. Here's the video for Low by Cracker. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bianca Belair and Asuka vs Chelsea Green and Piper Niven

 Here's the match video of Bianca Belair and Asuka vs Chelsea Green and Piper Niven from last night's episode of RAW. When the WWE is killing time, they always have future opponents team up. And Asuka has been creeping Bianca out. Bianca Tweeted during the week that she didn't want to team with Asuka. Carmella was replaced as Chelsea's partner by Piper. They didn't say why this was done. The match was killed by the commercial break. Chelsea and Piper were double teaming Bianca. After Asuka tossed Chelsea out of the ring, Bianca tossed Asuka out of the ring and finished Piper with the KOD. I guess that's why Piper was in the match. Afterwards, Asuka attacked Bianca from behind and hit her with a spinning back kick and a sliding knee. Did Asuka turn heel? It doesn't matter because fans won't boo her anyway. I just want Asuka to win so she can have her WrestleMania moment before she retires and goes in the Hall of Fame. She deserves it. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ecstasy, Passion & Pain

Artist:Ecstasy, Passion & Pain

Song:Ask Me

Album:Ecstasy, Passion & Pain

Ask Me was one of four mid 70s R&B hits for Ecstasy, Passion & Pain (EPP). They only recorded one album. The leader of EPP was lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Barbara Roy. She was born Barbara Gaskins in Kinston, NC. In the 60s, she recorded with her niece as Barbara and Brenda. After releasing a few unsuccessful singles, Brenda quit the music business. Barbara moved to New York and became a session musician. She formed EPP in 1973 and signed with Roulette Records. Though EPP was a band, they didn't play on the 1974 album Ecstasy, Passion & Pain. Barbara was sent to Philadelphia to work with veteran Philly Soul producer Bobby Martin. He used his usual musicians like Bobby Eli and Norman Harris on guitar, Ron Kersey on keyboards, Ronnie Baker on bass and Earl Young on drums. That's MFSB. Barbara wrote about half the songs on the album including Ask Me. It reached #19 on the R&B Singles chart. Four singles were top 20 R&B hits. This album was rereleased in the mid 90s by the British label Stateside and it's available as a digital download. I'm sure the band was unhappy about not playing on the album. So they all left. Barbara formed a new EPP. But when the first two singles didn't do well, she ended the band. Barbara topped the dance charts with the 1986 single Gotta See You Tonight. Barbara is now a minister based in Washington, DC and she released a gospel album in 2012. Here's Ecstasy, Passion & Pain performing Ask Me on Soul Train 1974. You gotta love Barbara's afro. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Snoop Doggy Dogg

Artist:Snoop Doggy Dogg

Song:Who Am I (What's My Name)?

Album:Tha Dogg: The Best of the Works

Rapper Calvin "Snoop Doggy Dogg" Broadus was already a star when his 1993 debut single Who Am I? was a top ten hit. That was because he appeared on the Dr. Dre album The Chronic. Broadus is now known as Snoop Dogg. He was born Oct. 20, 1971 in Long Beach, CA. His father wasn't around so he took his stepfather's name. Hid parents nicknamed him Snoopy after the dog in Peanuts. Broadus sang and played piano in church. Then he started rapping. He was in gangs as a teen and after an arrest for cocaine possession, he spent time in jail. Broadus started recording at home. And one of those recordings got the attention of Andre "Dr. Dre" Young and that led him to Death Row Records. After appearing on Young's 1992 album The Chronic, Broadus recorded his 1993 album Doggystyle. The album was certified 4XPlatinum. The first single Who Am I? reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Young wrote and produced the album with Broadus. Who Am I? contains four George Clinton samples from Atomic Dog, Funkadelic's (Not Just) Knee Deep and Parliament's Give Up the Funk and P. Funk. The second single Gin and Juice also reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Broadus recorded two albums for Death Row. After Broadus was acquitted of a murder charge, he made a lot of changes including starting his own label Doggy Style and moving his family out of the city. He signed with Master P's No Limit label distributed by EMI. Death Row owned all his early recordings which is why he changed his name to Snoop Dogg. They released this comp in 2003. Here's the video for Who Am I (What's My Name)? by Snoop Doggy Dogg.

  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Veronica Hardy vs Juliana Miller

Here's the fight video of Veronica Hardy vs Juliana Miller from last night's UFC show in London. This fight is at Flyweight. Veronica is 27 years old from Venezuela. She now lives in England and is married to and is trained by former UFC fighter Dan Hardy. She's 1-4 in the UFC and we haven't seen her since 2020 probably due to the pandemic. Juliana is 26 years old from San Diego. She trains at Team Hurricane Awesome which is also the home of Bellator Flyweight Champ Liz Carmouche. The head coach is Manny Hernandez. Juliana got into the UFC by winning TUF 30. But I watched some of that show and all the fighters were terrible. And as you'll see in this fight, Juliana is inept. Veronica looked good and won 30-27. But I need to see her against better competition. But I do think her husband has helped her. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joanne Wood vs Luana Carolina

