AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Dandy Warhols

Artist:The Dandy Warhols

Song:Bohemian Like You

Album:The Capitol Years 1995-2007

The alt rock band The Dandy Warhols have been around for over thirty years. They had their greatest commercial success when they were on Capitol Records from 1995-2007. They never had a hit single but the 2000 single Bohemian Like You was their highest charting song and it made a lot of money from other media. The Dandy Warhols currently record for their own label. The Dandy Warhols are from Portland, OR led by lead singer songwriter and guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor. Taylor-Taylor met guitarist Peter Holmstrom while both were attending Sunset High School in the Portland suburb of Beaverton, OR. After an unsuccessful experiment trying to teach his girlfriend to play bass, Taylor-Taylor taught Zia McCabe to play keyboards. Eric Hedford was the original drummer. But he left over a royalty dispute and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent DeBoer in 1998. The Dandy Warhols started playing local clubs and released the 1995 album Dandys Rule OK on the local indie label Tim/Kerr. Capitol Records liked the album enough to sign the band. They wanted them to have hit singles. So when they recorded a follow up album, Capitol rejected it because they said it didn't have any hits. Much of the band's music has humor. Even the band name is obviously a gag. But I don't think Capitol was in on the joke. So a new album was recorded and ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down was released in 1997. As usual, Taylor-Taylor wrote and produced. Capitol brought in Elliott Smith's producer Eric Lash to give the album some polish. The album and a couple of singles charted in England. The 2000 single Bohemian Like You is from the album Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia. It was a top twenty hit in England after it was used in an ad for the British phone company Vodafone. It also appeared on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the films Flushed Away and Igby Goes Down. It was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian that Taylor-Taylor earned $1.5M in royalties after Vodaphone used Bohemian Like You. He used that money to buy a quarter of a city block in Portland and build a recording studio. So I guess The Dandy Warhols don't need a hit single. Taylor-Taylor wrote and produced Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia with Dave Sardy formerly of Barkmarket. You can get Bohemian Like You on this comp which is available as a digital download. Taylor-Taylor wrote Bohemian Like You after he saw a woman at a traffic light under his apartment and he started to fantasize about her. The song wrote itself. The Dandy Warhols recorded four albums for Capitol. They started their own label Beat the World with distribution from the British label Caroline. They have switched distributors a couple of times and released their latest album in 2024. They aren't on tour right now. But they have a couple of shows coming up in Sept. Here's the video for Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Junior Wells

Artist:Junior Wells

Song:Come On in This House

Album:Messin' With the Kid 1957-1963

Junior Wells is one of the all time blues harmonica greats. He is best known for his long partnership with guitarist Buddy Guy. He first recorded in 1955. But he didn't become a fan favorite until the mid 60s when he partnered with Guy and toured with The Rolling Stones. He was born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. Dec. 9, 1934 in Memphis. His cousin Junior Parker and Sonny Boy Williamson II taught Wells to play harmonica. After his mother's divorce, Wells moved to Chicago with her in 1948. Wells hung out with local musicians in bars and at parties. Wells joined The Aces led by guitarists Dave and Louis Myers. But drummer Fred Below had worked with harmonica legend Little Walter so he helped Wells with his harmonica playing. And in 1952, Wells replaced Walter on a Muddy Waters session on Chess. Of course Little Walter was on Chess so they weren't interested in Wells. He first recorded for States Records in 1955. They closed in 1957 and Wells signed with Chief Records. Chief was owned by producer and songwriter Mel London. In those days, Chess was the only game in Chicago. So the rest was left to guys like London. But he signed Earl Hooker who was a really good guitarist and a good partner for Wells. So Chief released about 25 Wells singles from 1957-63 and then Chief closed in 1964. Wells wrote Come On in This House and it was released in 1960. London is credited as producer. Musicians are Earl Hooker on guitar, Lafayette Leake on piano, Dave Meyers on bass guitar, Willie Dixon on acoustic bass and Eugene Lounge on drums. Hooker and Dixon play on most of this album. This budget CD is all original recordings first released by Paula Records in 1991. These recording are now owned by P-Vine Records, a Japanese label that reissues vintage jazz, blues and R&B recordings. Wells released his first album Hoodoo Man Blues on Delmark Records in 1965. Buddy Guy was on that album and that's when Wells' career really started especially when they toured with The Rolling Stones in the 70s. After suffering a heart attack, Wells died on Jan. 15, 1998 at age 63. I may look at Wells' later recordings in the future but here's Junior Wells with Buddy Guy performing Come On in This House at Montreux 1978.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jellyfish

