AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sierra Bogess

Artist:Sierra Boggess

Song:Part of Your World

Album:The Little Mermaid:Original Broadway Cast Recording

Sierra Bogess is best known for playing Ariel in the 2008 Broadway musical adaptation of the 1989 film The Little Mermaid. She still appears on Broadway. She was born May 20, 1982 in Denver. She grew up in a family of musicians. She got into performing in high school and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Milliken University in Decatur, IL. Sierra started out performing in regional theater. She starred in a production of The Phantom of the Opera at The Venetian Las Vegas. That's when The Little Mermaid came up. Disney had already produced successful Broadway adaptations of some of their animated films when they decided to do The Little Mermaid. Songwriter Alan Menken was brought in to write some new songs. He wrote the songs for the 1989 film with Howard Ashman. But Ashman died in 1991. So Glenn Slater was brought in. He wrote songs with Menken for the 2004 film Home on the Range. Along with Sierra, the other stars of the show were Sherie Rene Scott, Sean Palmer and Norm Lewis. Sierra was hired to play Ariel after a lengthy audition process. She first auditioned in Oct. 2006 and the final audition was in Jan. 2007. Sierra was at her dentist's office in Las Vegas when she got the role. The Little Mermaid had a trial run in Denver before opening on Broadway Nov. 2007. The show did OK but Disney was disappointed as it wasn't a big smash hit and it closed in Aug. 2009. The original cast album is available as a digital download. Sierra's performance was positively reviewed. She left in May 2009. Since then she has appeared in several productions of The Phantom of the Opera and the sequel Love Never Dies in London. So that's what I noticed. She always returns to Phantom. The other big Broadway show she appeared in was School of Rock in 2016. And she appeared in the 2022 Barry Manilow musical Harmony. Sierra hasn't done films or TV. But she does perform her one woman show in clubs. Here's Sierra Boggess performing Part of Your World on a 2007 episode of ABC's Good Morning America.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tawanda

Artist:Tawanda

Song:Bridges

Album:Smile

Jazz singer Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim caused a commotion when she won the 2021 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Jazz Competition. It got her a record deal followed by the release of her 2022 debut album Smile. I think jazz vocal fans will want to check her out. Tawanda was born and raised in New Mexico. Her mother is German and her father is from Mozambique. She grew up listening to all kinds of music. While earning a Bachelor of Arts degree at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, her teachers taught her about standards by songwriters like Irving Berlin and The Gershwins. Then she got interested in jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles and started playing clubs and that led to a record deal with the jazz label Resonance Records and the release of the album Smile. The album was produced by Resonance owner George Klabin. Musicians include Gary Meek on sax, Anthony Wilson on guitar, Josh Nelson on piano, Kevin Axt on bass and Gene Coye on drums. Tawanda records a mix of standards like Charles Chaplin's Smile and recent songs like Bridges written by Brazilian Milton Nascimento. This album is available on CD. Tawanda appeared on Ivan Lins' 2023 Grammy nominated album My Heart Speaks and she toured with the band Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox. Tawanda is currently working on a new album. Jazz fans should check her out. Here's the video for Bridges by Tawanda.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mike Posner

Artist:Mike Posner

Song:I Took a Pill in Ibiza: SeeB Remix

Album:All Night, Alone

The 2015 single I Took a Pill in Ibiza was a top five hit. It was one of two big hits for singer, songwriter and producer Mike Posner. He hasn't had any success since then. He was born Feb.12, 1988 in Detroit. His father was a criminal defense lawyer. His sister is also a lawyer. Posner was on the track team in high school and earned a BA in Sociology at Duke University. He started recording music in college and released the 2009 mixtape A Matter of Time. When that topped the digital music chart, that got the attention of Clive Davis' label J Records and they signed Posner to a contract. After he finished college, Posner's debut album 31 Minutes to Takeoff was released in 2010. The single Cooler Than Me reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then RCA closed J Records and Posner was moved to RCA. While working on his second album titled Pages, Posner was uncomfortable with being in the spotlight and was struggling with depression. He took a break from recording to produce other artists. After he finished recording the album, RCA released a couple of singles. And when they were unsuccessful, RCA decided not to release the album. That is called being "shelved". Remember he was on J Records. Those people weren't there anymore. So when you hear of an artist being shifted to a different label owned by the same company, that's not usually good news. Posner requested RCA for his release and he signed with Island Records. They released the EP The Truth in 2015 and the single I Took a Pill in Ibiza. Originally the song was acoustic. But then Island A&R VP Mike D'Arduini sent the EP to the Norwegian duo SeeB (Simen Eriksrud, Espen Berg) and they remixed the song with electrobeats, it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a worldwide hit. Posner said when he wrote the song, he was drinking a lot. That's reflected in the video. Posner wrote and produced the album At Night, Alone. Both version of I Took a Pill in Ibiza are on the album and it's available as a budget CD. This is the last time Posner charted. He released two more albums on Island. In recent years he has concentrated on walks across America and climbing Mount Everest. He did recently release what seems to be a gag single I Went Back to Ibiza. But music seems to be secondary these days. Here's the video for I Took a Pill in Ibiza: SeeB Remix by Mike Posner.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roberto Occhipinti

