AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Skye Sweetnam

Artist:Skye Sweetnam

Song:Tangled Up in Me

Album:Noise from the Basement

Canadian singer songwriter Skye Sweetnam was sixteen years old when Capitol Records attempted to turn her into a teen pop star. When that didn't work out, she formed the punk metal band Sumo Cyco which is still active today. She was born May 5, 1988 in Bolton, ON which is northwest of Toronto. She began singing as a child and she took singing and dancing lessons. She started writing songs and a demo got the attention of Capitol Records Canada and they put her together with producer James Robertson. He's a local guy from Guelph and other than Skye, he hasn't produced anything notable. He currently lives in Hamilton and plays local clubs. The two wrote and produced the 2004 album Songs from the Basement. The album was ready in 2002 and Capitol kept postponing it. Skye was supposed to tour with Britney Spears but Britney injured her knee and the tour was postponed. Capitol tried other things to promote Skye but none of them worked. Critics thought Skye sounded too much like Avril Lavigne and that didn't help. This album is available as a digital download. For the 2007 album Sound Soldier, Capitol brought in the production team The Matrix who had produced...ahem...Avril Lavigne. When that album did worse, Skye left Capitol and formed the punk metal band Sumo Syco. Skye is lead singer and co-writes all the songs. They have released four albums on the Austrian label Napalm Records. They last released an album last year. They just started a US tour. So for Canadian music fans wondering what happened to Skye Sweetnam, there ya go. Here's the video for Tangled Up in Me by Skye Sweetnam.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Clifford Brown

Artist:Clifford Brown

Song:Memories of You

Album:Ultimate Clifford Brown

Here is another of my Jazz for Beginners series complete with a live video clip and an affordable comp intended for beginners. Though trumpeter Clifford Brown died in 1956 at age 25, he has had a lasting impact on jazz and is considered an all time great despite his brief career. He was born Oct. 30, 1930 in Wilmington, DE. His father played trumpet. He tried to organize his four sons into a vocal group. But Brown was fascinated by his dad's shiny trumpet and started blowing. At age 13, Brown's dad bought him a trumpet and had him take lessons. He was in a jazz band in high school that made trips to Philadelphia. Though Brown attended college after graduating from high school, he was more interested in jazz. After being injured in a June 1950 car crash, Dizzy Gillespie visited Brown in the hospital and encouraged him to start a music career. Brown's main influence was bebop trumpeter Fats Navarro. He moved to New York and played with Art Blakey and J.J. Johnson before forming a band with drummer Max Roach. He was a member of Blakey's first band with Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver and Curley Russell. At the time, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker were among Brown's admirers. Roach had moved to Los Angeles and Brown followed him. The original Brown/Roach band was formed in 1954 with Harold Land on tenor sax, Richie Powell (Bud Powell's brother) on piano and George Morrow on bass and signed with Mercury's jazz label EmArcy. Most of Brown's recordings were on EmArcy. Brown alternated recording with Roach and recording as a leader of his own band. He also recorded with singers Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington. And he also recorded the 1955 album Clifford Brown with Strings. Of course this was influenced by Charlie Parker's album with strings. Record companies thought an album with strings would reach a wider audience when all it really did was annoy the established jazz fanbase. I guess Brown just went along with it because if it was OK with Parker, it's OK with him. The album was produced by EmArcy house producer Bob Shad. The string arrangements were by Neal Hefti who was working with Count Basie at the time. The band was Brown's usual band of Powell, Roach and Morrow plus guitarist Barry Galbraith. The songs are all standards including the 1930 Eubie Blake song Memories of You. This song was first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1930. You can get it on this Verve comp CD compiled by trumpeter Nicholas Payton. So Brown was just getting started when on June 26, 1956, Brown and Powell were driving to a gig in Chicago. Powell's wife drove and the guys slept in the back. It was raining and she lost control on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and that was it. Clifford Brown died at age 25. Brown didn't drink, smoke or take drugs. So it's likely he would have lived a long life. But his music still sounds great. I listen to him all the time and so should you. Here's Clifford Brown performing Lady Be Good and Memories of You on the TV show Soupy's On hosted by Soupy Sales. This is the only live video clip of Clifford Brown.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lowell Fulson