Artist:Jellyfish

Song:Joining a Fan Club

Album:Spilt Milk

Jellyfish was a power pop band that recorded two unsuccessful albums in the early 90s. Since they split up, they have developed a cult following and have been influential on other similar bands. The leaders of Jellyfish were Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning. They met while attending Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA. Sturmer was lead singer and drummer. Manning played keyboards. They wrote all the songs. Sturmer wrote the lyrics. Sturmer and Manning joined Chris Ketner's San Francisco based band Beatnik Beatch. They released a 1988 album on Atlantic. When it went nowhere, Beatnik Beatch split up. Sturmer and Manning planned to start a new band at Atlantic. Manning brought in former The Three O'Clock guitarist Jason Falkner and his brother Chris Manning on bass. Manning promised Falkner that he would contribute to the songwriting. But he didn't tell Sturmer so there was tension over that. An Atlantic exec suggested the band name Jellyfish. When Sturmer couldn't think of anything better, he decided to go with that. The 1990 album Bellybutton was produced by Albhy Galuten who produced The Bee Gees. While they were recording the album, they shopped for a new label and signed with Virgin's Charisma label. Bellybutton was released July 1990. The album was favorably reviewed but it didn't sell. The problem was hair metal was popular at the time. It's hard to buck a trend when Jellyfish sounded like a 60s band. They toured wearing fancy costumes. When reviewers concentrated on that, they stopped wearing them. After the tour, Falkner was unhappy and left the band. Chris Manning left to become a chef. Sturmer and Manning appeared on Ringo Starr's 1992 album Time Takes Time. They also had a songwriting session with Brian Wilson but nothing came from that. Their 1992 album Spilt Milk was again produced by Galuten. Tim Smith was brought in to play bass. They used several guitarists. By the time Spilt Milk was released, grunge had taken over the music business. And critics bemoaned that Jellyfish sounded like the 70s band The Raspberries. Guitarist Eric Dover was brought in to tour. When this album didn't sell, Jellyfish split up. Sturmer and Manning weren't getting along anyway. Spilt Milk is available on CD. Manning formed the bands The Moog Cookbook and Imperial Drag. Sturmer wrote songs for the Japanese duo Puffy. And that led to writing songs for Cartoon Network shows like Teen Titans and these days, he works a lot for Disney. Manning has recorded solo in recent years. His latest album was released in 2023. Attempts to reunite Jellyfish have been unsuccessful as Sturmer won't do it. That's what he said in a 2015 interview. He seems to prefer the studio work that he's doing now. Here's Jellyfish performing Joining a Fan Club in Munich, Germany 1993. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Nouri

Artist:Michael Nouri

Song:King's Dilemma

Album:Victor/Victoria: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Actor Michael Nouri is best known for his many TV roles. He has also appeared in films. But it might surprise some that he has also appeared on Broadway. His most notable Broadway appearance was as King Marchan in the 1995 musical adaptation of the film Victor/Victoria. This appears to be Nouri's only recorded singing appearance. He has appeared in other musicals but none were recorded and most were not on Broadway. It's funny because he started out on Broadway before he got into TV. He was born Dec. 9, 1945 in Washington, DC. His father was an Iraqi immigrant who served in the US Army in WWII and became a writer for Stars and Stripes and The New Yorker. Nouri studied drama at Emerson College in Boston and was trained by famed acting coach Lee Strasberg. After appearing in an off Broadway production of The Crucible, Nouri made his Broadway debut in the 1970 comedy Forty Carats which ran for two years. He also had a small role in the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus. Then he appeared in daytime soaps, most notably as Steve Kaslo in Search for Tomorrow. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. His next significant role was as Lucky Luciano in the 1981 miniseries The Gangster Chronicles. Then he played Nick Hurley in the 1983 film Flashdance. That was one of the most successful films of the year. So I think it's fair to say that's where most folks heard of Nouri. His other significant 80s film was the 1987 film The Hidden. He starred in the TV series' Bay City Blues and Downtown. Both shows were cancelled after one season. He was in the sitcom Love & War which ran for three seasons and that's when he appeared in Victor/Victoria. Of course most folks should be familiar with Blake Edwards' 1982 film Victor/Victoria starring his wife Julie Andrews. Edwards wanted to turn it into a Broadway musical. Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse were supposed to write the music. But Mancini died and Frank Wildhorn composed the music with Bricusse. Along with Julie Andrews, the stars were Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri and Rachel York. The show ran for two years so it was successful. The original cast is available on CD. It was also broadcast on TV and released on DVD. Since then Nouri has appeared as a regular on the TV series' The O.C., Damages, NCIS and most recently Yellowstone. And he has appeared on the daytime soaps The Young and the Restless and All My Children. Nouri recently appeared on The Pitt and The Rookie. So with his career winding down, I expect he will continue to make TV guest shots. Here's Michael Nouri performing King's Dilemma on the 1995 TV production of Victor/Victoria.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Echosmith

