AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mercedes Sosa

Artist:Mercedes Sosa

Song:Todo Cambia

Album:Oro

Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa was popular throughout Latin America and Europe for over 40 years. Her roots are in Argentine folk music but she liked to record songs by young songwriters. She won a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. She was born July 9, 1935 in Tucuman, Argentina which is in Northwest Argentina. She was of Spanish, French and Diaguita descent. Her nickname La Negra is because of her darker complexion due to her indigenous (Diaguita) heritage. Mercedes was 15 years old when she started singing for the local Peronist Party as Gladys Osorio. Then she won a singing competition at a local radio station. Mercedes recorded her debut album in 1965. Folksinger Jorge Cafrune brought her onstage at the 1965 Cosquin National Folklore Festival. That got her enough attention so she could record an album of Argentine folk songs. This got her a record deal with Philips Records for the 1966 album Hermanos. She recorded for Philips, Polydor and Mercury for over 30 years. Mercedes started touring in the US and Europe. She recorded albums with Ariel Martinez and Felix Luna and popularized Brazilian songwriter Milton Nascimento and Cuban Silvio Rodriguez. She recorded women's songs in the 70s along with songs about political and social issues. After the military junta of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976, the atmosphere in Argentina became increasingly oppressive. After Mercedes was barred from performing in 1979, she moved to Europe and lived mostly in Spain. She returned to Argentina in 1982 just before the regime collapsed due to the Falklands War. This is when Mercedes became very popular in Argentina for recording young songwriters. Todo Cambia is from her 1984 album Sera Posible El Sur. The album songs are about political and social change. The song Todo Cambia was written by Chilean singer songwriter Julio Numhauser. The album was produced by her husband Fabian Matus. You can get Todo Cambia on this comp which is available as a budget CD. Philips, Polydor and Mercury are all now Universal labels. She left Universal in 1999 for RCA. Mercedes received many lifetime achievement awards in her final years. She died on Sept. 18, 2009 at age 74. Here's the video for Todo Cambia by Mercedes Sosa.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Randy Scruggs

Artist:Randy Scruggs

Song:Lonesome Reuben

Album:Crown of Jewels

Randy Scruggs was the son of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs. Mostly he was a Nashville studio musician, songwriter and producer. The 1998 album Crown of Jewels was Scruggs' only solo album and it has an all star cast. So most country music fans will want to get it. Scruggs was born Aug. 3, 1953 in Nashville. He recorded two albums with his brother Gary Scruggs for Vanguard Records in the early 70s. Meanwhile, he played bass on John Hartford's 1971 album Aereo-Plain. He played with his dad on a couple of Flatt & Scruggs records. After they split up, he was a member of The Earl Scruggs Revue. Scruggs was also a member of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and played with Tom T. Hall and Waylon Jennings. In 1980, Scruggs opened his own recording studio Scruggs Sound Studio in Berry Hill, TN. Among the albums recorded there were Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 2 by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1989 and the 2002 follow up album and the 1994 album Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album. Scruggs sold the studio just before his 2018 death. He also got into songwriting and wrote two top ten country hits; the 1986 single Right Hand Man by Eddy Raven and the 1989 single Call on Me by Tanya Tucker. So he was probably too busy to record his own album. And the 1998 album Crown of Jewels on Reprise Records was an all star extravaganza. Of course the instrumental Lonesome Ruben was written by his dad Earl Scruggs and an all star band performed it on the 1998 CMA Awards show broadcast. Other guests on the album include Vince Gill, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Trisha Yearwood, Travis Tritt, Bruce Hornsby, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Douglas, Joan Osborne and Rosanne Cash. This album is available as a digital download. Scruggs returned to his studio activities including playing on albums by Sara Evans, Lee Ann Womack and Rodney Crowell. As I said, Randy Scruggs sold his studio in 2018 and died on Apr. 17, 2018 at age 64. Here's Randy Scruggs with an all star band including his dad Earl Scruggs and Chet Atkins performing Lonesome Ruben on the 1998 CMA Awards broadcast. All the musicians are identified on screen.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The 5.6.7.8's

