AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ferlin Husky

Artist:Ferlin Husky

Song:Gone

Album:Capitol Collectors Series

The 1957 single Gone topped the country charts and was a top ten pop hit. It was Ferlin Husky's biggest hit and an early example of the mix of country and pop that became known as Countrypolitan in the 60s. He was born Dec. 3, 1925 in Cantwell, MO. He grew up on a farm. An uncle taught him to play guitar. After dropping out of high school, Husky moved to St. Louis and worked as a truck driver and steel mill worker while playing honky tonks at night. During WWII, Husky was a US Merchant Marine and he entertained on the ship. This is when he created his Simon Crum comedy character based on one of his neighbors in Missouri. After WWII, Husky worked as a DJ in Missouri and then in Bakersfield while working on the Simon Crum character. He took the stage name Terry Preston after actor Smiley Burnette told him the name Ferlin Husky wouldn't work on a marquee. He recorded several singles as Terry Preston for 4 Star Records. These were in the Honky Tonk style. After he signed with Capitol in 1953, he continued to record as Preston including his original version of Gone. After returning to his real name, Husky's 1953 duet with Jean Shepherd A Dear John Letter topped the country charts and was a top five pop hit. And that's when Husky started to have success. Capitol Nashville A&R head Ken Nelson decided that with his soaring vocals, Husky could not only top the country charts but could cross over to pop. And that led to the 1957 re-recording of Gone. It topped the Country Singles chart and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gone was written by Smokey Rogers who was in Spade Cooley's band in the 40s. The background vocals were by The Jordanaires and by Millie Kirkham who also sang on Elvis Presley's Blue Christmas. She was a career background singer. The song was such a big hit that Husky appeared on several network TV shows including The Ed Sullivan Show. Husky also topped the country charts with the 1960 single The Wings of a Dove. Husky didn't have the same success in the 60s because Countrypolitain was a crowded field by then. You can get Gone on this budget comp. Husky left Capitol for ABC in 1972. But he started having health problems. He had heart surgery in 1977. He continued to perform but the heart problems continued until his death on Mar. 17, 2011 at age 85. Here's Ferlin Husky performing Gone on the Grand Ole Opry TV show.

  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Julieta Martinez vs Leslie Hernandez

Here's the fight video of Julieta Martinez vs Leslie Hernandez from last night's episode of Dana White Contenders Series (DWCS) in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Julieta is 20 years old from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dominick Cruz is her coach. She has a 7-0 record. Leslie is 26 years old. She was born in Mexico but she grew up in Phoenix and trains at MMA Lab. Her record is 4-2 in LFA. Leslie had a big size advantage and she used it to win round one. But Julieta came back and won the second and third round. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Julieta. Two judges scored it the same. But the third judge scored round three for Leslie. So Julieta won by split decision. I thought she looked good enough to get a UFC contract. But Dana White thought Julieta was too young and probably too small. He also talked about possibly starting an Atomweight division which he should have done several years ago instead of a Featherweight division. So the obvious question is why was Julieta at DWCS in the first place if he wasn't going to give her a contract regardless. It's ridiculous. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lewis Del Mar

Artist:Lewis Del Mar

Song:Loud(y)

Album:Lewis Del Mar

The 2015 single Loud(y) was the only notable hit for Lewis Del Mar. The song charted but it was mostly a viral hit. First of all, Lewis Del Mar is not a solo act. It's a duo that started in Washington, DC. Singer guitarist Danny Miller and drummer and producer Max Harwood were classmates who moved to Rockaway Beach, NY and decided to call themselves Lewis Del Mar. Their fathers are both named Lewis. After the 2015 single Loud(y) topped the music blog aggregator Hype Machine, Lewis Del Mar got a record deal with Columbia and released a 2016 EP. Loud(y) reached #22 on the Alternative Rock chart. The album was released Oct. 2016. It was critically acclaimed and Lewis Del Mar appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden and Conan. They went on tour and played the festival circuit. It turned out to be their only album for Columbia. The album is available as a budget CD. I couldn't find a reason why they left Columbia. But my guess is Columbia was disappointed with the album sales and wanted a more commercial sound with outside producers. Miller and Harwood wrote and produced themselves. They signed with the indie label Fader for the 2020 album AUGUST. There is not pressure for commercial success from a smaller label. Lewis Del Mar has since gone on hiatus and Miller has moved to Los Angeles and recently released the album Disintegration produced by John Hallenbeck (HAIM). He is still recording for Fader. Here's the video for Loud(y) by Lewis Del Mar. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs Kairi Sane and IYO SKY