Artist:Echosmith

Song:Cool Kids

Album:Talking Dreams

Cool Kids was a top twenty hit in 2013. It was the only big hit for the band Echosmith. One of their other songs charted so they are not technically a one hit wonder. They only released one album on a major label and now record for their own label. Echosmith is from Chino, CA. They are a family group with Sydney Sierota on lead vocals, Jamie Sierota on guitar and keyboards, Noah Sierota on bass and Graham Sierota on drums. They started out performing covers and released a video of Come Together on YouTube. This got the attention of Warner Bros. Records president Rob Cavallo and he signed Echosmith. An EP was released featuring Come Together and they went out on tour. Meanwhile, their father Jeffrey David, who is also their manager, helped them write original songs. The album Talking Dreams was released and the single Cool Kids reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. All the songs were written by Echosmith and their dad. Mike Elizondo produced the album. He has produced Dr. Dre and Eminem among others. The album was rereleased in 2014 with a new cover. It's available on CD. This is the only album that Echosmith recorded for Warner Bros. The band's official reason was they left Warner Bros. "to escape the creative limitations of a major label and regain full control over their musical direction". The likely real reason was that Cavallo left Warner Bros. as part of a larger management shuffle. It's likely that Echosmith would have been lost in the shuffle anyway. They continued to tour. Jamie Sierota left Echosmith to be a father. Guitarist Josh Murty was hired to play guitar on tour. Echosmith started their own label. But get this. The label is distributed by Warner Music GroupADA which distributes indie labels. So Warners still distributes their albums. But there's no promotion. They have released two albums written and produced by the band and their dad. I guess that's what they wanted. But most bands need promotion. They aren't getting that anymore. Sydney is pregnant so they haven't been touring. And she has released a solo EP. So we'll see if they get anywhere. I have my doubts. Here's the video for Cool Kids by Echosmith. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bebel Gilberto

Artist:Bebel Gilberto

Song:Samba da Bencao

Album:Tanto Tempo

Singer Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Bossa Nova pioneer Joao Gilberto. She has been recording and performing since the mid 80s. The 2000 album Tanto Tempo is considered to be her breakthrough album as it sold a million copies worldwide. She was born May 12, 1966 in New York City. Her mother is singer Miucha. When her parents split up, Gilberto lived in New York and Miucha moved back to Brazil. Bebel lived mostly in Brazil. She started performing as a child with both parents including a 1977 Carnegie Hall concert with her mom and Stan Getz. She started out in the mid 80s with the Brazilian rock band Barao Vermelho and wrote several songs with their lead singer Cazuzo. Bebel moved to New York in 1991. After she appeared on the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio, record companies started sniffing around. Bebel signed with the Belgian label Ziriguiboom in Europe and Six Degrees Records in the US. Tanto Tempo was her 2000 debut album. Bebel wrote most of the songs though Samba da Bencao is a Bossa Nova standard written by Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powell. The album was produced by Serbian Mitar "Suba" Subotic. He had lived in Brazil since 1990. But tragedy struck when the recording studio caught fire while Subo was working on post production. He was able to save the masters but he died from smoke inhalation. Subo's friend and frequent collaborator Amon Tobin finished the album. The album sold a million copies worldwide including 300,000 in the US. It's available as a budget CD. Bebel recorded three albums for Ziriguiboom and has recorded for Verve among others since then. Her latest album Joao was released in 2023 on the indie label PIAS. It appears to be a tribute to her dad. She is currently touring to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Tempo Tanto. Here's Bebel Gilberto with Masa Shimizu on violin and bass, Jorge Continento on sax and guitar, John Roggie and Sacha Amback on keyboards, Magrus Borges on drums and Marcos Suzano on percussion performing Samba da Bencao in Rio de Janeiro Dec. 2012. This entire concert can be viewed on YouTube.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eden Espinosa

Artist:Eden Espinosa

Song:In the Blasted California Sun

Album:Lempicka: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Eden Espinosa is a Broadway performer best known for playing Elphaba in touring productions of Wicked. She was Tony nominated for playing the female lead in the 2024 musical Lempicka despite the fact the show was not favorably reviewed and it didn't run very long. She was born Feb. 2, 1978 in Anaheim, CA. She is of Mexican descent. Eden began performing as a child and in high school, she played Maria in West Side Story. After graduating from high school, she worked at Disneyland and the Universal Studios theme park. And she toured with The Young Americans. While performing at Disneyland, a casting director spotted her and introduced her to the creators of the musical Brooklyn which was in the planning stages at the time. They suggested she move to New York and she was a standby for Idina Menzel's Elphaba in the 2003 show Wicked. She also filmed the 2006 film Ask the Dust. Eden left Wicked to star in the musical Brooklyn first in Denver then on Broadway. This show ran from Oct. 2004 to June 2005. Afterwards, she returned to Wicked and was in the national tour, Los Angeles and New York until June 2010. So she got a lot of mileage from that. Eden's other big show was Lempicka which was on Broadway in 2024. Lempicka is about Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka. The show was created by Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould. This musical had runs in Williamstown and San Diego before it played Broadway in 2024. Though Eden was nominated for a Best Actress Tony and got positive reviews, Lempicka was slammed by critics and only played for one month. The original cast album is available on CD. Eden has recorded a couple of solo albums and has performed live in New York clubs since 2005. She hasn't done much in the way of films. But she has done TV guest shots. She's been doing a lot of voiceover work and I can see her doing a lot more of that as it can be very lucrative. Here's Eden Espinosa performing In the Blasted California Sun at The Green Room in New York City. This is my first time posting an Instagram video. Like Facebook, I do not go to Instagram unless I need a video clip. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mellow Man Ace