Artist:Lowell Fulson

Song:Reconsider Baby

Album:Reconsider Baby: The Complete Checker Singles 1954-1962

The 1954 single Reconsider Baby is the best known song written and performed by bluesman Lowell Fulson. It was also influential in developing the West Coast blues style pioneered by T-Bone Walker. He was born Mar. 31, 1921 on a Choctaw reservation in Atoka, OK. His father died when he was six years old. So his mom moved the family to nearby Clarita, OK where her father owned land. As a child, Fulson sang in church. He took up the guitar at age 12 influenced by Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Boy Fuller. He played local dances as a teen. Then he moved to Ada, OK and joined a band led by local bluesman Texas Alexander. Then he moved to Gainesville, TX and played dances for a couple of years. He was drafted into the US Navy in 1943. He was stationed in Oakland, CA and that's when Fulson saw T-Bone Walker And decided he wanted to play like him. Fulson settled in Oakland after WWII and played local clubs until Swing Time Records owner Bob Geddins signed him to a record deal and bought him a new guitar and amplifier. Fulson recorded for Swing Time until he signed with the Chess Records label Checker. So now he's on a national label and that's when Reconsider Baby was released and reached #3 on the R&B charts. Fulson wrote the song and Leonard and Phil Chess produced it. Musicians were Paul Drake on piano, Bobby Nicholson on bass and Chick Booth on drums. Plus a horn section with Philip Gilbeaux on trumpet, Phatz Morris on trombone, Julian Beasley on alto and baritone sax and Choker Campbell on tenor sax. But the most important thing about Reconsider Baby is that it was covered by many performers including Elvis Presley in 1960. And that led to other covers of Fulson songs. So that made him a big influence. You can get all of Fulson's Checker recordings on this comp from the reissue label Jasmine Records. Fulson switched to Kent Records in 1962 probably because they were more of an R&B label. His biggest hit for Kent was the 1967 single Tramp which was a big hit for Otis Redding & Carla Thomas. After that, Fulson recorded for smaller labels. But he continued to be a great live performer until he died on Mar. 7, 1999 at age 77. Here's Lowell Fulson performing Reconsider Baby in Los Angeles 1983.

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Robert Maxwell, His Harp and Orchestra

Artist:Robert Maxwell, His Harp and Orchestra

Song:Shangri-La

Album:Hard to Find Orchestral Instrumentals

Robert Maxwell was a harpisr who is best known for writing two big hits, Ebb Tide and Shangri-La. He recorded plenty of easy listening albums. But the big surprise was when his 1964 recording of Shangi-La was a top 15 hit. He had one other chart single so he's not even a one hit wonder. But I think it's fair to say that Maxwell didn't depend on chart success anyway. He was born Max Rosen Apr. 19, 1921 in New York City. He started playing the harp as a child. His two brothers play the harp too. Abe Rosen played on Broadway and Myor Rosen was with the New York Philharmonic for thirty years. After Maxwell won a scholarship at Juilliard, he became the youngest member of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington at age 17. During WWII, Maxwell played in the 11th Naval District Coast Guard led by Rudy Vallee. So that got him to play popular music on the harp. So that got him thinking about writing and recording. He didn't have to be part of an orchestra. So for most of the 50s, Maxwell recorded for MGM Records. But the big surprise was when Frank Chacksfield scored a top five hit with his 1953 single of Ebb Tide. Maxwell wrote Shangri-La with violinist Matty Malneck in 1946. Malneck recorded it in 1946 featuring a Maxwell harp solo. The 1957 recording by the vocal group The Five Coins was a top 15 hit. Maxwell signed with Decca and reached #15 with his 1964 single Shangri-La. Jackie Gleason used Shangri-La on his early 60s variety show for his Reginald Van Gleason character. Plus Vic Dana recorded a vocal version. Maxwell's version had a "Space Age" arrangement led by sax and organ solos. So it had a pop music sound as opposed to classical. You can get Shangri-La on this various artists comp from the oldies label Eric Records.Maxwell recorded as Bobby Maxwell for Command/ABC in the 70s. And he continued to appear with orchestras until his death on Feb. 7, 2012 at age 90. Here's a video for Shangri-La by Robert Maxwell, His Harp and Orchestra.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Future Islands

Artist:Future Islands

Song:Seasons (Waiting on You)

Album:Singles

Future Islands is a synth pop band and they have been around for almost twenty years. They are an indie band on an indie label. The 2014 album Singles is their biggest seller to date. Chances are pretty good that if you like synth pop, you should like Future Islands. The band was formed in Greenville, SC in 2006 and moved to Baltimore in 2008. Lead singer Sam Herring and keyboardist Gerrit Weimers were friends growing up in Morehead City, NC. Guitarist William Cashion started hanging out with them. He had already been in a couple of bands. So he thought they would be interested. They called the band Art Lord and the Self-Portraits. They were influenced by art classes they took in school. They recorded four albums and then split up because high school was over and they were going in different directions. Herring, Weimers and Cashion formed a new band Future Islands. They got rid of the art class gimmick. The fourth member of Future Islands was Erick Murillo. He didn't stay long. The drummer for most of their history has been Michael Lowry. They signed with the indie label Thrill Jockey. After three albums, they switched to the indie label 4AD for the 2014 album Singles. The single Seasons was singled out as 2014's best single by the music press including Pitchfork, Spin and NME. So that helped generate sales and Future Islands appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. Seasons became an internet hit before Billboard included online airplay in results. Future Islands writes and produces all the songs. Future Islands is still around. They released their latest album in 2024. They are playing some shows in May. I think if Future Islands was on a major label, they could cross over to pop with a decent promotion budget. But they seem happy with the freedom they have at 4AD who will release a comp CD next month. Here's the video for Seasons (Waiting on You) by Future Islands.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-El Perro Del Mar

