AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Elected

Artist:The Elected

Song:Not Going Home

Album:Sun, Sun, Sun

When the leaders of the band Rilo Kiley decided to take a break to work on other projects in 2002, Blake Sennett and Mike Bloom decided to start their own band The Elected. So they are a spinoff band. They released a couple of albums and then both guys went on to other bands. Sennett met Rilo Kiley lead singer Jenny Lewis in the 90s and even dated her for a while. Sennett started out as a teen actor. He is best known for playing Joey the Rat on the sitcom Boy Meets World. When acting dried up, Sennett joined Rilo Kiley. Bloom was a studio musician and joined Rilo Kiley occasionally when needed. Sennett and Bloom wrote and produced The Elected's two albums. They both sing and play guitar and keyboards. Drummer Jason Boesel was also a member of Rilo Kiley and bassist Daniel Brummel was in the band Ozma. They didn't stay as The Elected was really a two man band. Sennett and Bloom worked on demos at Sennett's home studio and they signed with the indie label Sub Pop. They released the album Me First in 2004 followed by the 2006 album Sun, Sun, Sun. Not Going Home is from Sun, Sun, Sun. They wrote all the songs and played most of the instruments. Bloom wrote and sang lead on Not Going Home. The album is available as a budget CD. The Elected ended after the two albums. Jenny Lewis released a solo album and Rilo Kiley released the 2007 album Under the Boardwalk. After they toured, Rilo Kiley went on hiatus again and so did Sennett to work on film music. Bloom joined Julian Casablancas' touring band. There was a third The Elected album in 2011 called Bury Me in My Rings. But Sennett has said that it was a solo album as he did everything himself. Sennett started the band With Night Terrors of 1927 and they released a 2015 album. Bloom is mostly a studio musician these days. My guess is if Rilo Kiley had never gone on hiatus in 2002, The Elected would never have happened. Here's The Elected performing Not Going Home on Jimmy Kimmel Live 2006.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Collie Buddz

Artist:Collie Buddz 

Song:Blind to You

Album:Collie Buddz

Colin "Collie Buddz" Harper is a reggae rapper and singer who has a significant fanbase because the 2007 singles Come Around and Blind to You connected with an audience that is still with him today. He currently records for his own label. He was born Aug. 21, 1981 in New Orleans but he grew up in Bermuda as his mom is Bermudian. Harper studied audio engineering at Full Sail University in Florida and appeared on Shaggy's 2007 album Intoxication. The name Collie Buddz is cannabis slang. That one appearance got him a record deal with Columbia Records and they released the 2007 album Collie Buddz. The album and the singles Come Around and Blind to You topped the Reggae chart. But it doesn't look like Columbia promoted Harper in any other market. Harper now says that he signed what is called a "360" deal which allows Columbia to recoup marketing and production costs. Harper says he didn't get any royalties for 13 years. When Columbia wasn't happy with the album sales, Harper decided to leave Columbia and start his own label. The album served its purpose to connect him with his target audience. So maybe Harper was using Columbia's global reach to get what he wanted. Harper wrote most of the album songs and worked with several producers. He co-wrote and produced Blind to You with Jamaican producer Dwayne "Supa Dups" Chin-Quee who is part of the Black Chiney sound system. This album is available as a digital download. Harper started his own label currently distributed by Ineffable Music Group. He does his own promotion. They just distribute his product. Harper released his latest album in 2023 and he is a very successful live performer. So it looks to me like Harper got exactly what he wanted and used Columbia to get that. Here's Collie Buddz performing Blind to You at Cali Roots 2013. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joyce Manor

Artist:Joyce Manor

Song:Schley

Album:Never Hungover Again

Punk rock fans should enjoy the modern day punk band Joyce Manor. Of course punk rock was very popular in the 70s. It's not popular anymore but Joyce Manor has a significant following. Joyce Manor was formed in 2008 in Torrance, CA. Lead singer and guitarist Barry Johnson and guitarist Chase Knobbe decided to start a band. The name Joyce Manor came from an apartment building that Johnson would pass on walks. They started out as an acoustic duo. Bassist Matt Ebert and drummer Kurt Walcher were added in 2009 to give them the sound they were after. At first, Joyce Manor was part of Southern California's emo revival. They signed with 6131 Records and released their debut album Joyce Manor in 2011. The band gained a following through word of mouth. Punknews named it their 2011 Album of the Year. They released the 2012 album Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired on Asian Man Records. The album was not well received. Johnson says now that he didn't want to be like other bands. He was put in touch with Epitaph Records owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz and they are still on that label. The 2014 album Never Hungover Again was Joyce Manor's first album on Epitaph. The album was produced by Joe Reinhart of the band Algernon Cadwallader. Johnson writes all the songs though they are credited to Joyce Manor and the royalties are evenly split. All the songs are around two minutes long. All their albums are around twenty minutes long. Apparently this is a nod to the 90s California punk and emo scene where they started out. I don't like twenty minute albums. But Joyce Manor's fans are OK with it. And this album got rave reviews most notably from Spin Magazine. It's available on CD. The album did well enough that Joyce Manor is playing bigger shows and sometimes headlining. Walcher left Joyce Manor before they recorded the 2016 album Cody. They tried to hire a replacement but they now hire a drummer for tours. Joyce Manor went on hiatus for COVID. But they released a new album I used to Go to This Bar Jan. 2026. Gurewitz produced it. They are currently on tour. Here's Joyce Manor performing Schley at The El Rey in Los Angeles 2014. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-BigXthaPlug

