AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Celine Dion

Artist:Celine Dion
Song:My Heart Will Go On
Album:My Love: Essential Collection





Though I don't like Celine Dion's overblown singing style, she deserves credit for coming out of nowhere to become one of the biggest stars in pop music. My Heart Will Go On from the 1997 film Titanic is probably her biggest hit. She was born Mar. 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, QC the youngest of fourteen children. Her big break came when her brother saw Rene Angelil's name on an album cover and sent him Celine's recording. He's the one who made her a star first in Quebec and then everywhere else. And they got married. The major barrier to Celine becoming a star was she didn't speak English. I first heard Celine in the mid-80s and at the time I thought she was a pretty good singer. But Angelil sent her to English classes and also had her undergo dental surgery to improve her appearance. Angelil convinced Columbia Records that Celine was ready to record in English. To save money, they recorded English vocals over tracks she had previously recorded in French. Unison was released in 1990 and Where Does My Heart Beat Now was the big hit from the album. That ballad set the stage for future stardom. The record was produced by Christopher Neil who had produced Sheena Easton. She continued to alternate recording in English and French. I like some of her French albums including the 1992 album Dion Chante Plamondon which was a tribute to famed Quebecois songwriter Luc Plamondon. It has a harder rock sound than you might expect from Celine. By the mid-90s, Celine was a huge star with number one hits like The Power Of Love and Because You Loved Me. But My Heart Will Go On launched Celine to a new level of stardom. James Horner wrote the music for the 1997 film Titanic. He thought there should be a song with a vocal playing over the end credits. Director James Cameron said no at first but Horner thought he could convince him so he hired veteran songwriter Will Jennings to write My Heart Will Go On. Then he had to convince Celine to sing the song. He hired Simon Franglen to work on the arrangement. He worked with Celine previously. Then Angelil convinced Celine to record the song. Then Sony execs convinced Cameron though he still didn't like the idea. The song was a worldwide chart topper. Though she never had another hit that big, it's been enough to cement her long term success. You can get all of Celine's hits on this budget comp. She's slowed down in recent years because of Angelil's poor health though she still has a standing residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Her latest CD of new music was released in 2013 though she released a live CD/DVD set last year. She will return to Caesars Palace in August. Here's the video for My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Jessica Penne

Here's the match video of Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her UFC Strawweight Championship vs Jessica Penne from last night's UFC show in Berlin, Germany. This aired on UFC Fight Pass so I know plenty of fans didn't see it. I watched it on my HD TV using Roku. Of course I have to warn you that if you don't like the sight of blood, don't watch this fight. The main event of this show was supposed to be Alexander Gustafsson vs Glover Teixeira. When Gustafsson got hurt, Jessica was pulled off the May 30 Brazil show to challenge Joanna for the title. Jessica is a good fighter and a former Invicta Atomweight Champion. But I think she's too similar to Carla Esparza so I didn't see Jessica having any more success trying to take Joanna down. Jessica recently moved to Alliance MMA in San Diego after Mark Munoz retired and closed Reign MMA. She said before the fight that Joanna is a one dimensional fighter. That's a mistake because Joanna uses other skills to direct the fight to her strength which of course is striking. So we all knew that Jessica would try to take Joanna down. But like Carla, she attempted several takedowns and couldn't take Joanna down. Joanna took her time and scored a knockdown towards the end of round one. I scored round one 10-9 for Joanna. Joanna took control of the fight about two minutes into round two first with a front kick right in the mush followed by a short elbow that seemed to break Jessica's nose. The kicks we hadn't seen from Joanna in her previous fights. She stalked Jessica for the rest of the round and I scored round two 10-8 for Joanna. Some fans felt that the fight should have been stopped either by ref Marc Goddard or by Jessica's coach Eric Del Fierro. Keep in mind that the standard for a stoppage is more lenient in a title fight. Though she was getting clobbered, I thought Jessica was still defending herself. In round three, Joanna took her time hammering Jessica. Afterwards she said her corner told her to slow down and take her time. I think that was very good advice. Jessica even tried one final unsuccessful takedown. But with about a minute left in round three, Joanna scored with an overhand right followed by a knee to the head. That was it. Goddard stopped the fight. Congratulations to Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She gave another clinic in efficient striking technique. He next challenger will be the winner of Claudia Gadelha vs Jessica Aguilar on Aug. 1 UFC show in Brazil. Of course many thought Claudia won over Joanna last December. But remember as Joanna gains more confidence as a champ, it will get tougher to beat her. She's improving with every fight. I expect we will see that title defense by the end of the year. Joanna is already the leader as the Big Bad Blog Fighter of the Year. All she needs is one more title defense to put the cherry on that sundae. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frank Churchill.

