AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Doris Day

Artist:Doris Day f/Harry James

Song:The Very Thought of You

Album:Young Man with a Horn: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The 1950 film Young Man with a Horn was an important film for Doris Day because it was her first drama. Up to then, she had only done musicals. She still sang in this film but she was getting typecast and wanted to do something different. The film was "inspired" by jazz trumpet pioneer Bix Beiderbecke meaning Warner Bros. could tell any story they wanted. The screenplay was written by Carl Foreman and Edmund H. North, produced by Jerry Wald and directed by Michael Curtiz. Kirk Douglas played trumpeter Rick Martin. The trumpet solos are by big band leader Harry James. Doris plays girl singer Jo Jordan and of course she develops a romance with Martin. I'm sure Doris was comfortable with playing a girl singer as that's what she was in the Harry James band before she got into films. Other actors include Lauren Bacall, Hoagy Carmichael and Juano Hernandez. That's Carmichael on the piano in the video. The main criticism of Young Man with a Horn was it was too slick and had a phony happy ending considering that Beiderbecke died from alcoholism at age 28. In her autobiography, Doris said she felt like an outsider especially since Douglas had dated Lauren so they were friends. And Douglas was never a giving actor. So he didn't help make Doris comfortable. The one thing critics liked in this film was James' trumpet playing. So Warner Bros. got Doris' record label Columbia to release a soundtrack album. It was released as a 10" LP. They had Doris and James rerecord the songs from the film. The album was successful. But I don't think record buyers knew that the recordings were not from the film. Fortunately, the Spanish label The Soundtrack Factory released the actual soundtrack in 2016. This label specializes in reissuing soundtracks that weren't released properly in the first place. So this CD has the music that was in the film. This is available on CD. Here's Doris Day featuring Kirk Douglas and Harry James performing The Very Thought of You from the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-beabadoobee

Artist:beabadoobee

Song:Take a Bite

Album:This Is How Tomorrow Moves

Beatrice Laus is a singer songwriter who was born in the Philippines and grew up in England. She has been critically acclaimed and her latest album topped the British album chart. But she hasn't had a hit single yet or had success in the US. She has a new album coming out in Sept. But I don't know if she is distinctive enough to be successful. She was born June 3, 2000 in Iloilo City, Philippines but her family moved to London, England when she was three. She grew up listening to Filipino music and modern pop music. Her main influence is Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O. Beatrice attended the all girls Catholic school Sacred Heart High School followed by her final year at Hammersmith Academy. She was expelled from school due to failing grades and "misfit behavior". She used YouTube tutorials to learn to play guitar. She was inspired by indie artists like Elliott Smith and Kimya Dawson to make her own music. The first song she wrote was Coffee. Her friend and producer Oscar Lang suggested she use a pseudonym and she came up with beabadoobee which is her user name on Instagram. I hate the name. No one can spell it or pronounce it. As I always say "Keep it simple, stupid". And a name like that does her no favors. She posted it on YouTube in 2017 and it got 300,000 views. That got her a record deal with the indie label Dirty Hit. The popular indie band The 1975 is also on that label and Beatrice toured with them. After a couple of EPs, Beatrice was named to the NME 100 of "essential new artists". Then she appeared on the cover of NME. She was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the Brit Awards and appeared on the BBC critics poll Sound of 2020. Beatrice performed on the 2020 NME Awards and won the Radar Award. That's when she toured with The 1975. She was supposed open for them on their US tour but it was cancelled due to COVID-19. After Canadian rapper Powfu sampled Coffee on his 2019 single Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head), it went viral on TikTok and was a worldwide hit. Her 2020 debut album Fake It Flowers reached #8 on the British Album chart but there were no hit singles. Billboard and Apple named her Best New Artist. Then she toured the UK. Beatrice released her 2022 album Beatopia and the single Glue Song spread on TikTok. It didn't chart because that was before Billboard changed their metric to include viral hits. Beatopia reached #4 on the British Albums chart but again there were no hit singles. Beatrice toured Europe and she opened for Taylor Swift in 2023. The 2024 album This Is How Tomorrow Moves topped the British Album chart. But again there were no hit singles. Beatrice wrote all the songs. Rick Rubin was brought in to produce. This album is available on CD. Beatrice has an album titled Pylon set for release in Sept. So what should Beatrice do to get to the next level? She could switch to a major label. But Dirty Hit has expanded operations including an office in Los Angeles. There is nothing wrong with Beatrice but she isn't distinctive enough. It's crowded out there. Have Dirty Hit work out a distribution deal with a major label. That may be the only solution. We'll see how it goes. Here's the video for Take a Bite by beabadoobee.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tony Guerrero