Artist:Roberto Occhipinti

Song Marta

Album:A Bend in the River

Canadian jazz bassist Roberto Occhipinti started out as a classical musician. So he is equally comfortable in an orchestra or a small band. He's a two time Juno nominee. He was born Mar. 25, 1955 in Toronto. His brother Michael Occhipinti is a jazz guitarist and co-founder of the Neufeld-Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra. Occhipinti studied music at the University of Toronto with classical bassist Joel Quarrington and jazz bassist Dave Young. After graduating, he played with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra and Arraymusic. In the 90s he started working with Toronto based jazz musicians like Hilario Duran and Jane Bunnett. Since then he has worked with jazz and classical musicians and worked as a session musician. Occhipinti started his own label Modica Music in 2003. Marta is from the 2009 album A Bend in the River for the Canadian label Alma Records. The musicians are Luiz Deniz on alto sax, Cuban pianist David Virelles and Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto. Occhipinti wrote most of the songs but Deniz wrote Marta. This album was nominated for a Juno and is available on CD. Occhipinti's latest album The Next Step was released in 2021. He plays regular shows in Toronto clubs including as a part of Deniz's band. Here's Roberto Occhipinti with Luis Deniz on alto sax, Uli Geissendoerfer on piano and Jeremy Klewicki on drums with The Young Artists Orchestra of Las Vegas conducted by Yuniro Lopez performing Marta 2017. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lee Ritenour

Artist:Lee Ritenour f/Joao Bosco

Song:Latin Lover

Album:Collection

Recently I wrote about a charity album that jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour had recorded that had a hit single on it. And I promised a friend that I would write about his career and recommend a comp. Ritenour has been around since the 70s. He had his greatest success when he recorded for GRP Records from 1985-95. He still tours, records and plays sessions. But he's not as successful today. He was born Jan. 11, 1952 in Los Angeles. He started playing guitar at age eight and at age 16 he played on a Mamas & the Papas recording. Ritenour was influenced by Wes Montgomery to get into jazz. Then he played with Lena Horne and Tony Bennett. Ritenour studied classical guitar at the University of Southern California. Meanwhile, he was already regularly playing sessions in Los Angeles recording studios and in clubs. And that led to a contract with Epic Records and his 1976 debut album First Contact. The album was produced by Skip Drinkwater who had produced jazz fusion artists. And Epic wanted Ritenour's music to sound like Return to Forever or Miles Davis. They were disappointed when he didn't sound like that. Dave Grusin played keyboards on both Epic albums. Meanwhile, Ritenour was brought in to play guitar on Pink Floyd's The Wall. He left Epic and recorded for the Japanese label JVC. These were straight ahead jazz because that's what Japanese fans like. He signed with Elektra and recorded for them from 1978-84. Ritenour wrote and produced everything with Grusin. He also brought in guest singers like Patti Austin and Bill Champlin. He probably knew that Grusin was planning to start his own label. So when Grusin and recording engineer Larry Rosen started GRP Records in 1985, Ritenour wasted no time in signing with them. He recorded for GRP until 1995 after Grusin and Rosen sold the label to MCA. While he was at GRP, Ritenour could record whatever he wanted. Latin Lovers is from the 1988 album Festival. It's a tribute to Brazilian music featuring guest singers Joao Bosco and Caetano Veloso. Bosco wrote Latin Lovers and sings lead. Other musicians are Dave Grusin on keyboards, Anthony Jackson on bass, Omar Hakim on drums and Carlinhos Brown on djembe, The orchestra was arranged by Johnny Mandel and conducted by Randy Kerber. You can get Latin Lovers on this comp which covers Ritenour's GRP years. Ritenour was in Bob James' band Fourplay from 1991-97. Ritenour still tours and records. He just doesn't have a major labe behind him anymore. His 2024 album Brasil is on Candid Records. He is currently on tour in Europe. Here's Lee Ritenour featuring Joao Bosco performing Latin Lovers with Bob James on piano, Anthony Jackson on bass, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion and Harvey Mason Sr. on drums at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles 1990. This entire concert can be streamed for free on YouTube.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Aimee Mann

Artist:Aimee Mann

Song:Save Me

Album:Magnolia: Music from the Motion Picture

I'm sure most music fans remember Aimee Mann as lead singer of the band 'Til Tuesday. They scored a top ten hit with the 1985 single Voices Carry. And the video was memorable. They split up when she left to go solo in 1990. She is mostly an album and touring artist. She has never had a hit single. She had her greatest success with the songs she wrote and performed for the 1999 film Magnolia. Save Me was nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy. The score for Magnolia was composed by Aimee's long time collaborator Jon Brion. She was born Sept. 8, 1960 in Richmond, VA. Her parents divorced after Aimee's mother had an affair and got pregnant. Aimee was kidnapped by her mom and her new boyfriend and taken to Europe. Her dad hired a private detective. He got her back after a year. He had remarried with two stepsons. Not surprisingly, Aimee still suffers from PTSD. Most thought she was just weird. Aimee learned to play guitar. She was a big fan of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. Then she was encouraged when Patti Smith became popular. She studied bass guitar at Berklee College of Music. She left and joined the punk band Young Snakes. They didn't like her songs. She was in the band Ministry for a while. Then she formed 'Til Tuesday as lead singer and bassist. They signed with Epic and the 1985 single Voices Carry reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'Til Tuesday recorded three albums and split up after Aimee left to go solo in 1990. She says there was a management change at Epic and they stopped promoting the band. That happens all the time in the music business. Epic wouldn't release Aimee from her contract until 1993. She started working with 'Til Tuesday touring band member Jon Brion. She signed with Imago Records owned by Terry Ellis of Chrysalis Records. After he had financial problems, Aimee's contract was sold to Geffen. Her two albums for Geffen went nowhere. She kind of drifted around until director Paul Thomas Anderson hired Brion to compose the score for the 1999 film Magnolia and he brought Aimee in to write and perform songs for the film. Anderson knew Brion and Aimee from the Los Angeles club Largo and the script for Magnolia is based on her songs. Not only was Magniolia a big success but the album was certified Gold and Aimee was nominated for a Grammy and an Oscar. The soundtrack album is available. Brion's score is on a separate album. Once Aimee got out of her Geffen contract, she started her own label SuperEgo and her latest album was released in 2021. Aimee still tours but no sign of new music. Here's the video for Save Me by Aimee Mann

