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. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Firm

Artist:The Firm

Song:Star Trekkin'

Album:1987: Where Were You?

Not to be confused with the 80s supergroup The Firm led by Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page, this act called The Firm topped the British charts with the 1987 novelty song Star Trekkin'. You may have heard this if you listen to the Dr. Demento radio show. The guy behind this Star Trek spoof is British guitarist John O'Connor. He studied guitar at the London College of Music. He opened Bark Studio in North London and played sessions and produced. He also toured with Steeleye Span lead singer Maddy Prior. With his pal Grahame Lister, O'Connor wrote and produced the 1982 novelty song Arthur Daley E's Alright based on a character in the TV series Minder. It used catchphrases from the show. They decided to call themselves The Firm. The big surprise was when the record reached #14 on the British Singles chart and The Firm appeared on the TV show Top of the Pops. After follow up records didn't chart, The Firm decided to take on Star Trek in 1987. The song was written by Rory Kehoe. He was a member of an English Civil War reenactment group called The Sealed Knot. He wrote this Star Trek parody that was sung in pubs to the tune of I Am a Fine Musician from The Music Man and popularized by an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was called I Am the Star Trek Man. Lister heard the song performed in a folk club and he took it to O'Connor. They scrapped the melody and wrote a new song. When record labels weren't interested, O'Connor decided to record it in his own studio. O'Connor and Lister did the vocals. Their friends played the music. A group of art students called The Film Garage used puppetry and stop motion animation to produce a video. After Star Trekkin' topped the British charts, K-Tel picked it up and The Firm released an album. It did not chart in the US but it has been a Dr. Demento favorite for years. If you are wondering why Paramount didn't sue The Firm, the song is considered a harmless parody and it's likely a lawsuit would have been unsuccessful. I tried to find a Dr. Demento album that contained Star Trekkin' but none are in print. So you can get it on this Australian various artists comp. Soon after, O'Connor moved to California. He lives in Santa Barbara. O'Connor recorded New Age music as Eko on Higher Octave Records. He recorded four albums as Eko. Then he composed the music for the FOX TV series The King of the Hill. It looks like he's retired and living off royalties. He says he buys plenty of new gear for his home recording studio. Here's the video for Star Trekkin' by The Firm.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mocedades

Artist:Mocedades

Song:Eres Tu

Album:Nuestras 30 Mejores Canciones

The Spanish group Mocedades has been around since the late 60s. They have had success mostly in Europe. But they scored a US top ten hit with the 1973 single Eres Tu. The song finished second in the Eurovision Song Contest and it was a worldwide hit. It all began in 1967 in the Basque city of Bilbao by sisters Amaya, Isazkun and Estibaliz Uranga. They called themselves Las Hermanas Uranga. When their brothers and friends joined the group during rehearsals, the group name was changed to Voces et Guitarras. They sang mostly folk and spiritual music. After they sent a demo to producer Juan Carlos Calderon, he changed the group name to Mocedades (meaning youths) and got them a record deal with the Spanish label Zafiro. Calderon wrote and produced the songs. The membership of Mocedades has been very fluid over the years. Currently there are two "official" versions of the group. So they come and go. In 1973 they were Amaya and Isazkun Uranga, their brother Roberto Uranga, Javier Garay and Jose Ibina who both returned to the group after military service and newcomer Carlos Zubiaga. In Spain, this version of Mocedades is called "The Six Historic Ones". Calderon wrote Eres Tu and Television Espaniola (TVE) chose it as an official entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. This is organized by European broadcasters so TVE had to produce a video clip. The contest was held in Luxembourg and broadcast live across Europe. It's a big deal there. Eres Tu finished second in the contest and Zafiro released it as a single. It was released in the US by Paramount owned Famous Music. There was an English version on the B side with lyrics by British songwriter Mike Hawker. He co-wrote the Dusty Springfield hit I Only Want to Be with You. But radio stations preferred the Spanish version and it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can get it on this 2CD comp. Not surprisingly, this turned out to be Mocedades' only hit in the US. They continue to have success in Europe. As I said, there are two versions of Mocedades touring. One is led by Isazkun Uranga and the other is led by Javier Garay. The split was in 2013. Both groups are legal because the two leaders were part of the original Mocedades who registered the name. Anyway, that's enough of the legal wrangling. Here's the video for Eres Tu by Mocedades.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Margery MacKay