Artist:Frank Churchill
Song:Overture
Album:Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs




Frank Churchill was a songwriter and composer best known for his work on the very first full length animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Sadly, he committed suicide in 1942 so he is somewhat forgotten today. He was born Oct. 20, 1901 in Rumford, ME. As a teen, he played piano accompanying films at the local theater. That's how many pioneers in film music composition got started. Churchill moved to Los Angeles to study medicine at UCLA. But he dropped out and played piano at Los Angeles radio station KNX. In the early 30s, Churchill replaced Carl Stalling as music supervisor at The Walt Disney Company and he composed the music for many of the Silly Symphonies including Three Little Pigs. So when Disney decided to produce the first full length animated feature, Churchill was in charge of the music. He wrote the songs with lyricist Larry Morey. Churchill wrote the score with Paul J. Smith and Leigh Harline. Smith worked for Disney for many years and he won an Oscar for Pinocchio. Harline started out at Disney but he left in 1941 and composed many film scores over the years. Of course Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a huge hit and today is considered one of the most important films in history. Back then, there were no soundtrack albums as the movie studios didn't think there was any value to the music. The songs from Snow White were released on three 78rpm discs. The incidental music from the film was never available until Disney released the entire score on CD in 1993. It's still available. After the success of Snow White, Churchill composed music for the features Dumbo and Bambi. Then he committed suicide on May 14, 1942 at age 40. It seems Churchill was a heavy drinker and he was depressed because a couple of his pals in the Disney orchestra recently died. So a sad and premature end for a man who was an important figure in film history. Here's a video for Overture by Frank Churchill as it appeared over the opening credits of the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cher

Artist:Cher f/Peter Cetera
Song:After All
Album:Gold





Here's a song that even devoted Cher fans may have forgotten was a top ten hit in 1989. It was the theme from the film Chances Are. I think the song was a bit of a surprise hit. In the 80s, Cher had more success in films than in music. When she signed with Geffen Records in 1987, she hadn't had a top ten hit since Take Me Home in 1979. So obviously this was something she wanted to correct. On the 1987 album Cher, she worked with producers Desmond Child and Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora to give her a more rock oriented sound. Her cover of the Michael Bolton song I Found Someone (first recorded by Laura Branigan) reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. So they're getting there but she wants a number one hit. And that's what they were aiming for with the 1989 album Heart Of Stone. Meanwhile, Geffen Records asked Cher to record a song for the 1989 romantic comedy Chances Are starring Cybill Shepherd and Robert Downey Jr. After All was written by veteran songwriters Tom Snow and Dean Pilchford and Peter Asher produced the record. Asher produced songs on Cher and Heart Of Stone. They decided to turn it into a duet with former Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera who had a good run as a solo artist in the mid-80s. I don't think Cher even knew Cetera. There was no soundtrack album for Chances Are and there was no video. Despite the lack of promotion, After All reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. After it became a hit, Geffen tacked it on to Heart Of Stone. Of course If I Could Turn Back Time topped the charts and Heart Of Stone was a huge success. Cher and Cetera never performed After All together. When the song was nominated for an Oscar, it was performed on the broadcast by Melissa Manchester and Peabo Bryson. And Cher performs After All live with her musical director Paul Mirkovich. You can get After All on this 2CD comp from Hip-O that covers her whole career. Here's Cher with Paul Mirkovich performing After All 1999.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Taylor

