AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MoKenStef

Artist:MoKenStef

Song:He's Mine

Album:Azz Izz

The 1995 single He's Mine was a top ten hit for the R&B girl group MoKenStef. It turned out to be their only chart single as they only recorded one album. So MoKenStef is officially a one hit wonder. MoKenStef is from Los Angeles. Kenya Hadley and Stefanie Sinclair were cheerleaders at Morningside High School in Inglewood. They were also dancers and they needed a third member for their hip hop dance crew. Monifa Bethune Auditioned successfully. They started dancing on stage and in music videos by rappers AMG and Big Daddy Kane. They wanted to try singing and they discovered that Monifa is a really good singer. One day they visited AMG at the office of Outburst Records. Outburst owners Greg Jesse and Anthony Lewis were listening in the next room. And when Monifa started singing, that got their attention and got the girls a record deal. They decided to call themselves MoKenStef which is a blend of their names. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. After success with the rapper Domino, Outburst got a distribution deal with DefJam. The album Azz Izz was released in 1995 and the single He's Mine reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B Singles chart. The main feature of the song was Monifa's lead vocal. It doesn't look like the rest of the album was as good as He's Mine as follow up singles did poorly. MoKenStef wrote most of the songs with producer Marquis "Hami" Dair. He had previously worked with Klymaxx leader Joyce Irby. He's Mine sampled Prince and Roger Troutman so they got a songwriting credit. This album is available as a digital download. By the end of 1995, Outburst closed and DefJam wasn't going to sign MoKenStef to a new contract. They tried to release a few more things but nothing worked and MoKenStef split up in 2000. It looks like they all retired from the music business. They reunited in 2014 and they still have an Instagram page. I'm surprised Monifa didn't try to get a solo record deal because she has a great voice. Here's the video for He's Mine by MoKenStef. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kevin Spacey

Artist:Kevin Spacey

Song:Beyond the Sea

Album:Beyond the Sea: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Though he is now a Hollywood outcast due to 2017 sexual assault allegations, Kevin Spacey was a big star before that. Probably his most audacious achievement was writing, producing and starring in the 2004 Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea. He also did his own singing. A Bobby Darin biopic had been in development hell since 1986. So getting it done was Spacey's big achievement. He was born Kevin Spacey Fowler July 26, 1959 in East Orange, NJ. but he grew up in Southern California. His father was a neo Nazi who was abusive to Spacey and his brother. Spacey kept a low profile to avoid beatings. At Chatsworth High School, Spacey starred in a production of The Sound of Music with Mare Winningham. They were named co-valedictorians. After trying standup comedy, Spacey moved to New York to attend Juilliard's drama school. After two years, he decided to try Broadway. He appeared in the 1986 production of Long Day's Journey into Night Starring Jack Lemmon who became Spacey's mentor. After appearing in a couple of Mike Nichols films Heartbeat (1986) and Working Girl (1988), he appeared on several TV shows, most notably as arms dealer Mel Profitt in the 1988 series Wiseguy. Then Spacey won a Tony for the 1991 production of Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers. That got him larger roles in films like David Mamet's 1992 film adaptation of his play Glengarry Glen Ross. But the film that made Spacey a movie star was as Verbal Kint in Bryan Singer's 1995 film The Usual Suspects. Spacey won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. That was when Spacey went after the role of Bobby Darin. Barry Levinson was the first to take a crack at Darin in 1986. Levinson was supposed to direct. Warner Bros. optioned the Bobby Darin book Dream Lovers. James Toback was brought in to write the script and Levinson was still supposed to direct. That's when Spacey offered to play Darin. Levinson thought he was too old and planned to cast Johnny Depp. Levinson decided to pass on the film in favor of Liberty Heights (1999). Then Dick Clark Productions announced they were producing with Dodd Darin and producer Arthur Friedman and that they were working on the film. Spacey acquired the rights from Warners. And ultimately he rewrote the original Lewis Colick script himself. Spacey's decision to do his own singing was controversial because he wasn't a singer though he had sung on stage. He did train with Roger Kellaway who had worked with Darin. Not surprisingly, Beyond the Sea got mixed reviews and was a box office bomb. I'm sure even now, Spacey considers Beyond the Sea his greatest achievement. The soundtrack album was produced by Phil Ramone. It has all of Spacey's performances and is available on CD. Spacey continued to appear in films like Horrible Bosses and TV shows like House of Cards. Then Spacey was accused of sexual assault in 2017. This killed his career because he's still in exile and appears in European productions. But remember Spacey denied everything and was never convicted of a crime. I doubt he can revive his career. But Beyond the Sea is probably worth a look. Here's the video for Beyond the Sea by Kevin Spacey. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Craig Mack