Artist:Mellow Man Ace

Song:Mentirosa

Album:Rap N Oldies

Mentirosa was a top 20 hit in 1990. It was the only chart single for Latin American rapper Mellow Man Ace. He only recorded two albums and retired. He would return on his own label. He was born Ulpiano Sergio Reyes Apr. 12, 1967 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba but he grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of South Gate, CA. Reyes and his brother Senen "Sen Dog" Reyes are both rappers. They formed the group DVX with Lawrence "DJ Muggs" Muggerud and Louis "B-Real" Freese. But when Reyes left to sign with Capitol Records, the group name was changed to Cypress Hill after a street in South Gate. Of course they were known as Latin hip hop pioneers. Reyes released the 1990 album Escape from Havana. The single Mentirosa became a hit when the video was played to death on MTV. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was probably a bigger hit than that but radio stations were reluctant to play it. Reyes was good friends with Los Angeles radio station KDAY DJs "Tony D" Gonzalez and "Julio G" Gonzalez. No, they are not brothers. Tony D produced Mentirosa and about half of the album and Julio G did the scratching. The girl in the video is Argentine pop singer Maria Becerra. You can get Mentirosa on this various artists budget comp. The main samples were No One to Depend On and Evil Ways by Santana. BTW, they are too recognizable which is a pet peeve of mine. Reyes' big mistake was not getting clearance for the samples and not surprisingly that upset Capitol. When his 1992 album The Brother with Two Tongues didn't sell and there were no chart singles, Capitol dropped Reyes. I think Capitol buried him as they were pissed. Reyes announced his retirement. He returned in 2000 to release a couple of albums and recorded a 2006 album with his brother as The Reyes Brothers. He last released an album in 2010 but he still performs live. But he will be a one hit wonder forever. Here's the video for Mentirosa by Mellow Man Ace. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Los Campesinos!

Artist:Los Campesinos!

Song:The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future

Album:Romance Is Boring

With a name like Los Campesinos!, you might think this band is Latin American. But they were actually formed at Cardiff University in Wales in 2006. They are a quirky indie band who have had modest success in England and they tour in the US. As I said, the band members were students at Cardiff University in 2006. The main members appear to be from Essex, England. The main members of the band are Gareth Paisey on lead vocals and glockenspiel and he writes all the songs, Neil Turner on lead guitar and Tom Bromley on guitar and keyboards. The rest of the band membership is fluid so I will concentrate on them. Campesino is Spanish for peasant and all band members were identified by the surname Campesino. That's too cutesy poo for me and apparently they aren't doing that anymore. Los Campesinos! began performing in local clubs in 2006. After posting songs on MySpace, they opened for the Canadian band Broken Social Scene. And that led to a record deal with the British label Wichita Recordings for Europe and the Canadian label Arts & Crafts for North America. They released a couple of singles and an EP and toured England in 2007. They released their 2008 debut album Hold on Now, Youngster... and toured Europe and North America to support it. The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future was the lead single for the 2010 album Romance Is Boring. It was around this time that Gareth Paisey's sister Kim Paisey joined the band as keyboardist. The album was produced by John Goodmanson who produces Death Cab for Cutie. The album was a breakthrough for Los Campesinos! as it got rave reviews from critics. And that's important with this kind of music as it leads to longevity. Los Campesinos! released a tenth anniversary edition of this album in 2010. This was remastered and has a bonus track. It's available on CD. Los Campesinos! is still around. They released their latest album All Hell in 2024 on their own label. They have been rereleasing remastered versions of all their recordings. Here's the video for The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future by Los Campesinos!. I know the video looks very amateurish but I believe that was done deliberately. This is a band that doesn't want to come across as too slick. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oran "Juice" Jones

Artist:Oran "Juice" Jones f/Vincent Bell

Song:The Rain

Album:Juice

The 1986 single The Rain was a top ten hit. It was the only chart single for R&B singer songwriter Oran "Juice" Jones. So he is a one hit wonder. He retired in 2008 to take care of his ailing mother. He was in the news a few years ago when he announced plans to sue his record label DefJam for unpaid royalties. He was born Mar. 28, 1957 in Houston but he grew up in Harlem in New York City. The most notable thing about Jones before he got into music is that he was a Brigade Commander in the US Naval Academy and a trained Marine Corps sniper. After he left the Navy, he planned to make music with rapper Kurtis Blow. He wrote the song Daydreaming for Blow. When there was a payment dispute, Blow suggested that Jones should go to DefJam and work with Russell Simmons. So he signed with DefJam. They were strictly known for rap so Simmons started ORB Records for R&B. Rain was the first single from the 1987 album Juice. It reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B Singles chart. Jones wrote the song and most of the album with Vincent Bell and Bell produced the album with Simmons. It looks like Bell was a DefJam house producer at the time. Bell also does the spoken word part at the end of the song. The girl in the video is model Danita Davis. This album is available on CD. Jones recorded three albums for DefJam. He charted on R&B but was unable to chart again on the Billboard Hot 100. He released the 1997 album Player's Call on Tommy Boy but that didn't sell either. Jones wrote and produced that album with Al Green's legendary producer Willie Mitchell. Jones retired from recording in 2008 to care for his ailing mother. He composes music for commercials so I assume he works for an ad agency. When The Rain was sampled in the film Suicide Squad, Jones announced that he planned to sue DefJam for unpaid royalties. It never went to court and was settled for a reported $2M. Jones still performs live and he has other business interests. Here's the video for The Rain by Oran "Juice" Jones. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rachel Proctor