Artist:James Taylor
Song:Your Smiling Face
Album:The Essential James Taylor





The 1977 album JT was a big comeback for James Taylor and also a switch to a new record label. Your Smiling Face wasn't his biggest hit from JT but the song was emblematic of a new beginning for Taylor. Albums like Sweet Baby James made Taylor one of the most popular recording artists of the early 70s. But his 1972 album One Man Dog was critically panned and it also performed poorly compared to previous albums. Meanwhile, Taylor married Carly Simon on Nov. 3, 1972 and they started performing and recording together and they had two kids. The two scored a big hit with their 1974 cover of Charlie & Inez Foxx's Mockingbird. Then Taylor's 1973 album Walking Man was a disaster. He made a bit of a comeback with the 1975 album Gorilla and his top five cover of Marvin Gaye's How Sweet It Is. The 1976 album In The Pocket was Taylor's final album on his Warner Bros. contract. Taylor and producer Peter Asher had already decided to leave Warners for Columbia so Warners didn't promote In The Pocket. Then Warners released a Greatest Hits album which is always a sign that the artist is leaving. Other than being on a new label, there wasn't anything unusual about JT. Asher was still his producer and the usual session musicians appeared on the album. Taylor's cover of the Jimmy Jones hit Handy Man was the first single and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. But it propelled JT to Taylor's biggest selling album since Sweet Baby James. It was certified 3XPlatinum. Your Smiling Face was the next single. It only reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 but it solidified the album's success. Taylor wrote the song for his three year old daughter Sally so it reflected his contentment in his family life as well. Though the 1979 single Her Town Too was Taylor's last big pop hit, his 80s albums routinely were certified Platinum. This 2013 2CD Sony comp covers Taylor's entire career. Taylor separated from Carly Simon in 1981 and became addicted to heroin again. He married actress Kathryn Walker in 1985 and she got him off heroin. He continued to have success until he left Columbia in 1994. Taylor still records occasionally. He just released his CD Before This World on Concord this week. And he's still a strong concert draw. Here's the video for Your Smiling Face by James Taylor.

Review of People In Motion 2015

Permobil F3

It took me some time to get to this review of this year's People In Motion show at the Queen Elizabeth Center at the CNE because there weren't many new products at this year's show. I was looking at three and decided to only go with one. This year the show concentrated on demonstrations like archery and wheelchair dancing. It's not the sort of thing I am interested in but I'm sure there is a certain amount of interest in those kind of demos. There also was a walled off section devoted to employment opportunities. They have always had this at the show but this was the first time attendees had to register in advance for anything. They wanted to target employment services which is fine if a young disabled person is looking for full time work. But if an older disabled person is on ODSP and only has the stamina for part time work, you are only allowed to earn a minimal amount before it is clawed back and it ends up costing money. It's a mean spirited and restrictive rule that should be eliminated but the provincial government says on one hand they want the disabled to be in the workforce but on the other hand they have restrictive ODSP rules that don't allow that. Until this is changed, any kind of part time or contract work for ODSP clients is out of the question. Maybe PIM should lobby the province to change this as it would help the show. So if you have read this in past years, you'll know that I am due for a new powerchair in 2016. Last year I wrote about Quickie's new chair. This year I am going to talk about Permobil's new F3 and F5 powerchairs. Both of these chairs are front wheel drive. My current chair is mid wheel drive. The major difference with front wheel drive is better maneuverability and it will handle steep grades and uneven surfaces better. The major difference between the two models is the F5 is bigger. Both chairs come with a lot of tilt and elevation capability which is something I don't need on my powerchair. That's because I transfer from the chair frequently. But there are those who need that. I got to try the F3 out when I was at the show. I actually broadcast it live from my phone using Twitter's Periscope app. Unfortunately, it was a brand new app and my first time using it so I didn't know that I had to set the app to save the video or it goes away in 24 hours and I didn't know about that part anyway. So I apologize to Permobil rep Adam Lawson who adjusted the chair and held my phone while I went outside with the chair. He told me to go on the grass with the chair which I would never do with my current chair because it's not stable enough. He also told me the F3 comes with snow tires and can navigate in the snow. Well, that's a big deal in this climate. If I took out my current chair after a snowfall, it would get stuck. I have to wait until the streets and sidewalks are clean. BTW, the adjustments that Adam had to make on the chair was moving the joystick because I'm left handed and lowering the footrests because I'm tall. Obviously I won't know if I will buy this chair until next year. But I do like to go out daily and I hate it when the weather forces me to stay in. But if I do select the F3, I promise to Adam that I will do a professionally shot demo after a big snowfall and I'll write about it in this magazine. You can find out more about Permobil at www.permobil.ca and contact your vendor for more about the F3 or F5. So that's it from the 2015 People In Motion show. We'll see you at next year's show.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bananarama

