AccuRadio Song Of The Day-White Lung

Artist:White Lung

Song:Below

Album:Paradise

The Canadian band White Lung started out as an all female punk band or as it is called "Riot Girrl". By the time the 2016 album Paradise was released, they weren't really a punk band anymore nor were they all female. White Lung disbanded in 2022. They were formed in Vancouver in 2006 by lead singer Mish Barber-Wray, Natasha Reich on guitar and Anne-Marie Vassilou on drums. They hired bassists for touring. The band name White Lung is slang for the disease that bakers get when they inhale flour. A friend who worked in a bakery suggested the name. After releasing two albums for the local punk label Deranged, White Lung signed with the much larger British indie label Domino. Meanwhile, Natasha left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Kenneth Williams. The 2010 album It's the Evil was named punk album of the year by Exclaim! magazine. They were also named Punk Group of the Year at the 2011 Canadian Music Week Indie Awards. The 2014 album Deep Fantasy was their first album for Domino. Though they were still receiving critical acclaim, Mish believed White Lung was stereotyped as a punk band and they should soften their style to increase record sales. Domino may have also suggested this. Mish also wanted to show musical growth and that she could really sing. I don't think she liked the punk stereotype. So the 2016 album Paradise is not a punk album. They also brought in producer Lars Stalfors who produced Cold War Kids. He helped White Lung with songwriting. The album received mixed reviews. The main criticism was they sounded like just another pop band. Paradise is available on CD. I think the album is way too short. White Lung recorded the album Premonition in 2019. The release was delayed by the pandemic until 2022. And by that time, the decision was made for White Lung to disband. Mish Barber-Wray now lives in Los Angeles with husband Austin Barber of Saviours and their kids. They keep her busy. She has been writing for Vice and Penthouse. So none of them have continued in the music business. Here's the video for Below by White Lung.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aerosmith

Artist:Aerosmith

Song:Come Together

Album:Aerosmith's Greatest Hits 1973-1988

Aerosmith recorded this cover of The Beatles classic Come Together for the 1978 film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. They also performed it in the film and the film's DVD distributor Shout Factory has posted that clip on YouTube. Come Together charted but it was only released on the soundtrack album. So that means it's a discography orphan. It was also Aerosmith's final hit single before leaving Columbia for Geffen in 1984. At the time, there was trouble in Aerosmith mostly due to lead singer Steve Tyler's drug addiction. It got so bad that Joe Perry and Brad Whitford left Aerosmith. Columbia was also unhappy and they declined to renew Aerosmith's contract in 1984. Of course that looked like the end for Aerosmith. But Tyler went to rehab, Perry and Whitford returned and later they had a career resurgence. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was a jukebox musical saluting The Beatles. It was based on an off Broadway musical. The film was produced by RSO Records owner Robert Stigwood. Of course he managed The Bee Gees and they had just had a lot of success with the film Saturday Night Fever. So he let them do whatever they wanted. The problem was when the film was released, the critics lambasted it and no one went to see it. Aerosmith's recording of Come Together was the most successful thing in the film as it reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also their final hit single on Columbia before they went to Geffen. So the best place to get this discography orphan is on the 1980 comp Aerosmith's Greatest Hits. This album was rereleased and expanded in 1997 and is now called Aerosmith's Greatest Hits 1973-1988. It's available as a budget CD. Here's Aerosmith performing Come Together in the 1978 film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charles Brown