Artist:Rachel Proctor

Song:Emily and Me

Album:Where I Belong

Country music singer songwriter Rachel Proctor scored a top twenty country hit with the 2004 single Me and Emily. She has had most of her success as a songwriter and she is still doing that today. She was born Aug. 11, 1974 in Charleston, WV. She began performing as a child. As a teen, she got a manager and competed on Star Search. Then she started writing songs and played in local bands. Then she moved to Nashville in pursuit of a record deal. Rachel's big break came when Martina McBride recorded one of her songs Where Would You Be and that reached #3 on the Country Singles chart. And then she signed with BNA Records. BNA was owned by RCA and they had success in the 90s. By the time Rachel signed with them, Sony bought RCA and of course that sort of thing is always a mess. Rachel released the 2004 album Where I Belong. Emily and Me was the third single and it reached #18 on the Country Singles chart. My guess is Rachel didn't get much of a promotion budget or it would have done better. She wrote the song with Chris Tompkins who has written hits for Carrie Underwood. Emily and Me is about a woman and her daughter escaping an abusive relationship. So it resonated with listeners. It just needed better promotion. The song intro will remind you of Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis. Rachel co-wrote six of the eleven songs on the album. The album was produced by Chris Lindsey who produced number one country hits for Chris Cagle and Mark Willis. This album is available as a budget CD. Rachel left BNA and these days she is a full time songwriter. She released a couple of albums on her own label, most recently in 2009. Rachel hasn't had a chart single since 2012. But she still takes songwriter meetings. Some of her songs have been recorded. But she hasn't charted lately. But one never knows. She could score a big hit tomorrow. Her family keeps her busy though. Here's the video for Emily and Me by Rachel Proctor. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dion

Artist:Dion

Song:Abraham, Martin and John

Album:The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher

Most folks should be familiar with Dion DiMucci as leader of the group Dion and the Belmonts and then as a solo artist. He had several hits in the early 60s and then a long dry period until the 1968 top five single Abraham, Martin and John. This would turn out to be Dion's final big hit. But he's still around and published his memoir last year. Dion left The Belmonts in 1960 and topped the charts with the 1961 single Runaround Sue followed by the 1962 top five hit The Wanderer. Then he left Laurie for Columbia and his first single for Columbia Ruby Baby reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dion was the first Rock 'n' Roll artist on Columbia because A&R head Mitch Miller hated Rock 'n' Roll. John Hammond signed Dion. After two more hits, the British Invasion rolled over guys like Dion. Plus he had a drug addiction. After Dion stalled at Columbia, he returned to Laurie. But he wasn't having much luck until the 1968 single Abraham, Martin and John reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dion also kicked his drug habit and became a born again Christian. Abraham, Martin and John was written by Dick Holler. He led the band The Holidays. They never had a hit single. So Holler's friend and producer Phil Gernhard told him to stick to songwriting. Holler's song Snoopy vs the Red Baron reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 by The Royal Guardsmen in 1966. That was on Laurie. So they asked Gernhard if Holler had any more songs. And he came up with Abraham, Martin and John. It appeared on Dion's 1968 album Dion which was produced by Gernhard. Plus the single was released right after Bobby Kennedy was murdered. Needless to say, Abraham, Martin and John was a big hit and still resonates today. The 1968 album Dion is mostly folk music covers so I can't recommend it. But you can get it on Dion's new CD The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher. This was released to help promote Dion's memoir also called The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher. The CD not only has Dion's hits but guest appearances by guitarists Joe Bonamassa, Sonny Landreth, Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton. This is on Bonamassa's label Keeping The Blues Alive Records (KTBA). It looks like he started this label to record his friends. Dion has recorded several recent albums for KTBA. Dion has been touring so check him out if he's coming your way. Here's Dion performing Abraham, Martin and John on a 1968 episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Check out that haircut. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rachael Yamagata

