AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alan Menken

Artist:Alan Menken

Song:Horse with No Rider

Album:Tangled:Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Alan Menken is a composer who has worked for Walt Disney Animation Studios since the late 80s. He has won a Daytime Emmy, seven Golden Globes, eight Oscars and one Tony. So he has won the EGOT as it is called. But he is mainly known for his music for Disney animated films including the 2011 film Tangled. He was born July 22, 1949 in New York City. His father was a dentist who played boogie woogie piano and his mother was an actress, dancer and playwright. Menken took piano and violin lessons as a child. Then he started to compose. He was nine years old when judges at the New York Federation of Music Clubs Junior Composers Contest rated his original composition Bouree as Superior and Excellent. After graduating from high school, he graduated from what is now called the New York University College of Arts and Science. Then he attended the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop. Learning from a composer like Engel got Menken interested in writing musicals. He did that at BMI workshops from 1974-78 for the Broadway at the Ballroom series. Menken and Maury Yeston were the composers. Menken's big break came in 1979 when playwright Howard Ashman chose him and Engel to write the music for his musical adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. It did well enough that Menken and Ashman decided to write a musical adaptation of the 1960 Roger Corman classic schlock film Little Shop of Horrors. And that was Menken's first big success as it was financially successful, won awards and was turned into a 1986 film. Then Walt Disney Studios hired Menken and Ashman to compose the music for the 1989 animated adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Little Mermaid. Disney wanted The Little Mermaid to sit alongside Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a classic. It was so successful that it triggered a new era The Disney Renaissance. Under the Sea won a Best Song Oscar and Menken won a Best Score Oscar. After similar success with the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast, Ashman died while they were working on the 1992 film Aladdin. Ashman had finished three songs. Tim Rice wrote the rest of the songs with Menken. Rice was working on The Lion King. That was also very successful. Then Menken turned The Little Mermaid into a Broadway musical. And that was so successful that Broadway musicals are yet another Disney cash cow. Menken wrote the music for Pocahontas and Hercules with other songwriters. Then he returned to Broadway to work on the musicals The Little Mermaid and Sister Act. Then he worked on the 2011 animated film Tangled. This was an adaptation of the German fairy tale Rapunzel. Mandy Moore voiced the main character. It was written by Dan Fogelman and directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard. It was the first Disney animated feature to mix traditional animation with CGI and it cost $260M. Menken composed the score and wrote the songs with Glenn Slater. They had worked together before on the 2004 film Home on the Range. Though the film was successful and Menken's score was praised, the songs were criticized as pedestrian. I guess Salter could be blamed for that. The soundtrack album is a mix of Menken's score and songs mostly featuring Mandy Moore. It's available as a digital download. The album was certified Platinum. There was a 2017 TV series of Tangled. A live action sequel of Tangled was announced recently scheduled for a 2028 release. Menken's latest animated feature was the 2024 film Spellbound for Netflix. He also worked on the 2023 live action film The Little Mermaid. Menken is considered to be one of the all time great composers. I like his music. But he works on a lot of musicals and the songs in those musicals haven't been that good lately. Tangled is representative of that. Here's a video of Horse with No Rider from the 2011 film Tangled. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Coyote Shivers

