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. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oliver Nelson

Artist:Oliver Nelson

Song:Stolen Moments

Album:The Blues and the Abstract Truth

Jazz saxophonist Oliver Nelson played in several bands in the late 50s. His goal was to be a composer and arranger. And the 1961 album The Blues and the Abstract Truth and especially the song Stolen Moments was so successful that it led to Nelson moving to Los Angeles to compose music for TV and film. So Nelson's path is very similar to Quincy Jones. The difference is that Nelson died prematurely so he never had the chance to be like Jones. He was born June 4, 1932 in St. Louis. His brother was a saxophonist who played with Cootie Williams and his sister sang and played piano. He took up the sax at age 11. His most notable early stint was playing alto sax and arranging for Louis Jordan in 1950. Nelson served in the US Marine Corps and played in their band. He attended a Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra concert that convinced him to become a composer. So when Nelson got home to St. Louis, he studied music composition and theory at Washington University in St. Louis and Lincoln University and graduated with a master's degree in 1958. He moved to New York City and was the house arranger at The Apollo Theater. He recorded several albums for Prestige Records. He played with Count Basie and Duke Ellington and toured with Quincy Jones. ABC-Paramount Records decided to start a jazz label. They hired Creed Taylor as a producer. He had previously worked for Bethlehem Records. Taylor was scouting for talent in New York and met Nelson. Nelson was already under contract to Prestige. So Taylor hired him to compose The Blues and the Abstract Truth and assemble an all star band. The musicians were Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Eric Dolphy on alto sax and flute, Nelson played tenor sax, George Barrow on baritone sax, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. The song Stolen Moments became a jazz standard. Jazz singer Mark Murphy wrote lyrics for Stolen Moments when he recorded it in 1978. The album is available as a budget CD. Nelson continued to record his own albums. But he also worked as an arranger on big band albums. The big one was when Nelson worked with Sonny Rollins on the score for the 1966 film Alfie. Nelson moved to Los Angeles in 1967. He worked mostly on TV shows like Ironside, The Name of the Game, It Takes a Thief, Night Gallery and The Six Million Dollar Man. He also worked as an arranger on films like Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He was recording albums for former Impulse! producer Bob Thiele's label Flying Dutchman. It's likely that Nelson would have continued on this route. But he died from a heart attack on Oct. 28, 1975 at age 43. Here's a video for Stolen Moments by Oliver Nelson.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Clarence Ashley

Artist:Clarence Ashley

Song:Coo Coo Bird

Album:Country Music Pioneer 1927-1935

Clarence Ashley was a country music pioneer who recorded in the late 1920s. Mostly he played the banjo. Coo Coo Bird is probably his best known song. Though he was influential, Ashley was never famous until he was rediscovered in the 60s and played folk festivals. He was born Clarence Earl McCurry Sept. 29, 1895 in Bristol, TN. His father played fiddle. Shortly before Ashley's birth, his maternal grandfather discovered that daddy was an adulterer and was forced to leave town. Ashley and his mom moved in with her parents. They ran a boarding house in Mountain City, TN. He adopted his grandparents name Ashley and his grandfather nicknamed him Tom. So as a child, he was known as Tom Ashley. His grandfather bought him a banjo when he was eight years old. His mom taught him traditional Appalachian folks songs and some of the boarders taught him techniques. In 1911, Ashley joined a medicine show that was passing through Mountain City. He played banjo and guitar and performed blackface comedy. Ashley toured with medicine shows until the early 40s. In the winter, he played local shows with fiddler G.B. Grayson. Ashley first recorded with the Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers in 1928 for Gennett Records. The other members were Garley Foster on harmonica and Clarence Horton Greene on fiddle. He also played guitar with The Carolina Tar Heels with Foster on harmonica and Dock Walsh on banjo. Ashley recorded solo for Columbia in 1929 followed by recordings with Blue Ridge Entertainers and some sides with Gwen Foster on harmonica in 1933. Ashley recorded Coo Coo Bird in 1929. The recording became famous after it was selected for the Anthology of Folk Music in 1952. This box set has all of Ashley's recordings. The Great Depression ended Ashley's performing career. Not only could he not record but all the places that he played for money were closed. No one had money anyway. Ashley started a trucking company in 1937 and he performed with the Stanley Brothers and The Tennessee Merrymakers. Ashley was rediscovered in the 60s because of his inclusion on the Anthology of Folk Music. Mandolinist Ralph Rinzler met Ashley at the 1960 Old Time Fiddler's Convention in Union Grove, NC. and he persuaded Ashley to start playing banjo again. Ashley toured with the great Doc Watson and played the 1963 Newport Folk Festival and New York's Carnegie Hall among other places. He recorded a 1966 album for Folkways Records. Ashley toured England with guitarist Tex Isley in 1966. He was going to go there again when he got sick and died of cancer on June 2, 1967 at age 71. Doc Watson and Roy Acuff are among those who cite Ashley as an influence. At least he got rediscovered in the 60s. This video is mostly an interview with Clarence Ashley. But he does play Coo Coo Bird in the video.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MEW