Here's the match video of Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships against Kairi Sane and IYO SKY. This was taped last week because the WWE is on a European tour this week. So if you saw the spoiler, the match is worth watching so you get the proper context. And that is that Bianca and Jade appeared on last week's NXT. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson challenged them to a match which they lost on Friday's Smackdown. So they were in the audience at last night's RAW and they were involved in the ending. The match was fine and competitive until the finish. It went to the floor. Lash and Jakara were jawing with Bianca and Jade. IYO approached Lash and Jakara and Lash nailed IYO with a forearm and that led to Bianca pinning IYO. The problem was I think Lash missed. But IYO sold it anyway like she was supposed to. So yeah, the ending was lame. So I'm sure we will see a rematch in the near future. Meanwhile, Kairi and IYO will go to NXT and beat Lash and Jakara while everyone else goes to Saudi Arabia. IYO didn't go to Saudi Arabia last time either so maybe she doesn't want to go. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Renzo Arbore

Artist:Renzo Arbore e i suoi Swing Maniacs

Song:Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo

Album:Renzo Swing!

Renzo Arbore is a popular Italian TV show host who decided to be a jazz musician in the 90s. His albums are popular in Italy but I don't think his music is very good. He was born Lorenzo Giovanni Arbore June 24, 1937 in Foggia, Italy which is in Southern Italy. Renzo is his nickname. After graduating from high school, Arbore moved to Naples where he earned a law degree. Then he got into radio, first as a programmer then as a show host. And that led to Arbore hosting Speciale per Voi, Italy's very first TV talk show. And that and other shows made him a big star. Then he got into movies and directed and starred with Roberto Benigni in the 1980 film Il Pap'occhio. Then Arbore got into music first as a singer and clarinetist for Orchestra Italiano. His albums sold well mostly because he was already famous. These were not jazz albums. But Arbore signed a new deal with WEA Italy in the early 90s and decided to record Swing. He got some international notice by playing jazz festivals and places like Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden. Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo (Mamma, I Love the Rhythm) is from his 2002 album Renzo Swing!. This was Arbore's first album with his new band Swing Maniacs. It's mostly 40s influenced swing. Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo was written and recorded by Natalino Otto in 1948. Arbore continues to do that today. I don't think Arbore can sing or play piano very well. And the music is not jazz. But he's very popular with an older audience in Italy and they eat this stuff up. Here's Renzo Arbore performing Mamma Mi Piace Il Ritmo on Italian TV. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ruth La'Ontra

Artist:Ruth La'Ontra

Song:Kingdom

Album:I Got You

Fans of contemporary gospel are going to want to check out Ruth La'Ontra. Her 2017 album I Got You did well on the gospel charts. She was born Ruth La'Ontra Jones July 22, 1992 in Pinehurst, NC but she grew up in the nearby town of Aberdeen. Her father is Bishop Arvetra Jones Jr. of Come As You Are Evangelistic Center in Aberdeen. So she's a PK and she grew up singing in church. When Ruth decided to pursue a music career, she dropped her last name and released an EP. That got her a record deal with Tyscot Records owned by Dr. Leonard Scott. She has released two albums and both have done well on the gospel charts. Kingdom is from the 2017 album I Got You. The album was written and produced by Anthony Brown and Justin Savage. Brown leads the group Group TherAPy. They also record for Tyscot. This album is available as a budget CD. Ruth hasn't recorded since then. Brown also hasn't recorded since 2017. Ruth still performs live. I sure would like to see someone like RCA Inspiration pick her up. Here's the video for Kingdom by Ruth La'Ontra.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Julia Polastri vs Cory McKenna

