AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ellen Greene

Artist:Ellen Greene

Song:Somewhere That's Green

Album:Little Shop of Horrors: Original Cast Album

Actress Ellen Greene is probably best known for her Tony nominated performance as Audrey in the 1983 Off-Broadway musical adaptation of the 1960 cult film Little Shop of Horrors. She also starred in the 1986 film version. The musical was written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Ashman told Playbill in 1982 that he wanted to write a fun show where he didn't care if it was a hit. He had seen the film Little Shop of Horrors in 1961. Menken had not seen the film. But once he did, he got to work on the songs. The other key figure was producer Kyle Renick who was a big fan of the film. There was also puppeteer Martin Robinson who turned a plant into a singing puppet. He plays Mr. Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street. It was supposed to be a small show which is why it was off-Broadway. Of course it became much bigger than that including a 1986 film. Plus Ashman and Menken went to work for Disney. Ellen Greene's Audrey was supposed be similar to Judy Holiday. She was born Feb. 22, 1951 in New York City. She started performing in high school. Ellen performed in New York nightclubs. She became friends with Australian singer songwriter Peter Allen who was getting into writing musicals. He cast Ellen in a show that never opened. Then she appeared in the 1976 film Next Stop, Greenwich Village. At Joseph Papp's New York Shakespearian Festival, Ellen was cast in a 1976 revival of The Threepenny Opera. She got a Tony nomination. And that's when she met Ashman and Menken. They cast her as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. It's still Ellen's most memorable role. The Broadway cast album is available as a digital download. She's appeared in films like I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can and Talk Radio. And she starred in the TV series Pushing Daisies. But she sems to prefer performing in clubs with husband Christian Klikovits. She also does a lot of voice work on animated films. It doesn't look like Ellen was interested in stardom. And that's why Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors is still her most memorable role. Here's Ellen Greene performing Somewhere That's Green on the 1983 Standards Awards broadcast. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eddie Money

Artist:Eddie Money

Song:Baby Hold On

Album:The Best of Eddie Money

Though it was not his biggest hit, the 1977 single Baby Hold On was Eddie Money's first single and the success of that song set him up for the next decade. So it's important in his discography. He was born Edward Joseph Mahoney Mar. 21, 1949 in New York City but he grew up in the Long Island city of Levittown. His father was a police officer. Money started busking at age 11. And in high school he played in bands to get dates with cheerleaders. Money's grandfather, father and brother are all cops. So he planned to continue that tradition. But instead he decided to pursue a career in music because the police did not allow him to grow his hair long. Money said he couldn't see himself as a cop with short hair. Money's father was unhappy with his decision. So he decided to move to Berkeley, CA in 1968. Once he arrived, he took the stage name Eddie Money. Money started playing San Francisco clubs. He got the attention of legendary promoter Bill Graham and signed to his Wolfgang label with Columbia distribution. He recorded the album Eddie Money with producer Bruce Botnick who produced The Doors album L.A. Woman. The idea was for Money to record his live show in the recording studio. Money wrote all the songs including Baby Hold On. Money's guitarist Jimmy Lyon co-wrote Baby Hold On. He played with Money for several years. Graham discovered Lyon and paired him with Money. Baby Hold On reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it was not his biggest hit but a good start that set him up for future success. The other main musicians were Lonnie Turner on bass and Gary Mallaber on drums from the 70s version of the Steve Miller Band. They also worked with Money for several years. After a stretch in the early 80s where he didn't have much success, Money scored a top five hit with the 1986 single Take Me Home Tonight featuring Ronnie Spector. The success of that song was enough to keep Money going until he left Columbia in 1991. You can get all of his hits on this budget comp. He continued to perform until he died from cancer on Sept. 13, 2019 at age 70. Here's Eddie Money performing Baby Hold On on Top of the Pops Mar. 6, 1978.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Moloney O'Connell & Keane

