AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Karen Olivo

Artist:Karen Olivo f/Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robin de Jesus

Song:It Won't Be Long

Album:In the Heights: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Karen Olivo had her breakthrough role for playing Olivia in the 2008 Broadway musical In the Heights. Then she won a Tony for playing Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. But things didn't go so well after that. And the result is she changed her name to KO and is non binary. She now lives in Illinois and teaches. So she could have been a star. But it looks like she became disenchanted with show business. I will refer to her as Karen as this role was before she changed her name. She was born Aug. 7, 1976 in the South Bronx in New York City. Her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is Dominican. She grew up in Bartow, FL. and attended the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Lakeland. Then she studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She left before her final year to be a replacement and understudy on the 1997 Broadway musical Rent. She also toured with the show. After returning to New York, Karen couldn't get any decent Broadway roles. So she took some TV roles until In the Heights came up in 2007. Of course I have talked about In the Heights before. Vanessa was the female lead. And it should have made her a star. BTW, the film version of In the Heights was released in 2021. So Karen would have been too old to play Vanessa. The original cast album is available on CD. Immediately after this, Karen won a Tony for playing Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. She tried TV and film. She did some TV guest shots and she didn't appear in any notable films. She was a regular on the NBC series Harry's Law starring Kathy Bates. But that show was cancelled after two seasons. This is when Karen changed her name to KO and moved to Madison, WI to teach theater at the University of Wisconsin theater department. Karen returned to the Chicago production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's new show Hamilton. She left in Aug. 2017 to return to teaching. She returned again in 2019 Broadway adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's film Moulin Rouge!. Karen was nominated for a Tony. The show was suspended for COVID. Karen announced that she would not return to Moulin Rouge! afterwards because abuse allegations against producer Scott Rudin were not addressed by the industry. BTW, Rudin was not a producer on Moulin Rouge!. And the allegations were in The Hollywood Reporter. So it looks like she was looking for a reason to leave the business. And that's what she did. Karen is now an associate professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. So that was the real reason she quit the business. Here's Karen Olivo with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Robin de Jesus performing It Won't Be Long on a 2008 episode of Good Morning America.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Jarmels

Artist:The Jarmels

Song:A Little Bit of Soap

Album:The Golden Age of American Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 1

In the last days of doo wop, the 1961 single A Little Bit of Soap was a top twenty hit. It was the only chart single for The Jarmels. As you will see, a version of the group is still around today. The Jarmels were from Richmond, VA. and they all grew up singing in church. At first they were called The Cherokees. Group members were Nathaniel Ruff, Ray Smith, Paul Burnett, Earl Christian and Tom Eldridge. They met Ben E. King when he appeared in Richmond and he invited them to come to New York and meet with record companies. They were the first black group to sign with Laurie Records. The Mystics were on Laurie. The Mystics' manager Jim Gribble became The Cherokees' manager and the group name was changed to The Jarmels possibly to make listeners think they were from New York. A Little Bit of Soap was the second single and it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Bert Russell which was an alias for producer Bert Berns. Of course he went on to own Bang Records and produce Van Morrison and Neil Diamond. But A Little Bit of Soap was Berns' very first hit. The record was arranged by Laurie house arranger Glen Stuart. The Jarmels recorded five singles and then Laurie dropped them. There are a couple of comps available but they are too short. I also think most listeners will only be interested in A Little Bit of Soap so I recommend this Ace Records various artists comp which is available on CD. The Jarmels continued to perform until they split up in 1969. A version of The Jarmels reformed to work the nostalgia circuit. Ray Smith is the only surviving member and a version of the group still performs today. It's amazing the longevity an act can get from one hit single. Here's The Jarmels performing A Little Bit of Soap on a doo wop TV show.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jamie Owens-Collins

Artist:Jamie Owens-Collins

Song:The Victor

Album:The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Jamie Owens-Collins is a Contemporary Christian (CCM) singer songwriter who had success in the 70s when CCM was called Jesus Music. The Victor seems to be one of her more popular songs. She was born Sept. 27, 1955 in Oakland, CA. Her parents Jimmy and Carol Owens wrote and staged Christian musicals mostly for children. They won a 1981 Best Children's Album Grammy for Ants'hillvania. After Jamie sang on some of their albums, Light Records signed her to a record deal. Light was owned by Ralph Carmichael and they were at the forefront of the creation of CCM and Contemporary Gospel. Andrae Crouch and Sweet Comfort Band were on Light. The Victor is from Jamie's second album Growing Pains which was released in 1975. Her 1973 album Laughter in Your Eyes was produced by her dad Jimmy Owens. For Growing Pains, Jamie went in a more contemporary direction and used Los Angeles studio musicians. Her dad was involved on a supervisory level. Jamie wrote most of the songs including The Victor. The producer was Al Perkins of The Flying Burrito Brothers who also played guitar. Michael Omartian arranged and played organ and synthesizer. He's a CCM recording artist and a top producer. Keith Green played piano. He went on to be a CCM singer songwriter. Other musicians were John Talbot and Rick Vito on guitar, David Hungate and Leland Sklar on bass and David Diggs and Mike Baird on drums. Jamie married Dan Collins in 1976 and he took over management of her career. Collins is a record executive who was a big part of The Maranatha Singers. After one more album for Light, Jamie switched to the other big CCM label Sparrow. Since the 80s, they have owned their masters and this comp was released in 2008. It's available as a digital download. Jamie Owens-Collins still tours and she hosts her own podcast. Here's Jamie Owens-Collins performing The Victor on the 2004 documentary First Love: A Historic Gathering of Jesus Music Pioneers. Dan Collins was one of the producers and you can watch the entire film on YouTube. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stars on 54

Artist:Stars on 54

Song:If You Could Read My Mind

Album:54: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture Volume 2

This dance cover of the Gordon Lightfoot classic If You Could Read My Mind is from the 1998 film 54. The record was a worldwide club hit and was the best thing from this film. Because it bombed following major disagreements between writer director Mark Christopher and Miramax Films head Harvey Weinstein. After Christopher had made a couple of short films, Weinstein convinced him to write and direct a film about the New York City club Studio 54. The stars were Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell and Mike Myers. Christopher wanted make a film to capture Studio 54's notoriety as the epicenter of the gay culture explosion in New York City. Weinstein wanted a commercial film similar to Saturday Night Fever with all the gay references removed. I know that makes no sense. After Christopher's cut was previewed, Weinstein had his own cut done. Not surprisingly, the Miramax cut of Studio 54 was a critical and commercial flop. Christopher restored his cut for a 2014 DVD release and the response was positive to that. And that brings me back to the soundtrack. Marco Beltrami's score for the film has never been released. The two soundtrack albums have mostly previously released songs that were used as background music. So that tells me that Weinstein wanted to replicate the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album too. The exceptions were the Studio 54 Medley which was a medley of song snippets and If You Could Read My Mind. The singers were Ultra Nate, Jocelyn Enriquez and Amber. Ultra Nate sings most of the lead parts. Those three are pros. They knew what to do. The record was produced by veteran German producers Christian and Frank Beerman aka The Berman Brothers. They won a Grammy for Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men. The single was an international hit especially on the dance charts. Volume 2 of the Studio 54 soundtrack is available as a budget CD. It's all previously released songs by various artists. The song is available on other various artists CDs. Here's the video for If You Could Read My Mind by Stars on 54. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The 2 Live Crew

Artist:The 2 Live Crew

Song:Banned in the U.S.A.