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bishop Briggs

Artist:Bishop Briggs

Song:River

Album:Church of Scars

The 2016 single River was streamed over 485M times on Spotify. But it never reached the Billboard Hot 100. It's highest chart placing was #3 on the Alt Rock chart. In those days, streaming did not count towards radio play or the Billboard Hot 100. They have changed that. But it's probably too late for British singer songwriter Bishop Briggs as River is her only hit to date. She was born Sarah Grace McLaughlin July 18, 1992 in London, England. Her parents are from Bishopbriggs, Scotland. That's where she got her stage name. Her family moved to Tokyo and she grew up singing karaoke. Then she moved to Hong Kong to attend school. And after graduating from Hong Kong International School, she studied at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. Bishop performed in local clubs and released the 2015 single Wild Horses. After that was used in an Acura commercial during the Super Bowl, it got streamed a lot. Then she released the 2016 EP Bishop Briggs on her own label. The single River became a viral hit through streaming. The problem was Bishop wasn't going to be a star on her own label. So she met with Island Records CEO David Massey and he got her to sign. The first thing Island did was re-release the EP Bishop Briggs. Then they expanded it and released the 2018 album Church of Scars. They released several singles from the album. But River was the only big hit. It just wasn't a big enough hit. And that's because of how Billboard handled streaming. Bishop wrote all the songs on the album. It was produced by Ian Scott and Mark Jackson who used to produce music for MTV TV shows. So she's on her way, right? Then the wheels fell off. She ended her deal with Jackson and Scott due to "constant verbal abuse". Supposedly, they weren't happy that she signed with Island. They sued each other and it appears that both lawsuits were dropped. I couldn't find a resolution. Then Island released the 2019 album Champion. Bishop worked mostly with producer Andrew Wells of the band Eidola. And the album was less than a half hour long. It didn't sell. Then when Massey left Island, Bishop got out of her contract and signed with Arista Records. They released the 2023 EP When Everything Went Dark. It looks like this may have been pulled from release. Her latest album is Tell My Therapist I'm Fine in 2024. It seems to be on her own label with Arista distribution. Wells also produced this album. I think Bishop Briggs has cooled off considerably and it's unlikely she will have another hit. Here's the video for River by Bishop Briggs. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-RAYE

Artist:RAYE

Song:Where Is My Husband!

Album:This Music May Contain Hope

Singer songwriter Rachel "RAYE" Keen has already had success in her native England. She has already had success in the US with the single Where Is My Husband! and she is looking to break through in a big way with her new album This Music May Contain Hope. She was born Oct. 24, 1997 in Tooting, London, England. Her mother is from Ghana. She is the oldest of four sisters. It looks like all of them will be musicians. Rachel attended church as a child. He father was musical director and her mother sang in the choir. After her father taught her piano, Rachel started writing songs. She attended the performing arts high school the BRIT School. But she "felt confined" so she dropped out after two years. She learned about songwriting at recording sessions. Then she uploaded her 2014 EP Welcome to the Winter to SoundCloud. She wrote and produced it. Singer Olly Alexander heard it and sent it to his record label Polydor and they signed her. They released a couple of EPs. Rachel worked with Charli XCX and wrote songs for others including Beyonce. She was also getting positive reviews for her live shows. She recorded an album. But Polydor refused to release it until she had a big hit single. Of course an album is required to support that. Rachel finally had a showdown with Polydor and she was released from her contract. She had a five album deal. Rachel signed with Human Re Sources owned by Julius Erving III. That's right. He's the son of NBA legend Julius "Dr. J" Erving. The label is distributed by Sony owned The Orchard. So that's when things turned around for Rachel. Her 2023 album My 21st Century Blues was certified Gold in England and she topped the British charts with the single Escapism. So the next step is to take over the US. The 2025 single Where Is My Husband! topped the British charts and reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her new album This Music May Contain Hope will be released on Mar. 29. The album can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Both of Rachel's albums were produced by Mike Sabath. The two write and produce everything. He's a veteran producer. But he's really hitching his star to RAYE. We'll see how it goes. It's a crowded marketplace out there. Here's the video for Where Is My Husband! by RAYE. 

AccuRadio Song O The Day-Scotty Inman

Artist:Scotty Inman 

Song:Motel Bible

Album:My God

Southern Gospel fans are likely to be interested in this 2024 album by second generation star Scotty Inman. He was born May 13, 1982 in Morgantown, KY. His father is Clayton Inman who is leader of The Triumphant Qhartet. Scotty started out in 2001 with the group Poet Voices. He quickly became a big favorite and he joined The Triumphant Quartet in 2007. After fifteen years of performing with his dad Inman went solo in 2023 and signed with Daywind Records. The 2024 album My God features the single Motel Bible. The song was written by Levi Bowman, Jimmy Yeary and Liz Hengber of the Southern Gospel group The Isaacs. They performed the song with Inman at The Grand Ole Opry. The song is from the point of view of a hotel bible. The album was produced by Daywind A&R director Dusty Wells. This album is available on CD. And I would say that Motel Bible is a better than average Southern Gospel song. So if you are a Southern Gospel fan, You should check out Scotty Inman. Here's the video for Motel Bible by Scotty Inman. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Colin Donnell