Artist:Craig Mack

Song:Flava in Ya Ear

Album:FHM Presents...Bar Culture 2

Rapper Craig Mack scored a top ten hit with his 1994 single Flava in Ya Ear. Another one of his songs charted so technically he is not a one hit wonder. Also, it was the very first hit single on Bad Boy Records. He was born May 10, 1970 in Brooklyn, NY. But he grew up in the Long Island town of Brentwood. He started rapping as a teen as MC EZ and released the single Get Retarded in 1988. Then he started touring with hip hop group EPMD. After they split up, Mack met Sean "Puffy" Combs who was just starting Bad Boy Records. Combs liked Mack enough to sign him to a record deal. Mack recorded Flava in Ya Ear. The song really became popular because of the remix featuring Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes. Combs also appeared and the singing is by Keisha Spivey of the girl group Total. The single reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was produced by Osten "Easy Mo Bee" Harvey. He had already worked with Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac. Osten produced half of the album Project: Funk Da World and Mack wrote and produced the other half. The album was certified Gold. You can get Flava in Ya Ear on this 2CD various artists comp. Mack was supposed to record a second album Operation: Get Down in 1995. Mack wasn't happy that he didn't get more promotional support from Bad Boy. Combs froze Mack's contract so he couldn't sign with Death Row Records like he wanted. The album was released by Scotti Brothers in 1997. Not surprisingly, the album didn't sell and Mack's career was basically over. In 2012, Mack joined the Overcomer Ministry in South Carolina. He released a 2017 album on his own label. Mack had HIV/AIDS and refused treatment. He died on Mar. 12, 2018 at age 47. Here's the video for Flavor in Ya Ear by Craig Mack.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chicago

Artist:Chicago

Song:If You Leave Me Now

Album:The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning

The 1976 single If You Leave Me Now was the first #1 hit for the band Chicago. Their biggest hit before that was the 1973 single Saturday in the Park. Most of Chicago were studying jazz at DePaul University. So they wanted to be a jazz rock band similar to Blood, Sweat & Tears (BS&T). But like BS&T, Chicago was starting to fade in the mid 70s. Chicago started to fade too and they decided to soften their sound. By that time, they had released eight albums since 1969. And all of them were 2LP sets. They were so tired that Chicago IX was a greatest hits album. The singers for Chicago were Terry Kath, Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera. Cetera turned out to be the key guy as he wrote and sang If You Leave Me Now. It topped the charts in 1976. It was a much softer pop sound than Chicago had previously done. Kath played the guitar solo. The album Chicago X was certified 2XPlatinum. If You Leave Me Now won two Grammys. Chicago had never won a Grammy. So though fans of the original Chicago may not have liked the change, lots of folks really liked it and the success continued until Cetera was replaced by Bill Champlin in 1985. After that, Chicago wasn't as successful but Cetera had a significant solo career. The other significant events were the 1978 death of Terry Kath and the split with producer James William Guercio. Kath was replaced by Donnie Dacus who was in the musical Hair. Guercio quit the music business and became a full time rancher. After that, Chicago worked with producers like Phil Ramone and Tom Dowd. And they moved from Columbia to Warner Bros. in 1982. This 2CD comp covers the Columbia years. As I said, Chicago wasn't as successful after Cetera left. But they're still around. Original members Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane are still there. But now they are a nostalgia act. There is even a documentary about Chicago's Longevity. Chicago's latest album was released in 2022 on BMG. Here's Chicago performing If You Leave Me Now on the German TV show Disco 1976.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lori Bell