Here's the match video of Joanne Wood vs Luana Carolina from last night's UFC show in London. This fight is at Flyweight. Joanne is 37 years old from Scotland. She trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas with her husband John Wood. She's 7-8 in the UFC and she's on a three fight losing streak. She's a kickboxer who is mistake prone. Luana is 29 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her coach is Lucas "Mineiro" Martins. She got into the UFC through the Brazilian Contender's Series. She's 3-2 in the UFC and we haven't seen her since Molly McCann knocked her out last year. She is another mistake prone fighter. So they both made mistakes. But Joanne made fewer mistakes and won by split decision. I thought Joanne won 29-28. Lately, Joanne has been talking about retirement. She has one fight left on her UFC contract and she says she wants to start a family. She says she will retire if the UFC doesn't offer her a new contract. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jennifer Maia vs Casey O'Neill

Here's the match video of Jennifer Maia vs Casey O'Neill from last night's UFC show in London. This fight is at Flyweight. Jennifer is 34 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. She trains at Chute Boxe with her boyfriend and coach Ed "Monstro" Carlos. She's a former title contender who is 5-5 in the UFC. She's a boxer with no power who rarely finishes a fight. Casey is 25 years old. She was born in Scotland but she trains in Australia with her father. She's 4-0 in the UFC but she's been off for a year due to knee surgery. For Casey to win this fight, she needed to pressure Jennifer right from the start. Because if Jennifer gets comfortable, she can outpoint anyone. And Casey didn't do that. She may have been tentative due to the knee surgery. So Jennifer won the first two rounds and fought defensively in round three. I scored the fight 29-28 for Jennifer. This is how Jennifer typically wins fights. I knew halfway through round one that she would win. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sounds Orchestral

Artist:Sounds Orchestral

Song:Cast Your Fate to the Wind

Album:Instrumental Nuggets Vol. 2

This 1965 cover of the 1962 Vince Guaraldi hit Cast Your Fate to the Wind was a top ten hit. It was a bigger hit than the original. Sounds Orchestral was a British studio group. When John Schroeder joined Pye Records as label manager of Piccadilly Records, he wanted to create an instrumental band similar to EMI's Sounds Incorporated. When staff bassist Tony Reeves suggested covering Cast Your Fate to the Wind, Schroeder looked for a pianist to lead the band. He remembered hearing Johnny Pearson and brought him in for the session. When Cast Your Fate to the Wind reached #5 on the British Singles chart, Cameo Parkway picked it up in the US, it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it charted higher than Vince Guaraldi's original probably because Cameo Parkway was very good at promoting to radio stations. Sounds Orchestral's recording was more knockoff than cover. Pearson plays piano with Peter McGurk on bass and jazz drummer Kenny Clare. Reeves left Pye for John Mayall's band and he was in the 70s band Curved Air. This was Sounds Orchestral's only big hit and you can get it on this various artists budget comp from the British label Repertoire. Pearson led Sounds Orchestral until they stopped recording in the mid 70s. He was also leader of the band for BBC's Top of the Pops TV show from 1966-80. The Johnny Pearson Orchestra scored a British top ten hit with the 1972 single Sleepy Shores. He also composed music libraries and TV themes. His theme for the BBC sports show Superstars was the original theme for ABC's Monday Night Football. Many of his compositions turned up in unlikely places. Pearson continued to record in the 80s and 90s. He died on Mar. 20, 2011 at age 85. Here's a video of Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Sounds Orchestral.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kris Bowers

Artist:Kris Bowers

Song:Wake the Neighbors

Album:Heroes + Misfits

Though he has only recorded a couple of albums as a leader, jazz pianist Kris Bowers is making his mark as a film and TV composer. He has already been nominated for Emmys and won a Daytime Emmy for the 2016 Amazon TV special The Snowy Day. He was born Apr. 5, 1989 in Los Angeles. His father has written for TV and his mom works for DirecTV. Bowers took piano lessons as a child and attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where Mulgrew Miller was one of his teachers. He earned a bachelor's and master's degree in jazz performance at Juilliard. He also performed in New York City clubs. Bowers recorded an album in Japan in 2010. Then he won the 2011 Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition. That got him a record deal with Concord. He appeared on the 2011 Jay-Z and Kanye West album Watch the Throne. The 2014 album Heroes + Misfits is a mix of jazz and other music styles. Wake the Neighbors features guitarist Adam Agati who wrote the song with Bowers. Agati is currently a member of Marcus Miller's band. Other musicians are Burniss Earl Travis II on bass and Jamire Williams on drums. Guest performers include singers Jose James, Chris Turner and Julia Easterlin along with saxophonists Casey Benjamin and Kenneth Whalum. Since then Bowers has concentrated on film and TV music. Films include Green Book, Respect, King Richard and the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Color Purple. On TV, he won a Daytime Emmy for The Snowy Day. He was Emmy nominated for the Netflix series When They See Us, the FX series Mrs. America and the Netflix series Bridgerton. He composed the music for the 2022 HBO miniseries We Own This City and the upcoming Disney+ Marvel miniseries Secret Invasion. That's what is keeping Bowers busy these days. Here's Kris Bowers performing Wake the Neighbors at The Bootleg Bar in Paris, France 2014.