Artist:Colin Donnell f/Laura Osnes

Song:It's De-Lovely

Album:Anything Goes: Original New Broadway Cast Recording

Colin Donnell has played supporting roles on Broadway and TV. He played Billy Crocker in this 2011 revival of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes. I don't know if it's his biggest Broadway role but the video clip is really good. He was born Oct. 9, 1982 in St. Louis. He got interested in performing while in high school. He graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2005. He started out doing regional tours of musicals like Mamma Mia! and Jesus Christ Superstar. His first Broadway role was as Hank Majewski in the 2007 jukebox musical Jersey Boys. After more regional theater, he landed the role of Billy Crocker in the 2011 revival of Cole Porter' Anything Goes. It was still a supporting role but more significant than Jersey Boys. Anything Goes was first produced on Broadway in 1934. It's been revived many times. This 2011 revival was based on the 1987 revival. It was directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. The stars are Sutton Foster and Joel Grey. The original cast album is available on CD. Though Donnell is in a supporting role, it got him TV work on the series Arrow followed by the Showtime series The Affair. His biggest TV role to date was as Dr. Connor Rhodes on the NBC series Chicago Med from 2015-19. He continues to appear in Broadway musicals and is currently appearing in the Broadway revival of Ragtime. He still does regional theater. He hasn't had a regular TV role since Chicago Med and he hasn't done films. Here's Colin Donnell and Laura Osnes performing It's De-Lovely on a 2011 episode of CBS Early.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ricky Nelson

Artist:Ricky Nelson

Song:A Teenager's Romance

Album:Hello Mary Lou: The Collection

Of course most are familiar with Ricky Nelson as a 50s pop star and actor. The 1957 single A Teenager's Romance was not his biggest hit. But it was his first big hit after he performed it on his dad's TV show. He was born Eric Hilliard Nelson May 8, 1940 in Teaneck, NJ. His father Ozzie Nelson was a bandleader and his mom Harriet Hilliard sang with the band. His older brother David Nelson acted but lacked charisma. The Nelsons appeared in the radio show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. The show was very popular and the two boys played themselves in the latter days of the show. Ozzie wanted to make the transition to TV and he produced the 1952 film Here Come the Nelsons. The TV show debuted in 1952 and ran until 1966. Ricky Nelson made his singing debut on the show on a 1957 episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Nelson's big influence was Carl Perkins. Ozzie got Verve Records to release a single. The Fats Domino hit I'm Walkin' was the A side and A Teenager's Romance was the B side. Once Ricky performed the songs on TV, they became radio hits. But A Teenager's Romance was the bigger hit. It reached #2 on the Billboard pop chart. The song was written by a teaching tennis pro named David Gillam. It's his only credit but I'm pretty sure Ozzie owned the song. Jazz guitarist Barney Kessel produced the record. When Ozzie had a royalty dispute with Verve, He signed Ricky to a five year contract with Imperial Records. Ozzie had to approve everything. That's when Ricky Nelson became a big star. A Teenager's Romance was never released on an album. But you can get it on this 2CD budget comp from the British label Music Club. I may look at some of Nelson's other hits later on. Here's Ricky Nelson performing A Teenager's Romance on a 1957 episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Max Casella

Artist:Max Casella w/Tom Alan Robbins and Jason Raize

Song:Hakuna Matata

Album:The Lion King: Original Broadway Cast

Disney started to turn animated movies into Broadway musicals with Beauty and the Beast in 1994. It was so successful that Disney went into overdrive with the concept. So The Lion King was turned into a Broadway musical in 1997. The actors were all in animal costumes and there were these huge puppets. Julie Taymor directed the show. Hakuna Matata was one of several Elton John and Tim Rice songs from the film. And there were songs added by various writers. Hakuna Matata was performed in the show by an ensemble led by Max Casella as Timon with Tom Alan Robbins and Jason Raize. Casella is the best known of these actors from the 90s sitcom Doogie Howser M.D. He was born Maximillian Deitch June 6, 1967 in Washington, DC. His father David Deitch was a Boston Globe columnist. Casella grew up in Cambridge, MA. He has growth hormone deficiency and he needed medical intervention to go through puberty at age 27. This is why Casella was able to play teenager Vinnie Delpino in the 90s sitcom Doogie Howser, M.D. He also played a much younger character in the 1992 film musical Newsies. Disney produced that film and though it bombed, it showed that Casella can sing and that helped in casting him as Timon in The Lion King. The show was very successful though none of the actors are recognizable inside their costumes. The cast album is available on CD with a bonus DVD. Casella appeared in the films Ed Wood (1994) and Sgt. Bilko (1996). Most recently Casella was a regular on the first two seasons of the Paramount+ series Tulsa King. He also does voice work on video games. Tom Alan Robbins plays Pumbaa in The Lion King. He has spent most of his career on stage in supporting roles, most recently as Bert Berns in A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical. Jason Raize played Simba in The Lion King. Though he appeared in some other things, Raize was unhappy with his career and moved to Australia n 2003 to rethink things. After he went missing, his body was found hanging in a shed. Jason Raize was dead at age 28. Here's Max Casella, Tom Alan Robbins and Jason Raize performing Hakuna Matata on a 1997 episode of Regis & Kathie Lee. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Will Young