Artist:Coyote Shivers 

Song:Sugarhigh

Album:Empire Records: The Soundtrack

The 1995 film Empire Records bombed at the box office. But the soundtrack album was a big seller. This is not unheard of. For example, the 1993 film Judgement Day bombed but the soundtrack was certified Gold. This song Sugarhigh was performed at the end of Empire Records. It is the only notable recording for Francis "Coyote" Shivers. He was born Sept. 24, 1965 in Toronto. He started out producing the Canadian band Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Their song Having an Average Weekend was the theme for the TV series The Kids in the Hall. He produced that band's first two albums. He played guitar in the instrumental rock band Sharkskin. They released three EPs. Then he moved to Los Angeles with famed producer Daniel Lanois. He also made stops in Amsterdam and New York City as guitarist for The Dave Rave Conspiracy. He returned to Toronto to appear in the 1995 film Johnny Mnemonic starring Keanu Reeves. The film was shot in Toronto. Then he got the role Berko in Empire Records. At the time Shivers was married to Bebe Buell and her daughter Liv Tyler appeared in Empire Records. The film was written by Carol Heikkinen based on her high school days working at Tower Records in Phoenix. It was also inspired by the 1976 film Car Wash. Everything in the film happens in one day. The script was given to producer Alan Riche who attended the same high school as Carol. They sold it to Regency Enterprises president Michael Nathanson and Pump Up the Volume director Allan Moyle. The film stars were Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield and Ethan Embry. Most of the film was shot in Wilmington, NC. Empire Records was supposed to get a wide release. But after previews, it was reduced to a two week limited release. Regency and Warner Bros. cut the release to minimize their losses. It was also critically panned with a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For the most part, they loved the music and hated the film. The soundtrack album sold two million copies while the film cost $10M and grossed $303 thousand. So if you are a fan of 90s alternative music, the Empire Records soundtrack is worth getting. It's available on CD. Shivers performs Sugarhigh at the end of the film with Renee Zellweger. He wrote and produced the song with Daniel Lanois. Shivers has recorded a couple of albums and appeared in a few films. But Empire Records is the only memorable thing he has done. As sometimes happens with films that bomb, Empire Records has gained a cult following through home video and cable. Maybe it's not so bad. Maybe I'll watch it sometime. Here's Coyote Shivers with Renee Zellweger performing Sugarhigh in the film Empire Records. Renee does not appear on the soundtrack recording. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Karrin Allyson

Artist:Karrin Allyson

Song:Moanin'

Album:By Request: The Best of Karrin Allyson

Jazz singer Karrin Allyson has been around since the early 90s. She has been nominated for five Grammy awards. From 1993 to 2011 she recorded for Concord and those are the recordings you want to check out. She was born Karrin Allyson Schoonover July 27,1963 in Grand Bend, KS. but she grew up in Omaha. Her father was a Lutheran minister and her mother was a psychotherapist and a classical pianist. Karrin studied classical piano, sang in church and performed musical theater. She attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha on a classical piano scholarship. She led an all female rock band called Tomboy and got interested in jazz and performed in local clubs. After Karrin graduated in 1986, she moved to Minneapolis and then moved to Kansas City in 1990. And that's where her singing career started. After she self released the 1992 album I Didn't Know About You, Concord signed her and re-released the album in 1993. She recorded the album with local Kansas City musicians. After the album was positively reviewed in the Chicago Tribune, Karrin recorded for Concord until 2011. Moanin' is from the 2002 album In Blue. By this time, Karrin was recording in New York with big name jazz musicians. Of course Moanin' is a jazz standard written by pianist Bobby Timmons when he was in Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in 1959. Jon Hendricks wrote the lyrics and the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross version made Moanin' even more popular. The original recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. Karrin recorded standards on this album which were supposed to evoke a melancholy mood. The album was produced by veteran jazz producer Nick Phillips. Musicians are Steve Wilson on alto sax, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Danny Embrey on guitar, Peter Washington on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. Moanin' appears on this comp which is available as a digital download. Concord released it after Karrin left the label in 2011. Since then she has recorded for her own label. Her latest album A Kiss for Brazil was released in 2024 on Origin Records. Karrin still tours. But last month her husband and longtime manager Bill McGlauthlin died. They hosted a radio show together and first met in Kansas City in 1990. It makes me think that Karrin might retire. But I haven't seen anything indicating that though it wouldn't surprise me. Here's Karrin Allyson performing Moanin' at Montreux 2003. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Get Up Kids