Artist:Tony Guerrero

Song:Mysterie

Album:Mysterie

Smooth jazz saxophonist Tony Guerrero had success in the 90s despite never being on a major label. The 1996 album and single Mysterie is his most popular album. In recent years, he has been a sideman and musical director at his church. He was born Sept. 20, 1966 in Newport Beach, CA. He is a self taught musician. He started playing local clubs after graduating from high school. He signed with a record label owned by Lucille Hunt who left her job in computers to get into the music business. Guerrero released the 1988 album Tiara featuring special guests Merry Clayton, Phil Keaggy and Grant Geissman. Helen closed the label to become a manager and Guerrero recorded the 1989 album Different Places for Nova Records. The 1996 album Mysterie was on nuGroove Records. This was a Smooth Jazz label that was very active at the time but closed in 2004. The title song was a hit on jazz radio. The album was produced by keyboardist Rob Mullins. Guerrero wrote most of the songs. Musicians include Greg Vail on sax, Tom McCauley on guitar and Del Atkins on bass. Mullins played keyboards and drums. This album is available on CD. Guerrero's latest album is a 2024 album of duets with pianist Jeremy Siskind. He also continues to perform live in clubs and at jazz festivals. Guerrero is music director for Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. He has also been music director for John Tesh and actress Jane Lynch's 2014 cabaret tour. He also produced a 2017 Christmas album for Dick Van Dyke. And he has also worked with CCM singer songwriter Crystal Lewis. He produced the Grammy nominated album Rhythm & Soul for trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. And he teaches music production at Cal Baptist State University. When does he have time to record? He has a home recording studio. So like many jazz musicians, he keeps busy. Here's Tony Guerrero with Greg Vail on soprano sax, Chris Baron on keyboards, Daryl Williams on bass and Tom Dante on drums performing Mysterie at Campus Jax 2025.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Immature

Artist:Immature

Song:Never Lie

Album:Playtyme Is Over

Immature was a pre teen R&B boy band who scored a top five hit with the 1994 single Never Lie. It was their biggest hit. Ultimately they were unsuccessful to the point where the group name was changed to IMx. They were probably too similar to groups like New Edition and they came along later. Whichever group is first is always going to be the most successful. All three members of Immature were ten years old when the group was formed in 1991 in Los Angeles. They were Marques "Batman" Houston, Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Don "Half-Pint" Santos. Santos was replaced by Kelton "LDB" Kessee in 1994 after Santos' parents pulled him from the group after Immature appeared in the 1993 film House Party 3. Immature was managed and produced by Chris Stokes. Stokes met Jones at an acting class and he put him together with Houston and Santos and named them Immature. After they won some local talent contests, Stokes got them a record deal with Virgin Records and they released the 1992 album On Our Worst Behavior. When the album didn't sell, Stokes took them to MCA Records for the 1994 album Playtyme Is Over. They also appeared in the 1993 film House Party III. That's when Santos was replaced by Kessee. Like the first album, Stokes wrote and produced. His co-producer, co-writer and recording engineer was Claudio Cueni. Never Lie reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned out to be Immature's only big hit. Houston sang lead on most of the songs. This album is available as a budget CD. After subsequent albums didn't do as well, Randy Jackson of American Idol convinced Immature to change their name to IMx for the 1999 album Introducing IMx. When that didn't sell, Stokes moved them to Warner's New Line label for the 2001 album IMx. They split up after that. Houston has had solo success on the R&B charts. Jones recorded a couple of unsuccessful albums. They recorded for Stokes' TUG label. Stokes is a film producer and director for Tubi Originals. Here's the video for Never Lie by Immature. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wiz Khalifa