Artist:Will Young

Song:Leave Right Now

Album:20 Years: The Greatest Hits

Will Young was the first winner of the British TV talent show Pop Idol in 2002. Of course when Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell brought the show to America, it was called American Idol. After winning, Young scored four #1 hits in England. The 2003 single Leave Right Now was his final hit of those four. He was born Jan. 20, 1979 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Though he performed on stage and learned to play piano as a child, Young wanted to compete in the 400 meter sprint in the Olympics. So he was an athlete in high school. But he wasn't a great student and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He joined a theater group and after playing Curly in their production of Oklahoma, he decided he wanted to be a singer. He moved to London and attended the Arts Educational School. Young saw on TV about auditions for the talent show that would become Pop Idol. Initially, a boy band was supposed to come from this show. And yes, Simon Cowell was behind this. But as X Factor has shown, he doesn't understand that you can't put strangers together because they don't stay together. And that's what happened here. The band that Young was supposed to be a part of split up before they got started. So then Young saw an ad for the Pop Idol auditions. And he won Pop Idol and that got him a record deal with RCA. Cowell worked at RCA at the time. Of course Pop Idol was a big hit and it turned into a global franchise. Young's first single Anything Is Possible was his first #1 hit and the song he performed when Young won Pop Idol. That song was written and produced by former Swing Out Sister leader Cathy Dennis. She wrote and produced several songs on the album. The second single was a cover of Light My Fire that Young performed on Pop Idol. That also topped the chart. The 2002 album From Now On was certified 2XPlatinum. The question was can Young have his own hit or will he suffer from what I call the "Idol hangover". The answer is he had success at first. The 2003 album Friday's Child was certified 5XPlatinum. So it did even better mostly because the single Leave Right Now topped the British charts. Most of the album including Leave Right Now was produced by Stephen Lipson who is buddies with Cowell. Leave Right Now was written by Eg White. He led the band Yip Yip Coyote in the 80s. But by this time he was a successful songwriter. Young co-wrote a few songs on the album. His next couple of albums didn't do as well and he left RCA for Island after the 2011 album Echoes. The 2015 album 85% Proof continued Young's slide. He has since recorded for the indie label Cooking Vinyl and on his own label with BMG distribution. You can get all of Young's RCA hits on this comp. I expect he will continue to record. But he has concentrated more on acting in recent years and has had some success. So Will Young did OK but not great. Here's the video for Leave Right Now by Will Young. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Widespread Panic

Artist:Widespread Panic

Song:Blue Indian

Album:Live in the Classic City

Widespread Panic is a jam band similar to The Grateful Dead. There are plenty of jam bands around these days. I guess they're good for the music business because they are always touring and they have a rabid fanbase. So Widespread Panic moves a lot of product for a non commercial band. The problem is a lot of these bands sound the same. So I dunno how we're supposed to know which bands are really good. Maybe none of them are. Widespread Panic was formed in Athens, GA. in 1981. John Bell and Michael Houser started jamming in their dorm room at the University of Georgia. They performed as Severe Driving Problems. They started writing songs. Bassist Dave Schools joined them in 1985. And drummer Todd Nance joined for a charity event. He was a childhood friend of Houser's. That's when they started calling themselves Widespread Panic named after Houser's once frequent panic attacks. Widespread panic played in local clubs and released the 1988 album Space Wrangles on the indie label Landslide Records. They were starting to get local press attention and they toured nationally. This led them to a deal with the much larger Capricorn Records. Owner Phil Walden revived the 70s label and signed Widespread Panic in 1991. Capricorn was distributed by Warner Bros. Widespread Panic recorded five albums for Capricorn. Blue Indian is from the 1999 album 'Til the Medicine Takes. This was their final album for Capricorn. It was produced by John Keane who is a recording engineer who has worked with R.E.M. among others. The songs are credited to the band as a whole meaning Bell and Houser split the royalties evenly. That's probably a good idea for a band that tours a lot. Special guests included gospel singer Dottie Peoples and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Since then Widespread Panic started their own label. Sadly, Michael Houser was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died on Aug. 10, 2002. He was replaced by former Beanland guitarist George McConnell. Jimmy Herring replaced McConnell in 2006. It was at this point that Widespread Panic started releasing live albums from their archive. This is probably the best way to listen to them. Live in the Classic City was recorded over three nights in Apr. 2000 and released in 2002. It has 3 CDs and is available as a digital download. Todd Nance was forced to leave the band in 2014 due to failing health. Duane Trucks replaced him. Nance died in 2020. Widespread Panic released a new album in 2024. But they continue a heavy tour schedule to keep their fans fappy. Here's Widespread Panic performing Blue Indian in Austin, TX. from a DVD. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ellen Greene

Artist:Ellen Greene

Song:Somewhere That's Green

Album:Little Shop of Horrors: Original Cast Album

Actress Ellen Greene is probably best known for her Tony nominated performance as Audrey in the 1983 Off-Broadway musical adaptation of the 1960 cult film Little Shop of Horrors. She also starred in the 1986 film version. The musical was written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Ashman told Playbill in 1982 that he wanted to write a fun show where he didn't care if it was a hit. He had seen the film Little Shop of Horrors in 1961. Menken had not seen the film. But once he did, he got to work on the songs. The other key figure was producer Kyle Renick who was a big fan of the film. There was also puppeteer Martin Robinson who turned a plant into a singing puppet. He plays Mr. Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street. It was supposed to be a small show which is why it was off-Broadway. Of course it became much bigger than that including a 1986 film. Plus Ashman and Menken went to work for Disney. Ellen Greene's Audrey was supposed be similar to Judy Holiday. She was born Feb. 22, 1951 in New York City. She started performing in high school. Ellen performed in New York nightclubs. She became friends with Australian singer songwriter Peter Allen who was getting into writing musicals. He cast Ellen in a show that never opened. Then she appeared in the 1976 film Next Stop, Greenwich Village. At Joseph Papp's New York Shakespearian Festival, Ellen was cast in a 1976 revival of The Threepenny Opera. She got a Tony nomination. And that's when she met Ashman and Menken. They cast her as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. It's still Ellen's most memorable role. The Broadway cast album is available as a digital download. She's appeared in films like I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can and Talk Radio. And she starred in the TV series Pushing Daisies. But she sems to prefer performing in clubs with husband Christian Klikovits. She also does a lot of voice work on animated films. It doesn't look like Ellen was interested in stardom. And that's why Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors is still her most memorable role. Here's Ellen Greene performing Somewhere That's Green on the 1983 Standards Awards broadcast. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eddie Money