Artist:BigXthaPlug f/Bailey Zimmerman

Song:All the Way

Album:I Hope You're Happy

Rapper Xavier "BigXthaPlug" Landrum scored a top five hit with the 2025 single All the Way featuring country music star Bailey Zimmerman. It also topped the country charts. A country rap crossover is not new. It's just not done that frequently and it's usually done as a one off. Recently there was Beyonce's 2024 album COWBOY CARTER which she produced after a record company executive told her she couldn't. And of course Jelly Roll straddles country and rap. More typical was when Nelly featured Tim McGraw on the 2004 single Over and Over. And Nelly appeared on the 2013 Florida Georgia Line single Cruise. This is a complete album of the same formula. Rapper and country singer alternating vocals on every song. I think most folks would tire of this type of crossover quickly. That's why you don't see it done frequently. Also this album is only 26 minutes long. Landrum was born May 12, 1998 in Dallas. His mom was a "gangsta" who once shot at a would be thief during an attempted robbery. But she was his best friend. His father was the disciplinarian. Landrum listened to rap and R&B as a child. He was a poor student who skipped classes and got into fights. After moving to Commerce, TX to live with his father, Landrum got into football. And after graduating from high school, he attended Crown College in Minnesota. When Landrum started selling weed to students, police found weed in his dorm room and he was expelled from school and sent home. When he got home, Landrum started robbing drug dealers. That landed him in jail. And that's when he started rapping. And after he was released, he recorded his first mixtape. Landrum again landed in jail in 2022 for illegal possession of weapons and weed. This time he signed with UnitedMasters and released his 2023 debut album Amar named after his son. UnitedMasters is owned by former Sony Music president of Urban Music Steve Stoute. When Landrum's 2022 single Texas contained slide guitar and Southern Rap swagger, some country stars expressed an interest in working with him. And that's when he recorded the 2025 album I Hope You're Happy. The single All the Way featuring Bailey Zimmerman reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it topped the Country Singles chart. It was certified 2XPlatinum. The album was certified Gold and it was only released as a digital download. Most of the album was produced by Krishon "BandPlay" Gaines. They met in 2022 while Landrum was on tour with Key Glock. Gaines has worked on all his albums. Landrum is currently on tour. But he has said that his next album will be rap and the country crossover is a one off album. I'm not surprised. The album did make him famous. Here's the video for All the Way by BigXthaPlug featuring Bailey Zimmerman. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fapy Lafertin

Artist:Fapy Lafertin

Song:Fleur de Lavende

Album:Dutch Jazz Giants Volume 7: Gipsy Swing

The influence of French jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt is so vast that it's impossible to know where to start. Look at all the bands that have the name "Hot Club" in their name. And Reinhardt did invent what we know today as Gipsy Swing. Belgian guitarist Jean "Fapy" Lafertin plays other styles of music sometimes. But mostly he plays in Reinhardt's style. He was born Nov. 20, 1950 in Kortrijk, Belgium in the Manouche Romani community. He started playing guitar at age five. After playing in his family band with his father on violin and his brother on second guitar, he joined a band led by violinist Piotto Lindberger. The band was called WASO. The other members were Vivi Limberger on guitar, Keon De Cauter on sax and Michael Verstraeten on bass. Then Lafertin started his own band in 1985 in The Netherlands with Rudi Brink on violin and Joop Hendricks and Tim Kliphuis on sax and clarinet. Then Lafertin released his debut album as a leader in 1991. The album title is Fleur de Lavende. The album was released on the Norwegian label Hot Club Records owned by Jon Larsen of the band Hot Club de Norvege. Lafertin recorded some Gipsy Swing standards. But he wrote Fleur de Lavende. Musicians are guitarist Flip Krajenbrink, violinist Hadi Mouallem, bassist Simon Planting and drummer Onno De Brujin. I think they are all Dutch. This album is available as part of a 10CD box set called Dutch Jazz Giants released by the Dutch label Pink Records. There's a different artist on each CD. I don't know why anyone would release a box set like this. But the albums are available individually as digital downloads. Lafertin's album is volume 7 of the box set. Since then Lafertin has released several albums on different labels. His latest album is with clarinetist Evan Christopher called A Summit in Paris on the French label Camille Productions released in 2020. Lafertin tours Europe frequently. But I don't think he has ever played in North America. Django Reinhardt fans should check him out. Here's Fapy Lafertin with Martin Limberger on guitar, Simon Planting on bass and Frans van Oosterhout on drums performing Fleur de Lavende on Dutch TV 1992.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The El Dorados

Artist:The El Dorados

Song:At My Front Door

Album:Essential Doo-Wop: Let's Have a Ball

The doo wop group The El Dorados topped the R&B Singles chart and scored a top 20 pop hit with the 1955 single At My Front Door. It turned out to be their only big hit though a version of The El Dorados has played the oldies circuit for many years. The El Dorados went to Englewood High School in Chicago. They were called Pirkle Lee and the All Stars when they formed in 1952. The lead singer was Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. He also wrote songs and led the group for decades. After Moses spent some time in the US Air Force, he returned in 1954 and the group name was changed to The El Dorados. The other members were tenors Louis Bradley and Arthur Basset, second tenor Jewel Jones and baritones James Maddox and Richard Nickens. They came to the attention of Chicago DJ Al Benson and he got them an audition with Vivian Carter of Vee-Jay Records. The El Dorados signed with Vee-Jay. At My Front Door was their fifth single and it topped the R&B Singles chart and reached #17 on the pop chart. They released an album called Crazy Little Mama. Pat Boone's version of At My Front Door reached #7 on the pop charts. At My Front Door was written by The Drifters lead singer John Moore and he produced with Vee-Jay co-owner Ewart Abner. Abner went on to be Stevie Wonder's manager and president of Motown in the 70s. The album Crazy Little Mama is available on CD from the Japanese label P-Vine. But if you only want At My Front Door, you can get it on this comp of doo wop classics. The El Dorados split up in 1957. Vee-Jay soon dropped them. Moses continued to lead a version of The El Dorados until his 2000 death. A version of The El Dorados still tours today. Here's The El Dorados performing At Your Front Door 1994.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barleyjuice

Artist:Barleyjuice

Song:Weekend Irish

Album:The Barleyjuice Irish Collection

Barleyjuice is an American band that plays Irish themed music. There have been other similar bands, most notably The Dropkick Murphys. Like that band, Barleyjuice performs mostly original songs. They are from Philadelphia. Kyf Brewer and Keith Swanson were bagpipers for the Loch Rannoch Pipes & Drums in Pineville, PA. They decided to start Barleyjuice in 1998 as a side project to perform traditional Irish and Scottish songs in a rock style very similar to The Dropkick Murphys. They played mostly on St. Patrick's Day. They became a full time band in 2001 after they released their debut album One Shilling. They record for their own label. One of the songs from that album appeared in the 2001 film Driven. Brewer and Swanson are the only constant members of Barleyjuice. They write and produce everything. They started to get attention when the song What's Up Yours? from the 2003 album Another Round was named Song of the Year by listener vote at Celtic Radio. Weekend Irish is from their 2008 album Bonnie Prince Barley. A music video was produced for that song. Then they made a deal with the shopping network QVC to sell the 2CD comp The Barleyjuice Irish Collection to viewers. Bonnie Prince Barley is probably Barleyjuice's most popular album. But it's out of print. You can get Weekend Irish on The Barleyjuice Irish Collection which is available as a digital download. Swanson retired from Barleyjuice in 2019. But he returned and they still play occasional shows. They last released an album in 2018. Here's the video for Weekend Irish by Barleyjuice. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-OK Go