Artist:Wiz Khalifa f/Charlie Puth

Song:See You Again

Album: Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

See You Again topped the charts in 2015. It is to date the biggest hit for rapper Wiz Khalifa. It plays over the end credits of the 2016 film Furious 7. It does not appear on a Wiz Khalifa or Charlie Puth album. The Furious 7 soundtrack is the best way to get the song. Cameron Jabril Thomaz was born Sept. 8, 1987 in Minot, ND. His parents served in the US Air Force. After they divorced, his mom settled in Pittsburgh in 1996. Thomaz started writing and performing in high school. He took the name Wiz Khalifa. Wiz is short for wisdom. Khalifa is the Arabic word meaning successor. Thomaz was already recording at a local recording studio I.D. Labs. Studio owner Eric Dan had some experience in the Pittsburgh hip hop scene so he decided to mentor Thomaz. Rostrum Records owner Benjy Grinberg heard Wiz Khalifa on a mixtape of Pittsburgh hip hop artists. Thomaz signed with Rostrum and after a mixtape and the 2006 album Show and Prove, Rolling Stone named Wiz Khalifa an artist to watch. And that led to a record deal with Warner Bros. They released a few singles. But when they delayed the release of the album First Flight, Thomaz got out of his contract. After releasing the 2009 album Deal or No Deal on Rostrum, Thomaz signed with Atlantic Records. The single Black and Yellow topped the charts in 2010. This was followed by the 2011 album Rolling Papers which was certified 3XPlatinum. Thomaz' follow up albums did OK but there were no hit singles. The one thing I will say about Wiz Khalifa is he sure releases a lot of music. A lot of rappers are like that. I would like him to be more selective. His other #1 hit was See You Again from the 2016 film Furious 7. The music for this film was produced by Justin "DJ Frank E" Franks and Andrew Cedar. They had previously produced Flo Rida. Franks and singer songwriter Charlie Puth were asked by their publisher to write a song that would pay tribute to the late Paul Walker. Puth went to Los Angeles to meet Franks and turned the song into a piano ballad. When the record was finished, Universal Pictures and Atlantic Records decided to add a rapper. Puth thought that came out of nowhere and he wasn't sure he wanted to sing on the record. After Wiz Khalifa was chosen, they considered replacing Puth with Chris Brown, Jason DeRulo or even Adele. But they ultimately went with Puth and See You Again topped the charts. The soundtrack album is available on CD. Thomaz sued Rostrum in 2016 claiming his contract was unfair. Rostrum countersued for unpaid royalties. They reached a settlement in 2017. Since then Thomaz started his own label Taylor Gang. He left Atlantic in 2021 and his latest album was released in 2026. The problem is his music doesn't sell anymore. The last time one of his singles charted was in 2018. He still releases a lot of mixtapes. And he appeared on The Masked Singer in 2021. I guess that officially makes him a has been. As I said, he releases way too much music and now no one listens to it. Here's the video for See You Again by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jonathan Nelson