Album:Banned in the U.S.A.

2 Live Crew Was an early rap group that became successful after a federal court ruled that one of their albums was obscene. The 1990 single Banned in the U.S.A. was their reaction to that ruling. It turned out to be their biggest hit. This dumb ruling was overturned upon appeal in 1992. All it did was give free publicity to 2 Live Crew and they became a symbol of free speech. 2 Live Crew was formed in 1984. But they started to get noticed after DJ and Miami promoter Luther Campbell became their manager and joined the group. The other members were David "DJ Mr. Mixx" Hobbs and Chris "Fresh Kid Ice" Wong Won. After Mark "Brother Marquis" Ross joined in 1986, Campbell started his own record company and became the spokesman for the group. The 1986 album The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are had sexually explicit lyrics. I don't have a problem with that except radio stations can't play their records as they could have their license taken away by the FCC. The album was still certified Gold based on word of mouth. With their 1988 Move Somethin', Campbell decided to release explicit and clean versions so they could get radio play. This album was also certified Gold. Then they released the 1998 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be. The single Me So Horny reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Christian fundamentalist organization American Family Association (AFA) went to Florida Governor Bob Martinez to have obscenity charges filed. This progressed to a point where a judge ruled that the album was obscene. Campbell sued the sheriff in Florida. The police response to that was to arrest a record retailer for selling the album to an undercover cop and they arrested members of 2 Live Crew while they performed in a local club. Free speech advocates were outraged and professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. handled the case. Charges were dropped and the appeals court reversed this ridiculous ruling. Meanwhile, As Nasty As They Wanna Be sold over two million copies without the benefit of a hit single. Then they released the 1990 album Banned in the U.S.A. and the title song reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bruce Springsteen let Campbell use his song Born in the U.S.A. This album is available on CD. After two more albums, this version of 2 Live Crew split up. Campbell left and the other three continued to record until 1998. They would reunite occasionally and release singles. Wong Won died in 2017 and Ross died in 2024. The one thing I can say about 2 Live Crew is they helped popularize rap music. Here's the video for Banned in the U.S.A. by 2 Live Crew. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marvelous 3

Artist:Marvelous 3

Song:Freak of the Week

Album:Hey! Album

Marvelous 3 was a short lived band that had success when their videos were played on MTV. The 1999 single Freak of the Week is their best known song. They sound too much like other bands of that era like Blink-182. In fact, they toured with Blink-182. Band leader Butch Walker has gone on to have a very successful production career, most notably Avril Lavigne. Walker is currently a member of Train and records solo. So I guess he still wants that big hit record. Walker was born Nov. 14, 1969 in Rome, GA and he grew up in Cartersville, GA. He was in several 80s bands including Byte the Bullet. They moved to Los Angeles in 1988. They changed their name to SouthGang and released two albums on Virgin Records. Then they split up. Walker formed a new band with bassist Jayce Fincher and drummer Mitch "Slug" McLee called Floyd's Funk Revival and then The Floyds. They released two albums that went nowhere. So in 1997 Walker formed a new band Marvelous 3 with the same musicians and released an album independently. It did well enough that they signed with Elektra Records. Instead of releasing this album, Elektra wanted Walker to rerecord most of the songs and replace a couple of them. That reworked album was titled Hey! Album and was released in 1999. I guess it was no big deal as Walker writes and produces everything. Freak of the Week was the lead single and MTV played the video in heavy rotation. It reached #5 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks. It probably would have done better if Elektra spent some money to promote Marvelous 3. And that was Walker's main problem with Elektra. He asked to be released in 2001. Then they split up. This album is available as a budget CD. Since then Walker has recorded solo. But he has had great success as a songwriter producer for Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift, Pink, Katy Perry and plenty more. He is currently working on Courtney Love's upcoming album. Marvelous 3 has reunited a couple of times and released a 2023 album. Walker joined Train as guitarist last year. They are currently on tour with plans to record new music. Here's the video for Freak of the Week by Marvelous 3. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Rubinstein

Artist:John Rubinstein

Song:Corner of the Sky

Album:Pippin: Original Cast Recording

As the son of a world famous musician, John Rubinstein has had a lot to live up to. For most of his career, he has had success on Broadway. The 1972 musical Pippin was his first big hit. He has also appeared on TV and films and even composed film scores. But he's best known for his work on Broadway. He was born Dec. 8, 1946 in Los Angeles. His father was famed classical pianist Arthur Rubinstein. So I suppose Rubinstein was always going to be a musician. After studying theater and music at UCLA, he studied composition at Juilliard in New York. The first time I heard of Rubinstein was in the 1970 film Zachariah as the title character. This film was a psychedelic western that had rock musicians in it. That's why I knew about it. The film wasn't a hit at the time. But now it's a cult film. Rubinstein sang one song in the film but it wasn't on the soundtrack album. Then he got the title role in the Broadway musical Pippin. Stephen Schwartz had just had success with Godspell. Like that show, Pippin started out as a school project at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Schwartz took over the project and developed it himself. It was a vehicle for Ben Vereen as Leading Player. He won a Tony. Rubinstein and the rest of the cast were support players. The show did OK. Motown released the original cast album. Rubinstein sang several songs in the show. Corner of the Sky was in Act 1. The Jackson 5 scored a hit single with the song. The cast album was remastered in 2000 and released with three bonus tracks including The Jackson Five's recording of Corner of the Sky. Rubinstein composed the scores for the 1972 Robert Redford films Jeremiah Johnson and The Candidate. He composed music for a lot of TV movies in the 80s. For the rest of the 70s, he did lots of TV guest shots. Rubinstein was a regular on the 80s TV series Crazy Like a Fox. I don't think Rubinstein has ever had a starring role in a film. He returned to Broadway for the 1980 show Children of a Lesser God. Other shows include M. Butterfly (1989), a late 90s revival of Ragtime, Wicked when it played Los Angeles in 2007 and a 2014 revival of Pippin as King Charlemagne. He has also done 150 audio books. Currently Rubinstein is touring with the one man show Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground and he teaches musical theater at USC. So he's done pretty well. Here's John Rubinstein performing Corner of the Sky on an Easter Seals Telethon in the 70s. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Natalie La Rose

Artist:Natalie La Rose f/Jeremih

Song:Somebody

Album:NOW That's What I Call Music! 54

Dutch singer Natalie La Rose scored a top ten hit with her 2015 debut single Somebody. It's her only hit to date. In fact, Natalie has not released an album. She currently records for her own label. She was born July 11, 1988 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Her parents are from Surinam. As a child, Natalie and her sister sang and danced together. She graduated from the Lucia Marthas Dance Academy in 2008. Natalie moved to Los Angeles in 2010. She signed with Blackground Records. They are best known as the late Aaliyah's label owned by her uncle Barry Hankerson. They were distributed by Interscope. Hankerson put Natalie in a duo with Sigourney Korper called Amsterdam. They appeared in the J. Lewis and Flo Rida video Dancing for Me. When things didn't work out, Natalie appeared as lead dancer in Lloyd's 2011 video Dedication to My Ex (Miss That). At an ESPY Awards after party, she ran into Flo Rida and told him that she would work with him one day. Flo Rida was so impressed that she toured with him for the next two years. She signed with his IMG label with Republic distribution. The 2015 single Somebody reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was an international hit. The record is based on the Whitney Houston hit I Wanna Dance with Somebody. The record was produced by The Futuristics (Alex Schwartz, Joe Khajadourian) and William Lobban-Bean aka Cook Classics. The remix featured singer Jeremih. When the follow up single Around the World didn't do nearly as well, Republic dropped her like a bad habit. Natalie never even got to record an album. That's how labels like Republic treat young black women. She's OK in the video. There's nothing wrong with her. But she comes across like Republic's Hot Girl of the Month. They think she's disposable. Since 2022, Natalie has recorded for her own label. I don't see that going anywhere. As we have seen in the past, an artist needs more than one hit record to get a big push from Universal labels. It's too bad but that's how they work. Here's the video for Somebody by Natalie La Rose.

