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.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nikki Renee Daniels

Artist:Nikki Renee Daniels

Song:Summertime

Album:The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess: New Broadway Cast Recording

Nikki Renee Daniels has appeared on Broadway since 2000. She is probably best known for playing Clara in the 2012 production of the Gershwin musical Porgy & Bess. In recent years she has concentrated more on concert tours. But she has returned to Broadway so I would guess she will appear there again. Nikki was born Jan. 10 but she does not disclose her year of birth. She was born in Atlanta. Her mother was a teacher and her father managed a meat packing company. After graduating from a performing arts high school, she earned a BFA in Musical Theater at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Nikki moved to New York City and made her Broadway debut in Aida in 2000. She was mostly an understudy. Other shows include Nine (2003), Lestat (2006) and Anything Goes (2006). She was mostly an understudy until she got her break as Clara in the 2012 revival of Porgy & Bess. The stars were Audra McDonald as Bess, Norm Lewis as Porgy and David Alan Grier as Sportin' Life. The production was criticized for trying to make Porgy & Bess relevant to contemporary audiences. But the show ran for about a year and it was nominated for ten Tony awards. The original cast album is available as a digital download. After that Nikki appeared in the 2014 production of The Book of Mormon. Meanwhile, Nikki released the 2012 album Home produced by her husband Jeff Kready. So she toured to promote the album. Nikki returned to the stage in the 2019 Chicago production of Hamilton followed by Broadway revivals of Company (2021) and Once Upon a Mattress (2024). Nikki has also appeared in the films Wicked (2024) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) and in the TV shows Billions (2022) and The Equalizer (2023). Like many Broadway performers, Nikki appears with regional orchestras and in New York clubs. Here's Nikki Renee Daniels performing Summertime at Birdland in New York City Dec. 19, 2020. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Camp

Artist:Steve Camp

Song:Lazy Jane

Album:Compact Favorites

CCM singer songwriter Steve Camp had success beginning with his 1985 Sparrow Records debut album Shake Me to Wake Me and debut single Lazy Jane. This was at a time when CCM labels were trying to cross their artists over to pop a la Amy Grant. I don't know if Sparrow tried to do that with Camp but Lazy Jane is a pretty good audition for that. BTW, Steve Camp is not related to CCM singer Jeremy Camp. He was born Apr. 13, 1955 in Wheaton, IL. which is west of Chicago. His parents were Christian and that's how he was raised. He was friends with Jesus music pioneers Larry Norman and Keith Green and they helped him chose music as a career. Camp attended Roosevelt University in Chicago where he majored in music composition and theory. His key collaborator in his early days was Rob Frazier formerly of Petra. Camp signed with Word's Myrrh label in 1977. He recorded four albums for Myrrh and switched to EMI's Sparrow label. He worked with Frazier on the 1985 album Shake Me To Wake Me. They wrote most of the songs together including Lazy Jane and produced. Frazier went on to a solo career. But he has had more success as a songwriter and producer. As I said, Lazy Jane almost seems like Camp is telling Sparrow that he wants to cross over to pop. It's typical of pop music fromthat time. The album was recorded with studio musicians. The Sax solo is by Jim Horn. Sparrow released this comp in 1998 which is available as a digital download. Camp left Sparrow for Warner Bros.' Warner Alliance. and he had his greatest success with the 1993 album Taking Heaven By Storm produced by Michael Omartian. The problem was Warner Alliance was soon closed. Camp hosted a radio talk show AudienceONE Ministries and last released an album in 2024 on his own label. He is currently the senior pastor at The Cross Church in Palm City, FL. Here's the video for Lazy Jane by Steve Camp.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gaelic Storm

Artist:Gaelic Storm

Song:Johnny Jump Up

Album:Special Reserve

As you might expect given the band name, Gaelic Storm performs traditional Irish songs in a contemporary style. Their claim to fame is they were the band in the 1997 film Titanic. Gaelic Storm is still around but only one original member is still in the band. Johnny Jump Up is from their 1997 debut album so I will concentrate on their early days. Gaelic Storm was formed in 1996 in Santa Monica, CA. The plan was to play regularly at O'Brien's Pub and Restaurant in Santa Monica. Lead singer Patrick Murphy was the manager there. He still leads Gaelic Storm. Guitarist Steve Twigger was the other long term member. He's from Coventry, England and he was designing movie posters when Gaelic Storm was formed. The other original members were Stephen Wehmeyer on bodhran, Samantha Hunt on fiddle and Shep Lonsdale on drums. While performing at O'Brien's, Titanic director James Cameron came in and told them he was looking for a band for Titanic. Once they appeared in the film, Gaelic Storm got a record deal from Virgin's Higher Octave label. The album did very well on the International chart. Johnny Jump Up was popularized by Irish folk singer Christy Moore in the 70s. Most of the songs on the album are traditional. Lonsdale and Twigger produced the album. Lonsdale played drums. Twigger played guitar and designed the album cover. Murphy was lead singer and played accordion. Samantha Hunt played fiddle and Wehmeyer played bodhran. You can get Johnny Jump Up on this comp which covers Gaelic Storm's early years. They recorded three albums for Higher Octave then started their own label. Murphy and Twigger were the constant members of Gaelic Storm until Twigger retired in 2025 due to health concerns. Gaelic Storm still plays live but they last released an album in 2017. Here's Gaelic Storm performing Johnny Jump Up at Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, NC Nov. 10, 2022.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Icehouse

Artist:Icehouse

Song:Electric Blue

Album:White Heat: 30 Hits

The Australian band Icehouse had success mostly at home until they started using synthesizers in the 80s when synth pop was very popular. They scored a top ten hit with the 1987 single Electric Blue. I think it's one of those songs that folks remember but they know nothing about the band. The band was called Flowers when they were formed in Sydney, Australia in 1977. Iva Davies was the leader. He still leads the band and is the only original member. He sings lead, writes all the songs and produces. So the other band members are disposable. Flowers had success on the local pub rock circuit playing mostly covers. They signed with Regular Records with Festival distribution in 1980. Davies started experimenting with synthesizers and released Flowers' 1980 debut album Icehouse. They had success on the Australian charts. Flowers signed with Chrysalis Records for international distribution and changed the band name to Icehouse as there was already a band called Flowers. Though Icehouse toured internationally, they didn't have much success outside Australia until the 1987 album Men of Colours probably because there were a lot of synth pop bands around at the time and it was difficult for Icehouse to distinguish themselves. But they finally had success in the US when the 1987 single Crazy reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 followed by Electric Blue which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other than that, Icehouse had little success outside Australia which makes me think that many listeners liked the song but thought it was by Spandau Ballet. This happens a lot in pop music and results in plenty of one hit wonders. Davies wrote Electric Blue with John Oates of Hall & Oates. Oates was an Icehouse fan. He said that if Icehouse hadn't recorded Electric Blue, Hall & Oates would have recorded it. The girl in the video was Paris Jefferson who had appeared in other Icehouse videos. Icehouse had very little international success after that though they were still successful in Australia. All their his are on this comp. Icehouse last released a new album in 1993. But they still tour Australia. Davies is the only original member and he has released a few solo albums. Here's the video for Electric Blue by Icehouse.