Artist:Moloney O'Connell & Keane

Song:Kilkelly

Album:Kilkelly

Kilkelly is probably the best known song recorded by Irish singer songwriter Robbie O'Connell. But he didn't record it on one of his own albums. He recorded it on this 1987 album by a trio he formed with banjoist Mick Moloney and accordionist Jimmy Keane. O'Connell received so many requests for Kilkelly that he self released a comp. I guess fans couldn't find Kilkelly anywhere. That album is out of print. But you can find Kilkelly on this album where O'Connell originally recorded it. I'm going to talk mostly about O'Connell because he is featured. He was born Dec. 28, 1950 in St. John's Parish, Waterford, Ireland. His mother was a Clancy so he's a nephew of The Clancy Brothers. He replaced Liam Clancy in 1977, moved to the US and toured with The Clancy Brothers for five years. He joined the band Green Fields of America. Maloney and Keane were in that band and the trio Maloney O'Connell & Keane was an offshoot of that band. Kilkelly was one of two albums they recorded for the Irish folk label Green Linnett. That company was based in the US. His recording of the song Kilkelly has become very popular. Peter Jones wrote Kilkelly after he found some old family letters detailing a son moving from Ireland to America. He based the song on those letters. One of the first to record the song was Irish singer Danny Doyle. And that is where O'Connell heard it and decided to record it on this album. Kilkelly was popularized by the 1991 BBC TV series Bringing It All Back Home. This was a five part series featuring many Irish musicians. And fans have been searching for Kilkelly since then. Moloney O'Connell & Keane only recorded two albums. O'Connell returned to The Clancy Brothers until their 1996 retirement. Since then O'Connell has recorded solo and performed with many Irish musicians. He lives in Boston. Here's the video for Kilkelly by Moloney O'Connell & Keane. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dick & Dee Dee

Artist:Dick & Dee Dee

Song:Turn Around

Album:The Best of Dick & Dee Dee

The pop duo Dick & Dee Dee had success in the early 60s before the British Invasion wiped them out. This 1963 cover of the folk song Turn Around was a top 30 hit. According to a site that I use, it was their fourth biggest hit. But I have a good video clip and it was the best song that was played this morning. Richard Gosling and Mary Sperling met while they were students at Paul Revere Junior High in Los Angeles. They attended different high schools but reconnected after graduation at See's Candy Store in Los Angeles. Mary was attending college and working part time at the store. Gosling was looking for a job and he started working at the store. When they discovered a common interest in music, they began writing songs together. They were never romantically involved. They signed with the very small Lama label owned by The Wilder Brothers and producer Don Ralke. They were called Dick & Dee Dee on the 1961 single The Mountain's High which they wrote together. When The Mountain's High started getting radio airplay in California, Lama leased it to Liberty Records to get national distribution. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. This would turn out to be Dick & Dee Dee's biggest hit. Mary quit college and Dick & Dee Dee went on tour. Liberty released the 1961 album Tell Me-The Mountain's High. When Dick & Dee Dee were unhappy with Liberty's promotional efforts, Ralke got them out of their Liberty contract and got them a new record deal with Warner Bros. The 1963 single Young and in Love was a top 20 hit and Turn Around was a top 30 hit. It was from the album Turn Around and was produced by Ralke. Turn Around was was written by folksinger Malvina Reynolds and musicologist. Alan Greene. When Harry Belafonte recorded Turn Around in 1959, he made changes and got a songwriting credit. The Kingston Trio recorded it in 1963 and it was covered by many artists after Dick & Dee Dee recorded it. Dick & Dee Dee recorded four albums for Warners and appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show and were regulars on the TV show Shindig. This comp from Varese has all their hits. Mary married Dick Clark's producer Bill Lee. So they continued to appear on Clark's TV shows. But the British Invasion killed lots of musical acts and Dick & Dee Dee were no different. They split up in 1969 after recording a couple of albums for Dot Records. Gosling continued to write songs and he revived Dick & Dee Dee with his wife in the 80s. He died in 2003. Mary got married a second time and retired. After writing her 2006 autobiography, she revived Dick & Dee Dee with actor Michael Dunn and they performed for a couple of years. Here's Dick & Dee Dee performing Turn Around on the Dr. Pepper Celebrity Party 1963.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mads Tolling Quartet

Artist:Mads Tolling Quartet

Song:Beatrice

Album:Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty: Live at Yoshi's

Mads Tolling is a Danish jazz violinist in the tradition of Stephane Grappelli but especially Jean-Luc Ponty. This 2011 album is a live tribute to Ponty. Tolling was a member of the Grammy award winning group Turtle Island Quartet. He was born July 5, 1980 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He started playing violin at age six. Tolling and his sister busked on Copenhagen streets. While in high school, Tolling earned a scholarship to attend Berklee School of Music in Boston. His teachers at Berklee were jazz musicians Joanne Brackeen, Hal Crook and Joe Lovano. And that's also where he met French jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. And Ponty recommended Tolling to join bassist Stanley Clarke's band which he did after graduating from Berklee in 2003. Tolling recorded and toured with Clarke until 2010. He was also a member of Turtle Island Quartet until 2012. They were very successful and won two Grammys in the Classical Crossover category. Meanwhile, Tolling started recording and touring with his own band in 2008. He usually records for his own label. Beatrice is from the album Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty. As it says in the title, it was recorded live at Yoshi's in Oakland, CA. May 30, 2011. Tolling currently lives in San Francisco. The album is made up of songs popularized by Ponty including the Sam Rivers song Beatrice. The musicians were Tolling's touring band at the time of Mike Abraham on guitar, George Ban-Weiss on bass and Eric Garland on drums. This album is available as a budget CD. Tolling's latest album Masters of Jazz Violin with Jacob Fischer on guitar and Matthias Petri on bass was released last year. He is currently playing shows in California. He also teaches violin online if you are interested. Here's the video for Beatrice by Mads Tolling.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freddie Hubbard