Artist:Lori Bell

Song:Alibi

Album:The Music of Djavan

Lori Bell is a jazz flutist who is mostly an educator. So she doesn't record frequently. But this 2009 tribute to the Brazilian musician Djavan features Tamir Handleman who was unknown back then. So I think his fans will be interested in this album. Lori was born Apr. 15, 1958 in Brooklyn, NY. Her father was jazz trumpeter Norman Bell who was in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. When Lori was ten years old, Her family moved to San Diego. She studied flute with Frederick Baker, Damian Bursill-Hall and others. She first recorded with veteran pianist Dave MacKay on the 1983 album Love Will Win on Discovery Records. Andy Simpkins was the bassist. The album was praised by legendary jazz critic Leonard Feather and was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. They recorded a follow up album Take Me to Brazil in 1989. After recording a couple of albums for the jazz label Beeswax, Lori released the 2009 album The Music of Djavan which is a tribute to the Brazilian musician Djavan. It's on Resonance Records which is owned by the non profit Rising Stars Jazz Foundation. This album features pianist Tamir Handelman. He recorded his own album for Resonance in 2010 and has appeared on plenty of sessions. The other musicians are David Enos on bass and Enzo Todesco on drums. Enos has played with Arturo Sandoval and Alphonse Mouzon. Todesco played with Warren Hill and James Ingram. This album is available on CD. Lori has since recorded for her own label, most recently in 2017. For the most part she has concentrated on teaching at San Diego State University. I don't think she tours much anymore. Here's Lori Bell with Tamir Handelman, David Enos and Enzo Todesco performing Alibi 2010.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Melvin Crispell III

Artist:Melvin Crispell III

Song:Wonderful Is Your Name

Album:I've Got a Testimony

Melvin Crispell III is a second generation gospel artist who won season nine of BET's Sunday Best. This is the gospel version of American Idol. Kirk Franklin produces the show and the winner is supposed to get a record deal with Franklin's record label Fo' Yo' Soul. Crispell signed with Sony's gospel label RCA Inspiration and the 2020 single Wonderful Is Your Name topped the Gospel charts. He was born June 19, 1997 in Charlotte, NC. Not surprisingly, his parents were gospel artists. His father Melvin Crispell was a keyboardist and songwriter. He wrote the song Wonderful Is Your Name for Hezekiah Walker. His mother Tunesha Crispell sang with Walker. Both his parents died while he was a teenager. After his mom died of cancer in 2016, Crispell signed with Sony's gospel label RCA Inspiration. After the 2019 EP Prologue III was released, the 2020 album I've Got a Testimony was released. The single Wonderful Is Your Name topped the Gospel chart and the album reached #5 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart. He was nominated for four Grammy awards, six Stellar awards and four Dove awards. And he performed on the Stellar broadcast and the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The main producers on the album are Aaron Lindsay and Myron Butler. Both are veteran gospel music producers. This album is available as a digital download. Crispell released his 2023 album No Failure on his own label with Provident distribution. He was Grammy nominated for that too. Gospel music fans should enjoy Crispell's music. Here's the video for Wonderful Is Your Name by Melvin Crispell III.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Fuzz

Artist:The Fuzz

Song:I Love You for All Seasons

Album:Art Laboe's Dedicated to You Vol, 2

The 1971 single I Love You for All Seasons was a top ten R&B hit and it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the only big hit for the R&B girl group The Fuzz. It is perceived as a one hit wonder. But a couple of their other songs charted so they aren't technically a one hit wonder. But it is a lost soul classic that I think most will enjoy. The Fuzz were from Washington, DC led by lead singer Sheila Young. She also wrote all the songs. The other two members were Val Williams and Barbara Gilliam. They were called The Passionettes when they released the 1970 single Sister Watch Yourself on Universal's UNI label. The group name was changed to The Fuzz and they signed with Calla Records. Calla was owned by Nate McCalla. He was a bodyguard for notorious mobster and Roulette Records owner Morris Levy. Among the acts on Calla were J.J. Jackson (But It's Alright), Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams and The Emotions. By the time The Fuzz signed in 1970, Calla was owned by Roulette. McCalla was murdered mobster style in 1978. Supposedly, Levy ordered the hit. After I Love You for All Seasons reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the R&B Singles chart, The Fuzz got to record an album. Sheila Young wrote most of the songs including I Love You for All Seasons. The album was produced by Washington DJ Carroll "Mr.C" Hynson and arranged by Joe Tate of Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. A couple of their other singles charted but it wasn't enough and The Fuzz split up. You can get I Love You for All Seasons on this various artists comp from Los Angeles DJ Art Laboe's Original Sound. This song has been sampled by hip hop guys including Brand Nubian and Dr. Dre. Here's a video for I Love You for All Seasons by The Fuzz.