   

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jermaine Dolly

Artist:Jermaine Dolly

Song:You

Album:Dolly Express

Jermaine Dolly topped the gospel charts with the 2015 single You. He also topped the gospel album charts with the 2017 album Dolly Express. He signed a new record deal and is working on new music. He was born Mar. 8, 1987 in Philadelphia. He grew up singing in church and learned to play piano and drums. While attending West Chester University, he led the group Prayz1. When they opened for gospel star Tye Tribbett, Tribbett was so impressed with Dolly that he was asked to join Tribbett's group as a backup singer. After touring with Tribbett and appearing on a couple of his albums, Dolly went solo and released the single You on his own label. When the single topped the gospel charts, Dolly released the 2017 album Dolly Express. Why was it a success? For one thing, Dolly spent money on a music video that doesn't take itself too seriously. Dolly has a following for his Instagram comedy videos. His goofiness is similar to Tribbett. And his falsetto vocal distinguishes him from other gospel artists. Dolly's normal voice is tenor. Dolly wrote, produced and played all the instruments himself. He also wrote and produced the album with help from former Dr. Dre protege Maurice Wilcher. Wilcher has also worked with Biz Markie, Freddie Jackson and Glenn Lewis. Dolly has signed with Malaco Records and is currently working on new music. Here's the video for You by Jermaine Dolly. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chuck Norris

Artist:Chuck Norris

Song:Let Me Know

Album:Messing with the Blues

No, not THAT Chuck Norris. This Chuck Norris was a Los Angeles session guitarist backing up blues musicians. He recorded a handful of singles from 1947-53. He's a pretty good singer but he went nowhere and returned to session work. He was born Aug. 11, 1921 in Kansas City, MO but he grew up in Chicago. He was taught by classical violinist Walter Dyett who was a music teacher at DuSable High School in Chicago. His students included Nat King Cole, Johnny Griffin, Eddie Harris and plenty more. After a failed marriage, Norris moved to Los Angeles and played clubs at night. He started getting calls for studio work and he was very popular with guys like Floyd Dixon and Percy Mayfield. Norris recorded as a leader from 1947-53. Among the labels he recorded for were Coast, Imperial, Selective, Mercury, Aladdin and Atlantic. Let Me Know was released in 1953 along with Messin' Up. You can get both songs on this Ace Records comp of vintage Atlantic R&B. He recorded two other songs for Atlantic that were not released. Norris continued to play sessions and was in Johnny Otis' band with Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Apparently Norris had a big following in Sweden and he recorded the 1980 album The Los Angeles Flash there. There is even a Swedish band named after him called The Chuck Norris Experiment. He died on Aug. 26, 1989 at age 68. Here's a video of Let Me know by Chuck Norris.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pinegrove

Artist:Pinegrove

Song:New Friends

Album:Everything So Far

Pinegrove is an indie band that have had some success since recording for a larger label. The music is pretty good so they might do even better if a major label picked them up. Pinegrove is from Montclair, NJ. Singer songwriter Evan Stephens Hall and drummer Zack Levine have been friends since childhood. Their fathers were in a cover band together. So Hall and Levine have played together since they were in sixth grade. After they had a band during high school, Hall attended Kenyon College in Gambier, OH. The name Pinegrove refers to a nature reserve in the area. This is basically a one man band. Hall writes all the songs, is lead singer and co-produces the albums. Levine is the only other regular member. They bring in musicians to record and tour like Levine's younger brother Nick Levine on guitar and bassist Sam Skinner who helps Hall with production. Pinegrove released an EP on Bandcamp in 2010 followed by the 2012 album Meridian. Hall moved to Brooklyn, NY in an attempt to reach a larger audience. But he preferred writing at home so he moved back to Montclair. Finally they signed with the indie label Run For Cover and released the 2016 album Cardinal. New Friends was the first single from the album. They also released the comp Everything So Far which is a good intro to Pinegrove's music. It's available as a digital download. For the 2020 album Marigold, the band signed with the British label Rough Trade, a much larger label that is one of the best indie labels anywhere. Their latest album 11:11 was released last year. And though things are going well, Hall said in a recent interview that Pinegrove may go on hiatus. We'll see. Here's the video for New Friends by Pinegrove.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler

Artist:Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler

Song:Suddenly

Album:Xanadu: The Original Broadway Cast Recording

The 1980 film Xanadu may have been one of the worst turkeys in history. But the 2007 Broadway musical did well. It was nominated for four Tonys and went on a US tour and played London. Classic film fans will be familiar with the story as it is based on the 1947 film Down to Earth starring Rita Hayworth as a goddess. It's a sequel to the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Xanadu takes the basic plot and turns it into a musical starring Olivia Newton-John in the Rita Hayworth role. And though the film was a dog, the soundtrack album with music by Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and John Farrar of The Shadows was a big seller. The Broadway musical retains the songs. The story is a cross of Greek Mythology and a parody of the film. The show opened on May 23, 2007 and closed on Sept. 28, 2008. Then it went on a US tour. The leads were Cheyenne Jackson as Sonny and Kerry Butler as Kira. Jackson is mainly a Broadway performer but he also does films and TV and has recorded a couple of albums. He currently stars on the FOX sitcom Call Me Kat. Kerry is a Broadway performer who has appeared in productions of Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors and she is currently on Broadway in the musical Beetlejuice. She's supposed to be a parody of Olivia Newton-John which is why she is doing an Aussie accent. The original cast album is available as a budget CD. Here's Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler performing Suddenly from the musical Xanadu on The View 2008. This video is on YouTube but it has audio hiccups. So I am using the DailyMotion version.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MC Lyte