Artist:OK Go

Song:Here It Goes Again

Album:Oh No

OK Go is an indie band that have had success as an album and touring band. The 2006 single Here It Goes Again was a top 40 hit so it's probably their best known song. OK Go leader Damian Kulash met bassist Tim Nordwind at summer camp in Michigan when they were 11 years old. The band name came from something their art teacher would say while they were drawing. They kept in touch afterwards. Nordwind met keyboardist Andy Duncan in high school. After they moved to Chicago to attend school, they formed the band Stanley's Joyful Noise with drummer Dan Konopka. Meanwhile, Kulash studied music at Brown University in Providence, RI. After graduating, he moved to Chicago and formed OK Go in 1998. Kulash is lead singer, guitarist and he writes all the songs. They started playing local clubs and opened for Elliott Smith, The Promise Ring and The Olivia Tremor Control. They were the house band for the Chicago Public Media radio show This American Life. After self releasing a couple of EPs and opening for They Might Be Giants, OK Go moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and sent out demos to record companies. They signed with Capitol because Andy Slater was Capitol's new president and they thought he would give them more attention. Their debut album OK Go was released in 2002. The single Get Over It charted in England and OK Go performed on Top Of The Pops. But the album didn't sell in the US. For the 2005 album Oh, No, OK Go went to Malmo, Sweden to work with producer Tore Johansson who had worked with The Cardigans and Franz Ferdinand. After they finished recording, Duncan left due to creative differences and the tour schedule. Andy Ross replaced him. This album did better than the first one and the single Here It Goes Again reached #38 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for Here It Goes Again was the band dancing on treadmills. So MTV played it to death and OK Go performed it live on the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. In those days, it was a double edged sword. The video helped record sales. But many radio stations were still resentful of MTV and might have refused to play the record anyway. Also, Kulash was concerned about being typecast as "that goofy band". Oh, No is available as a budget CD. OK Go ran into problems with their 2010 album On the Blue Colour of the Sky when Capitol posted videos on YouTube and would not allow embedding. In response to complaints, Kulash posted an open letter on the band website which included embed codes. He thought it was stupid too. Soon after OK Go left Capitol and started their own label Paracadute. OK Go is still around. They released an album last year and will tour in the fall. Here's the video for Here It Goes Again by OK Go.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eladio Carrion

Artist:Eladio Carrion f/Bad Bunny

Song:Coco Chanel

Album:3MEN2 KBRN

Rapper Eladio Carrion has had success mostly in the Latin market. Reggaeton is marketed a little differently than other kinds of music. This song Coco Chanel charted in 2023 despite not being released as a single. Bad Bunny is on it and he's one of the biggest stars right now. My problem with Carrion is the same problem I have with many rappers. He releases way too much music and should be more selective. He's released seven albums since 2020 and plenty of standalone singles. He was born Nov. 14, 1994 in Kansas City, KS. His parents are Puerto Rican. His father was in the military so they moved around a lot until his family relocated to Humacao, Puerto Rico in 2005. Carrion was a swimmer who represented Puerto Rico in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 2011 Pan American Games. After he finished eighth in 2011, Carrion quit swimming and posted funny videos to Vine and Instagram. Then he started rapping and singing. He signed with Rimas Entertainment and released his 2020 debut album Sauce Boyz. The album was certified Platinum and his single Kemba Walker featuring Bad Bunny was certified Platinum and nominated for a Latin Grammy. And as I said, Carrion's music is not marketed traditionally. Word of mouth is more important than radio play. He's had similar success with all his albums. Coco Chanel is from Carrion's 2023 album 3MEN2 KBRN which is an abbreviation of Tremendo Cabron which means badass. Coco Chanel was Carrion's first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. And it was not released as a single. The success of the song was fueled by Bad Bunny's star power. Carrion and Bad Bunny had success with the 2020 single Kemba Walker. So there was a lot of anticipation for this new song. And it went viral when Bad Bunny dissed Phoenix Suns' Devin Walker who used to date Kendall Jenner who was dating Bad Bunny at the time. Coco Chanel was written by Carrion, Bad Bunny and producer John "DVLP" Zayas. This album is available as a digital download. Since then Carrion has released three albums including his latest in Apr. 2026. Plus he makes guest appearances. As I said, I think he could decrease his musical output and still do OK. It looks like he's going on tour in the fall. Here's the video for Coco Chanel by Eladio Carrion featuring Bad Bunny. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Dandy Warhols