   

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billy Joe & The Checkmates

Artist:Billy Joe & the Checkmates

Song:Percolator (Twist)

Album:Teen Beat 5: Another 30 Great Rockin' Instrumentals

Coffee lovers are going to want to check out this classic 1962 top ten hit made by Los Angeles studio musicians. The guy behind this record was Dore Records owner Lew Bedell. He also founded Era Records with former Atlantic Records exec Herb Newman. Lew Bedell was born Lewis Joseph Bedinsky Mar. 21, 1919 in El Paso, TX. His father was from The Ukraine and his mother was born in New York City. After his parents divorced, his family moved to Los Angeles. They changed their surname to Bedell in 1941. After WWII, he formed a comedy team with Doug Mattson. They played clubs in Los Angeles and split up in 1953. Bedell continued to work clubs. He even had a short lived TV show in New York. He met Herb Newman in 1955 when Era Records was founded. Bedell was Era's comptroller. Era's big hit was the single The Wayward Wind by Gogi Grant. When she tried to leave Era for RCA, Era sued her for breach of contract. Bedell and Newman started Dore Records. They scored a hit with To Know Him Is to love Him by The Teddy Bears. Then Newman and Bedell split up and Bedell retained control of Dore. In 1961, Bedell suggested to studio pianist Ernie Freeman that they should record a version of the Maxwell House advertising jingle. The musicians were Freeman on piano, Rene Hall on guitar, Red Callender on bass, Julius Wechter on marimba and Earl Palmer on drums. These guys were all Los Angeles studio musicians and members of The Wrecking Crew. The record was called Percolator (Twist) by Billy Joe & the Checkmates. Freeman wrote the song and Bedell took a songwriting credit as Louis Bideau. He even used a college photo of himself and said it was a pic of the group leader Billy Joe Hunter. Of course the big surprise was when Percolator reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can get it on this Ace Records various artists comp. There were several Billy Joe & the Checkmates singles but Percolator turned out to be a one hit wonder. Bedell continued to run Dore Records. He had a thing for comedy and Hudson & Landry was his most successful act. Lou Bedell died on July 6, 2000 at age 81. Here's a video of Percolator (Twist) by Billy Joe & the Checkmates.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brian McKnight

Artist:Brian McKnight

Song:Back at One

Album:Gold

R&B singer songwriter Brian McKnight had his greatest success in the 90s. The 1999 single Back at One was his biggest hit and his final big hit. He still records and tours these days. He was born June 5, 1969 in Buffalo. His older brother Claude McKnight III is a member of the acapella vocal group Take 6. The boys grew up in the church choir directed by their grandfather. Their family moved to Orlando, FL. when McKnight was ten years old. His dad worked for the Martin Marietta aircraft manufacturer. McKnight learned to play instruments and writing songs as a teen. He performed in local clubs while in high school. After graduating, McKnight got a publishing deal and moved to Los Angeles. After Claude McKnight's group Take 6 got a record deal with Warner Bros.' Reprise label in 1987, McKnight sent out demos and signed with Mercury Records. He released three albums for Mercury including the 1997 album Anytime which was certified 2XPlatinum. The 1997 single You Should be Mine was a top 20 pop hit. Even in those early days, McKnight normally wrote and produced his music. It was unusual for outside producers to be brought in though You Should be Mine was written and produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs. It was at this point that Universal bought Mercury's parent company PolyGram and all black artists were moved to Universal's Motown label. Mercury was turned into a country label. So McKnight signed a new deal with Motown and released the 1998 Christmas album Bethlehem. This was followed by Back at One in 1999. And this turned out to be McKnight's most successful album. It was certified 3XPlatinum and the single Back at One reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. As with his other albums, McKnight wrote and produced it himself. Why was this such a big success? Some believe that Anytime exposed McKnight to a more hip hop oriented audience and they stuck around for Back at One. After that, things didn't go so well. McKnight released three more albums for Motown. When none of them were positively received and they didn't sell as well as Back at One, McKnight left for Warner Bros. for the 2006 album Ten. When the album didn't sell, McKnight started recording for smaller labels. This 2CD comp has all his Universal hits. In recent years, McKnight appears to record for the indie label SoNo with Universal distribution. At this point he's a nostalgia act. Here's the video for Back at One by Brian McKnight.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-William Johnson

Artist:William Johnson

Song:The Man I Used to Be

Album:Pipe Dream: An Original Cast Recording

The most notable thing about the Broadway musical Pipe Dream is it was one of Rodgers & Hammerstein's biggest flops. It looks like the musical was shown on TV but I couldn't find out when and where it aired though this clip was used in an episode of the Netflix series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. William Johnson started out as a child actor. Pipe Dream was his final appearance as he died in 1957. He was born Mar. 22, 1915 in Baltimore. He made his Broadway debut at age 8 in the 1924 play Shipwrecked. Then he appeared in the 1926 operetta The Vagabond King. After performing in vaudeville and appearing in a couple of films, Johnson returned to Broadway in the 40s. He starred with Ethel Merman in the 1944 show Something for the Boys and with Patricia Morison in a 1951 London production of Kiss Me, Kate. Then he was nominated for a Tony for the 1956 show Pipe Dream. Then he died from a heart attack on Mar. 6, 1957 at age 40. Pipe Dream was based on the John Steinbeck novel Sweet Thursday. Former Republic Pictures music department head Cy Feuer and partner Ernie Martin backed the hit musical comedy Where's Charley?. Rodgers and Hammerstein helped them finance the show. After the success of Guys and Dolls, Feuer and Martin wanted to turn Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row into a musical. Steinbeck didn't think that would work. But he agreed to write a sequel that could be a musical. And that was called Sweet Thursday. Feuer, Martin and Steinbeck wanted Frank Loesser to write the show. But he was busy with The Most Happy Fella. So they approached Rodgers and Hammerstein. After some reluctance due to the racy subject matter, they agreed to do it. They cast opera singer Helen Traubel as the female lead. Feuer and Martin wanted Henry Fonda for the male lead. He tried to learn to sing. But his father-in-law Richard Rodgers said no. For the prostitute Suzy, they auditioned Julie Andrews. But she was also up for My Fair Lady and Rodgers told her to take that role. Rodgers had seen Judy Tyler on The Howdy Doody Show playing Princess Summerfall Winterspring. After she left the show, she auditioned for Pipe Dream and got it. The problem with the show was Rodgers was having health issues so Hammerstein was in charge. And he tried to clean up the content of the show. Remember one of the lead characters is a prostitute. How do you clean that up? Pipe Dream was a critical and financial failure. It ran from March to June 1956. The original cast album is available on CD. After Johnson died, Judy Tyler died in a car accident. Helen Traubel thought the show was cursed. So she started carrying good luck charms. Pipe Dream is generally considered to be Rodgers and Hammerstein's worst musical. It's only been revived a couple of times as a standalone concert. It was probably a mistake for them to agree to do it in the first place. Here's William Johnson performing The Man I Used to Be from the musical Pipe Dream 1956. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lauren Alaina

