Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bianca Belair vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Bianca Belair vs Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. Becky Lynch is on commentary. This match was made after Asuka accidently kicked Bianca last week. We're finally going to get the three way match for the RAW Women's Championship at Sunday's Hell in a Cell. The match is OK but I don't much care for babyface vs babyface. It lacked heat. I don't think it ever got out of second gear. I didn't like either Asuka or Bianca getting distracted by Becky. The WWE likes doing distractions. My eyes roll because it's a crutch that is used far too often. Oh and Asuka "tweaking" her knee was stupid BS and another WWE creative crutch. Plus another roll up finish. Phooey! My guess is Bianca keeps the title on Sunday. And Becky's heel behavior has been so obnoxious, it wouldn't surprise me if she took the fall and had another nervous breakdown. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ariana Grande

Artist:Ariana Grande

Song:No Tears Left To Cry

Album:Sweetener

Ariana Grande is one of today's biggest pop stars. She has been very successful since her 2013 debut album. The 2018 album Sweetener was interesting because it was her first album after the bombing at her Manchester Arena concert. No Tears Left To Cry was the lead single. It was a hit but not her biggest hit. She was born June 26, 1993 in Boca Raton, FL. Ariana started performing as a child in local theater. By age 13, she went to Los Angeles to get a record deal. Obviously they were skeptical when she told them she wanted to sing R&B. In 2008, she was cast as the cheerleader Charlotte in the Broadway musical 13. Then she was cast in the Nickleodeon sitcom Victorious. This made her popular with teen girls. Meanwhile, Ariana was working on her music. After posting videos on YouTube, Republic Records CEO Monte Lipman spotted her and signed her. It took three years to produce Ariana's debut album because Republic wanted teen pop and Ariana didn't want to record that. So there were struggles over that. The solution was to hire Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds to write and produce the album. Yours Truly was released 2013. It was certified Platinum and the single The Way was a top ten hit. Ariana worked with several producers on the 2014 album My Everything. But she really seemed to click with Swedish producers Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh and songwriter Savan Kotecha. Martin is best known for producing Britney Spears. These guys produced all the hit singles from My Everything. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. After Ariane's May 22, 2017 concert at the Manchester Arena was the target of a suicide bombing, she had already produced several songs for the 2018 album Sweetener with Pharrell Williams. Some of those songs were scrapped and then Martin and Salmanzadeh produced about half the songs on the album. No Tears Left To Cry was the lead single. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sweetener was certified Platinum. Ariane's 2019 album Thank You, Next did even better. It was certified 2XPlatinum and 7 Rings was her first #1 hit single. For the 2020 album Positions, Ariane is now working with producer Tommy "TBHits" Brown. They had worked together previously but he produced most of this album. Martin has been working with Lady Gaga so that is keeping him busy. Ariana announced she would not record new music during the COVID-19 crisis. Currently she is working on the two part film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked. That should keep her busy for a while. Here's the video for No Tears Left To Cry by Arianna Grande.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roger Waters

Artist:Roger Waters

Song:5:06 AM (Every Strangers Eyes)

Album:Flickering Flame

Of course Roger Waters is one of the founding members of Pink Floyd. Since leaving Pink Floyd in 1985, he has had a very successful solo career as an album and touring act. He doesn't need hit singles. He was born Sept. 6, 1943 in Great Bookham, England. As one of the founders of Pink Floyd, Waters was a major creative force. But there was conflict between Waters and the rest of Pink Floyd during the recording of the 1983 album The Final Cut. David Gilmour had his name removed from the credits. And though the album was critically acclaimed at the time, it is considered today to be a Roger Waters solo album. While Waters was in the process of leaving Pink Floyd, he released the 1984 album The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking. It's about a man going through a midlife crisis. Waters says the idea came the same time as The Wall. When Pink Floyd decided to record The Wall, he put The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking aside for later. Waters produced with New York Rock Ensemble pianist and film composer Michael Kamen. Other musicians include Eric Clapton on guitar, Andy Bown on Hammond organ, David Sanborn on sax, Andy Newmark on drums and Ray Cooper on percussion. The album was certified Gold. So it did well and Waters toured to support it. Since then Waters has released four albums. The latest is a 2018 rock opera adaptation of Igor Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale. This Australian comp is a good intro to Waters' music. So though he has reunited occasionally with Pink Floyd, these days Waters is a solo act. Here's the video for 5:06 AM (Every Strangers Eyes) by Roger Waters.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Walter Matthau

Artist:Walter Matthau

Song:It Takes a Woman

Album:Hello, Dolly!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Of course most movie fans are familiar with actor Walter Matthau's long career in films. This performance of It Takes a Woman from the 1968 film musical Hello, Dolly! was his only time singing in a film. He was born Walter Matthow Oct. 1, 1920 in New York City. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. He first performed in summer camp. After serving in the US Army during WWII, Matthau studied at the Dramatic Workshop of the New School. His joke was the others looked like actors but Matthau looked like Skid Row bum. He won a 1962 Tony award for A Shot in the Dark. Matthau's early film roles included the 1958 Elvis Presley film King Creole and A Face in the Crowd starring Andy Griffith. He also appeared in TV shows like Naked City and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He usually played villains. Matthau's big break came when Neil Simon cast him as Oscar Madison in the Broadway comedy The Odd Couple. Matthau also started his long association with Jack Lemmon in the film version of The Odd Couple. The success of Billy Wilder's 1966 film The Fortune Cookie led to Hello, Dolly!. When this Jerry Herman musical was on Broadway, Carol Channing was the star. The 1968 film was tailored for Barbra Streisand who was much younger than Channing. That casting was heavily criticized. The film also added Louis Armstrong who was not in the Broadway show but scored a hit single with Hello, Dolly!. Matthau played Horace Vandergelder which was played by David Burns on Broadway. The difference is Burns was an accomplished singer and Matthau can't sing. Obviously he was hired because he's a movie star. Matthau also appeared in the finale with Barbra Streisand and Michael Crawford. This was Matthau's only singing appearance in a film. It was just a blip in his career as Matthau returned to films like Kotch and The Sunshine Boys. Matthau is best remembered for his many films with Jack Lemmon. But he also had great success working with Neil Simon and Billy Wilder. Matthau continued to appear in film until health problems led to his death on July 1, 2000 at age 79. Here's Walter Matthau performing It Takes a Woman from the 1968 film Hello, Dolly!.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Morrison