Artist:Rachael Yamagata

Song:Worn Me Down

Album:Happenstance

When she first started out twenty years ago, it was thought in the music industry that singer songwriter Rachael Yamagata would become this big global superstar. But it didn't happen and now she finances her own music through PledgeMusic. Rachael was twice the victim of corporate restructuring and she fell through the cracks. Rachael was born Sept. 23, 1977 in Arlington, VA. Her father is Japanese American and her mother is Italian. Comedian Josh Ruben is her half brother. She attended Northwestern University and Vassar College. Rachael toured for six years as lead singer of the band Bumpus. She left in 2001 and signed a record deal with Private Music. Private started out in the 80s as a new age label similar to Windham Hill. RCA bought them in 1996 and attempted to turn it into a mainstream music label. By the time Rachael signed with Private, they were part of Arista. Then Sony merged with RCA and by the time Rachael's 2004 debut album Happenstance was released, she was on RCA. They didn't seem to know how to promote her. So they placed her songs on all kinds of films and TV shows. At best that is a hit or miss strategy. Not surprisingly, it didn't work. Worn Me Down was the lead single. The song appeared on the TV shows Charmed, Miss Match, The O.C. and Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. Rachael wrote the song. The album was produced by The Dave Matthews Band producer John Alagia. RCA dropped Rachael. But they probably should have let her go after the merger. The people who signed her weren't there anymore. Rachael signed with Warner Bros. and released the 2008 album Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart. The same thing happened there. There was corporate restructuring going on and the people who signed her weren't there anymore. Since then Rachael has mostly recorded for her own label. Her latest album was released on the indie label Jullian. Happenstance is available on CD. I don't think Rachael was a commercial artist anyway. She probably would have been better off on an indie label in the first place. Here's the video for Worn Me Down by Rachael Yamagata. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dan Hill

Artist:Dan Hill f/Vonda Shepard

Song:Can't We Try

Album:Love of My Life: The Best of Dan Hill

Of course most folks are familiar with Canadian singer songwriter Dan Hill for his 1977 top five hit Sometimes When We Touch. He also scored a top ten hit with the 1987 single Can't We Try. This was for the NBC daytime soap Santa Barbara. This was not the first time a soap spawned a hit like this. Vonda Shepard was unknown at the time. This was her first recording. She is best known for the TV series Ally McBeal. Vonda was born Jan. 7, 1963 in New York City but she grew up in Los Angeles. Her father was mime Richmond Shepard. Vonda started out as a backup singer in a local recording studio. Hill was recording Can't We Try which he wrote with his wife. He was looking for a duet partner and he was unhappy with the singers who were auditioning. The recording studio manager knew Vonda and she lived nearby so she could walk to the studio. She nailed the audition and Can't We Try appeared on Santa Barbara and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was from Hill's 1987 album Dan Hill on Columbia. The album was produced by John Capek who knew Hill in Canada. He also played keyboards and co-wrote much of the album with Hill. The vocals were produced by Hank Medress formerly of The Tokens. Though Vonda was unknown, she had already signed a record deal with Reprise Records. After the 1989 album Vonda Shepard was released, the A&R exec who signed her was fired. They dropped her and she recorded a couple of albums for small labels. By 1996, Vonda was still performing in local clubs. She asked Michelle Pfeiffer and her TV producer husband David E. Kelley to come see her. At the time Kelley was developing the TV series Ally McBeal. And he was looking for a singer to be the voice of the inner thoughts of the Ally McBeal character. Vonda appeared on the entire run of the show. Vonda is still around. She last released an album in 2022. And Dan Hill is still around writing occasional songs. He released his latest album in 2021. You can get Can't We Try on this Dan Hill comp which also contains Sometimes When We Touch. Here's the video for Can't We Try by Dan Hill featuring Vonda Shepard.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Two Gallants

Artist:Two Gallants

Song:Fly Low Carrion Crow

Album:Two Gallants

Two Gallants is an indie folk duo from San Francisco. They had modest success twenty years ago. They went on hiatus in 2008 and returned in 2012. After two more albums, they went on hiatus again. This time it looks more permanent but they are hedging their bets just in case. Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel knew each other while growing up in San Francisco. They were in bands while in high school. After they both learned about blues, they decided to form Two Gallants in 2002. The band name is from a James Joyce short story. They write and produce everything themselves. On stage it looks like they both play guitar which is why I label them as a folk duo. In the studio, Stephens sings lead and plays guitar and harmonica. Vogel plays drums. But they decided not to turn it into a band for live performances. At first Two Gallants performed in Sn Francisco clubs and busking outside BART stations. Then they released their 2004 debut album The Throes on the indie label Alive Records. Their big break came when Pitchfork's Jonathan Zwickel gave the album a rave review of 8.5/10. That generated interest and Two Gallants expanded their touring. They also realized that for the 2006 album What the Toll Tells, they needed to sign with a larger label with better distribution. So they signed with Omaha based indie label Saddle Creek Records owned by Conor Oberst's brother Justin Oberst. They appeared on Saddle Creek's CMJ Showcase at New York City's Bowery Ballroom and they played a couple of festivals in England. What the Toll Tells wasn't received as well as the first album. But Two Gallants toured North America so that got them out there. Fly Low Carrion Crow is from the 2008 album Two Gallants. The album got mixed reviews similar to the previous album which means the rave review for the first album was probably overpraised by this one guy. It just came at a good time for Two Gallants. The 2008 album Two Gallants is available as a digital download. They appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and continued to tour. After six years of touring, Two Gallants decided to go on hiatus in the summer of 2008. Both recorded albums and neither was received as well than when they were a duo. Two Gallants returned in 2012 with the album The Bloom and the Blight on Dave Matthews' ATO label followed by the 2015 album We Are Undone. They tried to make their music more mainstream rock. But that made some listeners wish for the sound of the early albums. After touring Two Gallants again decided to go on hiatus. And they are still on hiatus. It seems more permanent but they are not ready to admit to a permanent split. So Two Gallants was around for over a decade because of one fluke rave review. Subsequent results indicate that they weren't that good in the first place. That kind of thing can happen with indie music. Here's Two Gallants performing Fly Low Carrion Crow by Seattle radio station KEXP at the 2008 Bumbershoot Music Lounge in Seattle.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Carmen Cusack