Artist:Margery MacKay

Song:Climb Ev'ry Mountain

Album:The Sound of Music: An Original Soundtrack Recording: Deluxe Edition

Peggy Wood was a character actress who got a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for playing Mother Abbess in the 1965 film The Sound of Music. This was her final film appearance. You may recall her performance of the song Climb Ev'ry Mountain. Except her singing voice was dubbed by Margery MacKay. Disappointed? I'll get to that later. You older folks may remember Peggy starring in the CBS TV series Mama from 1948-57. She was born Mary Margaret Wood Feb. 8, 1892 in Brooklyn, NY. Her father was a journalist and her mother was a telegraph operator. Peggy studied voice in France with opera singer Emma Calve. She started out on Broadway in the chorus. Peggy starred in the 1917 musical Maytime. Her other big shows were The Merchant of Venice in 1928 and Noel Coward's Bitter Sweet in 1929. She also starred in the 1941 production of Blithe Spirit. Peggy did appear in films usually in supporting roles in films like A Star Is Born (1937), The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939) and The Bride Wore Boots (1946). Her most memorable role was in the CBS TV series Mama which was based on the film I Remember Mama. After the show ended, she did TV guest shots and had a co-starring role in the 1960 film The Story of Ruth. It's likely that The Sound of Music director Robert Wise saw Peggy in this film and cast her in the role of Mother Abbess. Of course Peggy could sing. So why did Wise have Margery MacKay dub her singing. According to Marni Nixon, who also appeared in The Sound of Music, Peggy knew she no longer had the vocal range to handle Climb Ev'ry Mountain so she was OK with it. Who was Margery MacKay? She was married to Los Angeles Civic Light Opera musical director Harper MacKay and that's where she did most of her singing. She was never a full time actress or singer. I know many fans dislike dubbing in films. But if Peggy was OK with this, so am I. The Sound of Music soundtrack is available in a Deluxe Edition. The Sound of Music was Peggy's final film role. She appeared in the daytime soap One Life to Live and retired in 1969. She died on Mar. 18, 1978 at age 86. Here's Peggy Wood with vocals by Margery MacKay performing Climb Ev'ry Mountain in the 1965 film The Sound of Music.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ernie Fields & His Orchestra

Artist:Ernie Fields & His Orchestra

Song:In the Mood

Album:Mighty Instrumental Hits R&B Style

Jazz trombonist and bandleader Ernie Fields scored a top five hit with his 1959 instrumental cover of Glenn Miller's In the Mood. A couple of his other singles charted so he was not a one hit wonder. But In the Mood was his only memorable recording. He was born Aug. 28, 1904 in Nacogdoches, TX and raised in Taft, OK in Muskogee county. After graduating from Tuskegee University in 1924, Fields moved to Tulsa. He led what was called a "territory" band in the 30s called The Royal Entertainers. Lots of guys went through that band. And in 1939, Columbia Records producer John Hammond wanted Fields to record for Vocalion and tour nationally. Fields didn't want to leave Tulsa but he realized he couldn't make a living there. After WWII, Fields started performing standards like Tuxedo Junction and Begin the Beguine in a rocking R&B style. He moved to Los Angeles in the 50s and led the house band for Rendezvous Records owned by songwriter Leon Rene. He wrote The Ink Spots hit When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano. He usually worked with his brother Otis Rene. They owned Exclusive and Excelsior Records from 1944-51. They closed after 78rpm records became obsolete. Rene started Class Records and their biggest hit was the 1958 Bobby Day hit Rockin' Robin. Rene started Rendezvous and hired Fields to run the house band. They played on Rockin' Robin. Then Fields got to record with this band. And the big surprise was when Fields' cover of In the Mood reached #4 on the Billboard Singles chart. The band was all Los Angeles studio musicians. The lead sax is by Plas Johnson, best known as lead sax on Henry Mancini's theme for the film The Pink Panther. The other musicians were Ernie Freeman on piano, Rene Hall on guitar, Red Callender on bass and Earl Palmer on drums. You can get In the Mood on this 5CD box set of classic R&B instrumentals. This same band recorded as B. Bumble and the Stingers in 1961. After Rendezvous closed in 1963, Fields retired from music and moved back to Tulsa. His son Ernie Fields Jr. was a session saxophonist and music contractor for American Idol. He died in 2024. After he retired, Ernie Fields was a promoter and talent manager in Tulsa. He died on May 1, 1997 at age 92. Here's a video for In the Mood by Ernie Fields & His Orchestra.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chynna Phillips

Artist:Chynna Phillips

Song:One Boy

Album:Bye Bye Birdie: The New Soundtrack Recording

Most of you should recall Chynna Phillips from the trio Wilson Phillips with Carnie and Wendy Wilson. They scored three hit singles from their 1990 debut album Wilson Phillips. It sold eight million copies. When their 1992 follow up album Shadows and Light was a commercial disappointment, that ended the group and all three slipped into obscurity. This appearance in the 1995  ABC TV movie of the musical Bye Bye Birdie is probably Chynna's highest profile appearance. She was born Feb. 12, 1968 in Los Angeles. Her parents are John and Michelle Phillips of the 60s pop group The Mamas and the Papas. Chynna got into acting and appeared in the films Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Caddyshack II (1988) and Say Anything (1989). She also appeared in some TV movies. Then she formed Wilson Phillips and they had brief success. After they split up, Chynna had met actor William Baldwin and they married in 1995. They have three kids. Chynna attempted to launch a solo career with the 1995 album Naked and Scared on EMI. Chynna co-wrote most of the songs on the album. About half of the album was written and produced by veteran producer Desmond Child. So she worked with top producers and EMI paid her a million bucks. But the album flopped. Meanwhile, Chynna appeared in this TV movie of the popular musical Bye Bye Birdie. The film starred Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams. Marc Kudisch played Conrad Birdie and Chynna played his love interest Kim. The film was directed by Broadway veteran Gene Saks and produced by veteran TV movie producer Robert Halmi Sr. The soundtrack is available as a digital download. She attempted to reform Wilson Phillips a few times. They released three albums that went nowhere. Recently, Wilson Phillips competed in the 2022 season of The Masked Singer. That's where nostalgia acts appear. Here's Chynna Phillips performing One Boy in the 1995 TV movie Bye Bye Birdie.