Artist:MC Lyte f/Xscape

Song:Keep On Keepin' On

Album:Bad As I Wanna B

The 1995 top ten single Keep On Keepin' On was one of two big hits for rapper Lynn "MC Lyte" Moorer. Both were on the 1995 album Bad As I Wanna B so I guess it could be said she was a one album wonder. She was born Oct. 11,1970 in New York City. She grew up in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. She called herself Sparkle when she started rapping at age 12. She was friends with hip hop duo Audio Two. They are brothers and their father started the First Priority label with Atlantic distribution. Though Lynn's 1988 album Lyte as a Rock was not a commercial success, it is considered today to be an important album by a female rap pioneer. Though she had success on the rap charts, she wasn't able to cross over to pop or R&B. So what was the problem? Certainly sexism but she also used profanity and some radio stations would not play her music. After four albums on Atlantic, Lynn switched to EastWest/Elektra for the 1995 album Bad As I Wanna B. I know what you're thinking. Aren't both labels owned by Warner Bros.? Yeah but they are run separately and maybe she didn't like how Atlantic promoted her. The switch worked because Bad As I Wanna B was her biggest selling album to date. Keep On Keepin' On reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cold Rock a Party reached #11. Keep On Keepin' On was written and produced by Jermaine Dupri featuring the girl group Xscape who he also produced. They performed it on the sitcom Moesha. The song appeared in the 1996 film Sunset Park. Cold Rock a Party was produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and features Missy Elliott. The album is available on CD. Lynn only recorded two albums for EastWest. Lynn has concentrated on acting. She was a regular on the NBC sitcom For Your Love from 1998-2002, the UPN sitcom Half & Half from 2004-2006 and the USA Network series Queen of the South. She still releases singles but she hasn't released an album since 2015. So like many rappers, Lynn has converted successfully to acting. Here's the video for Keep On Keepin' On by MC Lyte featuring Xscape. Due to profanity, this video is NSFW.  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ariane Lipski vs JJ Aldrich

Here's the fight video of Ariane Lipski vs JJ Aldrich from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Ariane has been a big disappointment in the UFC. She came in with a lot of hype from her days as champ in KSW. She's gone 3-5 in the UFC. After her last loss, she knew she had to do something or she would be on the chopping block. Ariane was training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. To get more personalized training, she went to Amanda Nunes' new gym and work with her coaches. Meanwhile JJ has gone 7-4 in the UFC. Basically, she's a striker with no power. She always wins by decision. She's a midcard fighter at best but she was the betting favorite. Ariane needed to win this fight. And she did. Ariane outstruck JJ for 15 minutes. She wobbled her once at the end of round one. When JJ tried to get Ariane in the clinch, she was met with knees. Her corner kept telling her to make adjustments. But JJ kept doing the same things and it wasn't working. Ariane won by unanimous decision 30-27. But it didn't make me think she could beat anyone who is any good. Check out the video for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mary Jane Lamond

Artist:Mary Jane Lamond

Song:Seinn O

Album:Suas e!

Mary Jane Lamond is the current standard bearer of the Celtic music of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. She performs traditional music in Gaelic sometimes with electric instruments. She was born in 1960 in Kingston, ON. During childhood her family moved a lot between Ontario and Quebec. But her parents were from Nova Scotia and she learned about Celtic music while visiting her grandparents in Cape Breton. After graduating from high school in Montreal, Mary Jane studied Celtic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. She studied the school's collection of 350 field recordings of traditional Gaelic songs. She recorded and self released the 1994 album Bho Thir Nan Craobh. Fiddler Ashley MacIsaac played on that album. She appeared on MacIsaac's 1995 album Hi How Are You Today?. When the single Sleepy Maggie featuring Mary Jane's vocals became a hit in dance clubs, Mary Jane got a record deal with Wicklow Records. The 1997 album Suas e! was nominated for a Juno. The album is all traditional songs sung in Gaelic. Most of the album was produced by Mary Jane's singer cousin Laurel MacDonald and her producer Philip Strong. Ashley MacIsaac makes a guest appearance and jazz guitarist Rob Piltch and Blue Rodeo pianist James Gray are among the musicians who appear on the album. Mary Jane last recorded in 2012. She currently tours with her cousin Laurel MacDonald and special guests performing traditional Acadian songs. Here's Mary Jane Lamond with Heather Rankin and Alyth McCormack performing Seinn O on the 1999 CBC TV special Celtic Electric.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jacques Loussier

Artist:Jacques Loussier

Song:Concerto in F Minor-Presto

Album:Toccata: Jacques Loussier Play Bach

Jacques Loussier was a French pianist known for his jazz interpretations of classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach. He recorded other composers but he is mainly known for his Bach recordings. He was born Oct. 26,1934 in Angers, France. He started taking piano lessons at age ten and quickly was entranced by Bach. But he liked to add his own elements to it. Loussier studied at the Conservatoire National Musique in Paris. One day at a conservatory competition, Loussier was playing a Bach prelude and when his memory failed, he improvised. He said later that he was only following traditions as 18th century musicians, including Bach, were great improvisers. Loussier played jazz in local clubs in his spare time. He lived in Cuba for a year. When Loussier returned to Paris, He started out as an accompanist for Charles Aznavour and other singers. He started his own trio in 1959 and recorded for Decca in the 60s. He also recorded for Philips, CBS and Telarc. Loussier disbanded the trio in 1975 and recorded solo until he started it again in 1985. This 2CD budget comp is from his CBS days when he was recording solo. Loussier did write and record his own music. But he always returned to Bach. He opened his own recording studio in 1977 and Pink Floyd, Elton John and Sting are among those who recorded there. He also composed music for French films and TV. Loussier signed with Telarc in 1995 and he recorded frequently for them until a 2011 stroke forced him to retire. Loussier died on Mar. 5, 2019 at age 84. Here's Jacques Loussier performing Bach's Concerto in F Minor-Presto. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Thelonious Monk

