Jango Song Of The Day-Ralph McTell

Artist:Ralph McTell

Song:Streets Of London

Album:The Best Of Ralph McTell: Streets Of London

Ralph McTell isn't well known in North America but in his native England he is a legend of folk music. Streets Of London is his best known song and has been recorded by hundreds of other artists. He was born Ralph May Dec. 3, 1944 in Fairborough, Kent, England. He started playing guitar as a teen. After watching Ramblin' Jack Elliott perform at a club in London, he immersed himself in the music of the legends of blues and eventually named himself after Blind Willie McTell. After a few years of busking through Europe, McTell signed with Transatlantic Records in 1967 and released his debut album in 1968. Streets of London was on his 1969 album Spiral Staircase. It was influenced by McTell's busking experiences but he thought it was too depressing to record. Producer Gus Dudgeon convinced him otherwise. It eventually charted in England in 1974 but Streets Of London is now a folk music standard. He has always been a very popular live act in England but a US record company has never promoted him properly. This comp on Castle is a good intro to his music. McTell started his own label in 1980 and continues to record  and tour today. He also wrote songs for the successful children's TV show Alphabet Zoo. You should check him out if you're into folk music. Here's Ralph McTell performing Streets Of London on the German TV show Disco 1975.

Jango Song Of The Day-Gladys Knight & The Pips

Artist:Gladys Knight & The Pips

Song:Midnight Train To Georgia

Album:Gold

Of course Gladys Knight is one of the all time great soul singers and the 1973 hit Midnight Train To Georgia is one of several Gladys Knight & The Pips hits. She was born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta and she won on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour at age 7. She formed a group with her brother Merald, sister Brenda and cousins William and Elinor Guest called The Pips. They were named after another cousin James "Pip" Woods. Cousins Langston George and Edward Patten replaced Brenda and Elinor in 1959. The group had some success with VeeJay Records in the early 60s and after George left, Gladys quit to raise her children. She returned and Gladys Knight & The Pips signed with Motown in 1966. Their biggest hit at Motown was their 1967 version of Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine. They left Motown for Buddah Records after Neither One Of Us reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. Gladys said they felt they were a second string act at Motown. Midnight Train To Georgia was their second single on Buddah and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. Neither One Of Us and Midnight Train To Georgia were both written by veteran Nashville songwriter Jim Weatherly. The original title was Midnight Plane To Houston and it was recorded by Cissy Houston in 1970. Weatherly was recording for Buddah at the time. Tony Camillo produced the song and played organ on the song along with sessionmen Bob Babbitt , Jeff Mironov and Mike & Randy Brecker. This 2CD comp on Hip-O is recommended because it covers the Motown and Buddah recordings. Gladys Knight & The Pips continue to perform today and they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1996. Here's Gladys Knight & The Pips performing Midnight Train To Georgia 1973.

Satoko Shinashi is a mommy!

DEEP announced today the DEEP Women's Flyweight Champ Satoko Shinashi gave birth on Sunday to a son weighing 2486 grams. Mother and child are doing great and Satoko is very excited. Mama Fighter will start working towards a return to fighting. DEEP matchmaker Shigeru Saeki said a few months ago that Satoko is aiming to return in December and that is still the schedule. I'm sure all women's MMA fans look forward to seeing Satoko Shinashi back in action. Congratulations!

Jango Song Of The Day-The Sparkles

Artist:The Sparkles
Song:No Friend Of Mine
Album:Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate 60s Garage Collection





Here's a 1967 garage band classic that never got it's due because of poor distribution. Various artists comps have kept the song alive because there are no comps of The Sparkles. This group from Texas was led by guitarist Stan Smith. They recorded with legendary producer Norman Petty in 1958 but the recordings were never released. The Sparkles broke up but Smith reformed them in 1962 and recorded one single that went nowhere. They split up again and Smith formed a new version of the group with drummer Lucky Floyd, guitarist Donnie Roberts and bassist Bobby Smith. Stan Smith and Roberts left in 1965 and guitarists Gary P. Nunn and Louie Holt and drummer Jim Marriot joined. The Sparkles signed with Hickory Records and worked with Roy Orbison's drummer Larry Parks as producer. They released some singles including the 1967 classic No Friend Of Mine but none were successful. Nunn & Holt quit and the others moved to California and renamed themselves The Pearly Gates. They eventually split up for good in 1972. No Friend Of Mine has been kept alive by garage band comps like this one from Big Beat. Gary P. Nunn went on to join Jerry Jeff Walker's band and is best known for his song London Homesick Blues which is the theme song for Austin City Limits. Here's a video for No Friend Of Mine by The Sparkles.