Artist:Lauren Alaina

Song:Road Less Traveled

Album:Road Less Traveled

Country singer songwriter Lauren Alaina finished second to Scotty McCreery on the 2011 season of American Idol (AI). I remember watching that and I didn't think either of them was any good. The 2017 single Road Less Traveled is her biggest hit to date. She has a new album coming out in August. I will say about Lauren what I say about a lot of AI contestants. She never would have got a record deal without AI. She's a pretty girl but there are plenty of those in Nashville. She writes all her songs but they are terrible. So I don't like her. She was born Nov. 8, 1994 in Rossville, GA. which is a suburb of Chatanooga. Her mother is an actress and TV host and entered Lauren in child talent competitions. She won her share of those. But it didn't get her anywhere and she worked in a pizza joint. She was rejected twice by America's Got Talent before passing her AI audition. The judges loved her and she was expected to win but finished second to Scotty McCreery. After AI, she signed with Mercury Nashville. And her single Like My Mother Does was a top 20 pop hit. The album Wildflower did OK but not great. She appeared on all the TV shows and was named New Artist of the Year at the American Country Awards. So she was treated like a star. But the results don't reflect that. But Mercury keeps trying. After 2014 vocal cord surgery, Lauren released the 2017 album Road Less Traveled. The single Road Less Traveled was a top ten country hit and was certified Platinum. The big difference between the first album and this one is that Lauren co-wrote all the songs on this one. The co-writers on Road Less Traveled were Meghan Trainor and Jesse Frasure. Frasure is a producer who has worked with many Nashville artists. The album was produced by busbee who died in 2019. Her 2021 album Sitting Pretty on Top of the World didn't sell either. Again, Lauren co-wrote all the songs. Paul DiGiovanni formerly of the band Boys Like Girls produced. He has produced Jordan Davis. She left Mercury for Joey Moi's Big Loud label. They are distributed by Universal. So they haven't given up. Her album Stages is coming out in August. Moi produced the album with Ben Johnson. Moi produced Morgan Wallen. This almost seems like Lauren's last chance. If Joey Moi can't sell her, who can? Here's the video for Road Less Traveled by Lauren Alaina.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dizzy Gillespie

Artist:Dizzy Gillespie

Song:Birks' Works

Album:Dizzy's Diamonds: Best of the Verve Years

This is another in my Jazz for Beginners complete with a performance video and an affordable comp suitable for beginners. Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie was one of the inventors of bebop. He started recording in the 40s. But his prime was when he recorded for Verve in the 50s. He was born John Birks Gillespie Oct. 21, 1917 in Cheraw, SC. His father was a local bandleader who died when Gillespie was ten years old. Gillespie started playing piano at age four. By age 12, he taught himself to play trumpet and trombone. He listened to his idol Roy Eldridge on the radio and dreamed of being a jazz musician. Gillespie won a music scholarship to the Laurinburg Institute and went there for two years until his family moved to Philadelphia in 1935. He played with local bands like Edgar Hayes and Teddy Hill and appeared on a 1937 Hill recording of King Porter Stomp. Then he met dancer Lorraine Willis and they married in 1940. She got him a spot in Cab Calloway's band. But Calloway didn't like Gillespie's onstage antics nor his solos which he called "Chinese". When someone threw a spitball during rehearsal, Calloway blamed Gillespie which Gillespie denied. They had an altercation and Gillespie was fired. A Great Day in Harlem director Jean Bach has made a short about this incident called The Spitball Story. This film is an extra on the DVD of A Great Day in Harlem and it's available on Amazon. He joined Earl Hines' band in 1943. And that's where he met Charlie Parker. They both went to Billy Eckstine's band in 1944. Gillespie left to start his own band. And that's when bebop was born. Gillespie continued in Eckstine's band. He signed with RCA's Bluebird label in 1946 and starred in the film Jivin' in Be-Bop. That's when he started bringing in Cuban musicians like Chano Pozo. Gillespie appeared regularly on Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series. Then Granz started Verve Records. Gillespie started his own label Dee Gee which didn't last. Then he was throwing a party for his wife and someone bent the trumpet's bell upward. Gillespie liked the sound so much that he had all his trumpets made that way and it became his trademark. Gillespie signed with Verve in 1951 and stayed there until 1961. He first recorded Birks' Works on one of his Dee Gee albums in 1951. This recording is from the 1958 big band album Birks' Works. You can get it on this 2CD budget comp. Also the album Birks' Works is available in a 2CD expanded edition. Except for Birks' Works, all the songs on this album are standards. Ernie Wilkins from the Count Basie band was the main arranger. But Gillespie, Melba Liston and Benny Golson also arranged some tracks. Musicians are Gillespie, Talib Daawud, Lee Morgan, Ermit V. Perry and Carl Warwick on trumpet, Melba Liston, Al Grey and Rod Levitt on trombone, Emile Henry and Jimmy Powell on alto sax, Benny Golson and Billy Mitchell on tenor sax, Billy Root on baritone sax, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul West on bass and Charlie Persip on drums. After leaving Verve in 1961, Gillespie recorded for Philips, Limelight, Solid State and Perception. Remember Granz sold Verve to MGM in 1960. When Granz started Pablo Records in 1973, Gillespie signed in 1975 and stayed until 1983. Granz sold Pablo to Fantasy in 1987. Concord now owns those recordings. Gillespie recorded for Atlantic, GRP and Timeless and continued to tour until he died on Jan. 6, 1993 at age 75. Here's Dizzy Gillespie with Sam Rivers on sax, Ed Cherry on guitar, John Lee on bass and Ignacio Berroa on drums performing Birks' Works at the 1987 New Jersey Jazz Festival.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dorothy Love Coates And The Original Gospel Harmonettes

Artist:Dorothy Love Coates and the Original Gospel Harmonettes

Song:You Must Be Born Again

Album:The Best of Dorothy Love Coates and the Original Harmonettes

Though I am sure most of you have never heard of her, gospel singer songwriter Dorothy Love Coates was a major influence on the music we listen to today. No less a star than Little Richard repeatedly cited her as a major influence. And he ain't the only one. Dorothy could have been a mainstream star. But she always refused to sing secular music and even retired in the early 50s when the other members of the group appeared on Arthur Godfrey's show. She was born Dorothy McGriff Jan. 28, 1928 in Birmingham, AL. as one of seven children. Her father was a minister and he left the family when she was six. Dorothy played piano in church and performed with her siblings as The McGriff Singers. They had a live weekly radio show on radio station WJLD. Dorothy quit high school after grade ten. She worked menial jobs during the week and sang with The Gospel Harmoneers on Sunday. Dorothy had her greatest success in the 50s as leader of The Original Gospel Harmonettes. She was not only lead singer but she wrote most of the songs. They appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1949 and that got them a record deal with RCA. Dorothy was not on those recordings. She returned when they left RCA and signed with Art Rupe's Specialty label. They had R&B and gospel artists on the label. The 1951 single Get Away Jordan was probably their biggest hit. You Must Be Born Again was released in 1954. There were times that Dorothy's stage performance was so fervent that she would disappear from the stage. The other members brought her back. Of course James Brown copied this. So Dorothy's influence was very broad. Many R&B artists acknowledged the influence of the church. Dorothy retired in 1959 and that's when Specialty released these two comps. They were released on one CD after Fantasy Records bought Specialty in 1991. These recordings are now owned by Concord. It's available on CD. Dorothy joined the Civil Rights movement in 1961. So she was very active doing that in the 60s. She reformed The Gospel Harmonettes in 1961. They recorded for Okeh and Nashboro. After they split up, Dorothy formed The Dorothy Love Coates Singers and they recorded for Savoy. She retired from recording in 1980 but continued to make appearances including in the films The Long Walk Home (1990) and The Beloved (1998). Dorothy Love Coates died on Apr. 9, 2002 at age 74. Here's Dorothy Love Coates and the Original Gospel Harmonettes performing You Must Be Born Again. I got this video from Facebook. I don't normally go to Facebook but I couldn't find this on YouTube.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chvrches