Artist:Thelonious Monk

Song:Rhythm-A-Ning

Album:Ken Burns Jazz

Similar to what I did with Lee Morgan the other day, I am going to recommend a CD for beginners to the music of legendary pianist Thelonious Monk. The big difference is Morgan recorded mostly for Blue Note. Monk recorded for several labels. Because the video clip is from the 60s, I will concentrate on his years recording for Columbia from 1962-68. I also recommend you watch the 1988 documentary Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser which can be streamed on YouTube. Monk was born Oct. 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, NC but he grew up in New York City. He was named after his father. He took classical piano lessons as a child but got into jazz as a teen. In the 40s he was the house pianist at the New York nightclub Minton's Playhouse so he played with plenty of big name jazz musicians. Monk's main influences were Art Tatum, Duke Ellington and stride pianist James P. Johnson who lived in the same neighborhood as Monk when he was a teen. He reported for his US Army induction but was rejected by the psychiatrist. One of Monk's early mentors was pianist Mary Lou Williams. In fact, Rhythm-A-Ning is based on Mary Lou's 1936 arrangement of Walking and Swinging. She was in Andy Kirk's band at the time. Monk recorded for Blue Note from 1947-52. Monk was a hard sell because from the outside, he looked weird. And he didn't like doing interviews. Then in 1951 the police found drugs in a car he occupied with Bud Powell. They were Powell's drugs but Monk refused to testify against him so his cabaret card was revoked. That meant he couldn't play most New York clubs. Monk recorded for Prestige from 1952-54 and Riverside from 1955-60. He went to Paris in 1954 and Mary Lou Williams introduced Monk to Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter, a member of the Rothschild family. She was a big jazz fan and was friends with Monk and other musicians. His Riverside albums didn't do much better than his Prestige albums. His music was considered to be too difficult to be mainstream. Monk got his cabaret card back in 1957. He led a quartet with John Coltrane but they never recorded together. Coltrane was still under contract to Prestige and Monk refused to record for them. Monk first recorded Rhythm-A-Ning on the 1957 album Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk. This was recorded for Atlantic Records just before Blakey signed with Blue Note. Monk would record Rhythm-A-Ning many times and he played it live regularly. When Monk's relationship with Riverside soured, Monk signed with Columbia where John Hammond and Teo Macero made sure that no one would bother him. Monk recorded for Columbia from 1962-70. Rhythm-A-Ning is from the 1963 album Criss Cross. It was his second album for Columbia. Musicians were Charles Rouse on tenor sax, John Ore on bass and Frankie Dunlop on drums. Rouse worked with Monk from 1959-70. Criss Cross is available as a budget CD. But I recommend this budget comp that was released with the PBS documentary Ken Burns Jazz. You can stream the series on Hoopla or Kanopy for free with a library card. A lot of Monk's Columbia recordings were live and by the 70s, his health was failing. He died on Feb. 17, 1982 at age 62. Here's Thelonious Monk with Charles Rouse, John Ore and Frankie Dunlop performing Rhythm-A-Ning on Belgian TV 1963.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Artist:Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Song:Into My Arms

Album:The Boatman's Call

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds is a very durable post punk band. Most of their success has been as an album and touring band though they have charted in their native Australia. The band was formed in 1983 in Melbourne, Australia by lead singer Nick Cave and pianist Mick Harvey after their previous band The Birthday Party split up. They lived in London at the time. Cave had signed a solo deal with Mute Records. After moving between London and Melbourne, the band was Cave, Harvey on drums, German guitarist Blixa Bargeld, Hugo Race on guitar and Barry Adamson on bass. The band was at first called Nick Cave and the Cavemen and then was changed to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Their 1985 debut album From Her to Eternity was produced by Mark "Flood" Ellis. After Race left, the band moved to Germany and released the 1986 album The First Born Is Dead. This was more blues based than the first album. The band's brooding style got them critical acclaim. They signed a US deal with Elektra and later they were moved to Reprise. Into My Arms is from the 1997 album The Boatman's Call. Cave had just come out of a breakup in his love life and that's what most of the songs are about. The album is available. There are no comps. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are still around. But Cave is the only original member. Plus Cave has composed music for films. Their latest album was released in 2019. He also leads the band Grinderman and has time for other kinds of writing. Here's the video for Into My Arms by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kano

Artist:Kano

Song:I'm Ready

Album:Greatest Hits

Not to be confused with the British rapper Kano, this Kano is a trio of Italian producers who are today considered to be influential in dance music. They weren't very successful at the time. They got club play and some success on the dance charts. But the music is heavily sampled by hip hop guys. Matteo Bonsanto, Stefano Pulga and Luciano Ninzatti were all studio musicians in the late 70s. Pulga plays keyboards and sings. He released a couple of albums. Ninzatti plays guitar. After the success of Italian producer Georgio Moroder in producing dance music, they decided they wanted a piece of that action and formed Kano. They released the 1980 album Kano on FullTime Records in Italy and Emergency Records in the US. I'm Ready was the first single and it reached #21 on the R&B Singles chart and #8 on the Dance chart. And that's the market they were going for. The three guys wrote and produced everything. Fulga is the singer with backup singers. The influence of Kano is that I'm Ready has been sampled 29 times according to the website whosampled. The most notable of these was the 1993 smash hit Whoomp! (There It Is) by Tag Team. For the 1981 album New York Cake, Kano signed with Atlantic's Mirage label. When that didn't do well, the 1983 album Another Life was not released in the US. That album featured Glen White, an American singer living in Italy. After that, all three returned to studio work. But the music and royalty cheques live on because of sampling. The disco reissue label Unidisc released this comp in 1990. Kano recently released an album in 2021. It seems to be a Stefano Pulga solo album. The other two guys aren't involved. Here's the video for I'm Ready by Kano. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lee Morgan