Artist:Freddie Hubbard

Song:Blues for Duane

Album:The Hub of Hubbard

Most jazz fans are familiar with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's 60s albums on Blue Note and his early 70s albums on CTI. But you may not be familiar with the albums he recorded for Atlantic in the late 60s. But you have probably never heard of the 1970 album The Hub of Hubbard. He recorded that for the German label MPS. Hubbard recorded for Blue Note until 1966 when Alfred Lion sold Blue Note to Liberty Records which in turn was sold United Artists. So a lot of guys left Blue Note including Hubbard. He formed a new band with James Spaulding on sax, Kenny Barron on piano and Louis Hayes on drums. Hubbard was looking for a more commercial sound at Atlantic. The funny part is Blue Note transitioned to a more commercial sound in the late 60s. Maybe he didn't like the new owners. Hubbard recorded five albums for Atlantic. That's when former A&M Records producer Creed Taylor started CTI Records and Hubbard knew that Taylor would produce the kind of sound he wanted. But before he went to CTI, he recorded the 1970 album The Hub of Hubbard for the German label MPS. MPS was started by the electronics company SABA and then sold to audio tape manufacturer BASF. Oscar Peterson recorded for them after he left MGM. At the time, Hubbard was on a European tour. And he thought this wiould be a good opportunity to record with that band. The band was Eddie Daniels on tenor sax, Roland Hanna on piano, Richard Davis on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. It was always intended as a one off album because he started with CTI immediately after the tour. But it's a good album and it's available on CD. MPS went through several ownership changes before Universal acquired them in 1999. They sold MPS to the German label Edel AG in 2014. Here's Freddie Hubbard with Donald Braden on tenor sax, Benny Green on piano, Jeff Chambers on bass ande Louis Hayes on drums performing Blues for Duane in Spain 1991.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Christian French

Artist:Christian French

Song:Head First

EP:Bright Side of the Moon

Singer songwriter Christian French has mostly had viral success. He has never placed on the Billboard chart. If you want to see how he is doing, you have to check out the site Chartmetric which compiles digital download statistics. According to them, the 2019 single Head First is his most popular song. He doesn't release albums, just EPs and singles. Why is he doing this? Originally, I think French was trying to save money. But then his record label bought into it. French was born Mar. 17, 1997 in Fishers, IN. He learned to play piano through You Tube tutorials and in high school he posted covers on SoundCloud. He started writing songs while he was a pre-med student at Indiana University. But he got the music bug, quit school and moved to Los Angeles. I'm sure his parents were thrilled. Excuse my sarcasm. He released a few singles and a couple made Spotify's Viral 50. In 2018, he worked with producer Dru DeCaro and he produced the EP Natural Colors and the single Sweet Home. He toured with Chelsea Cutler and appeared on rapper Hoodie Allen's single Come Around. Then he signed with Disruptor Records with Sony distribution. And that's when the EP Bright Side of the Moon was released. Disruptor is owned by Adam Alpert. He's the manager of the popular EDM duo The Chainsmokers. Though French originally decided to release music digitally because he didn't have the money to do it traditionally, Disruptor and Sony could have insisted it be changed to the traditional way, Alpert decided to go along with French and see how things go. The thinking is that streaming reaches a younger demographic. So the 2019 EP Bright Side of the Moon and the single Head First were very successful. To date, Head First is French's most downloaded song on Spotify. It's been streamed on Spotify over 32 million times. This EP is available as a digital download. French continues to release EPs and singles, most recently in 2023. According to his Facebook, he may have new music coming soon. Would French be more successful if he used traditional release strategy. I dunno. I think he should use both strategies. But I also think using streaming only makes him seem special to his fans. In reality, I don't think French's music is anything special. There are plenty of guys who sound similar. So maybe the exclusivity of streaming only is part of the attraction. Here's the video for Head First by Christian French.