Artist:Jonathan Nelson

Song:Expect the Great

Album:Better Days

Gospel music fans may already be familiar with Jonathan Nelson. Or maybe you are thinking of his twin brother Jason Nelson. Both guys have had success on the gospel charts. And Jonathan has had success as a songwriter for Donald Lawrence and Maurette Brown Clark. He was born Nov. 10, 1974 in Baltimore. His father is pastor at Baltimore's Greater Bethlehem Temple Church. He studied at Baltimore School for the Arts and Morgan State University. When Karen Clark-Sheard performed at his church, Nelson and his friends were the backup singers. They continued to perform as Purpose and Nelson self released an album. Meanwhile, Nelson met Donald Lawrence at a Washington, DC workshop. Lawrence heard the song Healed and he asked Nelson if he would allow him to record it. Nelson won a Songwriter of the Year Stellar award. Nelson signed a record deal with Integrity Music with Sony distribution. The 2010 album Better Days was his second album on Integrity. Expect the Great was the first single and that and the album did well on the Gospel charts. The album was recorded live at the Faith Center in Sunrise, FL. Nelson produced and wrote most of the songs with co-writers. Nelson wrote Expect the Great with Darien Dennis and Kenneth Shelton. Shelton was musical director and played keyboards. He is currently musical director with Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy. Special guests are Jason Nelson and Kiki Sheard. This album is available on CD. Nelson has also recorded for EMI Gospel and eOne. Nelson is currently Director of Worship and Arts at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Nelson reformed Purpose and has released a couple of albums on his own label with MNRK distribution (formerly eOne). Here's the video of Expect the Great by Jonathan Nelson.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Hudson Brothers

Artist:The Hudson Brothers

Song:So You Are a Star

Album:Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix Vol. 1

If you were around in the 70s, you may recall a group of brothers who sang and had their own TV show. No, I'm not talking about The Osmond Brothers. I'm talking about The Hudson Brothers. Of course they weren't nearly as successful as the Osmonds. The 1974 single So You Are a Star was their biggest hit and it didn't even break the top 20. Also, I thought they tried too hard with the comedy. Plus they bounced around too many labels. The Hudson Brothers are from Portland, OR. The oldest is Bill Hudson (b. Oct. 17, 1949), next is Mark Hudson (b. Aug. 23, 1951) and finally Brett Hudson (b. Jan. 18,1953). Their father left the family when all three were children. Mom encouraged them to sing. When they first formed a band as teens, they were called My Sirs. After winning a battle of the bands, they were at a recording studio and a local promoter offered them a contract to promote Chryslers. They were renamed The New Yorkers. They recorded a promotional single for the Chrysler 1967 Go Show. They signed with Scepter Records and released a few singles and toured with Buffalo Springfield and The Buckinghams. They released a couple of singles on the local label Jerden Records. When they signed with Decca, they changed the name to Everyday Hudson. It was shortened to Hudson when they signed with Playboy Records owned by Hugh Hefner. They released an album in 1972. Then Playboy was sold to CBS. After Hudson appeared on the TV panel show What's My Line, Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin signed them to their label Rocket Records. Taupin produced the 1974 album Totally Out of Control. A few singles were released. Meanwhile they appeared on a 1974 episode of The Sonny Comedy Revue. Show producer Chris Bearde liked them enough to give them a summer replacement TV series called The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. I think that's where most folks first heard of them. They got a record deal with Neil Bogart's Casablanca label and the 1974 single So You Are a Star reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. This turned out to be their biggest hit. This was followed by the album Hollywood Situation. The Hudsons wrote and produced the album. Mark was usually lead singer. All three played instruments. The Hudsons returned to Rocket for the 1975 album Ba-Fa. Later they recorded for Arista and Elektra. Their final album was in 1980. By that time, the TV show was long gone. But they continued to do comedy in their act. I think if they had stuck to music, they could have been successful. I watched their TV show and it was pretty lame. You can get So You Are a Star on this various artists budget CD of 70s hits. After The Hudson Brothers split up, Bill Hudson appeared in a few TV shows. Mark Hudson wrote and produced for Aerosmith and Ringo Starr. Brett Hudson has produced several TV shows with his company Frozen Pictures. Here's The Hudson Brothers performing So You Are a Star on a 1974 episode of their TV show.