Artist:James Morrison

Song:You Make It Real

Album:Undiscovered + Songs for You, Truths for Me

Singer songwriter James Morrison has had success mostly in his native England. His blue eyed soul style will remind you of guys like James Blunt. And I guess that's the problem with Morrison. He's not distinctive enough. He was born James Morrison Catchpole Aug. 13, 1984 in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Morrison almost died from whooping cough when he was a baby. After Morrison's uncle taught him to play guitar, he played local clubs as a teen. His demos got him a record deal with Polydor. He was on Interscope in the US. Morrison's 2006 debut single You Give Me Something reached #5 on the British Singles chart. The second single Wonderful World reached #8. The album Undiscovered topped the British album chart and was certified 5XPlatinum. Morrison wrote the songs with a co-writer. Most of the album was produced by Swedish producer Martin Terefe who has produced Jason Mraz. Morrison also had success in Europe and Australia. But he never had a chart single in the US. He appeared on US TV but he never caught on. For the 2008 album Songs for You, Truths for Me, Terefe again produced along with Mark Taylor and Steve Robson. You Make It Real was the first single. It reached #7 on the British Singles chart. Morrison wrote it with Paul Barry who wrote Believe for Cher. Taylor produced. He also worked on Believe. The second single Broken Strings featured Nelly Furtado. It reached #2 on the British Singles chart. It is his biggest hit to date. Taylor also produced that. The album did not do as well as the first album. It's available in a 2CD Special Edition. The second CD is acoustic versions of Morrison's hits. Undiscovered and Songs for You, Truths for Me have been released as a twofer and is available as a budget CD. For the 2011 album The Awakening, Morrison was moved to Island Records and Universal Republic in the US. When that album and the 2015 album Higher Than Here decreased in sales, Universal dropped Morrison. His latest CD of new music You're Stronger Than You Know was released in 2019 on his own label. Morrison recently released a Greatest Hits album. This is re-recorded versions of his hits. Morrison still tours but his chart success days are probably over. Here's the video for You Make It Real by James Morrison.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tim Bowman Jr.

Artist:Tim Bowman Jr.

Song:I'm Good

Album:Listen

Tim Bowman Jr. topped the Gospel charts with the 2015 single I'm Good. Not surprisingly, Bowman is from a musical family. He was born May 26, 1987 in Detroit. His father is smooth jazz guitarist Tim Bowman. His aunt is gospel singer Vickie Winans. As a teen, Bowman appeared on the Vickie Winans 2003 single How I Got Over. He also appeared on his dad's 2007 album Tim Bowman. After attending Wayne State University, Bowman released his 2012 debut album Beautiful on Trippin' 'n' Rhythm. His dad produced the album with his producer Josh Davis. For his 2016 album Listen, Bowman signed with Lifestyle Music Group with Motown distribution. Lifestyle is owned by Bowman's cousin Marvin Winans Jr. Winans was in Winans Phase 2 but in recent years he has been behind the scenes. He brought in veteran producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins to produce the album. Jerkins produced about half the songs. Other producers were Matt Champlin, Josh Davis, Paul Dawson, Aaron Lindsey, Davy Nathan and Teddy Riley. I'm Good topped the Gospel charts. Jerkins wrote and produced I'm Good with Bowman, Winans and Johnta Austin. A YouTube video was posted about the writing of I'm Good. Jerkins based the record on I Wanna Be Where You Are written by Arthur "T-Boy" Ross (Diana Ross' brother) and Leon Ware in 1972 for Michael Jackson. But the sample is from a 1975 cover by former Faith, Hope and Charity member Zulema. That's a very obscure sample. This is Bowman's latest album. He has been working a lot with Kim Burrell and Faith City Ministries. They have posted plenty of YouTube videos but they haven't recorded. And I don't know when Bowman plans to record again. Here's the video for I'm Good by Tim Bowman Jr. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and a look at Rin Nakai. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Larry Groce

Artist:Larry Groce

Song:Junk Food Junkie

Album:Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection: The Greatest Novelty Records of All Time

The novelty song Junk Food Junkie was a top ten hit in 1976. It was the only chart single for singer songwriter Larry Groce. So it is a one hit wonder. You may have heard it on Barry "Dr. Demento" Hansen's radio show. For the most part, Groce has recorded children's music and was the host and artistic director of the live radio show Mountain Stage. Groce was born Apr. 22, 1948 in Dallas. He became interested in music as a child. His high school classmates included Michael Martin Murphey, Ray Wylie Hubbard and B.W. Stevenson. Groce is a member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist. He recorded music for them while attending Principia College in Elsah, IL. After graduating in 1970, Groce moved to New York and performed regularly at the organic restaurant and coffeehouse Focus owned by future film producer Larry Brezner. His wife at the time Melissa Manchester also performed there. Groce signed with RCA's religious label Daybreak and he recorded two albums. He was an NEA sponsored musician in residence touring schools. This led to a move to West Virginia in 1972. He recorded a 1975 album with bluegrass group The Currance Brothers. Loren and Jimmie Currance also appeared on Junk Food Junkie. The album was produced by Randy Nauert of the 60s group The Challengers for Curb Records with Warner Bros. distribution. I think it's a bluegrass album recorded live. Barry Hansen wrote the album liner notes. So I'm sure he was responsible for getting the album on a major label. Junk Food Junkie reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album has never been released on CD. But you can get Junk Food Junkie on this 2CD Dr. Demento comp. Groce recorded children's music for Disney for two decades. And he started the live radio show Mountain Stage in 1983. He hosted the show until 2021. So though Groce is mainly a bluegrass musician, Junk Food Junkie is his claim to fame. Here's Larry Groce performing Junk Food Junkie on The Rich Little Show 1976. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Coldcut

Artist:Coldcut f/Hexstatic

Song:Timber

Album:Let Us Play!

The British duo Coldcut have been around since the 80s and are considered to be pioneers in sampling technology. They do a lot of producing and remixes and occasionally release their own music on their own label Ninja Tune. Computer programmer Matt Black and ex-art teacher Jonathan More were part time DJs in London. More worked at a local record shop where Black was a customer. Their 1987 single Say Kids What Time Is It? was the first record to consist only of samples. So as I have said before about this kind of music, it's more of a construction project because these guys are not musicians. Coldcut's first success was when Island Records asked them to remix Eric B. & Rakim's 1987 single Paid In Full and it was a big international hit. Early success included the 1988 single Doctorin' the House featuring singer Yazz and the 1989 Lisa Stansfield single People Hold On. Coldcut released their debut album What's That Noise? in 1989. After their success with Lisa Stansfield, Coldcut signed with Arista Records. They left after one album. The music wasn't commercial enough for a major label. That's when Coldcut started Ninja Tune. They release occasional albums and continue to produce artists and do remixes. Timber is from the 1997 album Let Us Play!. The song protests logging and the sampling is from a Greenpeace film. Stuart Warren Hill of Hexstatic co-wrote the song and produced the video. Let Us Play! is available as a budget CD. There are several guests on the album including legendary drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. Coldcut has produced and designed video games and they even released a music app called Ninja Jamm. Remember Matt Black is a computer programmer. Their latest album was released in 2017. I think much of their activity these days is outside music. Here's the video for Timber by Coldcut featuring Hexstatic. 