Here's the fight video of Julia Polastri vs Cory McKenna from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Polyana Viana was Cory's original opponent. Julia was brought in on short notice. Julia is 26 years old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her coach is Douglas Bastos at CWB Fighter. She came from Contenders Series and lost her UFC debut. Cory is 25 years old from Wales. She trains with Danny Castillo at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. She also came from Contenders Series. She was highly touted but she's 3-2 in the UFC. So she needs a win here. But Julia seems much stronger in round one. She get Cory in the clinch and scores a lot with knees and elbows. She is also landing at a distance. Cory can't seem to get close enough to get a takedown. Danny Castillo is yelling at Cory to stay out of the clinch. By the time she gets a takedown in round three, it's too late. Julia won the first two rounds and Cory needs a finish. I scored the fight 29-28 for Julia but 30-27 would be OK as round three was close and it didn't matter. One judge scored the fight 30-27 for Julia. The second scored it 29-28 for Julia. But Sal D'Amato scored round two for Cory and scored it 29-28 in her favor. So Julia won by split decision. Cory just didn't look good in this fight. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stardust

Artist:Stardust

Song:Music Sounds Better with You

Album:Cream Anthems

The 1998 single Music Sounds Better with You was a worldwide dance hit and a top five hit in England. It was the only song recorded by Stardust. It's pretty catchy so if you are into this kind of music, you may already know about it. French DJ Alan Braxe and singer Benjamin Diamond were friends in boarding school. Braxe was really into late 80s house music. Braxe gave a demo to Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and he released it on his label Roule in 1997. The three performed together at The Rex Club in Paris. During rehearsal, they needed a track to complete the set and they wrote Music Sounds Better with You. It's based on a sample of the 1981 Chaka Khan song Fate. After the show, they went to Bangalter's studio and recorded it using electronic keyboards. Diamond didn't like his own vocals but Bangalter and Braxe thought they were fine. I don't like his vocals either but it didn't matter. If people like the beat, they will like the song. Bangalter released the record on his own label. After BBC 1 DJ Pete Tong played it, Bangalter got Virgin Records to release it. And that's when Music Sounds Better with You really took off. It reached #2 on the British Singles chart and topped Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. You can get it on this 2CD budget comp of remixes. The problem was Bangalter didn't like the attention that success brought. He prefers anonymity. So when Virgin offered him $3M to record an album, he ultimately declined. Braxe says he likes the mystique on only releasing one song. Of course Bangalter returned to Daft Punk and they were successful. Now we know why they wear disguises. Braxe returned to doing remixes which he still does today. Diamond released the 2000 album Strange Attitude on Epic. It was unsuccessful. Here's the video for Music Sounds Better with You by Stardust.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nate Smith