Ayumi Kurihara uses her "noodle"

The Naigai Times interviewed Ayumi Kurihara, one of our favourite little wrestlers. As many fans are aware, Ayumi's parents own a restaurant and have provided food for joshi shows in the past. It appears that Ayumi plans to follow in their footsteps and she's not even waiting for her wrestling career to end. The accompanying picture is a promotional poster for a noodle soup that Ayumi is producing. Her first customer is the Chiba Marine Stadium, home of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team. Ayumi threw out the first pitch at a recent game. She admitted that she's not much of a baseball fan but the fans are enjoying her noodles. She said she started thinking about food products while she was out with a serious shoulder injury last year. Of course her parents are entrepreneurs so it's not surprising that Ayumi would want to start her own business too. She still enjoys joshi but it's very smart to plan for life after wrestling. She says she's going to Mexico in August to wrestle as the masked A*YU*MI character and learn some new mat techniques. Ayumi has also taken up her mentor Michiko Ohmukai's interest in aromatherapy. So while she's in the ring entertaining fans, Ayumi plans to build her business in preparation for life after wrestling. That means she's using her "noodle".

Jango Song Of The Day-Desmond Dekker & The Aces

Artist:Desmond Dekker & The Aces

Song:Israelites

Album:The Original Reggae Hitsound Of Desmond Dekker and the Aces

Though the 1969 hit Israelites is looked at as a one hit wonder in North America, It paved the way for other Jamaican stars like Bob Marley. And Desmond Dekker had a significant career in Jamaica and England. He was born Desmond Dacres July 16, 1941 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was working as a welder in 1961 when his co-workers suggested that he should be a singer. He became friends with Derrick Morgan and started recording for producer Leslie Kong in 1963. Dekker's music became a big part of the Rude Boy sound of the late 60s. He was very popular in Jamaica but Dekker broke through internationally in 1968 with Israelites. Dekker wrote the song when he was walking through the park one day and heard a couple arguing about money. This song about poverty reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the British charts. Dekker moved to England in the 70s. He wasn't having much success until the British ska revival of the late 70s with Stiff Records. That died out in the mid-80s but Dekker got a big boost when Israelites was used in a 1990 Maxell commercial and Dekker was rediscovered and hailed as a legend. He continued to tour and record periodically until his death on May 25, 2006 at age 64. This comp from Trojan covers Dekker's 60s recordings. Here's Desmond Dekker & The Aces performing Israelites in Wembley Stadium in London 1970.

Tomo Hashimoto arrested

It is being reported today that MAKEHEN owner Tomo Hashimoto was arrested for attempting to extort money from a restaurant owner. I normally wouldn't mention it but he has a couple of joshi wrestlers working for him. What will happen to them if the company closes. Relax. Nothing has happened yet. It was reported that the Shirai Sisters were with Hashimoto when he was arrested but I understand that was incorrect. Basara has only said that she's not leaving MAKEHEN. So they're not going anywhere yet. In the meantime, here's a video about Basara from her hometown TV station. It's one of those local girl makes good stories talking about how she got into wrestling and stuff like that. Enjoy!


FreeVideoCoding.com

Etsuko Mita announces retirement

Joshi puroresu legend Etsuko Mita announced at today's NEO show she plans to retire after 22 years in pro wrestling. She also announced it on her blog. She will retire at November's Korakuen Hall NEO show. Of course Mita is best known for her long running tag team with Mima Shimoda and is also the creator of the Death Valley Driver. She was an outstanding wrestler in her prime. But in recent years she couldn't really move anymore because of bad knees. She probably should have retired around 2002 but has worked for NEO the last few years mostly as a midcard jobber. She's been working a lot with the pathetic Ice Ribbon wrestler Makoto and took a terrible beating from Revolution Amandora recently. She was the one giving out beatings in the 90s. That's a hell of a comedown for a wrestler who was on top at one time. The writing has been on the wall for a while now. I noticed that NEO president Koda didn't say anything about Mita on his blog. He's probably not very happy about another retirement.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Beau Brummels

Artist:The Beau Brummels
Song:Laugh, Laugh
Album:The Best Of The Beau Brummels 1964-1968