Artist:The Dandy Warhols

Song:Bohemian Like You

Album:The Capitol Years 1995-2007

The alt rock band The Dandy Warhols have been around for over thirty years. They had their greatest commercial success when they were on Capitol Records from 1995-2007. They never had a hit single but the 2000 single Bohemian Like You was their highest charting song and it made a lot of money from other media. The Dandy Warhols currently record for their own label. The Dandy Warhols are from Portland, OR led by lead singer songwriter and guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor. Taylor-Taylor met guitarist Peter Holmstrom while both were attending Sunset High School in the Portland suburb of Beaverton, OR. After an unsuccessful experiment trying to teach his girlfriend to play bass, Taylor-Taylor taught Zia McCabe to play keyboards. Eric Hedford was the original drummer. But he left over a royalty dispute and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent DeBoer in 1998. The Dandy Warhols started playing local clubs and released the 1995 album Dandys Rule OK on the local indie label Tim/Kerr. Capitol Records liked the album enough to sign the band. They wanted them to have hit singles. So when they recorded a follow up album, Capitol rejected it because they said it didn't have any hits. Much of the band's music has humor. Even the band name is obviously a gag. But I don't think Capitol was in on the joke. So a new album was recorded and ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down was released in 1997. As usual, Taylor-Taylor wrote and produced. Capitol brought in Elliott Smith's producer Eric Lash to give the album some polish. The album and a couple of singles charted in England. The 2000 single Bohemian Like You is from the album Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia. It was a top twenty hit in England after it was used in an ad for the British phone company Vodafone. It also appeared on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the films Flushed Away and Igby Goes Down. It was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian that Taylor-Taylor earned $1.5M in royalties after Vodaphone used Bohemian Like You. He used that money to buy a quarter of a city block in Portland and build a recording studio. So I guess The Dandy Warhols don't need a hit single. Taylor-Taylor wrote and produced Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia with Dave Sardy formerly of Barkmarket. You can get Bohemian Like You on this comp which is available as a digital download. Taylor-Taylor wrote Bohemian Like You after he saw a woman at a traffic light under his apartment and he started to fantasize about her. The song wrote itself. The Dandy Warhols recorded four albums for Capitol. They started their own label Beat the World with distribution from the British label Caroline. They have switched distributors a couple of times and released their latest album in 2024. They aren't on tour right now. But they have a couple of shows coming up in Sept. Here's the video for Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Junior Wells

Artist:Junior Wells

Song:Come On in This House

Album:Messin' With the Kid 1957-1963

Junior Wells is one of the all time blues harmonica greats. He is best known for his long partnership with guitarist Buddy Guy. He first recorded in 1955. But he didn't become a fan favorite until the mid 60s when he partnered with Guy and toured with The Rolling Stones. He was born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. Dec. 9, 1934 in Memphis. His cousin Junior Parker and Sonny Boy Williamson II taught Wells to play harmonica. After his mother's divorce, Wells moved to Chicago with her in 1948. Wells hung out with local musicians in bars and at parties. Wells joined The Aces led by guitarists Dave and Louis Myers. But drummer Fred Below had worked with harmonica legend Little Walter so he helped Wells with his harmonica playing. And in 1952, Wells replaced Walter on a Muddy Waters session on Chess. Of course Little Walter was on Chess so they weren't interested in Wells. He first recorded for States Records in 1955. They closed in 1957 and Wells signed with Chief Records. Chief was owned by producer and songwriter Mel London. In those days, Chess was the only game in Chicago. So the rest was left to guys like London. But he signed Earl Hooker who was a really good guitarist and a good partner for Wells. So Chief released about 25 Wells singles from 1957-63 and then Chief closed in 1964. Wells wrote Come On in This House and it was released in 1960. London is credited as producer. Musicians are Earl Hooker on guitar, Lafayette Leake on piano, Dave Meyers on bass guitar, Willie Dixon on acoustic bass and Eugene Lounge on drums. Hooker and Dixon play on most of this album. This budget CD is all original recordings first released by Paula Records in 1991. These recording are now owned by P-Vine Records, a Japanese label that reissues vintage jazz, blues and R&B recordings. Wells released his first album Hoodoo Man Blues on Delmark Records in 1965. Buddy Guy was on that album and that's when Wells' career really started especially when they toured with The Rolling Stones in the 70s. After suffering a heart attack, Wells died on Jan. 15, 1998 at age 63. I may look at Wells' later recordings in the future but here's Junior Wells with Buddy Guy performing Come On in This House at Montreux 1978.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jellyfish

Artist:Jellyfish

Song:Joining a Fan Club

Album:Spilt Milk

Jellyfish was a power pop band that recorded two unsuccessful albums in the early 90s. Since they split up, they have developed a cult following and have been influential on other similar bands. The leaders of Jellyfish were Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning. They met while attending Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA. Sturmer was lead singer and drummer. Manning played keyboards. They wrote all the songs. Sturmer wrote the lyrics. Sturmer and Manning joined Chris Ketner's San Francisco based band Beatnik Beatch. They released a 1988 album on Atlantic. When it went nowhere, Beatnik Beatch split up. Sturmer and Manning planned to start a new band at Atlantic. Manning brought in former The Three O'Clock guitarist Jason Falkner and his brother Chris Manning on bass. Manning promised Falkner that he would contribute to the songwriting. But he didn't tell Sturmer so there was tension over that. An Atlantic exec suggested the band name Jellyfish. When Sturmer couldn't think of anything better, he decided to go with that. The 1990 album Bellybutton was produced by Albhy Galuten who produced The Bee Gees. While they were recording the album, they shopped for a new label and signed with Virgin's Charisma label. Bellybutton was released July 1990. The album was favorably reviewed but it didn't sell. The problem was hair metal was popular at the time. It's hard to buck a trend when Jellyfish sounded like a 60s band. They toured wearing fancy costumes. When reviewers concentrated on that, they stopped wearing them. After the tour, Falkner was unhappy and left the band. Chris Manning left to become a chef. Sturmer and Manning appeared on Ringo Starr's 1992 album Time Takes Time. They also had a songwriting session with Brian Wilson but nothing came from that. Their 1992 album Spilt Milk was again produced by Galuten. Tim Smith was brought in to play bass. They used several guitarists. By the time Spilt Milk was released, grunge had taken over the music business. And critics bemoaned that Jellyfish sounded like the 70s band The Raspberries. Guitarist Eric Dover was brought in to tour. When this album didn't sell, Jellyfish split up. Sturmer and Manning weren't getting along anyway. Spilt Milk is available on CD. Manning formed the bands The Moog Cookbook and Imperial Drag. Sturmer wrote songs for the Japanese duo Puffy. And that led to writing songs for Cartoon Network shows like Teen Titans and these days, he works a lot for Disney. Manning has recorded solo in recent years. His latest album was released in 2023. Attempts to reunite Jellyfish have been unsuccessful as Sturmer won't do it. That's what he said in a 2015 interview. He seems to prefer the studio work that he's doing now. Here's Jellyfish performing Joining a Fan Club in Munich, Germany 1993. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Nouri