Artist:Eddie Money

Song:Baby Hold On

Album:The Best of Eddie Money

Though it was not his biggest hit, the 1977 single Baby Hold On was Eddie Money's first single and the success of that song set him up for the next decade. So it's important in his discography. He was born Edward Joseph Mahoney Mar. 21, 1949 in New York City but he grew up in the Long Island city of Levittown. His father was a police officer. Money started busking at age 11. And in high school he played in bands to get dates with cheerleaders. Money's grandfather, father and brother are all cops. So he planned to continue that tradition. But instead he decided to pursue a career in music because the police did not allow him to grow his hair long. Money said he couldn't see himself as a cop with short hair. Money's father was unhappy with his decision. So he decided to move to Berkeley, CA in 1968. Once he arrived, he took the stage name Eddie Money. Money started playing San Francisco clubs. He got the attention of legendary promoter Bill Graham and signed to his Wolfgang label with Columbia distribution. He recorded the album Eddie Money with producer Bruce Botnick who produced The Doors album L.A. Woman. The idea was for Money to record his live show in the recording studio. Money wrote all the songs including Baby Hold On. Money's guitarist Jimmy Lyon co-wrote Baby Hold On. He played with Money for several years. Graham discovered Lyon and paired him with Money. Baby Hold On reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it was not his biggest hit but a good start that set him up for future success. The other main musicians were Lonnie Turner on bass and Gary Mallaber on drums from the 70s version of the Steve Miller Band. They also worked with Money for several years. After a stretch in the early 80s where he didn't have much success, Money scored a top five hit with the 1986 single Take Me Home Tonight featuring Ronnie Spector. The success of that song was enough to keep Money going until he left Columbia in 1991. You can get all of his hits on this budget comp. He continued to perform until he died from cancer on Sept. 13, 2019 at age 70. Here's Eddie Money performing Baby Hold On on Top of the Pops Mar. 6, 1978.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Moloney O'Connell & Keane

Artist:Moloney O'Connell & Keane

Song:Kilkelly

Album:Kilkelly

Kilkelly is probably the best known song recorded by Irish singer songwriter Robbie O'Connell. But he didn't record it on one of his own albums. He recorded it on this 1987 album by a trio he formed with banjoist Mick Moloney and accordionist Jimmy Keane. O'Connell received so many requests for Kilkelly that he self released a comp. I guess fans couldn't find Kilkelly anywhere. That album is out of print. But you can find Kilkelly on this album where O'Connell originally recorded it. I'm going to talk mostly about O'Connell because he is featured. He was born Dec. 28, 1950 in St. John's Parish, Waterford, Ireland. His mother was a Clancy so he's a nephew of The Clancy Brothers. He replaced Liam Clancy in 1977, moved to the US and toured with The Clancy Brothers for five years. He joined the band Green Fields of America. Maloney and Keane were in that band and the trio Maloney O'Connell & Keane was an offshoot of that band. Kilkelly was one of two albums they recorded for the Irish folk label Green Linnett. That company was based in the US. His recording of the song Kilkelly has become very popular. Peter Jones wrote Kilkelly after he found some old family letters detailing a son moving from Ireland to America. He based the song on those letters. One of the first to record the song was Irish singer Danny Doyle. And that is where O'Connell heard it and decided to record it on this album. Kilkelly was popularized by the 1991 BBC TV series Bringing It All Back Home. This was a five part series featuring many Irish musicians. And fans have been searching for Kilkelly since then. Moloney O'Connell & Keane only recorded two albums. O'Connell returned to The Clancy Brothers until their 1996 retirement. Since then O'Connell has recorded solo and performed with many Irish musicians. He lives in Boston. Here's the video for Kilkelly by Moloney O'Connell & Keane. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dick & Dee Dee

Artist:Dick & Dee Dee

Song:Turn Around

Album:The Best of Dick & Dee Dee

The pop duo Dick & Dee Dee had success in the early 60s before the British Invasion wiped them out. This 1963 cover of the folk song Turn Around was a top 30 hit. According to a site that I use, it was their fourth biggest hit. But I have a good video clip and it was the best song that was played this morning. Richard Gosling and Mary Sperling met while they were students at Paul Revere Junior High in Los Angeles. They attended different high schools but reconnected after graduation at See's Candy Store in Los Angeles. Mary was attending college and working part time at the store. Gosling was looking for a job and he started working at the store. When they discovered a common interest in music, they began writing songs together. They were never romantically involved. They signed with the very small Lama label owned by The Wilder Brothers and producer Don Ralke. They were called Dick & Dee Dee on the 1961 single The Mountain's High which they wrote together. When The Mountain's High started getting radio airplay in California, Lama leased it to Liberty Records to get national distribution. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. This would turn out to be Dick & Dee Dee's biggest hit. Mary quit college and Dick & Dee Dee went on tour. Liberty released the 1961 album Tell Me-The Mountain's High. When Dick & Dee Dee were unhappy with Liberty's promotional efforts, Ralke got them out of their Liberty contract and got them a new record deal with Warner Bros. The 1963 single Young and in Love was a top 20 hit and Turn Around was a top 30 hit. It was from the album Turn Around and was produced by Ralke. Turn Around was was written by folksinger Malvina Reynolds and musicologist. Alan Greene. When Harry Belafonte recorded Turn Around in 1959, he made changes and got a songwriting credit. The Kingston Trio recorded it in 1963 and it was covered by many artists after Dick & Dee Dee recorded it. Dick & Dee Dee recorded four albums for Warners and appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show and were regulars on the TV show Shindig. This comp from Varese has all their hits. Mary married Dick Clark's producer Bill Lee. So they continued to appear on Clark's TV shows. But the British Invasion killed lots of musical acts and Dick & Dee Dee were no different. They split up in 1969 after recording a couple of albums for Dot Records. Gosling continued to write songs and he revived Dick & Dee Dee with his wife in the 80s. He died in 2003. Mary got married a second time and retired. After writing her 2006 autobiography, she revived Dick & Dee Dee with actor Michael Dunn and they performed for a couple of years. Here's Dick & Dee Dee performing Turn Around on the Dr. Pepper Celebrity Party 1963.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mads Tolling Quartet