Artist:The 5.6.7.8's

Song:Woo Hoo

Album:Bomb the Rocks: Early Days Singles 1989-1996

If you have seen the 2003 film Kill Bill Vol. 1, you will be familiar with a fight scene featuring the Japanese band The 5.6.7.8's performing the rockabilly song Woo Hoo. I am posting video of the scene as a reminder. The 5.6.7.8's have been around since the 90s. They are unknown outside Japan. But their appearance in Kill Bill made them famous for a while. The 5.6.7.8's were formed in Tokyo in 1986 by sisters Yoshiko "Ronnie" Fujiyama on guitar and Sachiko Fujii on drums plus bassist Akiko Omo. They all sing. Their music is a mix of rockabilly and garage rock. They sing mostly in Japanese. The 5.6.7.8's record for the Osaka based label Time Bomb Records. But occasionally US indie labels have released their records here. This cover of the rockabilly song Woo Hoo was released on The 5.6.7.8's 1996 EP Bomb the Twist. This was released in the US by the indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry. It was first recorded by the rockabilly group The Rock-A-Teens in 1959 and it reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. They only released one album as they were on Roulette Records and Roulette owner Morris Levy had mob connections and was notorious for not paying bands. Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino was on his way to the Tokyo Airport when he heard The 5.6.7.8's in a clothing store. He didn't have time to go to a record store. So he paid double for the CD. Woo Hoo reached #26 on the British Singles chart. It also was used in a couple of commercials. The Kill Bill soundtrack is out of print. But you can get Woo Hoo on this 5.6.7.8's comp. The 5.6.7.8's are still around. They just released a new album in June. They will be going on a European tour in October. Here's The 5.6.7.8's performing Woo Hoo in the 2003 film Kill Bill Part 1. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Reik

Artist:Reik

Song:Levemente

Album:Reik

The band Reik has been very popular in their native Mexico since their 2005 album Reik. They started out as a pop band and in recent years have gone to a more urban sound. Producer Adelarbo Vazquez had another band called Reik. When that didn't work out, he asked singer Jesus Navarro and guitarist Julio Ramirez to record demos in 2003. They were released through the Mexican underground music scene. When the song Levemente spread across Mexico, he invited guitarist Julio Marin Espinoza to join the band. The band name Reik means raking the guitar strings. The spelling is so it is pronounced correctly. Reik signed with Sony and released the 2005 album Reik. The album was certified 4XPlatinum in Mexico and several singles including Levemente did very well. The album also sold well in Latin America. Vazquez produced the album with Kiko Cibrian who has produced Luis Miguel and others. Vazquez wrote half of the album songs including Levemente. The album is available as a budget CD. For their first few albums, Reik had a pop sound that was comparable to a boy band. When they started to fade, Reik decided to reinvent themselves. And they brought in Reggaeton singer Nicky Jam to record a remix of Ya Me Entere for the 2016 album Des/Amor. The single and the album were very successful in Latin America. So Reik did reinvent themselves and they continue to collaborate with Reggaeton artists. They released their latest album in 2025 but it didn't do as well as previous albums. Maybe Reik will reinvent themselves again. Here's the video for Levemente by Reik. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-One Sonic Society

Artist:One Sonic Society

Song:Forever Reign

Album:Forever Reign

One Sonic Society was a CCM supergroup who had success with their 2012 album and single Forever Reign. Though they are categorized as CCM, the music is more Praise & Worship (P&W) than CCM. They were categorized as a supergroup because the band members came from different well known CCM bands. Since most CCM and P&W comes from a church, a supergroup is kind of unusual. Plus many supergroups are short term and I think these guys planned to remain together. The leader of One Sonic Society is lead singer, songwriter and producer Jason Ingram. He released a solo album in 2002 and was lead singer of the band The Longing. But he has won Dove Awards for his songs. The other members were Stuart Gerrard on guitar and Jonathan Thatcher on bass from the British band Delirious? and Paul Mabury on drums from Hillsong UNITED. Delirious was a very successful band. After they retired in 2009, Gerrard was looking for Christian artists to work with and he met Ingram. Gerrard brought Thatcher with him and Ingram knew Mabury. They were going to call themselves Christian Music Collective. But when they signed with Sony's CCM label Essential Records, they changed it to One Sonic Society. After releasing three EPs, they released the 2012 album Forever Reign. The single Forever Reign reached #17 on the CCM chart. The song was written by Ingram and Reuben Morgan of the Australian P&W collective Hillsong. Hillsong released it first and it was a big enough hit that their fans picked up on the One Sonic Society version. The album was reviewed positively and did very well in the CCM market. Ingram co-wrote all the songs and produced the album. This album is available as a budget CD. They released a live album soon after followed by a 2015 EP. It looks like there were plans for another album because they released a couple of singles. But Ingram decided to end One Sonic Society in 2019. He just got too busy as a songwriter and producer to continue the band. He says now that One Sonic Society was never supposed to be a full time band but just a side project. Ingram still works on songs with Mabury. But I think the other two guys thought it was a full time band. Here's the video for Forever Reign by One Sonic Society.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aaron Lewis