Artist:Chvrches

Song:The Mother We Share

Album:Bones of What You Believe In: 10 Year Anniversary Special Edition

The Scottish synth pop band Chvrches have had success mostly in England. Their 2013 debut album Bones of What You Believe In is their biggest selling album and The Mother We Share is their biggest hit. But they have never scored a big hit and they are more of an album and touring band. Iain Cook and Martin Doherty met in 2003 as students at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Doherty was in the band Julia Thirteen and he asked Cook to produced their 2006 EP Tired Hearts. Julia Thirteen went nowhere but Doherty and Cook wanted to work together. Cook was in the band Aereogramme. Doherty joined the band but they soon split up in 2007.Doherty was in The Twilight Sad's touring band. But he got tired of playing someone else's music and left in 2012. He had planned to train as a history teacher. Then he reconnected with Cook and they decided to start their own band. Cook was interested in synth pop influenced by the band Emeralds. Then he produced a 2011 EP for the band Blue Sky Archives and he asked their lead singer and drummer Lauren Mayberry if she would be interested in adding vocals to their project. At first Doherty was supposed to be lead singer. But both guys liked Lauren's singing and she was made lead singer. The band is called Churches but was changed to Chvrches for copyright reasons and differentiate them from real churches. I think the name is confusing so I don't like it. At first, Chvurches had not planned to tour and were going to be a studio band. The 2013 song Lies was posted on the Neon Gold Records blog. It was accompanied by a picture of three masked nuns. But Lies was played on BBC Radio 1. They were surprised by the response. They realized that they would have to perform live to get a record deal. The problem was when record companies came to their shows, they were interested in Lauren and not the band because of her looks. Cook and Doherty should have anticipated that but that showed their naivety. They signed with the indie label Glassnote Records and released the 2013 album The Bones of What You Believe and the single The Mother We Share. The album was certified Gold in England and The Mother We Share is their highest charting single to date. The album was released on Virgin's Vertigo label in Europe. Chvrches write and produce everything. A 2CD tenth anniversary edition of The Bones of What You Believe was released in 2023. It is available on CD. Chvrches has released four albums, most recently in 2021. They signed a new record deal with Island Records in 2022. Meanwhile, Lauren released a 2024 solo album Vicious Creature on EMI Records. Chvrches should have a new album out sometime this year. Here's the video for The Mother We Share by Chvrches.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cowboy Mouth

Artist:Cowboy Mouth

Song:Jenny Says

Album:Are You with  Me?

Cowboy Mouth had modest success in the 90s. Jenny Says is probably their best known song. But it wasn't a big enough hit to keep them on a major label. I don't think they should have been on a major label in the first place. They would have been better of on an indie label like Yep Roc. Cowboy Mouth is from New Orleans. They were formed in 1990 by lead singer, drummer and main songwriter Fred LeBlanc. In the 80s, LeBlanc was in the bands The Backbeats and Dash Rip Rock. Meanwhile, John Thomas Griffith was in the new wave band Red Rockers and their 1983 video for China was played a lot on MTV. After they split up in 1986, Griffith released a 1988 solo album. Meanwhile, LeBlanc signed a record deal with EMI. He got together with former Backbeats guitarist Paul Sanchez and approached Griffith about forming a band. The name Cowboy Mouth is from a play by Sam Shepherd and Patti Smith meaning loudmouth. LeBlanc was lead singer and drummer. Griffiths was lead guitarist. Sanchez was rhythm guitarist. He left in 2006. And after that, the rhythm guitarist and bassist were disposable. After releasing a couple of albums on indie labels, Cowboy Mouth signed with MCA Records and released the 1996 album Are You with Me?. Jenny Says from that album is their most popular song. LeBlanc wrote it and Dash Rip Rock recorded it in 1989. The album was produced by John Cougar Mellencamp's guitarist Michael Wanchic. MCA was disappointed with album sales. This album is available as a budget CD. After the 1998 album Mercyland was also a disappointment, MCA dropped Cowboy Mouth. Since then they have recorded for indie labels and currently on their own label. And they still tour. Last year they released an album of covers called Cover Yo' Azz. They have enough of a fanbase in New Orleans that they don't need to be on a major label and probably would have been better off if they had never recorded for MCA. Here's the video for Jenny Says by Cowboy Mouth.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ryan Follese

Artist:Ryan Follese

Song:Float Your Boat

Album:Ryan Follese

Singer songwriter Ryan Follese (pronounced Foll-eh-see) was lead singer of the band Hot Chelle Rae from 2005-14. After they went on hiatus, he signed with Big Machine and released the 2017 album Ryan Follese. He was born Feb. 16, 1987 in Nashville. His parents are Nashville songwriters Keith and Adrienne Follese. His brother Jamie was the drummer in Hot Chelle Rae. His parents lived in Los Angeles and they signed with A&M. But they never recorded. They moved to Nashville and Keith Follese has written hits for Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Lonestar. He was named 2001 Songwriter of the Year by ASCAP. As a child, Follese observed his dad in the recording studio. He started writing songs as a child. Plus his mom taught him to sing. Follese played local clubs as a teen. He formed the band Miracle Drug in 2005 with guitarist Nash Overstreet. Overstreet brought in his childhood friend Ian Keaggy to play bass. And Jamie Follese played drums. For copyright reasons, the band name was changed to Hot Chelle Rae. They signed with Jive Records and the 2011 single Tonight Tonight was a top ten hit. After two albums and constant touring, Hot Chelle Rae went on hiatus. Folese signed with Big Machine and released the single Float Your Boat. This was followed by the 2017 album Ryan Follese. The album was produced by Cameron Montgomery and Dann Huff. Huff is a veteran studio musician. Montgomery seems to have been a Big Machine house producer at the time. Follese wrote the songs with his parents, his brother and Montgomery. The album is available as a digital download. Follese left Big Machine and released singles on small labels. Hot Chelle Rae reformed in 2018. Follese decided not to return and has formed the duo Ryan and Rory with Rory John Zak. They signed with BBR Music and released an EP in 2024. We'll see how that goes but I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Follese ended up being a songwriter for hire like his parents. Here's the video for Float Your Boat by Ryan Follese. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vicki Yohe