Artist:The Get Up Kids

Song:Ten Minutes

Album:Something to Write Home About

The Get Up Kids is a punk emo band who have had success as an album and touring band. They have never been on a major label so they have never been promoted as stars. At this point, they probably don't want that as it might alienate their fans. I'm not a big fan of this kind of music in the first place. But for me, The Get Up Kids sound too much like other similar punk emo bands. But that's what the punk emo fans want. The Get Up Kids are from Kansas City, MO. Guitarist Jim Suptic, bassist Rob Pope and drummer Ryan Pope went to high school together and had the band Kingpin. Singer Matt Pryor led the band Secret Decoder Ring. When both bands split up in 1995, they merged and became The Get Up Kids. The big thing about Pryor is he was already writing songs. They opened for the emo band Mineral on their first show. The original drummer was Thomas Becker. When he went off to college, Nathan Shay replaced him. He was attending the Kansas City Art Institute with Suptic. The Get Up Kids self released a single and were going to tour. But Shay didn't want to tour and Rob Pope brought in his younger brother Ryan Pope. After releasing another single, The Get Up Kids signed with the indie label Doghouse Records and they combined the singles into an EP. And they signed a two album contract. The Get Up Kids drove to Chicago to record their debut album produced by Bob Weston of the band Shellac. The album was recorded over a weekend and The Get Up Kids went on tour opening for the emo band Braid. Their debut album Four Minute Mile was released in 1997. The album did OK and the band continued to tour. They opened for Braid in Europe. They were unhappy with Doghouse as they couldn't keep up with the increased popularity of the band. They decided to leave Doghouse. They talked to several labels and were going to sign with Mojo Records. Before they signed, they met Vagrant Records owner Rich Egan and he offered them more money and their own label. Then they met James Dewees who recorded a 1998 album as Reggie and the Full Effect. He joined The Get Up Kids as a keyboardist. He appeared on the 1999 album Something to Write Home About. Vagrant mortgaged themselves to sell the album. And it worked out as the album got rave reviews and it sold well. The Get Up Kids wrote and produced the album so royalties were split evenly. This album is available as a digital download. The Get Up Kids toured non stop for three years to promote the album. Not surprisingly, when it was time to record The Get Up Kids' next album, they were burned out. So they wanted to change to a more classic rock sound for the 2002 album On a Wire. Unfortunately, when the album was released, fans didn't like it. Alternative Press criticized The Get Up Kids for alienating their loyal fanbase. They lost fans and support from Vagrant. The Get Up Kids bought Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, KS with longtime recording engineer Ed Rose. Then they released the 2004 album Guilt Show. The album did OK. But they were overshadowed by the popularity of emo bands like Dashboard Confessional who they toured with. Meanwhile, they were tired of touring and they weren't getting along anyway. The Get Up Kids announced that they were disbanding. their final show was at the Uptown Theater in their hometown of Kansas City July 2005. The Pope brothers took over Black Lodge Studios. Rob Pope was in the band White Whale followed by Spoon. Ryan Pope was in the band The Roman Numerals. Matt Pryor already had a side project called The New Amsterdams. He also released two solo albums. Suptic started a record label but it didn't work out and he was working at Home Depot. James Dewees was a member of New Found Glory and My Chemical Romance. After a 2008 reunion show, The Get Up Kids recorded new music which became the 2011 album There Are Rules on their own label. When the album didn't sell, they went on hiatus again but they did return to release a 2019 album. They have returned to touring and they are still touring. Here's the video for Ten Minutes by The Get Up Kids. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Dartells

Artist:The Dartells

Song:Hot Pastrami

Album:Son of Frat Rock

The 1962 single Hot Pastrami was a top twenty hit. It was the only big hit for The Dartells. One of their other songs charted so it is not technically a one hit wonder. The Dartells were from Oxnard, CA led by lead singer and bassist Doug Phillips. The other members were Dick Burns on guitar, Randy Ray on organ, Corey Wilkie and Rich Peil on sax and Gary Peeler on drums. Phillips wrote this reworking of the Nat Kendricks & the Swans single Mashed Potatoes. The Swans were James Brown's band at the time. The Dartells recorded Hot Pastrami in a garage. So I guess they were literally a garage band. Their manager and producer Tom Ayers got them a record deal with Arlen Records. Hot Pastrami did well enough on local radio that Dot Records picked it up for national distribution. That's how many songs became hits in those days. Hot Pastrami reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. Then The Dartells recorded what appears to be a mostly instrumental album. Not surprisingly, the album is out of print. But you can get Hot Pastrami on this Rhino various artists comp. After releasing a couple of unsuccessful singles. The Dartells split up. Some of them went on to other bands. Phillips was in the late 60s bands New Concepts and Camaraderie. Both bands were on major labels but went nowhere. Ayers went on to play bass for Johnny Burnette. Then he became an A&R man for several labels. Most notably he brought David Bowie to RCA. Here's The Dartells performing Hot Pastrami on a 1966 episode of The Lloyd Thaxton Show.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hot Chelle Rae