Big Bad Blog VideoTheater-Becky Lynch vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Becky Lynch vs Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. It was predictable that there would be a rematch from last week. If Becky wins, she is added to the title match at HIAC. And it was also predictable that Becky would win this match. Would did you think they would do? It is Asuka's fourth straight RAW main event. Obviously the WWE trusts her do deliver great matches routinely. And this was different from last week. Asuka took some crazy bumps. And she executed a superplex, a move she doesn't normally perform. She probably gave Becky a choice of a superplex or a Spanish fly. The only problem was the finish was mistimed. They waited too long to do the stuff on the floor with Bianca. That's the ref's fault. He's supposed to tell them how much time is left. So Becky didn't execute the finish very well. Next week Bianca will face Asuka in a non title match. Please give them more then ten minutes. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Darryl Worley

Artist:Darryl Worley

Song:Have You Forgotten?

Album:Have You Forgotten?

Singer songwriter Darryl Worley scored three number one country hits including the 2003 patriotic anthem Have You Forgotten?. The closing of DreamWorks Records killed his career and he has never recovered. He was born Oct. 31, 1964 in Memphis and he grew up in Pyburn, TN. His father was a Methodist preacher. He was planning to attend college on a basketball scholarship before he suffered a back injury. Worley earned a degree in biology at the University of North Alabama and worked in the chemical industry before pursuing a career in country music. He started out as a staff songwriter for FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals and moved to EMI Publishing in 1994. George Jones charted with one of Worley's songs. Worley signed with DreamWorks Records in 1999. James Stroud was head of DreamWorks Nashville. He used to be president of Giant Records. Stroud produced Worley's albums with veteran producer Frank Rogers. The 2002 single I Miss My Friend was Worley's first #1 country hit. This was followed by Have You Forgotten? in 2003. This topped the Country Singles chart for seven weeks. Of course this song is about 9/11. Worley wrote it with frequent songwriting partner Wynn Varble. Worley appeared on talk shows to explain the song. Typically these kind of songs have done well in the country market. But they don't age well. Fortunately DreamWorks released Have You Forgotten? on an album with Worley's other hits. There were four new songs. The guitar solo is by session musician J.T. Correnflos. After one more album and another #1 hit, DreamWorks Records closed. Worley released an album on Neal McCoy's 903 label and they closed. Then he released an album on James Stroud's Stroudavarious label in 2009 and they closed. Worley is still around. His 2019 album Second Wind: Latest and Greatest is a rerecording of his hits. It's on his own label distributed by Audium. Well, at least they won't go out of business. Here's the video by Have You Forgotten? by Darryl Worley.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rin Nakai vs Shizuka Sugiyama

Here's the match video of Rin Nakai vs Shizuka Sugiyama from the recent Deep Jewels show. This is the final of the Deep Jewels Flyweight tournament. Deep finally posted the video on YouTube today. I expected Rin to win easily. She got a bye in her semi final as her opponent missed weight. Rin is from Shikoku Island in Northern Japan. She lives so far away she has to fly in for fights. Her judo is stellar. Shizuka would be a star if she was even a halfway decent fighter as she is pretty. But she's not very good. Rin is only 5'1" but she is built like a tank. She tends to get off to slow starts and in this fight she spends some time in the clinch. But once Rin takes Shizuka down, she wastes no time getting an armbar and that's it. And then afterwards she does a couple of flips. Rin was a competitive gymnast as a child. When Rin was in the UFC it was before the Flyweight division began. I think she would be competitive as a Flyweight. She also fired her management and I'd like to see her hire Shu Hirata. He represents several Japanese fighters in the UFC. That's him in Mizuki's corner translating for Aljamain Sterling. Deep Jewels GM Shigeru Saeki says he won't stand in the way if Rin gets the call from the UFC. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wax Poetic

Artist:Wax Poetic f/Norah Jones and Val

Song:Angels

Album:Wax Poetic

Norah Jones fans will be interested in this song she recorded before she was famous. Wax Poetic is led by Turkish born Ilhan Ersahin. He plays sax and keyboards and owns the New York nightclub Nublu. He was born in Turkey, grew up in Stockholm, Sweden and moved to New York in 1990. He has recorded under various names. Wax Poetic began in 1997 at an underground club called Save the Robots. Though Ersahin is a jazz musician, the 2000 album Wax Poetic was commercial enough that it was picked up for distribution by Atlantic Records. Today the album is of interest because Norah Jones appears on Angels. The guest rapper is Val Jeanety who appears on other Wax Poetic recordings. Ersahin played the sax solo. Ersahin brings in guest musicians. Angels is produced by Daniel Wyatt of the group Repercussions. Other musicians are Guyora Kats of Skinnerbox on keyboards, Marlin Browden on drums and Arto Tuncboyaciyan of The Paul Winter Consort on percussion. Other guest musicians include David Berkman on piano, Eddie Henderson on trumpet and Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar. This album is available as a budget CD. After Norah became famous, Ersahin included Angels on the 2003 Wax Poetic album Nublu Sessions on the dance label Ultra. That's also when he produced the video. Norah does not appear in the video. That album is too expensive. Though he last recorded a Wax Poetic album in 2012, Ersahin still records on his own label under his own name and the Nublu Orchestra. It's mostly jazz but he experiments with different kinds of music. Here's the video for Angels by Wax Poetic featuring Norah Jones and Val. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sam Hughes vs Elise Reed

Here's the match video of Sam Hughes vs Elise Reed from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Sam won her last fight after moving to Fortis MMA in Houston and coach Saif Saud. Elise is 1-1 after upsetting Cory McKenna in London. She trains at Kickside Martial Arts in Princeton, NJ with coach John Kanabay. Considering how clueless Elise looked and the bad advice she got between rounds, she might want consider a move too. Not much happened in round one. But after a chat with Saud, Sam picked things up and round two was a borderline 10-8. Saud told Sam to finish the fight and she did exactly that in round three. It just shows the difference proper coaching can make. We'll see if Sam gan beat anyone who is any good. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tabatha Ricci vs Polyana Viana

Here's the match video of Tabatha Ricci vs Polyana Viana from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Polyana is 3-3 in the UFC. In an interview with Tatame, Polyana announced that she has moved to Sao Paulo and is now training with Chute Boxe Diego Lima. Tabatha is Brazilian but she trains at Paragon BJJ in Ventura, CA. This fight was awful. Neither fighter looked good but Polyana's insistence in staying on her back made no sense. So Tabatha won by unanimous decision and Polyana should be released. Check it out for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ketlen Vieira vs Holly Holm