Artist:Mads Tolling Quartet

Song:Beatrice

Album:Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty: Live at Yoshi's

Mads Tolling is a Danish jazz violinist in the tradition of Stephane Grappelli but especially Jean-Luc Ponty. This 2011 album is a live tribute to Ponty. Tolling was a member of the Grammy award winning group Turtle Island Quartet. He was born July 5, 1980 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He started playing violin at age six. Tolling and his sister busked on Copenhagen streets. While in high school, Tolling earned a scholarship to attend Berklee School of Music in Boston. His teachers at Berklee were jazz musicians Joanne Brackeen, Hal Crook and Joe Lovano. And that's also where he met French jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. And Ponty recommended Tolling to join bassist Stanley Clarke's band which he did after graduating from Berklee in 2003. Tolling recorded and toured with Clarke until 2010. He was also a member of Turtle Island Quartet until 2012. They were very successful and won two Grammys in the Classical Crossover category. Meanwhile, Tolling started recording and touring with his own band in 2008. He usually records for his own label. Beatrice is from the album Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty. As it says in the title, it was recorded live at Yoshi's in Oakland, CA. May 30, 2011. Tolling currently lives in San Francisco. The album is made up of songs popularized by Ponty including the Sam Rivers song Beatrice. The musicians were Tolling's touring band at the time of Mike Abraham on guitar, George Ban-Weiss on bass and Eric Garland on drums. This album is available as a budget CD. Tolling's latest album Masters of Jazz Violin with Jacob Fischer on guitar and Matthias Petri on bass was released last year. He is currently playing shows in California. He also teaches violin online if you are interested. Here's the video for Beatrice by Mads Tolling.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freddie Hubbard

Artist:Freddie Hubbard

Song:Blues for Duane

Album:The Hub of Hubbard

Most jazz fans are familiar with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's 60s albums on Blue Note and his early 70s albums on CTI. But you may not be familiar with the albums he recorded for Atlantic in the late 60s. But you have probably never heard of the 1970 album The Hub of Hubbard. He recorded that for the German label MPS. Hubbard recorded for Blue Note until 1966 when Alfred Lion sold Blue Note to Liberty Records which in turn was sold United Artists. So a lot of guys left Blue Note including Hubbard. He formed a new band with James Spaulding on sax, Kenny Barron on piano and Louis Hayes on drums. Hubbard was looking for a more commercial sound at Atlantic. The funny part is Blue Note transitioned to a more commercial sound in the late 60s. Maybe he didn't like the new owners. Hubbard recorded five albums for Atlantic. That's when former A&M Records producer Creed Taylor started CTI Records and Hubbard knew that Taylor would produce the kind of sound he wanted. But before he went to CTI, he recorded the 1970 album The Hub of Hubbard for the German label MPS. MPS was started by the electronics company SABA and then sold to audio tape manufacturer BASF. Oscar Peterson recorded for them after he left MGM. At the time, Hubbard was on a European tour. And he thought this wiould be a good opportunity to record with that band. The band was Eddie Daniels on tenor sax, Roland Hanna on piano, Richard Davis on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. It was always intended as a one off album because he started with CTI immediately after the tour. But it's a good album and it's available on CD. MPS went through several ownership changes before Universal acquired them in 1999. They sold MPS to the German label Edel AG in 2014. Here's Freddie Hubbard with Donald Braden on tenor sax, Benny Green on piano, Jeff Chambers on bass ande Louis Hayes on drums performing Blues for Duane in Spain 1991.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Christian French

Artist:Christian French

Song:Head First

EP:Bright Side of the Moon

Singer songwriter Christian French has mostly had viral success. He has never placed on the Billboard chart. If you want to see how he is doing, you have to check out the site Chartmetric which compiles digital download statistics. According to them, the 2019 single Head First is his most popular song. He doesn't release albums, just EPs and singles. Why is he doing this? Originally, I think French was trying to save money. But then his record label bought into it. French was born Mar. 17, 1997 in Fishers, IN. He learned to play piano through You Tube tutorials and in high school he posted covers on SoundCloud. He started writing songs while he was a pre-med student at Indiana University. But he got the music bug, quit school and moved to Los Angeles. I'm sure his parents were thrilled. Excuse my sarcasm. He released a few singles and a couple made Spotify's Viral 50. In 2018, he worked with producer Dru DeCaro and he produced the EP Natural Colors and the single Sweet Home. He toured with Chelsea Cutler and appeared on rapper Hoodie Allen's single Come Around. Then he signed with Disruptor Records with Sony distribution. And that's when the EP Bright Side of the Moon was released. Disruptor is owned by Adam Alpert. He's the manager of the popular EDM duo The Chainsmokers. Though French originally decided to release music digitally because he didn't have the money to do it traditionally, Disruptor and Sony could have insisted it be changed to the traditional way, Alpert decided to go along with French and see how things go. The thinking is that streaming reaches a younger demographic. So the 2019 EP Bright Side of the Moon and the single Head First were very successful. To date, Head First is French's most downloaded song on Spotify. It's been streamed on Spotify over 32 million times. This EP is available as a digital download. French continues to release EPs and singles, most recently in 2023. According to his Facebook, he may have new music coming soon. Would French be more successful if he used traditional release strategy. I dunno. I think he should use both strategies. But I also think using streaming only makes him seem special to his fans. In reality, I don't think French's music is anything special. There are plenty of guys who sound similar. So maybe the exclusivity of streaming only is part of the attraction. Here's the video for Head First by Christian French.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jay & The Americans