Artist:Charles Brown

Song:Black Night

Album:The Charles Brown Collection 1947-57

Singer songwriter and pianist Charles Brown was an important bridge between the blues and R&B in the early 50s. I'm sure most folks have heard his Christmas classic Merry Christmas Baby as as it is still played on radio today. Of course there's more to him than that and many experts consider Brown to be very influential. He was born Tony Russell Brown Sept. 13, 1922 in Texas City, TX. His mom died shortly after his birth so he was raised by his grandparents. Brown took piano lessons as a child. After graduating from high school, he earned a degree in chemistry at Prairie View A&M College in 1942. He worked as a chemistry teacher, a mustard gas worker and an apprentice electrician before moving to Los Angeles in 1943. At the time, a lot of blacks were moving to Los Angeles. And there was a need for clubs to entertain them. Nat King Cole started out performing in Los Angeles clubs. When he began to tour nationally, he was replaced by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers featuring Brown on piano and vocals. The Three Blazers signed with Exclusive Records and the 1945 single Drifting Blues was on the Billboard R&B chart for six months. The problem was Moore refused to sign an exclusive contract with anyone and records were released by Exclusive, Philo and Modern. The Three Blazers had some success but it was limited by not having an exclusive record deal. So Brown left the band and signed with Aladdin Records (formerly Philo). Brown's trio was with Eddie Williams on bass and Charles Norris on guitar. Brown immediately had success on the R&B charts with hits like Trouble Blues in 1949 and Black Night in 1951. Black Night topped the Billboard R&B chart for 14 weeks. The songwriting is credited to Jessie Mae Robinson. But most experts believe Brown wrote the song. It was not unusual in those days for songwriting credits to be hidden to avoid declaring it as income. Jessie Mae Robinson was a legit songwriter. Brown continued to have chart success until Rock 'n' Roll became popular in the mid 50s. Brown continued to play clubs. But he didn't want to perform Rock 'n' Roll. This 2CD comp from the British reissue label Acrobat has all his Aladdin hits. Brown recorded for Imperial and King and continued to perform until the 90s. But he never charted again. But his influence looms large. Charles Brown died on Jan. 21, 1999 at age 76. Here's Charles Brown performing Black Night in the 90s.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Neal Francis

Artist:Neal Francis

Song:Can't Stop the Rain

Album:In Plain Sight

Neal Francis is an R&B influenced singer songwriter who has had success in the Adult Alternative market. He hasn't had any hit singles and fortunately he's on a record label that doesn't require hit singles. He was born Neal Francis O'Hara Sept. 4, 1988 in Livingston, NJ. But he grew up in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL. He learned piano by mimicking sounds he heard on TV. Then he took classical piano lessons followed by lessons from boogie woogie pianist Erwin Helfer. He had a band in high school called Reverend Funk Connection and he sat in at Chicago blues clubs. After briefly attending college, Francis continued to play clubs most notably with Muddy Waters' son Larry "Mud" Morganfield. He joined the band The Heard and got fired when drank too much. After getting sober, he recorded his debut solo album Changes and released it on the indie label Karma Chief in 2019. The album was praised by critics and that led to Francis signing with Dave Matthews' label ATO Records. Matthews is not looking for hit singles and that's good for the kind of music that Francis wants to record. Can't Stop the Rain was the first single from the 2022 album In Plain Sight. Francis wrote all the songs. And the album was produced by guitarist and recording engineer Sergio Rios who produced Francis' first album. Musicians were Kellen Boersma on guitar, Mike Starr on bass and Collin O'Brien on drums. This was Francis' band at the time. Derek Trucks played the slide guitar solo on Can't Stop the Rain. This album is available as a budget CD. Francis released his latest album Return to Zero last year. He is working with the same musicians. He is currently on tour until November. So if you like his music remember there is no pressure on him to go mainstream. Here's the video for Can't Stop the Rain by Neal Francis. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Florence Henderson

Artist:Florence Henderson

Song:I Have To Tell You

Album:Fanny: Original Cast Recording

Of course Florence Henderson was best known for starring as Carol Brady on the popular ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch. But she had a significant history on Broadway before that. The 1954 musical Fanny was her first starring role. And I have a vintage video clip of Florence performing a song from that show. She was born Feb. 14, 1934 in Dale, IN. which has a population of 1,000. Her father was a sharecropper. Florence was the youngest of ten children. Her mom taught her to sing. And by age 12, she was singing at local grocery stores. After graduating from high school, Florence moved to New York City and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She started out in a touring production of Oklahoma! and South Pacific at Lincoln Center. She made her Broadway debut in the 1952 musical Wish You Were Here. The guys behind that show were Joshua Logan and Harold Rome. And they were also behind the 1954 musical Fanny. Fanny is a musical based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of Marius (1929), Fanny (1931) and Cesar (1936). Logan wrote the book with S.N. Behrman and also directed. Rome wrote the songs. Florence played the title role of Fanny. But she wasn't top billed. You'll notice her name isn't on the album cover. The stars were opera singer Ezio Pinza (South Pacific) and German actor Walter Slezak who was a Hollywood star. The show ran for two years so it was a success. The original cast album is available on CD. Florence appeared in the 1954 TV special General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein and a 1958 CBS musical production of Little Women. Florence made sporadic appearances on TV and on Broadway. But she wasn't a household name until she played Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969-74. After that Florence appeared on TV game shows because she enjoyed doing them. She was the spokeswoman for Wesson cooking oil from 1974-96 and she hosted the TNN cooking show Country Kitchen. As she got older, she hosted talk shows on Retirement Living TV. And that's what she did until her death on Nov. 24, 2016 at age 82. So though Florence Henderson was never a big star, she was beloved because of The Brady Bunch mostly as a nostalgia figure. Here's Florence Henderson performing I Have to Tell You on a 1954 episode of the show Coke Time hosted by Eddie Fisher.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Conor Oberst