Here's the match video of Ketlen Vieira vs Holly Holm from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight and it's likely the winner gets a title shot. I picked Ketlen to win because she is ten years younger than Holly and a more accomplished fighter. I just don't think she is aggressive enough. Holly is 40 years old and she's coming off of knee surgery. And she was never a hard puncher to begin with. The strategy of Holly pinning Ketlen on the fence reminded me of Rose Namajunas' strategy a couple of weeks ago in the sense that it is a defensive strategy. Any strategy that depends on judges is seriously flawed. It worked at first because Ketlen didn't expect it. Between rounds, Ketlen's coach Andre "Dudu" Pederneiras told her to stay out of the clinch. So she was a lot better in round two. A standing choke almost finished Holly. She grabbed the fence to get out of it. Ref Jason Herzog missed that. In that situation, a point should have been deducted. Round three and four were close but I scored them for Ketlen. And I scored round five for Holly. Ketlen was tired. So I scored the fight 48-47 for Ketlen and so did two of the judges. The third judge scored round three for Holly. Ketlen won by split decision. Clinch control is another strategy that is not favorably interpreted by judges. If Holly and her coaches didn't know that, it's on them.  Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Parker McCollum

Artist:Parker McCollum

Song:Pretty Heart

Album:Gold Chain Cowboy

Singer songwriter Parker McCollum recorded for his own label before signing with MCA Nashville in 2019. Pretty Heart was his first MCA single and it was a top five country hit. He was born June 15, 1992 in Conroe, TX which is near Houston. He listened to country music as a child and learned to play guitar as a teen. He also started writing songs. After graduating high school, McCollum moved to Austin and released a single in 2013 followed by an EP and a 2015 album all on his own label. McCollum has cited Ryan Bingham as an influence. His music at the time was categorized as Americana as opposed to Country. That may be because McCollum lived in Austin as opposed to Nashville. When McCollum's 2017 EP Probably Wrong charted, record companies came calling. McCollum signed with MCA Nashville in 2019. Pretty Heart was his first single. It reached #4 on the Country Singles chart and #36 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released on the 2020 EP Hollywood Gold and then on the 2021 album Gold Chain Cowboy. The album was produced by Jon Randall who has produced Dierks Bentley and others. McCollum first performed Pretty Heart on Instagram in 2014. He showed it to Randy Montana at a 2018 songwriting session. Montana made some changes and MCA urged McCollum to make it his first single. Montana released an album on Mercury in 2011. He has written several songs with Luke Combs. McCollum's latest single To Be Loved By You reached #6 on the Country Singles chart. He won Best New Male Artist at the ACM Awards and Breakthrough Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards. So McCollum is off to a good start. Here's the video for Pretty Heart by Parker McCollum. The girl in the video is acting student Amanda Lougee. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ryan Hurd

Artist:Ryan Hurd f/Maren Morris

Song:Chasing After You

Album:Pelago

Ryan Hurd was a Nashville songwriter before getting his own record deal and scoring a top five country hit with the 2021 single Chasing After You featuring his wife Maren Morris. He was born Nov. 2, 1986 in Chicago but he grew up in Kalamazoo, MI. After moving to Nashville, Hurd met Maren while writing the song Last Turn Home for Tim McGraw. They married in 2018 and their son was born in 2020. Hurd's biggest hit as a songwriter was the 2015 #1 single Lonely Tonight for Blake Shelton. He has also written hits for Lady A and Luke Bryan. Hurd signed with Sony Music Nashville in 2017 and released four EPs before releasing the album Pelago in 2021. The album is on Arista. Chasing After You reached #3 on the Country Singles chart. Most of the album was produced by Aaron Eshuis who looks to be Hurd's best friend from Kalamazoo. He also produces Scotty McCreery. Chasing After You was produced by guitarist Teddy Reimer. Likewise, Hurd co-wrote all the songs except Chasing After You which was written by Jerry Flowers and Brinley Addington. Flowers co-wrote the 2014 Sam Hunt hit House Party. Maren Morris is one of today's biggest country stars. So maybe that's why Chasing After You was a hit. But even if Hurd isn't a successful singer, he will have a long songwriting career, Here's the video for Chasing After You by Ryan Hurd featuring Maren Morris.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Cyrkle

Artist:The Cyrkle

Song:Turn-Down Day

Album:Red Rubber Ball: A Collection

Back in 1967, Columbia Records had big plans for The Cyrkle to become the second coming of The Beatles or something. But after two big hits, they quickly faded and became disenchanted with the constant touring and split up. The Cyrkle were from Easton, PA. Guitarist Don Dannemann, bassist Tom Dawes and drummer Jim Maiella were students at Lafayette College. Dannemann and Dawes both sang. They formed a cover band called The Rhondells and were spotted playing Atlantic City clubs by entertainment attorney Nathan Weiss and he told his business partner Beatles manager Brian Epstein to check them out. The band name was changed to The Cyrkle. Apparently John Lennon came up with the name. Of course The Byrds were hot at the time. After opening for The Beatles on their 1966 US tour, Dannemann spent a short stint in the US Coast Guard. Meanwhile, Dawes played bass for Simon & Garfunkel. Paul Simon heard The Cyrkle and liked their harmonies. He got got them a deal with Columbia and even gave them the song Red Rubber Ball which Simon had written with Bruce Woodley of The Seekers when Simon lived in England. The album Red Rubber Ball was produced by John Simon (no relation to Paul). At the time Simon was just beginning a long career. This was his first big hit. Red Rubber Ball reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Turn-Down Day was the second single. It reached #16. That song was written by Jerry Keller and David Blume. Keller was best known for the 1959 single Here Comes Summer. They toured but subsequent singles and their 1968 album Neon didn't do nearly as well. The 1967 death of Brian Epstein didn't help. After selling a jingle for a five figure fee, Dawes decided that was more lucrative than constant touring. That led to The Cyrkle split and both Dawes and Dannemann got into jingles. This budget comp has both of their hits. Dawes produced a couple of Foghat albums in the 70s. Dannemann produced music for children's TV and owned his own jingle company. In 2014, former Cyrkle keyboardist Mike Losekamp wanted to reform the band using his current band The Gas Pump Jockeys. Sadly, Dawes died in 2007. Dannemann was retired but he agreed to participate and The Cyrkle have toured ever since. Here's The Cyrkle performing Turn-Down Day on The Hollywood Palace Apr. 22,1967.