Artist:Vicki Yohe

Song:Because of Who You Are

Album:I Just Want You

If you read my blog, you will know that I write occasionally about gospel music. Currently there are two main kinds of gospel music; Contemporary Black Gospel and Contemporary Christian. But there is occasional crossover. For example TobyMac is a Christian rapper and his music appeals to both audiences. And there are black artists like CeCe Winans who are popular with white audiences. There are also white artists who are popular with black audiences. Martha Munizzi is a current example of that. Vicki Yohe is a traditional gospel singer who has had success with black listeners. Her music is not CCM. Her audience is older. She was born July 13, 1965 in Normal, IL. but she grew up in Rapid City, SD. Her family moved to Hammond, LA. when she was a teen. Her father was a Pentecostal minister so she was a PK. So she grew up singing in church. At age 19, Vicki became musical director at a church near Baton Rouge, LA. Her father's congregation was mainly black. Plus her main musical influences were Aretha Franklin and Tremaine Hawkins. She self released an album in 1992. This got the attention of Irving Azoff's label Giant Records. She released three albums on Giant. And at that time, it was difficult to sell gospel on a secular label. So she left Giant. Now I would like to tell you who produced those albums but I think they have been scrubbed from the internet. Even Discogs doesn't have anything about them. So I dunno. I believe that Vicki decided to reach her target audience and she needed to be on a gospel label that crossed racial borders. CeCe Winans saw Vicki on Trinity Broadcasting Network's program Praise the Lord. And CeCe was just starting her Pure Springs Gospel label with EMI Gospel distribution. So Vicki signed and that's when she started to have success with the 2003 album I Just Want You and the single Because of Who You Are. The album reached the Gospel top ten and was nominated for Stellar and Dove awards. The single topped the Gospel chart. The album was produced by Chris Harris who has a history of producing these type of crossover acts like Jaci Velasquez, Kathy Troccoli and Ron Kenoly. Because of Who You Are was written by another crossover artist Martha Munizzi. This album is available as a budget CD. Vicki released two albums for Pure Springs Gospel. Since then she released two albums on Shanachie and they are strictly a distributor. Her latest album was released in 2013. She recently teased that she might record again. But she spends most of her time appearing at various churches. But her 2017 ardent support of Donald Trump alienated a lot of blacks. So I think a comeback is a longshot at best. Her crossover success was a niche anyway and I don't know if any CCM artists would want to do that now. Of course TobyMac is an exception but he's a unicorn. Here's Vicki Yohe performing Because of Who You Are. I chose this video because it's with a live band and other videos had her performing with backing tracks which is done frequently when gospel artists perform in churches.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Doris Day

Artist:Doris Day f/Harry James

Song:The Very Thought of You

Album:Young Man with a Horn: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The 1950 film Young Man with a Horn was an important film for Doris Day because it was her first drama. Up to then, she had only done musicals. She still sang in this film but she was getting typecast and wanted to do something different. The film was "inspired" by jazz trumpet pioneer Bix Beiderbecke meaning Warner Bros. could tell any story they wanted. The screenplay was written by Carl Foreman and Edmund H. North, produced by Jerry Wald and directed by Michael Curtiz. Kirk Douglas played trumpeter Rick Martin. The trumpet solos are by big band leader Harry James. Doris plays girl singer Jo Jordan and of course she develops a romance with Martin. I'm sure Doris was comfortable with playing a girl singer as that's what she was in the Harry James band before she got into films. Other actors include Lauren Bacall, Hoagy Carmichael and Juano Hernandez. That's Carmichael on the piano in the video. The main criticism of Young Man with a Horn was it was too slick and had a phony happy ending considering that Beiderbecke died from alcoholism at age 28. In her autobiography, Doris said she felt like an outsider especially since Douglas had dated Lauren so they were friends. And Douglas was never a giving actor. So he didn't help make Doris comfortable. The one thing critics liked in this film was James' trumpet playing. So Warner Bros. got Doris' record label Columbia to release a soundtrack album. It was released as a 10" LP. They had Doris and James rerecord the songs from the film. The album was successful. But I don't think record buyers knew that the recordings were not from the film. Fortunately, the Spanish label The Soundtrack Factory released the actual soundtrack in 2016. This label specializes in reissuing soundtracks that weren't released properly in the first place. So this CD has the music that was in the film. This is available on CD. Here's Doris Day featuring Kirk Douglas and Harry James performing The Very Thought of You from the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-beabadoobee

Artist:beabadoobee

Song:Take a Bite

Album:This Is How Tomorrow Moves

Beatrice Laus is a singer songwriter who was born in the Philippines and grew up in England. She has been critically acclaimed and her latest album topped the British album chart. But she hasn't had a hit single yet or had success in the US. She has a new album coming out in Sept. But I don't know if she is distinctive enough to be successful. She was born June 3, 2000 in Iloilo City, Philippines but her family moved to London, England when she was three. She grew up listening to Filipino music and modern pop music. Her main influence is Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O. Beatrice attended the all girls Catholic school Sacred Heart High School followed by her final year at Hammersmith Academy. She was expelled from school due to failing grades and "misfit behavior". She used YouTube tutorials to learn to play guitar. She was inspired by indie artists like Elliott Smith and Kimya Dawson to make her own music. The first song she wrote was Coffee. Her friend and producer Oscar Lang suggested she use a pseudonym and she came up with beabadoobee which is her user name on Instagram. I hate the name. No one can spell it or pronounce it. As I always say "Keep it simple, stupid". And a name like that does her no favors. She posted it on YouTube in 2017 and it got 300,000 views. That got her a record deal with the indie label Dirty Hit. The popular indie band The 1975 is also on that label and Beatrice toured with them. After a couple of EPs, Beatrice was named to the NME 100 of "essential new artists". Then she appeared on the cover of NME. She was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the Brit Awards and appeared on the BBC critics poll Sound of 2020. Beatrice performed on the 2020 NME Awards and won the Radar Award. That's when she toured with The 1975. She was supposed open for them on their US tour but it was cancelled due to COVID-19. After Canadian rapper Powfu sampled Coffee on his 2019 single Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head), it went viral on TikTok and was a worldwide hit. Her 2020 debut album Fake It Flowers reached #8 on the British Album chart but there were no hit singles. Billboard and Apple named her Best New Artist. Then she toured the UK. Beatrice released her 2022 album Beatopia and the single Glue Song spread on TikTok. It didn't chart because that was before Billboard changed their metric to include viral hits. Beatopia reached #4 on the British Albums chart but again there were no hit singles. Beatrice toured Europe and she opened for Taylor Swift in 2023. The 2024 album This Is How Tomorrow Moves topped the British Album chart. But again there were no hit singles. Beatrice wrote all the songs. Rick Rubin was brought in to produce. This album is available on CD. Beatrice has an album titled Pylon set for release in Sept. So what should Beatrice do to get to the next level? She could switch to a major label. But Dirty Hit has expanded operations including an office in Los Angeles. There is nothing wrong with Beatrice but she isn't distinctive enough. It's crowded out there. Have Dirty Hit work out a distribution deal with a major label. That may be the only solution. We'll see how it goes. Here's the video for Take a Bite by beabadoobee.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tony Guerrero