Artist:Michael Nouri

Song:King's Dilemma

Album:Victor/Victoria: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Actor Michael Nouri is best known for his many TV roles. He has also appeared in films. But it might surprise some that he has also appeared on Broadway. His most notable Broadway appearance was as King Marchan in the 1995 musical adaptation of the film Victor/Victoria. This appears to be Nouri's only recorded singing appearance. He has appeared in other musicals but none were recorded and most were not on Broadway. It's funny because he started out on Broadway before he got into TV. He was born Dec. 9, 1945 in Washington, DC. His father was an Iraqi immigrant who served in the US Army in WWII and became a writer for Stars and Stripes and The New Yorker. Nouri studied drama at Emerson College in Boston and was trained by famed acting coach Lee Strasberg. After appearing in an off Broadway production of The Crucible, Nouri made his Broadway debut in the 1970 comedy Forty Carats which ran for two years. He also had a small role in the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus. Then he appeared in daytime soaps, most notably as Steve Kaslo in Search for Tomorrow. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. His next significant role was as Lucky Luciano in the 1981 miniseries The Gangster Chronicles. Then he played Nick Hurley in the 1983 film Flashdance. That was one of the most successful films of the year. So I think it's fair to say that's where most folks heard of Nouri. His other significant 80s film was the 1987 film The Hidden. He starred in the TV series' Bay City Blues and Downtown. Both shows were cancelled after one season. He was in the sitcom Love & War which ran for three seasons and that's when he appeared in Victor/Victoria. Of course most folks should be familiar with Blake Edwards' 1982 film Victor/Victoria starring his wife Julie Andrews. Edwards wanted to turn it into a Broadway musical. Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse were supposed to write the music. But Mancini died and Frank Wildhorn composed the music with Bricusse. Along with Julie Andrews, the stars were Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri and Rachel York. The show ran for two years so it was successful. The original cast is available on CD. It was also broadcast on TV and released on DVD. Since then Nouri has appeared as a regular on the TV series' The O.C., Damages, NCIS and most recently Yellowstone. And he has appeared on the daytime soaps The Young and the Restless and All My Children. Nouri recently appeared on The Pitt and The Rookie. So with his career winding down, I expect he will continue to make TV guest shots. Here's Michael Nouri performing King's Dilemma on the 1995 TV production of Victor/Victoria.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Echosmith

Artist:Echosmith

Song:Cool Kids

Album:Talking Dreams

Cool Kids was a top twenty hit in 2013. It was the only big hit for the band Echosmith. One of their other songs charted so they are not technically a one hit wonder. They only released one album on a major label and now record for their own label. Echosmith is from Chino, CA. They are a family group with Sydney Sierota on lead vocals, Jamie Sierota on guitar and keyboards, Noah Sierota on bass and Graham Sierota on drums. They started out performing covers and released a video of Come Together on YouTube. This got the attention of Warner Bros. Records president Rob Cavallo and he signed Echosmith. An EP was released featuring Come Together and they went out on tour. Meanwhile, their father Jeffrey David, who is also their manager, helped them write original songs. The album Talking Dreams was released and the single Cool Kids reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. All the songs were written by Echosmith and their dad. Mike Elizondo produced the album. He has produced Dr. Dre and Eminem among others. The album was rereleased in 2014 with a new cover. It's available on CD. This is the only album that Echosmith recorded for Warner Bros. The band's official reason was they left Warner Bros. "to escape the creative limitations of a major label and regain full control over their musical direction". The likely real reason was that Cavallo left Warner Bros. as part of a larger management shuffle. It's likely that Echosmith would have been lost in the shuffle anyway. They continued to tour. Jamie Sierota left Echosmith to be a father. Guitarist Josh Murty was hired to play guitar on tour. Echosmith started their own label. But get this. The label is distributed by Warner Music GroupADA which distributes indie labels. So Warners still distributes their albums. But there's no promotion. They have released two albums written and produced by the band and their dad. I guess that's what they wanted. But most bands need promotion. They aren't getting that anymore. Sydney is pregnant so they haven't been touring. And she has released a solo EP. So we'll see if they get anywhere. I have my doubts. Here's the video for Cool Kids by Echosmith. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bebel Gilberto

Artist:Bebel Gilberto

Song:Samba da Bencao

Album:Tanto Tempo

Singer Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Bossa Nova pioneer Joao Gilberto. She has been recording and performing since the mid 80s. The 2000 album Tanto Tempo is considered to be her breakthrough album as it sold a million copies worldwide. She was born May 12, 1966 in New York City. Her mother is singer Miucha. When her parents split up, Gilberto lived in New York and Miucha moved back to Brazil. Bebel lived mostly in Brazil. She started performing as a child with both parents including a 1977 Carnegie Hall concert with her mom and Stan Getz. She started out in the mid 80s with the Brazilian rock band Barao Vermelho and wrote several songs with their lead singer Cazuzo. Bebel moved to New York in 1991. After she appeared on the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio, record companies started sniffing around. Bebel signed with the Belgian label Ziriguiboom in Europe and Six Degrees Records in the US. Tanto Tempo was her 2000 debut album. Bebel wrote most of the songs though Samba da Bencao is a Bossa Nova standard written by Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powell. The album was produced by Serbian Mitar "Suba" Subotic. He had lived in Brazil since 1990. But tragedy struck when the recording studio caught fire while Subo was working on post production. He was able to save the masters but he died from smoke inhalation. Subo's friend and frequent collaborator Amon Tobin finished the album. The album sold a million copies worldwide including 300,000 in the US. It's available as a budget CD. Bebel recorded three albums for Ziriguiboom and has recorded for Verve among others since then. Her latest album Joao was released in 2023 on the indie label PIAS. It appears to be a tribute to her dad. She is currently touring to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Tempo Tanto. Here's Bebel Gilberto with Masa Shimizu on violin and bass, Jorge Continento on sax and guitar, John Roggie and Sacha Amback on keyboards, Magrus Borges on drums and Marcos Suzano on percussion performing Samba da Bencao in Rio de Janeiro Dec. 2012. This entire concert can be viewed on YouTube.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eden Espinosa