Artist:Aaron Lewis

Song:Granddaddy's Gun

Album:The Road

Fans of the hard rock band Staind may be surprised to learn that Staind's screaming lead singer Aaron Lewis has been a country music singer songwriter since 2011. His songs are patriotic so that can be polarizing. I guess he's trying to be the new Lee Greenwood. He has had modest success on the country charts. Staind is active again. So it looks like Lewis is going to split his time between the two. He was born Apr. 13, 1972 in Rutland, VT. His family lived in a log cabin. When his parents split up, he moved with his father to Longmeadow, MA and attended high school there. He helped form Staind in 1995 and I guess his screaming lead vocals distinguish them from similar hard rock bands. While Staind was touring with Kid Rock in 1999, Lewis reignited his love for country music that he listened to as a child spending summers with his grandparents. He released the 2011 EP Town Line on James Stroud's Stroudavarious label and the single Country Boy featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels charted in Country and was certified Platinum. He followed this with the 2012 album The Road also produced by Stroud. Lewis wrote all the songs except his cover of the Rhett Akins song Granddaddy's Gun. The album is available as a digital download. The success of the album led him to signing with Big Machine. His patriotic tone in the Granddaddy's Gun video convinced Lewis to continue that tone in subsequent albums. Is the patriotism real or a gimmick? Probably both as it distinguishes Lewis from other country artists. It also divides Staind fans as some of them like it and some don't. Lewis released his most recent country album in 2024. Meanwhile, Staind has reformed. They are currently touring and will release a new album in 2027. At first, Lewis said he would record with Staind but not tour. So now he is doing both. How long before Aaron Lewis burns out? Here's the video for Granddaddy's Gun by Aaron Lewis. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tad

Artist:Tad

Song:Throat Locust

Album:Inhaler

The band Tad were pioneers of the Seattle grunge scene of the 90s. They were popular locally. But unlike some of the other bands of that era, Tad was unable to attain a level of fame. The 1993 album Inhaler was on a major label. They tried to tone Tad down. But it didn't work and they split up. Tad was formed in 1988 by Tad Doyle who was formerly a drummer with the band H-Hour. His full name is Thomas Andrew Doyle. Tad is his nickname. Doyle recorded a demo and played all the instruments. When the demo got him a deal with the indie label Sub Pop, Doyle realized he needed a band for live shows. So he brought in bassist Gary Danielson from the band Bundle of Hiss, drummer Steve Weid from the band Skin Yard and guitarist Gary Thorstenson from the band The Tree Climbers. Doyle was lead singer and played guitar. Tad released their 1989 debut album God's Balls and opened for Nirvana on a European tour. They released the album 8-Way Santa in 1991 and the single Jack Pepsi. They were sued over the album and single cover and Sub Pop had to change them. Then Tad got a big break. They appeared in Cameron Crowe's 1992 film Singles about the Seattle grunge scene and that got them a record deal with Irving Azoff's Giant Records with Warner Bros. distribution. Weid was replaced by Josh Sinder. The 1993 album Inhaler was released to positive reviews and Tad opened for Soundgarden's 1994 tour. The album was produced by J Macsis AKA Dinosaur Jr. After Inhaler failed to catch on, Azoff dropped Tad. The album is available on CD. They released a live album and then they signed with Warner's Elektra label. They released the album Infrared Riding Hood. Thorstenson left and was replaced on the album by Doyle. Mike Mongrain of Foil was brought in to play drums on the tour. Unfortunately, Tad's A&R rep was fired and all the bands he signed were dropped. Tad continued to tour and released one more single before splitting up in 1999. Doyle led several bands after that. But none of them were successful. There was a Tad reunion at the Sub Pop Records 25th Anniversary show in 2013 in Seattle. These days Doyle owns his own studio and released a solo album in 2023. His music these days is electronic music suitable for films. There are no plans for a Tad reunion. Here's Tad performing Throat Locust on The Spud Goodman Show.