Artist:Tony Guerrero

Song:Mysterie

Album:Mysterie

Smooth jazz saxophonist Tony Guerrero had success in the 90s despite never being on a major label. The 1996 album and single Mysterie is his most popular album. In recent years, he has been a sideman and musical director at his church. He was born Sept. 20, 1966 in Newport Beach, CA. He is a self taught musician. He started playing local clubs after graduating from high school. He signed with a record label owned by Lucille Hunt who left her job in computers to get into the music business. Guerrero released the 1988 album Tiara featuring special guests Merry Clayton, Phil Keaggy and Grant Geissman. Helen closed the label to become a manager and Guerrero recorded the 1989 album Different Places for Nova Records. The 1996 album Mysterie was on nuGroove Records. This was a Smooth Jazz label that was very active at the time but closed in 2004. The title song was a hit on jazz radio. The album was produced by keyboardist Rob Mullins. Guerrero wrote most of the songs. Musicians include Greg Vail on sax, Tom McCauley on guitar and Del Atkins on bass. Mullins played keyboards and drums. This album is available on CD. Guerrero's latest album is a 2024 album of duets with pianist Jeremy Siskind. He also continues to perform live in clubs and at jazz festivals. Guerrero is music director for Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. He has also been music director for John Tesh and actress Jane Lynch's 2014 cabaret tour. He also produced a 2017 Christmas album for Dick Van Dyke. And he has also worked with CCM singer songwriter Crystal Lewis. He produced the Grammy nominated album Rhythm & Soul for trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. And he teaches music production at Cal Baptist State University. When does he have time to record? He has a home recording studio. So like many jazz musicians, he keeps busy. Here's Tony Guerrero with Greg Vail on soprano sax, Chris Baron on keyboards, Daryl Williams on bass and Tom Dante on drums performing Mysterie at Campus Jax 2025.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Immature

Artist:Immature

Song:Never Lie

Album:Playtyme Is Over

Immature was a pre teen R&B boy band who scored a top five hit with the 1994 single Never Lie. It was their biggest hit. Ultimately they were unsuccessful to the point where the group name was changed to IMx. They were probably too similar to groups like New Edition and they came along later. Whichever group is first is always going to be the most successful. All three members of Immature were ten years old when the group was formed in 1991 in Los Angeles. They were Marques "Batman" Houston, Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Don "Half-Pint" Santos. Santos was replaced by Kelton "LDB" Kessee in 1994 after Santos' parents pulled him from the group after Immature appeared in the 1993 film House Party 3. Immature was managed and produced by Chris Stokes. Stokes met Jones at an acting class and he put him together with Houston and Santos and named them Immature. After they won some local talent contests, Stokes got them a record deal with Virgin Records and they released the 1992 album On Our Worst Behavior. When the album didn't sell, Stokes took them to MCA Records for the 1994 album Playtyme Is Over. They also appeared in the 1993 film House Party III. That's when Santos was replaced by Kessee. Like the first album, Stokes wrote and produced. His co-producer, co-writer and recording engineer was Claudio Cueni. Never Lie reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned out to be Immature's only big hit. Houston sang lead on most of the songs. This album is available as a budget CD. After subsequent albums didn't do as well, Randy Jackson of American Idol convinced Immature to change their name to IMx for the 1999 album Introducing IMx. When that didn't sell, Stokes moved them to Warner's New Line label for the 2001 album IMx. They split up after that. Houston has had solo success on the R&B charts. Jones recorded a couple of unsuccessful albums. They recorded for Stokes' TUG label. Stokes is a film producer and director for Tubi Originals. Here's the video for Never Lie by Immature. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wiz Khalifa

Artist:Wiz Khalifa f/Charlie Puth

Song:See You Again

Album: Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

See You Again topped the charts in 2015. It is to date the biggest hit for rapper Wiz Khalifa. It plays over the end credits of the 2016 film Furious 7. It does not appear on a Wiz Khalifa or Charlie Puth album. The Furious 7 soundtrack is the best way to get the song. Cameron Jabril Thomaz was born Sept. 8, 1987 in Minot, ND. His parents served in the US Air Force. After they divorced, his mom settled in Pittsburgh in 1996. Thomaz started writing and performing in high school. He took the name Wiz Khalifa. Wiz is short for wisdom. Khalifa is the Arabic word meaning successor. Thomaz was already recording at a local recording studio I.D. Labs. Studio owner Eric Dan had some experience in the Pittsburgh hip hop scene so he decided to mentor Thomaz. Rostrum Records owner Benjy Grinberg heard Wiz Khalifa on a mixtape of Pittsburgh hip hop artists. Thomaz signed with Rostrum and after a mixtape and the 2006 album Show and Prove, Rolling Stone named Wiz Khalifa an artist to watch. And that led to a record deal with Warner Bros. They released a few singles. But when they delayed the release of the album First Flight, Thomaz got out of his contract. After releasing the 2009 album Deal or No Deal on Rostrum, Thomaz signed with Atlantic Records. The single Black and Yellow topped the charts in 2010. This was followed by the 2011 album Rolling Papers which was certified 3XPlatinum. Thomaz' follow up albums did OK but there were no hit singles. The one thing I will say about Wiz Khalifa is he sure releases a lot of music. A lot of rappers are like that. I would like him to be more selective. His other #1 hit was See You Again from the 2016 film Furious 7. The music for this film was produced by Justin "DJ Frank E" Franks and Andrew Cedar. They had previously produced Flo Rida. Franks and singer songwriter Charlie Puth were asked by their publisher to write a song that would pay tribute to the late Paul Walker. Puth went to Los Angeles to meet Franks and turned the song into a piano ballad. When the record was finished, Universal Pictures and Atlantic Records decided to add a rapper. Puth thought that came out of nowhere and he wasn't sure he wanted to sing on the record. After Wiz Khalifa was chosen, they considered replacing Puth with Chris Brown, Jason DeRulo or even Adele. But they ultimately went with Puth and See You Again topped the charts. The soundtrack album is available on CD. Thomaz sued Rostrum in 2016 claiming his contract was unfair. Rostrum countersued for unpaid royalties. They reached a settlement in 2017. Since then Thomaz started his own label Taylor Gang. He left Atlantic in 2021 and his latest album was released in 2026. The problem is his music doesn't sell anymore. The last time one of his singles charted was in 2018. He still releases a lot of mixtapes. And he appeared on The Masked Singer in 2021. I guess that officially makes him a has been. As I said, he releases way too much music and now no one listens to it. Here's the video for See You Again by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jonathan Nelson

Artist:Jonathan Nelson

Song:Expect the Great

Album:Better Days

Gospel music fans may already be familiar with Jonathan Nelson. Or maybe you are thinking of his twin brother Jason Nelson. Both guys have had success on the gospel charts. And Jonathan has had success as a songwriter for Donald Lawrence and Maurette Brown Clark. He was born Nov. 10, 1974 in Baltimore. His father is pastor at Baltimore's Greater Bethlehem Temple Church. He studied at Baltimore School for the Arts and Morgan State University. When Karen Clark-Sheard performed at his church, Nelson and his friends were the backup singers. They continued to perform as Purpose and Nelson self released an album. Meanwhile, Nelson met Donald Lawrence at a Washington, DC workshop. Lawrence heard the song Healed and he asked Nelson if he would allow him to record it. Nelson won a Songwriter of the Year Stellar award. Nelson signed a record deal with Integrity Music with Sony distribution. The 2010 album Better Days was his second album on Integrity. Expect the Great was the first single and that and the album did well on the Gospel charts. The album was recorded live at the Faith Center in Sunrise, FL. Nelson produced and wrote most of the songs with co-writers. Nelson wrote Expect the Great with Darien Dennis and Kenneth Shelton. Shelton was musical director and played keyboards. He is currently musical director with Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy. Special guests are Jason Nelson and Kiki Sheard. This album is available on CD. Nelson has also recorded for EMI Gospel and eOne. Nelson is currently Director of Worship and Arts at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Nelson reformed Purpose and has released a couple of albums on his own label with MNRK distribution (formerly eOne). Here's the video of Expect the Great by Jonathan Nelson.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Hudson Brothers