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Casey J

Artist:Casey J

Song:Fill Me Up

Album:The Truth

Casey J topped the gospel chart with her 2015 debut single Fill Me Up.  Do you know what a sophomore slump is? That happens in the music business too. She was born Casey Janice Hobbs June 29, 1986 in Atlanta. She grew up singing in church. As a teen, she was in Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde. After graduating from the University of Georgia, Casey was a math teacher and worship leader at Fresh Start Church in Duluth, GA. When her rendition of Fill Me Up got a positive response, church pastor Marquis Boone had her record the song. It was written by Will Reagan who has written songs for Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Boone released it through Tyscot Records. Fill Me Up topped the Gospel Airplay chart and the album The Truth topped the Billboard Gospel Album chart. The album was recorded live at Fresh Start Church. Casey wrote half the songs on the album. The producer was pianist Korey Bowie who has worked with Angie Stone and Bri. For Casey's 2019 album The Gathering, Tyscot owner Dr. Leonard Scott signed with Integrity Music to get better distribution. It didn't do as well. According to her website, Casey is working on new music. But I saw no indication of a release date. Here's Casey J performing Fill Me Up on a religious TV show in Atlanta.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Owl City

Artist:Owl City

Song:Fireflies

Album:Ocean Eyes: Deluxe Edition

The 2009 single Fireflies topped the charts. Owl City is another case of a solo artist hiding behind a band name. Adam Young was born July 5, 1986 in Ottumwa, IA and he grew up in Owatonna, MN. He was working at a Coca Cola shipping warehouse when he started messing around with music in his parents basement. He got a following after posting his music to MySpace so he decided to call himself Owl City. Apparently his sister has a pet owl. When his following grew, Young made a deal with CD Baby to make his music available on iTunes. After an EP and the 2008 album Maybe I'm Dreaming had success on Billboard's Electronic Albums chart, Avery and Monte Lipman of Universal Republic wanted to sign Young. But they wanted to pair Young up with big name producers to polish his sound. Young and his manager said no and the 2009 album Ocean Eyes is basically a solo album. Young wrote all the songs and played all the instruments. He does bring in guest singers. The big surprise was when the single Fireflies topped the Billboard Hot 100 after iTunes made it a free Single of the Week. The video is funny as it is made to look like Young is performing in his basement. Fireflies was a worldwide hit and Ocean Eyes was certified Platinum. Ocean Eyes is available in a 2CD Special Edition with seven bonus tracks. One other single from the album charted. Young also scored a top ten hit with the 2012 single Good Time featuring Carly Rae Jepsen. Young continues to release albums but he seems to concentrate on instrumental music that is supposed to be cinematic in nature. He has worked on film music and scoring may be his future. Here's the video for Fireflies by Owl City. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Becky Lynch

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Becky Lynch from last night's episode of RAW. As I am sure you have already heard, this was supposed to be a Six Pack match with Sasha Banks, Naomi, Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. added. And as I am sure you have already heard, Sasha didn't like the whole thing and she and Naomi left and this was turned back into Asuka vs Becky. And that's what it should have been in the first place especially with the time it was given. Keep it simple. Why the WWE insists on overcomplicating everything is a mystery to me. It's unnecessary. And obviously Sasha sensed this too which is why she went to Vince and told him she wasn't doing it as booked. And instead of taking her suggestion constructively, he stupidly dug in his heels and that is when Sasha and Naomi left. The WWE's self serving statement is nonsense. The match itself was OK and I really liked the finish. But as I said, the match would have been better if it was given more time. They could have cut that unnecessary Lacey Evans segment. Of course the producers can be very territorial and take changes personally. So I understand why Sasha's objection was taken wrong. But I think she was right in this case and maybe everyone there needs to grow up. A Six Pack match in the time given would have been terrible. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jeffrey Shurtleff

Artist:Jeffrey Shurtleff f/Joan Baez

Song:Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man

Album:Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More

Jeffrey Shurtleff's claim to fame is he performed The Byrds' Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man with Joan Baez at Woodstock. I guess he appeared in the film and was never heard from again. It looks like Joan liked him, tried to help him out but it didn't work out. Shurtleff was born Jan. 20, 1945 in Vallejo, CA. He attended the University of Stanford and later lived in a commune with his brother and Joan's husband David Harris who founded the Draft Resistance organization. Shurtleff toured with Joan before they performed a set on the first day of Woodstock. Then he appeared on two songs on Joan's 1970 album One Day at a Time. Shurtleff signed with A&M and released the 1971 album State Farm. Joan produced the album in Nashville with veteran session musicians like Norbert Putnam, Charlie McCoy and David Briggs. That was Shurtleff's only album. He went on to own the Central Park Bookstore in San Mateo, CA. He is currently director of several schools in San Francisco. Here's Jeffrey Shurtleff featuring Joan Baez performing Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man at Woodstock 1969. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tropicana All Stars

Artist:Tropicana All Stars f/Paquito D'Rivera

Song:Como Fue

Album:Recuerdo a Beny More

The Tropicana All Stars were a highly acclaimed and Latin Grammy nominated Cuban big band that ended sadly when group leaders Israel Kantor (singer) and Generoso Jiminez (trombone) died soon after this 2004 album was released. Both were born in Cuba. Kantor was a member of Los Van Van when he moved to the US in 1984. He split his time between New York and Miami. He finally got the success he was after when he formed Tropicana All Stars in 2003 in Miami with Jiminez. Jiminez was a member of Beny More's band back in the 50s. Like a lot of Cuban musicians, Jiminez quit playing in the 60s under the dictatorship and was rediscovered after the success of the documentary Buena Vista Social Club. He moved to Miami in 2001. This tribute to Beny More was released in 2004. It was nominated for a Latin Grammy. It was also released on DVD which doesn't seem to be available but the entire concert can be streamed on YouTube. Paquito D'Rivera makes a guest appearance on Como Fue. This song has been a part of D'Rivera's repertoire for years. But because the video is with the Tropicana All Stars, I decided to feature them. The piano solo is by Francisco "Paquito" Hechevarria. Trumpeter Chocolate Armenteros also makes a guest appearance. Sadly the Tropicana All Stars ended after Israel Kantor died on July 1, 2006 at age 56 and Generoso Jiminez died on Sept. 15, 2007 at age 90. Here's the Tropicana All Stars featuring Paquito D'Rivera performing Como Fue on the Tropicana All Stars DVD.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Virna Jandiroba vs Angela Hill

Here's the match video of Virna Jandiroba vs Angela Hill from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. On last night's broadcast, they made a big deal about this being Angela's 20th UFC fight. That just means she likes to fight a lot. She's still a one dimensional kickboxer. They said on the broadcast that Angela had worked on her ground skills. The problem is wrestling is Virna's main skill. Once Virna got the fight to the ground, it was all over for Angela. She won easily by unanimous decision. The commentary tried to make the fight seem more competitive than it was. But when you watch the fight you will see that it was an easy win for Virna. All three judges scored it 30-27 for Virna. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Viviane Araujo vs Andrea Lee

Here's the match video of Viviane Araujo vs Andrea Lee from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Andrea looked really good in her last couple of fights when she was training at Fortis MMA in Houston. But she has returned to Shreveport and her UFC fighter boyfriend Tony Kelley is coaching her. I don't like that change. Viviane is from Brasilia, Brazil. She trains at Cerrado MMA. Though I like her, she's undersized at Flyweight so I would like her a lot better at Strawweight. And Andrea almost knocks Viviane out early in round one. But she lets her off the hook. So it's all downhill from there. Viviane bloodies Andrea's nose later in the round and controls her on the ground. But the knockdown was enough for Andrea to win the round 10-9. But the worm had already turned. Viviane dominated round two enough to get a 10-8 from me and two of the judges. And she won round three so Viviane won by unanimous decision. Enjoy the fight! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Katlyn Chookagian vs Amanda Ribas