Artist:Eden Espinosa

Song:In the Blasted California Sun

Album:Lempicka: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Eden Espinosa is a Broadway performer best known for playing Elphaba in touring productions of Wicked. She was Tony nominated for playing the female lead in the 2024 musical Lempicka despite the fact the show was not favorably reviewed and it didn't run very long. She was born Feb. 2, 1978 in Anaheim, CA. She is of Mexican descent. Eden began performing as a child and in high school, she played Maria in West Side Story. After graduating from high school, she worked at Disneyland and the Universal Studios theme park. And she toured with The Young Americans. While performing at Disneyland, a casting director spotted her and introduced her to the creators of the musical Brooklyn which was in the planning stages at the time. They suggested she move to New York and she was a standby for Idina Menzel's Elphaba in the 2003 show Wicked. She also filmed the 2006 film Ask the Dust. Eden left Wicked to star in the musical Brooklyn first in Denver then on Broadway. This show ran from Oct. 2004 to June 2005. Afterwards, she returned to Wicked and was in the national tour, Los Angeles and New York until June 2010. So she got a lot of mileage from that. Eden's other big show was Lempicka which was on Broadway in 2024. Lempicka is about Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka. The show was created by Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould. This musical had runs in Williamstown and San Diego before it played Broadway in 2024. Though Eden was nominated for a Best Actress Tony and got positive reviews, Lempicka was slammed by critics and only played for one month. The original cast album is available on CD. Eden has recorded a couple of solo albums and has performed live in New York clubs since 2005. She hasn't done much in the way of films. But she has done TV guest shots. She's been doing a lot of voiceover work and I can see her doing a lot more of that as it can be very lucrative. Here's Eden Espinosa performing In the Blasted California Sun at The Green Room in New York City. This is my first time posting an Instagram video. Like Facebook, I do not go to Instagram unless I need a video clip. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mellow Man Ace

Artist:Mellow Man Ace

Song:Mentirosa

Album:Rap N Oldies

Mentirosa was a top 20 hit in 1990. It was the only chart single for Latin American rapper Mellow Man Ace. He only recorded two albums and retired. He would return on his own label. He was born Ulpiano Sergio Reyes Apr. 12, 1967 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba but he grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of South Gate, CA. Reyes and his brother Senen "Sen Dog" Reyes are both rappers. They formed the group DVX with Lawrence "DJ Muggs" Muggerud and Louis "B-Real" Freese. But when Reyes left to sign with Capitol Records, the group name was changed to Cypress Hill after a street in South Gate. Of course they were known as Latin hip hop pioneers. Reyes released the 1990 album Escape from Havana. The single Mentirosa became a hit when the video was played to death on MTV. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was probably a bigger hit than that but radio stations were reluctant to play it. Reyes was good friends with Los Angeles radio station KDAY DJs "Tony D" Gonzalez and "Julio G" Gonzalez. No, they are not brothers. Tony D produced Mentirosa and about half of the album and Julio G did the scratching. The girl in the video is Argentine pop singer Maria Becerra. You can get Mentirosa on this various artists budget comp. The main samples were No One to Depend On and Evil Ways by Santana. BTW, they are too recognizable which is a pet peeve of mine. Reyes' big mistake was not getting clearance for the samples and not surprisingly that upset Capitol. When his 1992 album The Brother with Two Tongues didn't sell and there were no chart singles, Capitol dropped Reyes. I think Capitol buried him as they were pissed. Reyes announced his retirement. He returned in 2000 to release a couple of albums and recorded a 2006 album with his brother as The Reyes Brothers. He last released an album in 2010 but he still performs live. But he will be a one hit wonder forever. Here's the video for Mentirosa by Mellow Man Ace. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Los Campesinos!

Artist:Los Campesinos!

Song:The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future

Album:Romance Is Boring

With a name like Los Campesinos!, you might think this band is Latin American. But they were actually formed at Cardiff University in Wales in 2006. They are a quirky indie band who have had modest success in England and they tour in the US. As I said, the band members were students at Cardiff University in 2006. The main members appear to be from Essex, England. The main members of the band are Gareth Paisey on lead vocals and glockenspiel and he writes all the songs, Neil Turner on lead guitar and Tom Bromley on guitar and keyboards. The rest of the band membership is fluid so I will concentrate on them. Campesino is Spanish for peasant and all band members were identified by the surname Campesino. That's too cutesy poo for me and apparently they aren't doing that anymore. Los Campesinos! began performing in local clubs in 2006. After posting songs on MySpace, they opened for the Canadian band Broken Social Scene. And that led to a record deal with the British label Wichita Recordings for Europe and the Canadian label Arts & Crafts for North America. They released a couple of singles and an EP and toured England in 2007. They released their 2008 debut album Hold on Now, Youngster... and toured Europe and North America to support it. The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future was the lead single for the 2010 album Romance Is Boring. It was around this time that Gareth Paisey's sister Kim Paisey joined the band as keyboardist. The album was produced by John Goodmanson who produces Death Cab for Cutie. The album was a breakthrough for Los Campesinos! as it got rave reviews from critics. And that's important with this kind of music as it leads to longevity. Los Campesinos! released a tenth anniversary edition of this album in 2010. This was remastered and has a bonus track. It's available on CD. Los Campesinos! is still around. They released their latest album All Hell in 2024 on their own label. They have been rereleasing remastered versions of all their recordings. Here's the video for The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future by Los Campesinos!. I know the video looks very amateurish but I believe that was done deliberately. This is a band that doesn't want to come across as too slick. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oran "Juice" Jones

Artist:Oran "Juice" Jones f/Vincent Bell

Song:The Rain

Album:Juice

The 1986 single The Rain was a top ten hit. It was the only chart single for R&B singer songwriter Oran "Juice" Jones. So he is a one hit wonder. He retired in 2008 to take care of his ailing mother. He was in the news a few years ago when he announced plans to sue his record label DefJam for unpaid royalties. He was born Mar. 28, 1957 in Houston but he grew up in Harlem in New York City. The most notable thing about Jones before he got into music is that he was a Brigade Commander in the US Naval Academy and a trained Marine Corps sniper. After he left the Navy, he planned to make music with rapper Kurtis Blow. He wrote the song Daydreaming for Blow. When there was a payment dispute, Blow suggested that Jones should go to DefJam and work with Russell Simmons. So he signed with DefJam. They were strictly known for rap so Simmons started ORB Records for R&B. Rain was the first single from the 1987 album Juice. It reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B Singles chart. Jones wrote the song and most of the album with Vincent Bell and Bell produced the album with Simmons. It looks like Bell was a DefJam house producer at the time. Bell also does the spoken word part at the end of the song. The girl in the video is model Danita Davis. This album is available on CD. Jones recorded three albums for DefJam. He charted on R&B but was unable to chart again on the Billboard Hot 100. He released the 1997 album Player's Call on Tommy Boy but that didn't sell either. Jones wrote and produced that album with Al Green's legendary producer Willie Mitchell. Jones retired from recording in 2008 to care for his ailing mother. He composes music for commercials so I assume he works for an ad agency. When The Rain was sampled in the film Suicide Squad, Jones announced that he planned to sue DefJam for unpaid royalties. It never went to court and was settled for a reported $2M. Jones still performs live and he has other business interests. Here's the video for The Rain by Oran "Juice" Jones. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rachel Proctor