Artist:Conor Oberst

Song:Cape Canaveral

Album:Conor Oberst

Conor Oberst is best known as the leader of Bright Eyes. He has also led other bands like Commander Venus and Monsters of Folk. And starting in 2008, he started recording as Conor Oberst. It seems to depend on who he's working with and where he's recording. He writes and produces everything anyway. He was born Feb. 15, 1980 in Omaha. His father worked at Mutual of Omaha and his mother worked in the public school system. His older brother Matthew was a teacher and part time musician. Oberst self released his first album at age 13. That's when he started performing live. After releasing two albums, he joined The Faint in 1994 and formed Commander Venus in 1995. He started his own label Saddle Creek Records. Oberst was also in The Magnetas and Park Ave. He formed Bright Eyes in 1995. This was supposed to be a solo project. And he usually recorded in his basement. Some solo artists want to hide behind a name to stay anonymous. Oberst started Bright Eyes after Commander Venus split up. He says he just wanted it to be perceived as a new band. But in the studio, Bright Eyes was perceived as a Conor Oberst solo project and he hired musicians to tour. Meanwhile, Oberst formed Desaparedos as a more punk oriented band. In 2008, he decided to record an album as Conor Oberst. He did this because his main Bright Eyes collaborator Mike Mogis was not part of this solo project. Cape Canaveral is the lead track on Conor Oberst. Nate Walcott played keyboards. He was also in Bright Eyes. Nik Frietas played guitar. Macey Taylor played bass. Jason Boesel of Rilo Kiley played drums. The album was recorded in Mexico. Oberst claims that the music is different from Bright Eyes. Most critics disagreed and wondered why he released it under his real name in the first place. This album is available on CD. By the time the 2009 album Outer South was released, the band name changed to Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. Oberst was also in Monsters of Folk which was a one off supergroup. Bright Eyes was still recording though that ended in 2011. Bright Eyes reformed and toured last year. Even Oberst is confused by all this and he has said interviews that he wished he had never used all those names. Anyway, his music is pretty good. Supposedly, his solo albums are more introspective than Bright Eyes. I don't see much difference and I think one name for all his music would be preferable. Here's Conor Oberst performing Cape Canaveral on The Craig Ferguson Show on Dec. 23, 2008.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lalah Hathaway

Artist:Lalah Hathaway

Song:Somethin'

Album:Lalah Hathaway

As the daughter of soul legend Donny Hathaway, one would think that singer Lalah Hathaway would be a surefire success. I'm sure that's what Virgin Records thought when they signed her. But that never happened and Lalah now records for her own label. She was born Eulaulah Hathaway Dec. 16, 1968 in Chicago. Of course her dad was soul legend Donny Hathaway. Her mom is session singer Eulaulah Hathaway. Lalah is a childhood nickname. Her sister Kenya Hathaway is also a singer. So Lalah grew up with the label First Daughter of Soul. That is very difficult to live up to. The name only goes so far. Lalah learned piano at the American Conservatory of Music. She started writing songs while attending the Chicago Academy for the Arts. And she attended Berklee in Boston. Lalah released her 1987 debut single Inside the Beat on Alllegiance Records with Capitol distribution. It went nowhere but Virgin A&R director John Brown liked Lalah enough to sign her to a record deal. On the 1990 album Lalah Hathaway, she worked with top producers. Somethin' was the third single. The song was written by David Foster and Brenda Russell and Brenda recorded it on her 1983 album Two Eyes. The song was produced by Andre Fischer who is best known for producing Chaka Khan. He produced three songs on the album. Angela Winbush was among the other producers. Four singles reached the R&B charts. But they didn't cross to pop so the album didn't sell. It's available as a budget CD. After Lalah's 1994 album A Moment did worse, Virgin released her. Since then she has recorded for Mesa/Bluemoon, GRP, Concord owned Stax Records and currently she writes and records for her own label. She released her latest album in 2024. She has won five Grammys including one for her 2013 performance of Somethin' on jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy's album Family Dinner. Unfortunately, that album is not available so I can't post the video. Here's the video for Somethin' by Lalah Hathaway.