The Beau Brummels may have seemed like a British Invasion group but they were actually from San Francisco and were designed to capitalize on the British Invasion sound. They should have been much bigger but were on a small label and then mishandled by Warner Bros. The co-founders of The Beau Brummels were guitarist songwriter Ron Elliott (born Oct. 21, 1943 in Haddsburg, CA) and singer Sal Valentino (born Sal Spampinato Sept. 8, 1942 in San Francisco). They knew each other in school. In 1964, Valentino was a singer looking for a band and Elliott was looking for a singer. They formed a band with drummer John Petersen and guitarist Ron Meagher and bassist Declan Mulligan. The group was spotted by San Francisco DJ Tom Donohue and signed to his Autumn label. Their 1964 debut album was produced by Sly Stewart, a DJ who would later become Sly Stone. Elliott wrote most of their songs and Just A Little reached #8 and Laugh, Laugh reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. But Elliott was diabetic and couldn't handle touring. He continued to write but Don Irving replaced him on the road. The other problem was Autumn didn't have the distribution to handle the group. So The Beau Brummels signed with Warner Bros. and Warners had them record an album of cover songs. That killed the band and subsequent Beau Brummels albums had Elliott and Valentino with studio musicians. This Rhino comp covers their entire run. Elliott recorded a solo album for Warners and still records today. Valentino was a member of the 70s group Stoneground and still performs today. The Beau Brummels deserved a better fate back in the 60s. Here are The Beau Brummels performing Laugh, Laugh on Shindig 1965.

Branford Marsalis, Dave Holland review

Great concert last night at the Mainstage at City Hall as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival featuring the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the Dave Holland Quintet. Not only are these two of the best musicians in contemporary jazz but these particular bands have been together for over a decade and each individual musician could do his own thing very easily. And some of them do but they come back to this band. Dave Holland led off with an hour long set. The star of his band is tenor sax player Chris Potter. Potter leads his own band called Chris Potter's Underground and they were also performing at the festival. Drummer Nate Smith is the only recent addition to the band. He normally plays drums with Potter's band. Trombonist Robin Eubanks is the older brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks. Vibraphonist Steve Nelson has been around since the 70s playing in all kinds of bands. Holland knows his band well and made sure that they all got a chance to shine. I could see him smiling when guys were soloing. Potter and Eubanks work very well together I was very impressed with Smith's energy. I was not familiar with him but obviously as a bassist Holland understands the value of a great drummer. They gave a very solid performance and I would have liked them to play a longer set. But there was another band coming up.






And that band was led by sax player Branford Marsalis. Of course he's part of a famous musical family with his dad Ellis and brothers Wynton, Delfaeyo and Jason. His quartet has also worked regularly since 1998. The star of the show is pianist Joey Calderazzo. He has worked with Marsalis since replacing the late Kenny Kirkland in 1998. He also records as a solo artist for Marsalis Music. Bassist Eric Revis has also worked with Marsalis since 1998 and was trained by Ellis Marsalis while attending the University of New Orleans. Justin Faulkner filled in for regular drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts but it wasn't a step down. This kid can play. After the show, I suspect a lot of folks not familiar with Calderazzo will buy his CDs. I've been familiar with him for several years and Marsalis is indeed fortunate to have someone of his calibre in his regular band. Branford Marsalis has always been an expressive musician and the whole set meshed very well. And like Nate Smith, Justin Faulkner brought a lot of great energy. Chris Potter and Robin Eubanks came out for Marsalis' encore and it was great fun hearing the three trade solos. I think we all went home happy after watching two of the premier contemporary jazz bands. It didn't seem like a three hour show and that's a good thing.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Tymes

Artist:The Tymes
Song:You Little Trustmaker
Album:Nipper's Greatest Hits: The 70s





The Tymes had hits in the 60s & 70s. They started out in Philadelphia in 1956 as The Latineers with Donald Banks, Albert Berry, George Hilliard and Norman Burnett. In 1960, they changed their name to The Tymes and added lead singer George Williams. They signed with Cameo-Parkway in 1963 and began a long relationship with producer Billy Jackson. At that time, they had their biggest hit with So Much In Love. They faded and after stints with MGM and Columbia, Hilliard left. Jackson financed sessions at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia with the intention of selling The Tymes to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International label. They passed but RCA was building up their soul roster at the time and signed The Tymes. You Little Trustmaker reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Apparently Jackson sang lead on the song. He was in the studio showing Williams how he wanted him to sing the song and they all liked Jackson's vocal so much they decided to use it. The Tymes had a couple more hits and have toured the oldies circuit ever since. George Williams died in 2006. RCA has yet to release a comp of The Tymes 70s recordings so this various artists comp is recommended until they do that. It's got plenty of other great hits too. Here are The Tymes performing You Little Trustmaker at the Star City Beach Music Festival Roanoke, VA Apr. 18, 2009.