Artist:Carmen Cusack

Song:Sun Is Gonna Shine

Album:Bright Star: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Carmen Cusack is a Broadway performer who was nominated for a Tony for the 2016 musical Bright Star. She was also nominated for the 2022 musical Flying Over Sunset. She got good reviews but neither show was a hit. I guess Broadway has never fully recovered from COVID which is why we are seeing so many Jukebox Musicals playing there. She was born Apr. 25, 1971 in Denver but she grew up with her grandparents in Fountain, TX. She grew up singing in church. Carmen graduated from University of North Texas with a performing arts degree. Carmen took a job performing on the MS Queen Elizabeth 2. That's when she met her husband and moved to England. After appearing in some British musical productions like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, Carmen returned to the US in 2006 and was a standby for the Chicago production of Wicked. Then she was cast in the touring production of Wicked. Carmen got her big break when she was cast to star as Alice Murphy in the 2016 musical Bright Star. This was a new musical written by the husband wife team of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. It's based on their 2013 album Love Has Come for You set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. So it's kind of a bluegrass musical. Carmen got positive reviews and was nominated for a Tony. But Bright Star got mixed reviews. It opened in March 2016 and closed in June. So it was not a big success. The original cast album is available as a digital download. Carmen did the national tour for Bright Star. Carmen was also Tony nominated for the 2021 musical Flying Over Sunset. But the show was adversely affected by COVID and didn't last long. Carmen hasn't done much in films or TV. She was supposed to be in the 2019 NBC series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist but was replaced by Lauren Graham. Her only film appearance was in the 2019 Fred Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. She and her husband now live in Los Angeles. She has been appearing live. But she wants to get into films and TV. Here's Carmen Cusack performing Sun Is Gonna Shine from Bright Star at From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert for Orlando at the Disney Theater in Orlando, FL July 25, 2016.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Karen Olivo

Artist:Karen Olivo f/Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robin de Jesus

Song:It Won't Be Long

Album:In the Heights: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Karen Olivo had her breakthrough role for playing Olivia in the 2008 Broadway musical In the Heights. Then she won a Tony for playing Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. But things didn't go so well after that. And the result is she changed her name to KO and is non binary. She now lives in Illinois and teaches. So she could have been a star. But it looks like she became disenchanted with show business. I will refer to her as Karen as this role was before she changed her name. She was born Aug. 7, 1976 in the South Bronx in New York City. Her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is Dominican. She grew up in Bartow, FL. and attended the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Lakeland. Then she studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She left before her final year to be a replacement and understudy on the 1997 Broadway musical Rent. She also toured with the show. After returning to New York, Karen couldn't get any decent Broadway roles. So she took some TV roles until In the Heights came up in 2007. Of course I have talked about In the Heights before. Vanessa was the female lead. And it should have made her a star. BTW, the film version of In the Heights was released in 2021. So Karen would have been too old to play Vanessa. The original cast album is available on CD. Immediately after this, Karen won a Tony for playing Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. She tried TV and film. She did some TV guest shots and she didn't appear in any notable films. She was a regular on the NBC series Harry's Law starring Kathy Bates. But that show was cancelled after two seasons. This is when Karen changed her name to KO and moved to Madison, WI to teach theater at the University of Wisconsin theater department. Karen returned to the Chicago production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's new show Hamilton. She left in Aug. 2017 to return to teaching. She returned again in 2019 Broadway adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's film Moulin Rouge!. Karen was nominated for a Tony. The show was suspended for COVID. Karen announced that she would not return to Moulin Rouge! afterwards because abuse allegations against producer Scott Rudin were not addressed by the industry. BTW, Rudin was not a producer on Moulin Rouge!. And the allegations were in The Hollywood Reporter. So it looks like she was looking for a reason to leave the business. And that's what she did. Karen is now an associate professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. So that was the real reason she quit the business. Here's Karen Olivo with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Robin de Jesus performing It Won't Be Long on a 2008 episode of Good Morning America.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Jarmels

Artist:The Jarmels

Song:A Little Bit of Soap

Album:The Golden Age of American Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 1