Artist:MEW

Song:Introducing Palace Players

Album:No More Stories...

The Danish band MEW had success mostly in Europe as an album and touring band. The 2009 album No More Stories... is probably their most popular album. MEW recently retired after a farewell tour. MEW is from Copenhagen, Denmark led by lead singer and main songwriter Jonas Bjerre. They were classmates in the Copenhagen suburb of Hellerup. The other members were Bo Madsen on guitar, Johan Wallert on bass and Silas Graae on drums. When they formed in 1995, they called themselves Orange Dog. Though the band failed, Bjerre regrouped after a trip to the US. The new band was called MEW. It's supposed to be like "eeeew" which is a reaction to something disgusting. They self released the 1997 album A Triumph for Man which got them a distributor. Also, Bjerre created background animation for live shows that got them noticed. This led to a record deal with Columbia. As I said, they have been successful mostly as an album and touring band. Introducing Palace Players was first released on the 2009 EP No More Stories... The album was released a couple of months later. MEW wrote and produced with recording engineer Rich Costey. This is probably their best known album and is available as a budget CD. MEW continued until Bjerre decided to end the band. They were trying to record in 2024. And when things weren't going well, Bjerre decided to end the band. It looks like he plans to start a new band. MEW played their farewell show in February. Here's the video for Introducing Palace Players by MEW. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Yola

Artist:Yola

Song:Diamond Studded Shoes

Album:Stand for Myself

Yola is a British singer songwriter who is attempting to be a successful recording artist and avoid categorization because she can do many things. That's always going to be tough because radio station program directors like to take the easy route. Right now she's a bit of a cause celebre with music business insiders but I don't know how long that will last. She was born Yolanda Claire Quartey July 31, 1983 in Bristol, England. Her father left when she was two years old. Her mother tried to discourage her from pursuing music. Yola attended university in London and used student loans to stay afloat while making music. Of course that didn't last and she was homeless for six months until she had enough money to move back to Bristol. Yola toured with the DJ collective Bugs in the Attic and Massive Attack. And that led to studio work as a background singer. Yola formed the band Phantom Limb and they released a couple of albums. But she didn't like being part of a band. So she released a 2016 EP Orphan Offering as Yola Carter. After it was critically praised by the music press, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys signed her to his label Easy Eye Sound with Concord distribution. Yola's debut album Walk Through Fire was released. Auerbach produced the album in Nashville. They wrote all the songs together. The album did well in England and in the Adult Alternative market. She was nominated for four Grammys including Best New Artist. Yola's music was categorized as Roots or Americana and I don't think it's either of those things. Meanwhile, Yola played Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film Elvis. Then she released the 2021 album Stand for Myself. This was also written and produced by Yola and Auerbach. It was nominated for two Grammys, Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song for the single Diamond Studded Shoes. Is that how she wants to be categorized? Meanwhile, Yola made her Broadway debut in the 2024 musical Hadestown. For the 2025 EP My Way, the sound is more synth pop and R&B. It was produced by Rihannon Giddens formerly of The Carolina Chocolate Drops who has defied stereotypes for her whole career. The EP seems to be a one off. Maybe Yola learned something. Here's the video for Diamond Studded Shoes by Yola.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ahmad Jamal