Artist:Lee Morgan

Song:I Remember Clifford

Album:The Blue Note Years

With the success of Kasper Collin's excellent Lee Morgan documentary I Called Him Morgan, I thought it would be a good idea to recommend a compilation of his Blue Note recordings for those who have seen the film but need an introduction to Morgan's music. BTW, I Called Him Morgan is no longer on Netflix but it can be streamed on Kanopy for free with a library card. Though Morgan's 1964 album The Sidewainder is his his best known and the single even charted, Clifford Brown was Morgan's biggest influence. I Remember Clifford was written by tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. Morgan and Golson were both in Dizzy Gillespie's mid-50s band. When that band split up, Morgan and Golson joined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Golson was musical director. I Remember Clifford was first recorded on the 1957 Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce album Jazz Lab. Though Byrd recorded a lot for Blue Note, this album was on Columbia. Around the same time, Morgan recorded I Remember Clifford on his 1957 album Vol. 3. This was Morgan's third Blue Note album. Golson wrote and arranged all the songs and played tenor sax. Other musicians are Gigi Gryce on alto sax and flute, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Charlie Persip on drums. Morgan and Golson joined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and I Remember Clifford appeared on the live Jazz Messengers album 1958 -Paris Olympia. This album was released in France by Fontana. Plenty of jazz musicians have recorded I Remember Clifford. This Blue Note comp is perfect for beginners to Morgan's music. There are a couple of cheaper comps but this one is worth paying a little more. Golson left the Blakey band in 1959 and was replaced by Wayne Shorter. He formed The Jazztet with trumpeter Art Farmer and eventually moved to Los Angeles to become a studio musician. Morgan and Shorter left Blakey in 1964. Here's Lee Morgan with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers with Benny Golson on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano and Jymie Merritt on bass performing I Remember Clifford in Belgium 1958. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lil Wayne

Artist:Lil Wayne f/Static

Song:Lollipop

Album:Tha Carter III

The 2008 single Lollipop is to date the only #1 pop hit for rapper Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter Jr. He's had some other top ten hits but most of his success has been in the rap market. He was born Sept. 27, 1982 in New Orleans. After his parents divorced, his father abandoned the family. Carter started rapping when he was eight years old. He met Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan "Birdman" Williams in 1991 and Carter signed with Cash Money at age 12. He almost died from a self inflicted gunshot that was at first was thought to be accidental. Later Carter told Billboard it was a suicide attempt after his mother told him to end his rap related associations. After signing with Cash Money, they put Carter in the group Hot Boys with Juvenile, B.G. and Turk. After two albums, Carter went solo with the 1997 album Tha Block Is Hot. It was certified Platinum. His next couple of albums didn't do as well. But the 2004 album Tha Carter was a return to form with a more mature sound. Carter also made several guest appearances and that kept him out there even when he wasn't recording his own music. The most notable of these was the top five hit Soldier by Destiny's Child. He also released several mixtapes. The 2008 album Tha Carter III was his biggest seller to date. The album was certified 8XPlatinum. The single Lollipop topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. It is his only #1 hit to date. The song features rapper Stephen "Major Static" Garrett who died two weeks before the release. The record was produced by James "Jim Jonsin" Scheffer and Darius "Deezle" Harrison. I hated the heavy use of Auto Tune on this record. Several different producers worked on the album. Since then Carter has had his ups and downs. He has two albums scheduled for release. One flaw I see is Carter releases far too much music. He risks overexposure. Sometimes less is more. He has also threatened to retire several times. He also suffers from epilepsy and has had seizures in the past. Maybe he should scale things back. But I don't think he will because he craves attention. Here's the video for Lollipop by Lil Wayne featuring Major Static. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tabatha Ricci vs Jessica Penne

Here's the fight video of Tabatha Ricci vs Jessica Penne from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Tabatha is 28 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She trains at Paragon BJJ in Santa Barbara, CA. She is on a two fight winning streak. Jessica is 40 years old. She trains at Alliance MMA in San Diego. Angela Hill was in her corner. Her July loss to Emily Ducote was bad. The bottom line is that Tabatha is much quicker. And after winning round one easily, she finished Jessica with an armbar in round two. I'll say the same thing I said after Jessica's last fight. It's time for her to retire. I would like to see Tabatha against better competition. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Ribas vs Viviane Araujo