Artist:Jay & the Americans

Song:This Magic Moment

Album:Come a Little Bit Closer: The Best of Jay & the Americans

Considering that they were a doo wop throwback group, Jay & the Americans had a pretty good run in the 60s. After the top ten singles She Cried (1962), Come a Little Bit Closer (1964) and Cara Mia (1965), they went through a dry spell. Just when it looked like they were through, Jay & the Americans scored their final top ten hit with the 1968 single This Magic Moment. Of course in their initial run, they had to compete with British Invasion bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. They even opened for those bands. The group in those days was Jay Black, Howard Kane, Kenny Vance, Sandy Deanne and Marty Sanders. Black was usually lead singer and Sanders played guitar. They never wrote their own songs. After Cara Mia was a hit in 1965, they didn't have much success. Cara Mia was produced by DJ Gerry Granahan. After United Artists released a 1965 Greatest Hits album, Jay & the Americans released the 1966 album Sunday and Me. Granahan produced this album and Artie Butler wrote the arrangements. As with their previous albums, the songs were mostly covers. But with the exception of Roy Orbison's Crying, none of the songs were hits elsewhere. They did score a top 20 hit with the Neil Diamond song Sunday and Me. That was Diamond's first chart hit as a songwriter. Meanwhile, Jay & the Americans appeared in the 1966 film Wild Wild Winter. And they decided to start their own production and publishing company. They had the same problem with the albums Livin' Above Your Head (1966) and Try Some of This! (1967). They even brought in Jeff Barry and Lieber and Stoller to write and produce some songs on Try Some of This!. It didn't help. So for the 1969 album Sands of Time, Jay & the Americans decided to return to recording classic covers. Their cover of The Drifters classic This Magic Moment reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. That song was written by the legendary team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Jay & the Americans produced the album. But Thomas Jefferson Kaye arranged and conducted. He had previously produced The Shirelles at Scepter Records. He brought in Donald Fagan and Walter Becker to write arrangements. And of course they went on to lead Steely Dan in the 70s. But they couldn't keep it going. The 1970 album Wax Museum was again produced by Kaye. The single Walkin' in the Rain reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. After Black took over and wrote and produced most of the 1970 album Capture the Moment and it was a failure, Jay & the Americans split up though Black continued to lead a version of the group. Due to gambling debts, Black filed for bankruptcy in 2006 and lost the rights to the name Jay & the Americans to Sandy Deanne. He continues to lead a version of the group today. They have released a couple of albums and tour the oldies circuit. The new lead singer John Reincke led a Jay & the Americans tribute band for 30 years. Sanders is also in the band. Kenny Vance leads his band The Planotones. Jay Black died in 2021 and Howard Kane died in 2023. You can get all of Jay & the Americans hits on this comp. Here's Jay & the Americans performing This Magic Moment.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Layla Zoe

Artist:Layla Zoe

Song: You Won't Call

Album:Shades of Blue

Layla Zoe is a Canadian blues rocker who has recorded mostly for her own label since 2006. I call her a blues rocker because though she performs in the blues style, she writes her own songs. She is similar to women like Susan Tedeschi and Bonnie Raitt but not as successful. She was born May 26, 1970 in Nanaimo, BC. By age four, she was performing in her father's band. Then she led his band as a teen and started writing poetry. Then she moved to Toronto because that's capital of the music business in Canada. After releasing a 2005 EP, she released her 2006 debut album Shades of Blue on her own label. She wrote and produced everything with guitarist Chris Raines. It seems to be his only credit. She even produced a video for You Won't Call. The album is available on CD. She played with Jeff Healey in his Toronto club. It's just that this kind of music is a crowded marketplace and if an artist is not on a label like Alligator, it's an uphill climb. So Layla has played a lot of European blues festivals. Guitarist Henrik Freischlader liked her and released a couple of her albums on his Cable Car label. She also released albums on Ruf Records owned by Luther Allison's manager Thomas Ruf. She moved to Germany in 2013 mainly because she was touring Europe a lot. She currently lives in The Netherlands. Her latest album Back to the Spirit of 66 was released in 2023. It's a 2CD set. She wrote and produced it. I think the move to Europe is a good move for Layla as there are more opportunities there for her brand of blues rock. Here's the video for You Won't Call by Layla Zoe.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jan Bradley

Artist:Jan Bradley

Song:Mama Wouldn't Lie

Album:Time Life Rhythm & Blues 1963

The 1963 single Mama Didn't Lie was a top 20 hit and the only big hit for singer Jan Bradley. One of her other singles charted so she was not technically a one hit wonder. But it's Jan's only memorable record and it still gets radio play on oldies stations. Of course music fans have heard this song. But they don't know who sings it. Addie "Jan " Bradley was born July 6, 1943 in Byhalia, MS. but she grew up in the Chicago suburb of Robbins, IL. She met guitarist Phil Upchurch at a high school talent show. He referred her to his manager Don Talty. Talty wanted to sign her to his record label Formal Records. But her parents wanted her to graduate from high school first. After Jan graduated, Upchurch sent her to The Impressions leader Curtis Mayfield to audition. He wrote some songs for her. And when one of those songs We Girls was a regional hit in the Midwest, Talty and Mayfield knew they had to get national distribution for Jan. So they sold her contract to Chess Records and the single Mama Didn't Lie reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the R&B Singles chart. Mayfield wrote the song and Talty produced. You can get Mama Didn't Lie on this Time Life various artists comp. Soon after that, Mayfield got into a dispute with Chess over publishing rights. The result was that Jan could no longer work with Mayfield. So she and Talty started writing songs together. The only other single that charted was I'm Over You in 1965. After Jan left Chess, She recorded unsuccessfully for several small labels. Jan retired from music in the early 70s to become a social worker and to raise a family. She still sings in her church choir. But her music heyday is a distant memory. Mama Didn't Lie is certainly a great record. Here's a video for Mama Didn't Lie by Jan Bradley.