Here's the fight video of Katlyn Chookagian vs Amanda Ribas from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Amanda is normally a Strawweight. She was supposed to fight Michelle Waterson in March. When Michelle pulled out due to injury, Amanda took this fight to keep active. She plans to return to Strawweight. That she almost won this fight only shows how lousy Katlyn is. Her fighting style fools judges as she throws a lot of volume but not much lands. Amanda won round one and Katlyn won round three. I thought round two was similar to round one except maybe Katlyn landed a few more punches. I didn't think it was enough so I scored round two 10-9 for Amanda. All three judges scored it 10-9 for Katlyn. Katlyn won the fight by split decision. Amanda also came into the fight with an elbow injury. So though this won Fight Of The Night, I was not impressed with Katlyn winning another squeaker. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bobby "Blue" Bland

Artist:Bobby "Blue" Bland

Song:I'm a Blues Man

Album:Z.Zelebration: A Tribute To the Late Great Z.Z. Hill

Fans of blues legend Z.Z. Hill should be interested in this 1994 tribute album released by his label Malaco. Mostly underappreciated during his career, Hill signed with Malaco in 1981 and recorded some of his best albums until his 1984 death. Meanwhile, another underappreciated blues legend Bobby "Blue" Bland signed with Malaco in 1985. Sadly these two greats never got to record together. Malaco released this Z.Z. Hill tribute album in 1994. The idea was to have Malaco artists record songs associated with Hill. Hill recorded I'm a Blues Man in 1983. From what I can tell, Bland recorded the song for this album as it does not appear on any of his Malaco albums. Other artists on the album include Latimore, Shirley Brown, Artie White, Dorothy Moore, The Beat Daddys, Denise Lasalle, Little Milton, Johnnie Taylor, Mike Griffin and Poohanny. I don't have detailed credits so I don't know how many of these were recorded specifically for the album. But Z.Z. Hill fans should check it out. Here's a video for I'm a Blues Man by Bobby "Blue" Bland. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nelson Rangell

Artist:Nelson Rangell

Song:Let It Be

Album:I Got No Kick Against Modern Jazz: A GRP Artists' Celebration of the Songs of The Beatles

Nelson Rangell is a smooth jazz sax player who had success when he recorded for GRP in the 90s. He sounds a lot like David Sanborn. He was born Mar. 26, 1960 in Castle Rock, CO. He has two brothers and a sister who are all musicians. Rangell first played flute at age 15. He went to the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan for gifted music students. Rangell won a Down Beat magazine award while in high school. After graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music, he moved to New York in 1984 and worked as a sideman with Gil Evans, Eric Marienthal, Hiram Bullock and others. He recorded with Deodato, Tom Browne and he was in the band Members Only who recorded for Muse. Rangell also worked on jingles. He released his debut as a leader To Begin Again on Gramavision in 1988. Then he signed with GRP. Rangell recorded for GRP from 1989-97. Rangell was very successful on the jazz charts. Let It Be is not on one of Rangell's albums but on this 1995 various artists Beatles tribute album. Guitarist Chuck Loeb is the producer. He worked with Rangell on his 1997 album Turning Night Into Day. Other musicians are Jon Werking on piano, Will Lee on bass and Wolfgang Haffner on drums. Since leaving GRP, Rangell has recorded for Shanacie, Koch (now E1), and his last three albums are on his own label with CD Baby distribution. Smooth jazz fans should check him out. Here's a video of Let It Be by Nelson Rangell. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Right Said Fred

Artist:Right Said Fred

Song:I'm Too Sexy

Album:Up

I'm Too Sexy topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1991. Right Said Fred was the first British act to top the US charts with a debut single since The Beatles. Of course I'm Too Sexy was their only big hit in the US. They were a much bigger deal in England. They are still around. The two guys behind Right Said Fred are brothers Richard and Fred Fairbrass. Richard is the older brother and he does the singing. Right Said Fred is named after a 1962 single by comedian Bernard Cribbins. They led the 70s band The Actors who opened for Joy Division but it doesn't look like they ever recorded. They were both session musicians in the 80s. They owned a gym in London where there was a lot of posing and narcissism. One day Richard took off his shirt and sang "I'm too sexy for my shirt" in front of a mirror as a joke. They recorded it as a rock song but they were rejected by record companies. When veteran song plugger Guy Holmes heard the record, he thought it could work if it was turned into a dance track. They hired producer TommyD to do that and along with guitarist Rob Manzoli, dance beats were added.  After releasing it on a small label, I'm Too Sexy took off and reached #2 on the British Singles chart. Then it topped the Billboard Hot 100. The video probably had a lot to do with that. Right Said Fred signed with Virgin Records and released the album Up which is available as a budget CD. Though they only had one other chart single in the US, Right Said Fred had four top ten hits in England. After Manzoli left in 1997, the Fairbrass brothers started their own label with BMG Germany distribution. They still chart in Germany. They last released an album in 2017. I'm Too Sexy was sampled by Taylor Swift in 2017 and by Drake in 2021. So money is still rolling in for what was supposed to be a joke. Think about that for a second. Here's the video for I'm Too Sext by Right Said Fred.  

The Big Topic in WMMA

Schwan Humes and I take a deep dive into Rose Namajunas' strategy and our usual UFC review and preview.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bill Hayes

Artist:Bill Hayes

Song:The Ballad of Davy Crockett

Album:Then: 1956

Bill Hayes' recording of The Ballad of Davy Crockett topped the charts for five weeks in 1955. Though it was Hayes' only big hit, one of his other songs charted so he is not a one hit wonder. Hayes is more successful as an actor especially in the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. He was born June 5, 1925 in Harvey, IL. He was training to be a fighter pilot in the Navy Air Corps during WWII. But the war ended before he could fly a mission. After the war, Hayes earned a degree in music at DePauw University. Hayes became a semi regular on the popular variety show Your Show of Shows. He signed with MGM Records and after a few unsuccessful singles, Hayes switched to Cadence Records. After the Davy Crockett series appeared on the ABC show Disneyland, Cadence owner Archie Bleyer called Hayes to see if he was interested in recording the song. It was recorded the next day and it topped the charts for five weeks. The song also charted for Davy Crockett star Fess Parker and Tennessee Ernie Ford. But Hayes' recording was a bigger hit probably because it was released first. After leaving Cadence in 1957, Hayes recorded for ABC-Paramount, London, Sparton and Kapp. But he was never able to recreate the success of The Ballad of Davy Crockett. Hayes continued to appear on TV variety shows until he originated the role of Doug Williams on the NBC daytime soap Days of Our Lives in 1970. He even married his co-star Susan Seaforth in 1974. They were quite the celebrity couple at the time. Hayes still appears on Days of Our Lives. So he is a big deal to soap fans. Here's a video for The Ballad of Davy Crockett by Bill Hayes.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gowan

Artist:Gowan

Song:You're a Strange Animal

Album:Best of...