Artist:Nate Smith

Song:World on Fire

Album:Nate Smith: Deluxe

Nate Smith started out as a CCM singer songwriter. When that didn't work out, he returned to Nashville and he had success as a country singer with the 2023 album Nate Smith. World on Fire is his biggest hit to date. He was born Sept. 19,1985 in Paradise, CA. This is in the Sierra Nevada foothills. He learned to play guitar as a teen and sang in church and became a worship leader. Smith moved to Nashville and signed with Word Records and a publishing deal with Centricity. The record deal didn't work out. He never recorded for Word. Eventually Smith returned home and the 2018 Butte County Camp Fire burned down his home. His song One of These Days was picked up by local media. There was enough interest that Smith returned to Nashville. When Smith's next single Wildfire went viral on TikTok, Sony Music Nashville signed Smith and assigned him to Arista Nashville. After three singles were released, the 2023 album Nate Smith was released. Most of the album was produced by Lindsay Rimes who has also worked with Kane Brown and Dylan Scott. The other producer was Joel Bruyere of the CCM band Thousand Foot Krutch. World on Fire was the highest charting of three chart singles. It reached #6 on the Country Singles chart and #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. Smith wrote most of the songs on the album with co-writers. Smith wrote World on Fire with Rimes, Ashley Gorley and Taylor Phillips. Phillips is a volunteer firefighter and he came up with the title. Inspired by the wildfire that burned his house down, Smith wrote the lyrics. Rimes brought in top songwriter Gorley to polish it up. By the time the song was recorded, the master tracks for the album had already been submitted to Sony. World on Fire was released as a single. After it was a hit, Sony decided to release a deluxe edition of Nate Smith with a different cover. World on Fire is on a bonus CD with five other tracks. After Sony closed Arista Nashville, Smith was moved to RCA Nashville for the 2024 album California Gold. The album hasn't done nearly as well which is not unusual when an artist is moved to a different label within the company. RCA just doesn't have the same commitment to Smith or promotion budget. So it remains to be seen if Smith will have long term success. I don't think he's distinctive enough. He still writes songs. And he could be a big deal in CCM. He might prefer that. Here's the video for World on Fire by Nate Smith. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jack Nitzsche

Artist:Jack Nitzsche

Song:The Lonely Surfer

Album:Teen Beat Vol. 5

Jack Nitzsche was a jack of all trades of the Los Angeles studio scene and a member of The Wrecking Crew studio musician collective. He rarely recorded as a leader but he scored a top 40 hit with the 1963 instrumental single The Lonely Surfer. Later he got into composing film music and he won an Oscar. He was born Apr. 22, 1937 in Chicago but he grew up on a farm in Newaygo, MI. His parents were German immigrants. Nitzsche moved to Los Angeles in 1955 looking to get into jazz. Specialty Records A&R exec Sonny Bono hired Nitzsche as a music copyist. He worked for Capitol Records when he wrote Bongo Bongo Bongo for Preston Epps. He was an arranger and conductor for Phil Spector and he worked on all of Spector's hits. And of course he worked with The Wrecking Crew. Meanwhile, Nitzsche and Bono wrote the song Needles and Pins for Jackie DeShannon. The Searchers scored a big hit with that. It looks like Spector got Nitzsche a record deal with Reprise recording instrumentals. Spector wrote the liner notes for the 1963 album The Lonely Surfer. The album was mostly movie themes. But Nitzsche and his producer buddy Marty Cooper wrote The Lonely Surfer and it reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's considered today to be an instrumental classic and you can get it on this all instrumental various artists CD from Ace Records. Jimmy Bowen produced the album. Johnny Vidor provided the strings. He usually worked with Spector. Musicians included Don Randi and Leon Russell on piano, Bill Pitman, Ray Pohlman and Tommy Tedesco on guitar, David Gates of Bread on bass and Hal Blaine on drums. All are Wrecking Crew members. Nitzsche only recorded two albums for Reprise. While working on the 1964 TV special The T.A.M.I. Show, Nitzsche met The Rolling Stones and played piano on several of their albums. He also brought in slide guitarist Ry Cooder. After working with Buffalo Springfield, Nitzsche joined Neil Young's band after they split up. He was in Young's band until he left in 1974 after substance abuse problems. Then Nitzsche got into films and was nominated for an Oscar for the score of the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He won an Oscar for writing the song Up Where We Belong with Will Jennings and Buffy Sainte-Marie for the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. He and Buffy were married from 1982-89. Nitzsche continued to have drinking problems and even appeared on an episode of COPS brandishing a gun. He suffered a stroke in 1998 and died on Aug. 25, 2000 at age 63. Here's a video for The Lonely Surfer by Jack Nitzsche.