Here's the fight video of Amanda Ribas vs Viviane Araujo from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight was at Flyweight. Amanda is 29 years old from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Her father is her coach. She fights at Strawweight and Flyweight. She lost her last fight to Katlyn Chookagian by split decision. And then her December fight against Tracy Cortez was cancelled at the last minute. Amanda says that she fights in both weight classes so she fights frequently. The fight cancellations frustrate her. Viviane is 36 years old from Brasilia, Brazil. She trains at Cerrado MMA with coach Daniel Evangilista. Her October loss to Alexa Grasso probably cost her a title shot. I expected a pretty good fight. Round one was very close. I scored it 10-9 for Amanda. Two of the judges scored it the same. Amanda dominated round two enough to score it 10-8 for Amanda. Two of the judges scored it the same. Viviane had nothing left in round three so that round was 10-9 for Amanda. So I scored the fight 30-26 for Amanda. The judges scored it 29-27, 30-26, 30-27 for Amanda. Mike Bell was the 29-27. He scored round one 10-9 for Viviane and round two 10-8 for Amanda. This was a good win for Amanda. She said afterwards that she would like to fight Carla Esparza. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko

Here's the match video of Valentina Shevchenko defending her UFC Flyweight Championship against Alexa Grasso from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Valentina's usual training road show with coach Pavel Fedotov went to AACC in Tokyo, Japan. Of course Valentina is a Muay Thai fighter. Her safety first style almost cost her the title against Taila Santos. Alexa is from Guadalajara, Mexico. She trains at Lobo owned by her father. She has done well since moving up to Flyweight but she is mainly a boxer and her ground game probably isn't good enough. So this fight came down to one big mistake. Round one was mostly on the feet. I thought Alexa won the round marginally. It was close. Fedotov must have thought that too because in rounds two and three, Valentina took Alexa down and did a lay and pray to win both rounds. Ref Jason Herzog seemed to get frustrated with this and did stand them up once. So what Alexa needed to do in round four was avoid being taken down. Otherwise, Valentina was going to win by unanimous decision. So that strategy frustrated Valentina to the point of desperation. She tried a really bad spinning back kick that allowed Alexa to jump on Valentina's back and win with a rear naked choke. It just shows that in MMA, one stupid move can cost you a fight. Now that Alexa is champ, she has to prove that it wasn't a fluke. So I am expecting an immediate rematch probably in May when the UFC is planning a Cinco de Mayo show. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sue Thompson

Artist:Sue Thompson

Song:Norman

Album:Suzie: The Hickory Anthology 1961-1965

Norman was one of two 1961 top five hits for Sue Thompson. Norman is one of those songs that still get oldies radio play but most listeners know nothing about the record. Sue went on to have a significant career in country music. She was born Eva Sue McKee July 19, 1925 in Nevada, MO. As a child, she sang and played guitar on stage. After her family moved to San Jose, CA, Sue performed on the local TV show Hayride. During WWII, she worked in a defense plant. Then she got married, had a daughter and got divorced. She sang in local clubs as Sue Thompson. She won a talent contest and got the attention of bandleader and TV host Dude Martin. They married and released several singles for Mercury. They went nowhere. After they divorced, Sue married comedian and singer Hank Penny. Sue recorded for Decca which also went nowhere. In 1960, Sue signed with Columbia. They released one single under the name Taffy Thomas. Then Sue signed with Hickory Records. Hickory was owned by country music star Roy Acuff and Wesley Rose. They owned a publishing company. They were distributed by Columbia. Mostly they released country music. Sue finally had success when the 1961 single Sad Movies (Make Me Cry) reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Norman reached #3. Both songs were written by songwriting legend John D, Loudermilk. The 1961 album Meet Sue Thompson was produced by Rose and Penny. The records were popular with teens because Sue sounded like a teen similar to Brenda Lee though she was much older. Sue had a few more chart singles before leaving Hickory in 1965. This Ace Records comp covers those years. Sue returned to Hickory in the 70s and had country chart success when she recorded two albums with country music legend Don Gibson. Sue last recorded in 1976. She continued to perform in clubs mostly in Las Vegas where she lived. She died on Sept. 23, 2021 at age 96. Here's Sue Thompson performing Norman. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Easy Riders featuring Terry Gilkyson

Artist:The Easy Riders featuring Terry Gilkyson

Song:Marianne

Album:Folk Songs You'll Like

Terry Gilkyson had a long career as a songwriter and was a big part of the 60s folk music boom. But the 1957 single Marianne was his only hit as a recording artist with his trio The Easy Riders. He was born June 17, 1916 in the Philadelphia suburb of Phoenixville, PA. After serving in the US Air Force during WWII, Gilkyson moved with his wife to Los Angeles to become a folksinger. He recorded three albums for Decca. His first single The Cry of the Wild Goose wasn't a hit. But Frankie Laine topped the charts with it. And that got Gilkyson into writing songs for films. He was lead singer on The Weavers #1 hit On Top of Old Smokey. Then Gilkyson formed The Easy Riders with Frank Miller and Richard Dehr. They recorded three albums for Columbia produced by Mitch Miller. Marianne was the first single in 1957 and it reached #4 on the hit parade. Dehr sang lead. Also their song Memories Are Made of This was a big hit for Dean Martin. Some of their songs would become popular as part of the 60s folk music boom. But that hadn't started yet when The Long Riders were around. After leaving Columbia and recording two albums for Kapp, Gilkyson left to work for Walt Disney. It looks like Miller and Dehr left the music business. You can get all The Long Riders recordings on this 2CD comp from the reissue label Jasmine. Gilkyson worked for Disney through the 60s. He was nominated for an Oscar for The Bare Necessities from the 1967 film Jungle Book. It doesn't look like he was active after he left Disney. I'm sure he was making good money from songwriting royalties. And Gilkyson's songs as part of the folk music boom is his legacy. He died on Oct. 15, 1999 at age 83. His daughter Eliza Gilkyson is a singer songwriter. His on Tony Gilkyson is a studio guitarist and producer. And his daughter Nancy Gilkyson is an executive at Warner Music. Here's a video for Marianne by The Long Riders featuring Terry Gilkyson. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Elena Roger