Singer songwriter pianist Lawrence Gowan had chart success in the 80s in his native Canada. Attempts to break him in the US were unsuccessful. He has been the lead singer of Styx since 1999. He was born Nov. 22, 1956 in Glasgow, Scotland but he grew up in Toronto. He studied classical piano at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music. After graduating, he formed the progressive rock band Rheingold. They had modest success locally but it doesn't look like they ever recorded. After they split up, Gowan released the 1982 album Gowan featuring Max Webster's Kim Mitchell on guitar. It was on Max Webster's label Anthem. The album didn't sell but there was enough buzz about Gowan on the Toronto music scene that Columbia signed Gowan for the 1985 album Strange Animal. Gowan recorded the album in England with Split Enz producer David Tickle with Peter Gabriel's band of David Rhodes on guitar, Tony Levin on bass and Jerry Marotta on drums. The single A Criminal Mind reached #5 on the Canadian charts and You're a Strange Animal reached #15. Gowan continued to have success in Canada in the 80s. But he was never able to have success in the US. After the 1990 album Lost Brotherhood, Gowan left Columbia and released the 1993 album ...But You Can Call Me Larry as Larry Gowan on Anthem. I guess he was trying to reinvent himself. When that didn't work out, he was opening for Styx when Tommy Shaw asked Gowan to fill in for an ill Dennis DeYoung. When DeYoung decided not return to Styx, Gowan was made permanent lead singer in 1999. Gowan is still with Styx. This Gowan comp is available as a digital download. Strange Animal released in 2010 with a bonus DVD with a documentary and three music videos. Here's the video for You're a Strange Animal by Gowan.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pennywise

Artist:Pennywise

Song:Alien

Album:Straight Ahead

Pennywise is a skatepunk band very similar to Blink-182 and Offspring but not as successful. Most of their success was in the late 90s but they are still around. Pennywise is from Hermosa Beach, CA. Singer Jim Lindberg, guitarist Fletcher Dragge and bassist Jason Thirsk all attended Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. Drummer Byron McMackin attended Redondo Union High School. After releasing a couple of EPs, Pennywise signed with Epitaph Records owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz in 1990. They have remained with Epitaph for their entire career. There is no pressure on Pennywise to be commercial so the label was perfect for them. After the 1991 album Pennywise got them some buzz in the punk community, Lindberg left Pennywise to get married. Thrisk took over as lead singer and Randy Bradbury was brought in to play bass on the 1993 album Unknown Road. Lindberg returned for the 1995 album About Time. While recording the 1997 album Full Circle, Thrisk left to deal with his alcoholism. He committed suicide on July 29, 1996. Full Circle was dedicated to Thrisk and Bradbury returned to Pennywise. The band personnel has been stable since then. Alien is from the 1999 album Straight Ahead. By this time Pennywise is writing and producing their own music and their fanbase is consistent. Obviously a big hit single would have helped Pennywise but they continued to release albums until Lindberg left in 2009 and was replaced by Ignite lead singer Zoli Teglas. Lindberg and his new band The Black Pacific released an album. After suffering a back injury during a 2012 concert requiting emergency surgery, Teglas left Pennywise and Lindberg returned. Pennywise is still touring and there may be a new album on the way. Here's the video for Alien by Pennywise. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-My Bloody Valentine

Artist:My Bloody Valentine

Song:You Made Me Realise

Album:EPs 1988-1991

The 80s post punk band My Bloody Valentine were influential because of their use of guitar distortion, effects and feedback. This was labelled by the British music press as Shoegaze. This was influential on what became known as Neo Psychedelia. My Bloody Valentine are from Dublin, Ireland. Kevin Shields was born May 21, 1963 in Queens, NY. His parents were Irish immigrants. The family moved to Dublin in 1973. After receiving an electric guitar as a Christmas present, he befriended drummer Colm O Ciosoig and after a couple of attempts, they formed My Bloody Valentine in 1983. The band name was one of several that were considered. Shields claims he was unaware of the 1981 horror movie My Bloody Valentine. The lead singer was David Conway who would later become an author. The band were told the Irish music scene would not accept them. So after moving to Europe for a year, they moved to London in 1985. They still weren't getting anywhere. Debbie Googe was the new bassist. They finally caught a break when Creation Records co-owner Joe Foster had them record a 1986 EP. The minor success of the EP encouraged My Bloody Valentine to perform more frequently in the London area. After releasing a 1987 single on Lazy Records, Conway left so they had to find a new lead singer. They eventually settled on the very inexperienced Bilinda Butcher. Shields had to teach her to play guitar. She shared lead vocals with Shields. After opening for Biff Bang Pow! in Jan. 1988, that band's leader and Creation Records co-owner Alan McGee invited My Bloody Valentine to record a single. This would become the EP You Made Me Realise. It was also their first music video. It reached #2 on the UK Indie chart. The 1988 album Isn't Anything did even better. So now they are getting somewhere. But when the cost of the 1991 album Loveless bankrupted Creation, that was the beginning of the end for My Bloody Valentine. They signed with Island Records but the album they were supposed to record never happened and My Bloody Valentine split up in 1995. Shields has attempted to revive My Bloody Valentine. There have been reunions and a 2013 album. But today My Bloody Valentine are praised as an influence by Billy Corgan amd Courtney Love among others. This CD contains their late 80s EPs. Here's the video for You Made Me Realise by My Bloody Valentine.

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Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loopy Godinez vs Ariane Caenelossi

Here's the fight video of Loopy Godinez vs Ariane Carnelossi from last night's UFC show in Phoenix. This fight is at Strawweight. Loopy is from Mexico. She trains at Titan MMA in Langley, BC. She is a former LFA champ. Ariane trains at Inside Muay Thai is Sao Paulo. She makes the same mistake that the other Brazilian fighter made. She accepts bottom position too easily. The big difference is Loopy pooped her out in round one and won 30-27 on all three scorecard. Loopy looked much better in this fight than she had previously. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tracy Cortez vs Melissa Gatto

Here's the fight video of Tracy Cortez vs Melissa Gatto from last night's UFC show in Phoenix. This fight is at Flyweight. Tracy trains at Fight Ready in Phoenix with Henry Cejudo. Melissa trains at the all female team MSP in Sao Paulo. One of the flaws we see with Brazilian fighters is they think they can win fights from bottom position. It is possible but most of the time the fighter needs to get out from under. And that willingness to accept bottom position is why Melissa lost this fight. Judges here won't score that favorably. All three of the judges scored it 29-28 for Tracy. It is a competitive fight so enjoy the video. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Macy Chiasson vs Norma Dumont