Artist:Rachel Proctor

Song:Emily and Me

Album:Where I Belong

Country music singer songwriter Rachel Proctor scored a top twenty country hit with the 2004 single Me and Emily. She has had most of her success as a songwriter and she is still doing that today. She was born Aug. 11, 1974 in Charleston, WV. She began performing as a child. As a teen, she got a manager and competed on Star Search. Then she started writing songs and played in local bands. Then she moved to Nashville in pursuit of a record deal. Rachel's big break came when Martina McBride recorded one of her songs Where Would You Be and that reached #3 on the Country Singles chart. And then she signed with BNA Records. BNA was owned by RCA and they had success in the 90s. By the time Rachel signed with them, Sony bought RCA and of course that sort of thing is always a mess. Rachel released the 2004 album Where I Belong. Emily and Me was the third single and it reached #18 on the Country Singles chart. My guess is Rachel didn't get much of a promotion budget or it would have done better. She wrote the song with Chris Tompkins who has written hits for Carrie Underwood. Emily and Me is about a woman and her daughter escaping an abusive relationship. So it resonated with listeners. It just needed better promotion. The song intro will remind you of Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis. Rachel co-wrote six of the eleven songs on the album. The album was produced by Chris Lindsey who produced number one country hits for Chris Cagle and Mark Willis. This album is available as a budget CD. Rachel left BNA and these days she is a full time songwriter. She released a couple of albums on her own label, most recently in 2009. Rachel hasn't had a chart single since 2012. But she still takes songwriter meetings. Some of her songs have been recorded. But she hasn't charted lately. But one never knows. She could score a big hit tomorrow. Her family keeps her busy though. Here's the video for Emily and Me by Rachel Proctor. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dion

Artist:Dion

Song:Abraham, Martin and John

Album:The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher

Most folks should be familiar with Dion DiMucci as leader of the group Dion and the Belmonts and then as a solo artist. He had several hits in the early 60s and then a long dry period until the 1968 top five single Abraham, Martin and John. This would turn out to be Dion's final big hit. But he's still around and published his memoir last year. Dion left The Belmonts in 1960 and topped the charts with the 1961 single Runaround Sue followed by the 1962 top five hit The Wanderer. Then he left Laurie for Columbia and his first single for Columbia Ruby Baby reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dion was the first Rock 'n' Roll artist on Columbia because A&R head Mitch Miller hated Rock 'n' Roll. John Hammond signed Dion. After two more hits, the British Invasion rolled over guys like Dion. Plus he had a drug addiction. After Dion stalled at Columbia, he returned to Laurie. But he wasn't having much luck until the 1968 single Abraham, Martin and John reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dion also kicked his drug habit and became a born again Christian. Abraham, Martin and John was written by Dick Holler. He led the band The Holidays. They never had a hit single. So Holler's friend and producer Phil Gernhard told him to stick to songwriting. Holler's song Snoopy vs the Red Baron reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 by The Royal Guardsmen in 1966. That was on Laurie. So they asked Gernhard if Holler had any more songs. And he came up with Abraham, Martin and John. It appeared on Dion's 1968 album Dion which was produced by Gernhard. Plus the single was released right after Bobby Kennedy was murdered. Needless to say, Abraham, Martin and John was a big hit and still resonates today. The 1968 album Dion is mostly folk music covers so I can't recommend it. But you can get it on Dion's new CD The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher. This was released to help promote Dion's memoir also called The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher. The CD not only has Dion's hits but guest appearances by guitarists Joe Bonamassa, Sonny Landreth, Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton. This is on Bonamassa's label Keeping The Blues Alive Records (KTBA). It looks like he started this label to record his friends. Dion has recorded several recent albums for KTBA. Dion has been touring so check him out if he's coming your way. Here's Dion performing Abraham, Martin and John on a 1968 episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Check out that haircut. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rachael Yamagata

Artist:Rachael Yamagata

Song:Worn Me Down

Album:Happenstance

When she first started out twenty years ago, it was thought in the music industry that singer songwriter Rachael Yamagata would become this big global superstar. But it didn't happen and now she finances her own music through PledgeMusic. Rachael was twice the victim of corporate restructuring and she fell through the cracks. Rachael was born Sept. 23, 1977 in Arlington, VA. Her father is Japanese American and her mother is Italian. Comedian Josh Ruben is her half brother. She attended Northwestern University and Vassar College. Rachael toured for six years as lead singer of the band Bumpus. She left in 2001 and signed a record deal with Private Music. Private started out in the 80s as a new age label similar to Windham Hill. RCA bought them in 1996 and attempted to turn it into a mainstream music label. By the time Rachael signed with Private, they were part of Arista. Then Sony merged with RCA and by the time Rachael's 2004 debut album Happenstance was released, she was on RCA. They didn't seem to know how to promote her. So they placed her songs on all kinds of films and TV shows. At best that is a hit or miss strategy. Not surprisingly, it didn't work. Worn Me Down was the lead single. The song appeared on the TV shows Charmed, Miss Match, The O.C. and Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. Rachael wrote the song. The album was produced by The Dave Matthews Band producer John Alagia. RCA dropped Rachael. But they probably should have let her go after the merger. The people who signed her weren't there anymore. Rachael signed with Warner Bros. and released the 2008 album Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart. The same thing happened there. There was corporate restructuring going on and the people who signed her weren't there anymore. Since then Rachael has mostly recorded for her own label. Her latest album was released on the indie label Jullian. Happenstance is available on CD. I don't think Rachael was a commercial artist anyway. She probably would have been better off on an indie label in the first place. Here's the video for Worn Me Down by Rachael Yamagata. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dan Hill