Artist:The Hudson Brothers

Song:So You Are a Star

Album:Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix Vol. 1

If you were around in the 70s, you may recall a group of brothers who sang and had their own TV show. No, I'm not talking about The Osmond Brothers. I'm talking about The Hudson Brothers. Of course they weren't nearly as successful as the Osmonds. The 1974 single So You Are a Star was their biggest hit and it didn't even break the top 20. Also, I thought they tried too hard with the comedy. Plus they bounced around too many labels. The Hudson Brothers are from Portland, OR. The oldest is Bill Hudson (b. Oct. 17, 1949), next is Mark Hudson (b. Aug. 23, 1951) and finally Brett Hudson (b. Jan. 18,1953). Their father left the family when all three were children. Mom encouraged them to sing. When they first formed a band as teens, they were called My Sirs. After winning a battle of the bands, they were at a recording studio and a local promoter offered them a contract to promote Chryslers. They were renamed The New Yorkers. They recorded a promotional single for the Chrysler 1967 Go Show. They signed with Scepter Records and released a few singles and toured with Buffalo Springfield and The Buckinghams. They released a couple of singles on the local label Jerden Records. When they signed with Decca, they changed the name to Everyday Hudson. It was shortened to Hudson when they signed with Playboy Records owned by Hugh Hefner. They released an album in 1972. Then Playboy was sold to CBS. After Hudson appeared on the TV panel show What's My Line, Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin signed them to their label Rocket Records. Taupin produced the 1974 album Totally Out of Control. A few singles were released. Meanwhile they appeared on a 1974 episode of The Sonny Comedy Revue. Show producer Chris Bearde liked them enough to give them a summer replacement TV series called The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. I think that's where most folks first heard of them. They got a record deal with Neil Bogart's Casablanca label and the 1974 single So You Are a Star reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. This turned out to be their biggest hit. This was followed by the album Hollywood Situation. The Hudsons wrote and produced the album. Mark was usually lead singer. All three played instruments. The Hudsons returned to Rocket for the 1975 album Ba-Fa. Later they recorded for Arista and Elektra. Their final album was in 1980. By that time, the TV show was long gone. But they continued to do comedy in their act. I think if they had stuck to music, they could have been successful. I watched their TV show and it was pretty lame. You can get So You Are a Star on this various artists budget CD of 70s hits. After The Hudson Brothers split up, Bill Hudson appeared in a few TV shows. Mark Hudson wrote and produced for Aerosmith and Ringo Starr. Brett Hudson has produced several TV shows with his company Frozen Pictures. Here's The Hudson Brothers performing So You Are a Star on a 1974 episode of their TV show. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Firm

Artist:The Firm

Song:Star Trekkin'

Album:1987: Where Were You?

Not to be confused with the 80s supergroup The Firm led by Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page, this act called The Firm topped the British charts with the 1987 novelty song Star Trekkin'. You may have heard this if you listen to the Dr. Demento radio show. The guy behind this Star Trek spoof is British guitarist John O'Connor. He studied guitar at the London College of Music. He opened Bark Studio in North London and played sessions and produced. He also toured with Steeleye Span lead singer Maddy Prior. With his pal Grahame Lister, O'Connor wrote and produced the 1982 novelty song Arthur Daley E's Alright based on a character in the TV series Minder. It used catchphrases from the show. They decided to call themselves The Firm. The big surprise was when the record reached #14 on the British Singles chart and The Firm appeared on the TV show Top of the Pops. After follow up records didn't chart, The Firm decided to take on Star Trek in 1987. The song was written by Rory Kehoe. He was a member of an English Civil War reenactment group called The Sealed Knot. He wrote this Star Trek parody that was sung in pubs to the tune of I Am a Fine Musician from The Music Man and popularized by an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was called I Am the Star Trek Man. Lister heard the song performed in a folk club and he took it to O'Connor. They scrapped the melody and wrote a new song. When record labels weren't interested, O'Connor decided to record it in his own studio. O'Connor and Lister did the vocals. Their friends played the music. A group of art students called The Film Garage used puppetry and stop motion animation to produce a video. After Star Trekkin' topped the British charts, K-Tel picked it up and The Firm released an album. It did not chart in the US but it has been a Dr. Demento favorite for years. If you are wondering why Paramount didn't sue The Firm, the song is considered a harmless parody and it's likely a lawsuit would have been unsuccessful. I tried to find a Dr. Demento album that contained Star Trekkin' but none are in print. So you can get it on this Australian various artists comp. Soon after, O'Connor moved to California. He lives in Santa Barbara. O'Connor recorded New Age music as Eko on Higher Octave Records. He recorded four albums as Eko. Then he composed the music for the FOX TV series The King of the Hill. It looks like he's retired and living off royalties. He says he buys plenty of new gear for his home recording studio. Here's the video for Star Trekkin' by The Firm.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mocedades

Artist:Mocedades

Song:Eres Tu

Album:Nuestras 30 Mejores Canciones

The Spanish group Mocedades has been around since the late 60s. They have had success mostly in Europe. But they scored a US top ten hit with the 1973 single Eres Tu. The song finished second in the Eurovision Song Contest and it was a worldwide hit. It all began in 1967 in the Basque city of Bilbao by sisters Amaya, Isazkun and Estibaliz Uranga. They called themselves Las Hermanas Uranga. When their brothers and friends joined the group during rehearsals, the group name was changed to Voces et Guitarras. They sang mostly folk and spiritual music. After they sent a demo to producer Juan Carlos Calderon, he changed the group name to Mocedades (meaning youths) and got them a record deal with the Spanish label Zafiro. Calderon wrote and produced the songs. The membership of Mocedades has been very fluid over the years. Currently there are two "official" versions of the group. So they come and go. In 1973 they were Amaya and Isazkun Uranga, their brother Roberto Uranga, Javier Garay and Jose Ibina who both returned to the group after military service and newcomer Carlos Zubiaga. In Spain, this version of Mocedades is called "The Six Historic Ones". Calderon wrote Eres Tu and Television Espaniola (TVE) chose it as an official entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. This is organized by European broadcasters so TVE had to produce a video clip. The contest was held in Luxembourg and broadcast live across Europe. It's a big deal there. Eres Tu finished second in the contest and Zafiro released it as a single. It was released in the US by Paramount owned Famous Music. There was an English version on the B side with lyrics by British songwriter Mike Hawker. He co-wrote the Dusty Springfield hit I Only Want to Be with You. But radio stations preferred the Spanish version and it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can get it on this 2CD comp. Not surprisingly, this turned out to be Mocedades' only hit in the US. They continue to have success in Europe. As I said, there are two versions of Mocedades touring. One is led by Isazkun Uranga and the other is led by Javier Garay. The split was in 2013. Both groups are legal because the two leaders were part of the original Mocedades who registered the name. Anyway, that's enough of the legal wrangling. Here's the video for Eres Tu by Mocedades.