Artist:Elena Roger

Song:Don't Cry for Me Argentina

Album:Evita: New Broadway Cast Recording

Several actresses have played Eva Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita including Patti LuPone in the 1979 Broadway production and Madonna in the film version. But Elena Roger is the only Argentine actress to play Evita in the 2006 London and 2012 Broadway productions. She was born Oct. 27, 1974 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Argentina, she appeared in productions of Nine, Beauty and the Beast, Saturday Night Fever and Fiddler on the Roof. She also appeared on TV. While Webber was planning a 2006 London revival of Evita, one of his employees went to Argentina to do some research. He saw Elena perform and told Webber about her. She auditioned and won the role of Eva Peron. She got rave reviews than an Olivier award nomination. She won an Olivier for playing Edith Piaf in the 2009 musical Piaf. She was also nominated for the 2010 musical Passion. When it was decided to bring the London production to Broadway in 2012, Elena was brought in to play Eva Peron. Her co-stars were Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris. This show ran for about a year. It was Elena's only Broadway appearance. Both London and Broadway cast albums are available but the Broadway album is cheaper. Elena has returned to Argentina where she continues to appear on stage and in films and TV. She even recorded a couple of albums. Currently she appears in the Disney+ series Entrelazados. A second season is coming this year. Here's Elena Roger performing Don't Cry for Me Argentina on the British talk show Parkinson 2006.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ray Bryant

Artist:Ray Bryant

Song:The Madison Time Pt. 1

Album:The Madison Time with a Hollywood Jazz Beat

Jazz pianist Ray Bryant scored a top 30 pop hit with the 1960 single It's Madison Time. This was an attempt to create a dance craze similar to The Twist. Maybe you saw It's Madison Time danced in the film Hairspray. Bryant was born Dec. 24, 1931 in Philadelphia. His mother was a minister who also played piano. So Bryant played piano in church as a child. By the time he was a teen, he was already playing in clubs. After touring with guitarist Tiny Grimes, Bryant became an in demand sideman when guys like Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins played Philadelphia clubs. He was an accompanist for singer Carmen McRae and that led to the 1955 album Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant on Columbia. After moving to New York in 1959, Bryant returned to Columbia for the 1959 album Little Susie. When that reached #12 on the R&B Singles chart, Columbia thought they might have something. They asked him to record something they could turn into a dance craze. It's Madison Time reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the R&B Singles chart. The vocal was written and performed by Eddie Morrison. It was his only notable recorded appearance. Other musicians were Buddy Tate on tenor sax, Urbie Green on trombone, Harry Edison on trumpet, Tommy Bryant (Ray's brother) on bass and Bill English on drums. After a few albums for Columbia, Bryant recorded for Sue and Cadet in the 60s, Atlantic and Pablo in the 80s and EmArcy in the 90s. Collectables has released the Madison Time album as a twofer with the 1962 album Hollywood Jazz Beat which has Bryant performing movie themes with an orchestra. For many years, Bryant toured with his brother Tommy until his health grew worse and he died on June 2, 2011 at age 79. Here's a promotional video for It's Madison Time by Ray Bryant that is supposed to teach you how to do the dance.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ismael Rivera

Artist:Ismael Rivera 

Song:Que Te Pasa a Ti

Album:La Herencia

Salsa singer Ismael Rivera was known as El Sonero Mayor. He was successful in the late 50s and after a jail sentence, he roared back in the 70s. He was born Oct. 5, 1931 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His father was a carpenter. As a child, Rivera was always singing and banging on cans with sticks. Rivera learned carpentry and began working at age 16. In his free time, Rivera hung out with his friend Rafael Cortijo and sang. They joined the band El Conjunto Monterrey in 1948. Rivera played conga and Cortijo played bongos. Rivera still worked full time as a carpenter. Rivera tried to join the US Army in 1952 but was quickly discharged and returned to Puerto Rico because he couldn't speak English. He became lead singer of Orquesta Panamerica upon Cortijo's recommendation. But he was forced to leave after a dispute with a band member over a girl. Rivera joined Cortino's band Cortino y su Combo and that's where he had his first success in the late 50s with hits like Juan Jose and Oriza. He was playing Palladium Ballroom in New York and touring Europe. But then Rivera was arrested for drug possession in Panama and went to jail. This led to the end of Cortijo's band though some of them regrouped as El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. After his release from jail, Rivera formed Ismael Rivera Y Sus Cachimbos and had success in the 70s with several albums on Tico Records. Que Te Pasa A Ti is from the 1974 album Traigo De Todo. The song was written by Bobby Capo who was a bandleader but had great success as a songwriter. Musicians include Manuel Gonzalez on alto sax, Henry D'Aguilar on trombone, Chocolate Armenteros on trumpet, Javier Vasquez on piano, Raimundo Vasquez on bass, Sammy Ayala on percussion, Victor Gonzalez on bongos and Frankie Malabe on congas. The Tico recordings are owned by Fania and this comp was released in 2010. It is available as a digital download. It looks like Rivera retired after his old friend Cortijo died in 1982. Rivera died from a heart attack on May 13, 1987 at 55. Here's Ismael Rivera Y Sus Cachimbos performing Que Te Pasa A Ti.