Artist:El Perro Del Mar

Song:Party

Album:El Perro Del Mar

Swedish singer songwriter Sarah Assbring records and tours as El Perro Del Mar (The Dog of the Sea). Her albums have sold reasonably well at home. But she will never be a mainstream artist. Her voice has a unique sound so that might attract listeners. She was born Aug. 6, 1977 in Gothenberg, Sweden. Sarah says the name El Perro Del Mar came about while she was on vacation in Spain. She was alone and depressed when a stray dog approached her on the beach and was nice to her and it inspired her to write and record songs as El Perro Del Mar. At first she recorded for the Swedish label Hybris. There was a single followed by a couple of EPs in 2005. After the cute animated video for the song You Gotta Give to Get got some interest in England. Hybris gathered her music on the full length CD Look! It's Perro Del Mar. She signed with the British label Memphis Industries. Dungen and The Go! Team are on that label. She reworked her previous recordings for the 2006 album El Perro Del Mar. It got enough attention in England that The Control Group picked up the album for North American release. Sarah writes, produces and plays all the music herself. She occasionally brings in outside musicians. But she's really a solo artist. El Perro Del Mar was released in 2008 with a bonus track and that is available on CD. Sarah has released six albums, most recently in 2024. She signed with the German label City Slang for Europe but she is still on Memphis Industries in England and The Control Group in America. She last toured to support her 2024 album Anonymous. I understand she is working on a new album. Here's the video for Party by El Perro Del Mar.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roy Ayers

Artist:Roy Ayers

Song:Everybody Loves the Sunshine

Album:The Best of Roy Ayers

Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers became a hip hop icon when the 1976 song Everybody Loves the Sunshine was picked up by radio stations and then became the most sampled song in hip hop history despite not being released as a single. I'll get to that last part in a minute. Ayers was born Sept. 10, 1940 in Los Angeles. His father played trombone and his mother played piano. Jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton gave him his first mallets at age five. Ayers lived in South Central Los Angeles and attended Thomas Jefferson High School which was a breeding ground for jazz musicians. He led a high school band where he played steel guitar and piano. After graduating high school, he started playing clubs and released the 1963 album West Coast Vibes on United Artists. He had been playing the vibraphone at home but that was always his preferred instrument. After dropping out of Los Angeles City College, Ayers joined flautist Herbie Mann's band in 1966. And that's how he got a record deal with Mann's label Atlantic Records. He recorded three albums for Atlantic followed by two for Columbia. Then he signed with Polydor Records in 1970. At first, Ayers wanted to record jazz fusion music pioneered by the Miles Davis album Bitches Brew along with Weather Report and Return to Forever. The band was called Roy Ayers Ubiquity. By the mid-70s, Ayers had decided to add funk to his music. This was no doubt influenced by guys like George Clinton. Ayers didn't think he was abandoning jazz. He was just adding funk elements to his music. The high point of this period was when the 1979 album Everybody Loves the Sunshine was a top ten R&B album. The single Don't Stop the Feeling was his highest charting single. Believe it or not, Everybody Loves the Sunshine was never released as a single. Ayers didn't think the song was a potential hit. So it was a big surprise to Ayers and Polydor when radio stations played it. We don't know how big it was because Billboard doesn't keep track of songs that aren't released as singles. The residual effect was when hip hop guys started sampling the song. It's been sampled over 200 times including My Life by Mary J. Blige and Book of Life by Common. Ayers wrote and produced the album. Musicians are Philip Woo on piano, Ronald "Head" Drayton on guitar, Shaun Solomon on bass, Doug Rhodes on drums and Chano O'Ferral on congas. The background vocals are by Deborah "Chicas" Darby. This was Ayers' band at the time and they are in the video clip. This comp covers the Polydor years. Ayers left Polydor in 1982 and mostly recorded for smaller labels and toured until his death on Mar. 4, 2025 at age 85. Here's Roy Ayers performing Everybody Loves the Sunshine on Soul Train 1979.