Artist:Hot Chelle Rae

Song:Tonight Tonight

Album:Whatever

The 2011 single Tonight Tonight was a top ten hit. It was the only big hit for the band Hot Chelle Rae. One of their other songs charted so they are not technically a one hit wonder. But Tonight Tonight is the only song that anyone will remember. The band was called Miracle Drug when it was formed in Nashville in 2005 by lead singer Ryan Folisee and guitarist Nash Overstreet. After releasing an EP, bassist Ian Keaggy joined followed by drummer Jamie Folisee who is Ryan's brother. They had to change the band name for copyright reasons. Hot Chelle Rae was a MySpace stalker who disappeared when the band discovered she was a fake. But they liked the name. Soon after they signed with Jive Records and they released the 2009 album Lovesick Electric. They toured to support it but the album didn't sell. After recording the 2011 album Whatever, the single Tonight Tonight reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album did particularly well in Australia and New Zealand. So they spent a lot time touring there opening for Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato and headlining their own shows. Ryan Folisee and Overstreet wrote most of the songs with co-writers and producers. The album was produced by Emanuel Kiriakou who has worked with acts like Jason Derulo and Selena Gomez. He brought with him songwriters Evan Kidd Bogart and Lindy Robbins and they helped write Tonight Tonight. The other producer was Andrew Goldstein and he has worked with Maroon 5 and Katy Perry. By this time, Jive parent company Zomba was sold to RCA. So Hot Chelle Rae was moved to RCA. This album is available as a budget CD. After the 2013 EP Recklessly was released, Ian Keaggy announced that he was leaving Hot Chelle Rae. They continued to tour. But after Ryan Folisee left and released a 2017 country album, that seemed to end Hot Chelle Rae. I thought they weren't distinctive enough. I'm sure many listeners thought that Tonight Tonight was by a different band. Overstreet and Jamie Folisee reformed Hot Chelle Rae in 2018. Ryan Folisee declined the invitation to join and I wouldn't be surprised to see him concentrate on songwriting. His parents are songwriters. Hot Chelle Rae released an EP in 2020 followed by a few singles, most recently in 2022. They toured earlier this year, including some shows in Australia. I don't know if that's enough to keep them going. Here's the video for Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jodi Benson

Artist:Jodi Benson

Song:I Got Rhythm

Album:Crazy for You: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Jodi Benson is best known as the voice of Ariel in the 1989 film The Little Mermaid. She was named a Disney Legend in 2011. She was also nominated for a Tony for playing Polly Baker in the 1992 Broadway musical Crazy for You. She does plenty of voiceover work in films, TV and video games. I guess Broadway is the only place where she performs live. She was born Jodi Marzorati Oct. 10, 1961 in Rockford, IL. She was raised in a Catholic family and after graduating from high school, she attended Millikin University in Decatur, IL. She made her Broadway debut in the 1983 musical Marilyn: An American Fable. This was an attempt to turn the life of Marilyn Monroe into a Broadway musical. It only ran for two weeks. Then she appeared in the 1986 musical Smile based on the 1975 film comedy about a beauty pageant. It also flopped. But it was written by Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman. And Ashman and Alan Menken wrote the songs for the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. So though Smile was a flop, it got Jodi into Disney. And that's the base of her career as Ashman told her to audition for The Little Mermaid. Then she was nominated for a Tony for playing Polly Baker in the 1992 Broadway musical. This should have been called Gershwin's Greatest Hits as it was loosely based on the 1930 musical Girl Crazy with other Gershwin hits thrown in. I guess it's an early example of a jukebox musical. It ran for a couple of years and has been revived several times. So it was a hit. The original cast album is available as a budget CD. Jodi still appears occasionally on Broadway. She is currently appearing in a revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. But mostly Jodi does lots of voiceovers on films, TV and video games. Of course she is still the voice of Ariel. And she has done other Disney films including Flubber (1997) and Toy Story 2 (1999). And she has worked for other animation studios and video game producers. And like many performers, she appears as a guest soloist with regional symphony orchestras. Here's Jodi Benson performing I Got Rhythm from the musical Crazy for You on the 1992 Tony Awards broadcast. This was my first time posting a TikTok video. I don't know why anyone would post a video like this on TikTok. I checked and it can be embedded. But I didn't like how it looked. So as I do with Facebook videos, I downloaded it and uploaded it directly to my blog. This is how it should be.