Marsalis, Holland at Toronto Jazz Festival tonight

Again I am going to the Mainstage at Toronto City Hall as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival to see two of the top names in contemporary jazz. It will be the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the Dave Holland Quintet. Of course sax player Marsalis is part of a famous family of New Orleans musicians led by his father Ellis Marsalis. Though Branford has played other kinds of music, he said in a recent interview that he always returns to jazz. He owns his own record label Marsalis Music and his latest CD Metamorphosen was released in March. He'll have his usual quartet with him featuring Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Justin Faulkner replacing Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. British bassist Dave Holland isn't as well known but most jazz fans are familiar with his beginnings with Miles Davis in the early 70s and then The Gateway Trio with John Abercrombie and Jack DeJohnette. His regular band includes sax player Chris Potter, trombonist Robin Eubanks and vibraphonist Steve Nelson. I know Potter is here because he's been playing club dates this week but I don't know about the rest of the band. Here's a video of the Dave Holland Quintet that is likely similar to the band I expect to see tonight with Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson with Nate Smith on drums performing How's Never in Spain July 2007. I look forward to an outstanding evening of jazz.
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Jango Song Of The Day-The Tams

Artist:The Tams
Song:Hey Girl Don't Bother Me
Album:The Best Of The Tams: Hey Girl Don't Bother Me





The 60s soul group The Tams have had a lot of longevity for a group that never had a top five pop hit. The leader of The Tams is lead singer Joseph Pope. Other members were his brother Charles Pope, Robert Smith, Floys Ashton and Horace Key. They were from Atlanta. They liked to wear Tam O'Shanters on stage so were named The Tams. They first surfaced in 1962 with Untie Me on Arlen Records. It was a big enough hit that they earned a contract with ABC-Paramount Records. They had some chart success but not a lot. Hey Girl Don't Bother Me reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by veteran cowboy actor Ray Whitley. The song became a favourite on the Northern Soul circuit in England and topped the British R & B charts in 1971. Their biggest hit What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am reached #9 in 1964. But The Tams continued to tour and there were even two versions of the group in the 80s. One was led by Charles Pope and the other by Robert Smith. This comp covers all their 60s hits. Pope died in 1996 but his son continues to lead a version of The Tams today. Here's The Tams performing Hey Girl Don't Bother Me on Top Of The Pops 1971.

Chucho Valdes review

I went to see Chucho Valdes and his quartet last night at the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront. It's part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. The elevator at Union Station was broken so that screwed things up. Valdes is currently touring across Canada. He's already one of the all time greats of jazz piano and he's not slowing down in his old age. He also brought his sister Maryiam Caridad Valdes with him and she sang a couple of songs. He also brought percussionist Yaroldi Abreu who is a member of his band Akokan Ire. I've always like Valdes aggressive style. He grew up in the music business. His dad is a pianist and Valdes draws on a lot of different influences including bebop, classical and of course Cuban dance band music. He's very versatile and most fans are familiar with his big band Irakere but a smaller band showcases his technique. It's fascinating watching his hands. It was a very tight band. These guys knew what they were doing and he's a great leader. His sister seemed out of place but I know she tours with him regularly. Overall it was very enjoyable and I know Chucho Valdes is appearing at the Montreal Jazz Festival and other jazz festivals across Canada so be sure to check him out.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Newbeats

Artist:The Newbeats
Song:Bread And Butter
Album:The Very Best Of The Newbeats: Bread And Butter