Artist:Ahmad Jamal

Song:Poinciana

Album:Priceless Jazz

Here is another in my Jazz for Beginners series complete with an affordable comp CD and a live performance video clip. Pianist Ahmad Jamal was around for decades leading small groups. The high point of his career was when his 1958 single Poinciana was a top five hit. Obviously it was a surprise hit but it certainly kept him going for decades. He was born Frederick Russell Jones July 2, 1930 in Pittsburgh. He started playing at age three when his uncle challenged him to copy what he was playing on piano. He was classically trained by opera singer Mary Cardwell Dawson. He was playing in competitions at age 11. His jazz influences include Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams and Erroll Garner. He started playing in clubs at age 14. At the time, Jamal was compared to Art Tatum. Jamal started touring after graduating high school in 1948. He moved to Chicago in 1950 and converted to Islam and took the name Ahmad Jamal. Jamal first recorded with The Three Strings in 1951 for Columbia's Okeh label. The other members were Ray Crawford on guitar and Eddie Calhoun on bass. Bassist Israel Crosby joined in 1954 and remained with Jamal until 1962. The turning point for Jamal came when he signed with Chess's Argo label and released the 1956 album Count 'Em 88. For that album, Crawford was replaced by drummer Walter Perkins. And he was replaced by Vernal Fournier for the 1958 album Ahmad's Blues. They were the house band at Chicago's Pershing Hotel. Chess decided to record there in Jan. 1958 and Jamal selected the songs for the album At the Pershing: But Not for Me. All the songs on the album were standards including Poinciana. DownBeat criticized the album as "cocktail jazz". But remember it was recorded at a cocktail lounge. The unusual thing was when Chess released Poinciana as a single and it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was at a time when Billboard was transitioning from their old system that didn't include jazz. So Poinciana was the first jazz song to chart on Billboard's singles chart. Poinciana is a Cuban folk song about a tree. Tin Pan Alley songwriters Nat Simon and Buddy Bernier adapted it to English. Steve Lawrence charted with his 1952 recording of Poinciana. But plenty of jazz musicians recorded it and that's likely where Jamal heard it. This trio was very successful until Crosby died of a heart attack in 1962. That was the peak of Jamal's career. He recorded for Cadet, Impulse!, 20th Century, Atlantic, Verve, Telarc and smaller labels. Universal owns the Chess catalog so this is the comp you should get. Ahmad Jamal died from prostate cancer on Apr. 16, 2023 at age 92. Here's Ahmad Jamal with Yusef Lateef on flute and sax, Reginald Veal on bass, Herlin Riley on drums and Manolo Badrena on percussion performing Poinciana at the Olympia in Paris Nov. 2012. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Salsa Celtica

Artist:Salsa Celtica

Song:El Sol de la Noche

Album:El Agua De La Vida

Salsa Celtica is a salsa band that happens to be from Scotland. Anyone expecting them to be a salsa version of Red Hot Chilli Pipers will be disappointed because they are a standard salsa band with occasional use of bagpipes and other Celtic instruments. Trumpeter Toby Shippey was playing Edinburgh clubs when he got the idea to form a salsa band. He visited Cuba to investigate further. When he returned, he formed Salsa Celtica and they self released a couple of albums. They toured England, Scotland and Ireland and also played the US folk festival circuit. For the 2003 album El Agua de La Vida, Salsa Celtica signed with the Celtic music label Greentrax with Compass handling US distribution. They do not record traditional salsa. Shippey writes most of the songs with co-writers. He wrote El Sol de la Noche with jazz pianist Roland Perrin who plays on the song. The album was produced by Jim Sutherland. The lead singer is Cuban Ricardo Fernandez Pompa. The other lead singer is Venezuelan Lino Rocha. This album is available on CD. Shippey has another band called Grupo Magnetico. They had a residency in Edinburgh and released an album in 2018. Salsa Celtica released an album last year. So they are still around but my guess is band membership is very fluid. Here's Salsa Celtica performing El Sol de la Noche at the Helsinki Festival Aug. 30, 2014.