In the last days of doo wop, the 1961 single A Little Bit of Soap was a top twenty hit. It was the only chart single for The Jarmels. As you will see, a version of the group is still around today. The Jarmels were from Richmond, VA. and they all grew up singing in church. At first they were called The Cherokees. Group members were Nathaniel Ruff, Ray Smith, Paul Burnett, Earl Christian and Tom Eldridge. They met Ben E. King when he appeared in Richmond and he invited them to come to New York and meet with record companies. They were the first black group to sign with Laurie Records. The Mystics were on Laurie. The Mystics' manager Jim Gribble became The Cherokees' manager and the group name was changed to The Jarmels possibly to make listeners think they were from New York. A Little Bit of Soap was the second single and it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Bert Russell which was an alias for producer Bert Berns. Of course he went on to own Bang Records and produce Van Morrison and Neil Diamond. But A Little Bit of Soap was Berns' very first hit. The record was arranged by Laurie house arranger Glen Stuart. The Jarmels recorded five singles and then Laurie dropped them. There are a couple of comps available but they are too short. I also think most listeners will only be interested in A Little Bit of Soap so I recommend this Ace Records various artists comp which is available on CD. The Jarmels continued to perform until they split up in 1969. A version of The Jarmels reformed to work the nostalgia circuit. Ray Smith is the only surviving member and a version of the group still performs today. It's amazing the longevity an act can get from one hit single. Here's The Jarmels performing A Little Bit of Soap on a doo wop TV show.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jamie Owens-Collins

Artist:Jamie Owens-Collins

Song:The Victor

Album:The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Jamie Owens-Collins is a Contemporary Christian (CCM) singer songwriter who had success in the 70s when CCM was called Jesus Music. The Victor seems to be one of her more popular songs. She was born Sept. 27, 1955 in Oakland, CA. Her parents Jimmy and Carol Owens wrote and staged Christian musicals mostly for children. They won a 1981 Best Children's Album Grammy for Ants'hillvania. After Jamie sang on some of their albums, Light Records signed her to a record deal. Light was owned by Ralph Carmichael and they were at the forefront of the creation of CCM and Contemporary Gospel. Andrae Crouch and Sweet Comfort Band were on Light. The Victor is from Jamie's second album Growing Pains which was released in 1975. Her 1973 album Laughter in Your Eyes was produced by her dad Jimmy Owens. For Growing Pains, Jamie went in a more contemporary direction and used Los Angeles studio musicians. Her dad was involved on a supervisory level. Jamie wrote most of the songs including The Victor. The producer was Al Perkins of The Flying Burrito Brothers who also played guitar. Michael Omartian arranged and played organ and synthesizer. He's a CCM recording artist and a top producer. Keith Green played piano. He went on to be a CCM singer songwriter. Other musicians were John Talbot and Rick Vito on guitar, David Hungate and Leland Sklar on bass and David Diggs and Mike Baird on drums. Jamie married Dan Collins in 1976 and he took over management of her career. Collins is a record executive who was a big part of The Maranatha Singers. After one more album for Light, Jamie switched to the other big CCM label Sparrow. Since the 80s, they have owned their masters and this comp was released in 2008. It's available as a digital download. Jamie Owens-Collins still tours and she hosts her own podcast. Here's Jamie Owens-Collins performing The Victor on the 2004 documentary First Love: A Historic Gathering of Jesus Music Pioneers. Dan Collins was one of the producers and you can watch the entire film on YouTube. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stars on 54

Artist:Stars on 54

Song:If You Could Read My Mind

Album:54: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture Volume 2

This dance cover of the Gordon Lightfoot classic If You Could Read My Mind is from the 1998 film 54. The record was a worldwide club hit and was the best thing from this film. Because it bombed following major disagreements between writer director Mark Christopher and Miramax Films head Harvey Weinstein. After Christopher had made a couple of short films, Weinstein convinced him to write and direct a film about the New York City club Studio 54. The stars were Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell and Mike Myers. Christopher wanted make a film to capture Studio 54's notoriety as the epicenter of the gay culture explosion in New York City. Weinstein wanted a commercial film similar to Saturday Night Fever with all the gay references removed. I know that makes no sense. After Christopher's cut was previewed, Weinstein had his own cut done. Not surprisingly, the Miramax cut of Studio 54 was a critical and commercial flop. Christopher restored his cut for a 2014 DVD release and the response was positive to that. And that brings me back to the soundtrack. Marco Beltrami's score for the film has never been released. The two soundtrack albums have mostly previously released songs that were used as background music. So that tells me that Weinstein wanted to replicate the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album too. The exceptions were the Studio 54 Medley which was a medley of song snippets and If You Could Read My Mind. The singers were Ultra Nate, Jocelyn Enriquez and Amber. Ultra Nate sings most of the lead parts. Those three are pros. They knew what to do. The record was produced by veteran German producers Christian and Frank Beerman aka The Berman Brothers. They won a Grammy for Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men. The single was an international hit especially on the dance charts. Volume 2 of the Studio 54 soundtrack is available as a budget CD. It's all previously released songs by various artists. The song is available on other various artists CDs. Here's the video for If You Could Read My Mind by Stars on 54.