Though viewed as a one hit wonder, the Nashville vocal trio The Newbeats had a bit more success than the 1964 top five hit Bread And Butter. Larry Henley (born June 30, 1937 in Arp, TX) possessed that goofy high falsetto. The other two guys were brothers Dean (born Mar. 17, 1939 in Hahira, GA) and Mark Mathis (born Feb. 9, 1942 in Hahira, GA). The Mathis brothers met Henley when he auditioned for a band they were starting in Shreveport, LA. Henley decided to go solo and eventually all three landed at Acuff-Rose Publishing in Nashville. Wesley Rose put the three together and The Newbeats recorded for the Acuff-Rose owned Hickory Records. Hickory was mostly a country music label but occasionally tried pop music. Bread And Butter reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. It's one of those songs you will remember though you won't know the group. The Newbeats charted a few more times in the mid-60s and continued to record until they split up in 1974. This Varese Sarabande comp has all their hits. Larry Henley is best known for co-writing the Bette Midler hit Wind Beneath My Wings. He won a Grammy for that in 1990. He seems to do a lot of songwriting for films. The Mathis brothers still work together and record occasionally. Here are The Newbeats performing Bread And Butter on Shindig 1964.

Chucho Valdes at the Toronto Jazz Festival

I am going tonight to see Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdes at the Enwave Theater as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. I am taking the subway to Union Station and rolling from there. Most jazz fans should be familiar with Valdes as leader of legendary jazz group Irakere since the 70s. He has also recorded several solo albums and he starred in the Latin Jazz documentary Calle 54 which I have on DVD. If you like Latin Jazz, you need to check it out. I think he's appearing solo tonight. It doesn't matter much. He's one of my favourite musicians and everything he plays sounds great. I will review the concert tomorrow. Check out this video of Chucho Valdes performing Number One Son.

Sugiyama, Nagano at JEWELS talk show

Here's a brief video of Shizuka Sugiyama and Mika Nagano appearing at a JEWELS promotional event that was held Sunday at the Akihabara Live Cafe Restaurant. Also appearing was singer LISA Takahashi and radio actor named Miyanaga. They were all signing autographs, answering fan questions, giving away toques and Nagano did a little cosplay where she played a maid. Saori Ishioka will appear at a similar promotional event this weekend and I expect there will be a video for that too.

Jango Song Of The Day-Dobie Gray

Artist:Dobie Gray
Song:Drift Away
Album:Ultimate Collection





The 1973 song Drift Away was the only top five pop hit for country soul singer Dobie Gray. He's had a long career in Nashville. There is some dispute about his birthname and date but he was apparently born Lawrence Ainsworth July 26, 1940 in Simonton, TX. His grandfather was a Baptist minister and he grew up singing in church. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 60s and recorded as Lawrence Ainsworth, Larry Curtis and Larry Dennis before charting in 1965 with The In Crowd and See You At The Go-Go as Dobie Gray. The problem was he was on small labels and was unable to sustain the momentum of those hits. Gray spent two years performing in the Los Angeles production of Hair before resurfacing in the early 70s on MCA Records working with producer Mentor Williams. He's the brother of singer songwriter Paul Williams and he wrote and produced Drift Away. It reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gray left MCA for Capricorn in 1974 and eventually moved to Nashville and had some success in the country market in the 80s. This comp has all his hits. Drift Away got a big boost when Uncle Kracker had a hit with it in 2004. So it's still a very popular song. Dobie Gray still tours today. According to his website, he was planning a new album last year but it doesn't look like it surfaced. Here's Dobie Gray performing Drift Away on The Old Grey Whistle Test 1974.

Michelle McCool is the new WWE Women's Champ

It's been a while since the WWE has had a women's match on a PPV. But just to show that I give them equal time, here's the video of Michelle McCool winning the WWE Women's Championship over Melina. Melina has been a very ineffective babyface champ so I think this was inevitable. It's a decent match. Michelle does a very good job working on Melina's knee and Melina even remembers to sell it. The only problem with the match is the crowd is dead. The girls worked hard so they're not to blame. Neither the WWE or TNA push women's matches on PPVs as significant so I don't expect fans to care. It's unfortunate but it's a good match so check it out.
MICHELLE MCCOOL vs. MELINA-THE BASH PPV 6/26/2009

Sakura Hirota to return to wrestling

Sakura Hirota announced yesterday that she is returning to wrestling after a four year absence. The announcement was made at DDT's Shin-kiba 1st Ring show. I didn't notice a return date. Of course Sakura worked for GAEA from 1996 and retired when GAEA closed in April 2005. Though Sakura is a trained wrestler, she was used for most of her career as comedy relief. But unlike most wrestlers, she was really good at comedy and had a significant fan following. They don't usually have joshi wrestlers in DDT but her comedy shtick will fit right in at that place. Since her retirement, Sakura has been working an office job during the day and acting on the stage at night.