Here's the fight video of Macy Chiasson vs Norma Dumont from last bight's UFC show in Phoenix. This fight is at Featherweight. Macy won TUF 28 for Featherweights but she has been fighting at Bantamweight as there is more competition there. Of course the weight cut is tough. We'll see if she stays at Featherweight. Norma said that she is considering dropping to Bantamweight and she doesn't know why the UFC doesn't close Featherweight. This is another case of the judges getting it wrong. The fight was close. Round one was close. It could have gone either way. Macy won round two and Norma won round three. But two of the judges scored the fight 30-27 for Macy. I don't know how round three is scored for Macy. The third judge scored it 29-28 for Norma. Macy wins by split decision. But it was closer than the scores. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Carla Esparza vs Rose Namajunas

Here's the fight video of Rose Namajunas defending her UFC Strawweight Championship against Carla Esparza from last night's UFC show in Phoenix. This was a terrible fight. Rose's strategy was to not engage with Carla to avoid takedowns. It's a trap. But what if Carla doesn't take the bait. This is why it is flawed strategy. So because Carla didn't fall for this, this fight was five rounds of nothing. I don't know how the fight can be scored. So I won't even bother. But one judge scored it 49-46 for Carla. The second scored it 48-47 for Carla. The third scored it 48-47 for Rose. So Carla is the new UFC Strawweight Champion. You might ask why Rose's coaches Trevor Wittman and Pat Barry didn't change things up. It's because they thought Rose was winning. Wittman told Rose she won the first four rounds. Look, any strategy based on lack of aggression that depends on the scorecards going in your favor is flawed strategy. Wittman and Barry's flawed thinking added to that led to a split decision loss. When asked about this afterwards, Carla said she didn't know who won. Rose still insisted that she won. I think the strategy is way too risky to use in a title fight. Check out the video for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Karan Casey-John Doyle

Artist:Karan Casey-John Doyle

Song:Sailing Of To the Yankee Land

Album:Exiles Return

Singer Karan Casey and guitarist John Doyle are former members of the popular folk group Solas. Since leaving Solas, both have recorded solo and the 2010 album Exiles Return is one of two albums they have recorded together. Karan is very popular in Ireland. She was born 1969 in Kilmeaden, County Waterford, Ireland. Karan sang in the church choir. She studied piano at Waterford Regional Technical College and University College Dublin. She performed at a local bistro basically imitating Ella Fitzgerald. She studied classical music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music while performing mostly in jazz bands. In 1993, Karan moved to New York City to study jazz at Long Island University. While performing in New York clubs, she got interested in traditional Irish folk music and that led to her joining Solas in 1996. She continued to perform in clubs and even released a solo album in 1997. After three albums, Karan left Solas in 1999. Similarly. Doyle was born in Ireland but moved to New York in 1991 where he formed Solas. Though Doyle sings, he is probably more accompanist than lead artist.  Karan returned to Ireland and appeared on Doyle's 2001 debut solo album Evening Comes Early. They both signed with Compass Records and released the 2010 album Exiles Return performing mostly traditional songs. Both returned to solo careers but both are now recording for Vertical Records so I wouldn't be surprised to see them record together again. Here's Karan Casey and John Doyle performing Sailing Of To the Yankee Land on FleadhTV. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barbra Streisand

Artist:Barbra Streisand

Song:Smile

Album:The Movie Album

At 60 years old, Barbra Streisand could record anything and Columbia Records would figure out how to sell it. Her 1997 album Higher Ground sold five million copies and her single with Bryan Adams I Finally Found Someone was a top ten pop hit. So she's sitting around with her manager Jay Landers trying to decide what to do. I'm sure fans recall the success of the 1985 album The Broadway Album and the 1993 sequel Back to Broadway. So Landers suggests doing a similar album but with movie themes. They would call it The Movie Album. Barbra produced the album and chose the songs. She said she was inspired by her marriage to James Brolin to choose songs about love and relationships. Songwriters Marilyn and Alan Bergman were brought in to change lyrics as requested. They also did this on The Broadway Album. The album was recorded with a 75 piece orchestra. Smile kicks off the album. Of course Charles Chaplin wrote that for the 1936 film Modern Times. Smile was arranged by Jeremy Lubbock. He arranged several songs on the album and has worked with Barbra in the past. Other arrangers include Jorge Calandrelli and Robbie Buchanan. No singles were released for this album and it was certified Gold. So it did well enough that maybe Barbra will do a sequel. The Movie Album is available as a budget CD. Here's Barbra Streisand performing Smile on Oprah 2003. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Salvatore Dell'Isola

Artist:Salvatore Dell'Isola

Song:Overture

Album:South Pacific: Original Broadway Cast

Salvatore Dell'Isola was the musical director and conductor for Broadway shows written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. These kind of guys don't get much credit. When the overture is listed on an album cover, it is credited to Orchestra. I want to know who conducted the orchestra. AccuRadio does this too but that's a byproduct of the way things are done on cast albums. Dell'Isola was born Jan. 4, 1901 in Salerno, Italy. He moved to New York with his family in 1907. But he returned to Salerno to study violin at the conservatory there. By age 12 he was travelling in Italy with opera orchestras. When Dell'Isola returned to the US, he worked for the RKO theater chain in vaudeville and for the Metropolitan Opera. Rodgers and Hammerstein first hired Dell'Isola to conduct a mid-40s touring company of Oklahoma. His first Broadway show was Allegro in 1947 followed by South Pacific in 1949. He was nominated for a Best Conductor and Musical Director Tony for the 1955 show Pipe Dream. And then he won a Tony for the 1958 show Flower Drum Song. That was Dell'Isola's final Rodgers and Hammerstein show. After that Dell'Isola was music director for the Westbury Music Fair. He continued to conduct symphony orchestras in the New York area into the 80s. He died on Mar. 13, 1989 at age 88. Here's a video of the Overture from the 1949 musical South Pacific by Salvatore Dell'Isola. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rosemary Clooney

Artist:Rosemary Clooney

Song:They Can't Take That Away from Me

Album:The Rosemary Clooney Show: Songs from the Classic Television Series

Of course Rosemary Clooney was one of the most popular singers of the 50s mostly through novelty songs. It's well known that Rosemary hated those songs and preferred singing jazz. So one of the things she did was produce her own half hour syndicated variety show in 1956...in color!!!!! Rosemary was a frequent guest on early 50s TV variety shows like The U.S. Royal Showcase and The Colgate Comedy Hour. She also starred in the 1954 film White Christmas with Bing Crosby. The Rosemary Clooney Show aired in 1956 in syndication. Nelson Riddle was the musical director. The Hi-Lo's were the backup singers. The show moved to NBC in 1957 and was called The Lux Show. Frank DeVol was the musical director and The Modernaires were the backup singers. That show lasted one season. Rosemary continued to to appear on TV usually with Bing Crosby. With her 1956 variety show long forgotten, singer Michael Feinstein found the tapes in Rosemary's home and got her approval for them to be released. Feinstein produced this album and a DVD. The album is available on Concord as a budget CD. I guess this is a found treasure. Here's Rosemary Clooney performing They Can't Take That Away from Me on The Rosemary Clooney Show 1956.