Artist:Dan Hill f/Vonda Shepard

Song:Can't We Try

Album:Love of My Life: The Best of Dan Hill

Of course most folks are familiar with Canadian singer songwriter Dan Hill for his 1977 top five hit Sometimes When We Touch. He also scored a top ten hit with the 1987 single Can't We Try. This was for the NBC daytime soap Santa Barbara. This was not the first time a soap spawned a hit like this. Vonda Shepard was unknown at the time. This was her first recording. She is best known for the TV series Ally McBeal. Vonda was born Jan. 7, 1963 in New York City but she grew up in Los Angeles. Her father was mime Richmond Shepard. Vonda started out as a backup singer in a local recording studio. Hill was recording Can't We Try which he wrote with his wife. He was looking for a duet partner and he was unhappy with the singers who were auditioning. The recording studio manager knew Vonda and she lived nearby so she could walk to the studio. She nailed the audition and Can't We Try appeared on Santa Barbara and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was from Hill's 1987 album Dan Hill on Columbia. The album was produced by John Capek who knew Hill in Canada. He also played keyboards and co-wrote much of the album with Hill. The vocals were produced by Hank Medress formerly of The Tokens. Though Vonda was unknown, she had already signed a record deal with Reprise Records. After the 1989 album Vonda Shepard was released, the A&R exec who signed her was fired. They dropped her and she recorded a couple of albums for small labels. By 1996, Vonda was still performing in local clubs. She asked Michelle Pfeiffer and her TV producer husband David E. Kelley to come see her. At the time Kelley was developing the TV series Ally McBeal. And he was looking for a singer to be the voice of the inner thoughts of the Ally McBeal character. Vonda appeared on the entire run of the show. Vonda is still around. She last released an album in 2022. And Dan Hill is still around writing occasional songs. He released his latest album in 2021. You can get Can't We Try on this Dan Hill comp which also contains Sometimes When We Touch. Here's the video for Can't We Try by Dan Hill featuring Vonda Shepard.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Two Gallants

Artist:Two Gallants

Song:Fly Low Carrion Crow

Album:Two Gallants

Two Gallants is an indie folk duo from San Francisco. They had modest success twenty years ago. They went on hiatus in 2008 and returned in 2012. After two more albums, they went on hiatus again. This time it looks more permanent but they are hedging their bets just in case. Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel knew each other while growing up in San Francisco. They were in bands while in high school. After they both learned about blues, they decided to form Two Gallants in 2002. The band name is from a James Joyce short story. They write and produce everything themselves. On stage it looks like they both play guitar which is why I label them as a folk duo. In the studio, Stephens sings lead and plays guitar and harmonica. Vogel plays drums. But they decided not to turn it into a band for live performances. At first Two Gallants performed in Sn Francisco clubs and busking outside BART stations. Then they released their 2004 debut album The Throes on the indie label Alive Records. Their big break came when Pitchfork's Jonathan Zwickel gave the album a rave review of 8.5/10. That generated interest and Two Gallants expanded their touring. They also realized that for the 2006 album What the Toll Tells, they needed to sign with a larger label with better distribution. So they signed with Omaha based indie label Saddle Creek Records owned by Conor Oberst's brother Justin Oberst. They appeared on Saddle Creek's CMJ Showcase at New York City's Bowery Ballroom and they played a couple of festivals in England. What the Toll Tells wasn't received as well as the first album. But Two Gallants toured North America so that got them out there. Fly Low Carrion Crow is from the 2008 album Two Gallants. The album got mixed reviews similar to the previous album which means the rave review for the first album was probably overpraised by this one guy. It just came at a good time for Two Gallants. The 2008 album Two Gallants is available as a digital download. They appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and continued to tour. After six years of touring, Two Gallants decided to go on hiatus in the summer of 2008. Both recorded albums and neither was received as well than when they were a duo. Two Gallants returned in 2012 with the album The Bloom and the Blight on Dave Matthews' ATO label followed by the 2015 album We Are Undone. They tried to make their music more mainstream rock. But that made some listeners wish for the sound of the early albums. After touring Two Gallants again decided to go on hiatus. And they are still on hiatus. It seems more permanent but they are not ready to admit to a permanent split. So Two Gallants was around for over a decade because of one fluke rave review. Subsequent results indicate that they weren't that good in the first place. That kind of thing can happen with indie music. Here's Two Gallants performing Fly Low Carrion Crow by Seattle radio station KEXP at the 2008 Bumbershoot Music Lounge in Seattle.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Carmen Cusack

Artist:Carmen Cusack

Song:Sun Is Gonna Shine

Album:Bright Star: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Carmen Cusack is a Broadway performer who was nominated for a Tony for the 2016 musical Bright Star. She was also nominated for the 2022 musical Flying Over Sunset. She got good reviews but neither show was a hit. I guess Broadway has never fully recovered from COVID which is why we are seeing so many Jukebox Musicals playing there. She was born Apr. 25, 1971 in Denver but she grew up with her grandparents in Fountain, TX. She grew up singing in church. Carmen graduated from University of North Texas with a performing arts degree. Carmen took a job performing on the MS Queen Elizabeth 2. That's when she met her husband and moved to England. After appearing in some British musical productions like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, Carmen returned to the US in 2006 and was a standby for the Chicago production of Wicked. Then she was cast in the touring production of Wicked. Carmen got her big break when she was cast to star as Alice Murphy in the 2016 musical Bright Star. This was a new musical written by the husband wife team of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. It's based on their 2013 album Love Has Come for You set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. So it's kind of a bluegrass musical. Carmen got positive reviews and was nominated for a Tony. But Bright Star got mixed reviews. It opened in March 2016 and closed in June. So it was not a big success. The original cast album is available as a digital download. Carmen did the national tour for Bright Star. Carmen was also Tony nominated for the 2021 musical Flying Over Sunset. But the show was adversely affected by COVID and didn't last long. Carmen hasn't done much in films or TV. She was supposed to be in the 2019 NBC series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist but was replaced by Lauren Graham. Her only film appearance was in the 2019 Fred Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. She and her husband now live in Los Angeles. She has been appearing live. But she wants to get into films and TV. Here's Carmen Cusack performing Sun Is Gonna Shine from Bright Star at From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert for Orlando at the Disney Theater in Orlando, FL July 25, 2016.

 

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.