Artist:Bananarama
Song:Venus
Album:The Collection




Bananarama is the most successful British girl group of all time and Venus was their only US number one hit. As one familiar with the 1970 original by the Dutch group Shocking Blue, I think Bananarama and producers Stock Aitken Waterman suck the life out of Venus and turn it into just another dance song. But apparently it's a song they really wanted to record and they switched producers because of that. Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward were childhood friends in Bristol, England. They met Siobhan Fahey in 1979 while studying fashion journalism and the three started singing together with punk rock groups. In 1981, former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook produced the demo Aie a Mwana and Demon Records released it as a single. This got them a record deal with PolyGram's London label. Terry Hall of The Specials saw Bananarama on a magazine cover and had them record T'ain't What You Do with his vocal group Fun Boy Three. It was a top five hit in England. Then they recorded their 1983 debut album Deep Sea Skiving with the production duo of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. They had success producing the group Imagination and later produced Spandau Ballet. Bananarama had success in England with hits like Shy Boy and a cover of Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye. But success in the US eluded them until Cruel Summer was their first US top ten hit in 1984. It was from their second album Bananarama. They recorded most of their 1986 album True Confessions with Jolley and Swain. Venus was a song they had performed live and the girls really wanted to record it. When Jolley and Swain were resistant to that. Bananarama hired the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) production team and Venus topped the Billboard Hot 100. SAW were a very hot dance music production team at the time. It turned Bananarama in a more dance oriented direction because that's the kind of music SAW produced. I'm sure you all remember the video for Venus. Bananarama went on hiatus due to Keren's pregnancy. For their 1987 album Wow!, Bananarama continued to work with SAW and the single I Heard A Rumour was a top five US hit. But the decline of Bananarama began when Siobhan Fahey married Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics and left in 1988. She would later surface as one half of the duo Shakespears Sister. Siobhan also wasn't getting along with the other two who of course had been friends since childhood. She was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan and though Bananarama had some hits in England with their next two albums, they certainly weren't as successful as they were previously. Jacquie left in 1991 and Bananarama continued as a duo. They left London Records in 1993. This 2CD comp from Music Club is available at a budget price. Though Bananarama's most recent CD was released in 2009, they were recording new music in 2013 and they still tour in England. Here's the video for Venus by Bananarama.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eddie Holland

Artist:Eddie Holland
Song:Jamie
Album:It Moves Me: The Complete Recordings 1958-1964




Of course Eddie Holland is best known as one third of the legendary Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland with his brother Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. But in the early days of Motown, Holland recorded a couple of albums and scored a top 30 pop hit with Jamie in 1962. He was born Oct. 30, 1939 in Detroit. Holland met Berry Gordy in 1958 and worked with him before Gordy started Motown. The thing you will notice about Holland as a singer is he sounded a lot like Jackie Wilson which is not surprising as both Holland and Gordy idolized Wilson. Holland's early singles were released on Mercury and United Artists and then Jamie was released on Motown's Tamla label in 1961. It reached #6 on the R & B Singles chart and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm sure many listeners thought it was a Jackie Wilson record. The song was written by Barrett Strong and Mickey Stevenson and Stevenson produced the record. Strong was best known for another early Motown hit Money but he also wrote plenty of songs. Stevenson wrote and produced in the early days of Motown until he left in 1967 with his wife Kim Weston. While Holland recorded a couple of albums and a couple of his singles charted, his brother Brian Holland was already a staff songwriter at Motown. He co-wrote the classic Please Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes. Lamont Dozier recorded some unsuccessful singles and joined Motown in 1962. When the three started having success writing hits like Heatwave and Where Did Our Love Go, Eddie Holland retired from recording in 1964 because he suffered from stage fright and refused to tour. Though Dozier went on to success as a recording artist in the 70s, Eddie Holland preferred to remain behind the scenes. He never recorded again. You can get all his recordings on this 2CD comp from Ace Records. Here's a video for Jamie by Eddie Holland.

Two title matches headline Aug. 29 DEEP JEWELS show

Emi Fujino, Mizuki Inoue

DEEP announced today that the Aug. 29 show in the cage at Differ Ariake will be a double header. There will be a DEEP show in the afternoon followed by a DEEP JEWELS show in the evening. They announced two DEEP JEWELS title matches. But before I get into that, a couple of weeks ago, DEEP JEWELS announced that all weight classes will conform to the world standard. So for example, instead Lightweight at 52kg. it is now Strawweight at 115lb. The other minor change is that elbows will now be allowed in selected matches. That means it won't be allowed in most matches similar to how they used to handle ground and pound before they made it completely legal. These are minor changes that I would describe as window dressing. Anyone who tries to characterize these as a big deal is blowing smoke up your ass. If that old fart Shigeru Saeki was serious about real change, he would make all DEEP JEWELS matches three five minute rounds and all title matches five five minute rounds. That's what fans want but he's very reluctant to change anything. The DEEP JEWELS Bantamweight Championship match had already been announced. Takayo Hashi will defend against Korean Kim Ji Yeong. These two fought to a draw on a ROAD FC show in Mar. 2014. Hashi has performed better since returning from knee surgery but Kim is 3-0 with 2 draws. So I wouldn't assume that Hashi would win easily. Today they announced that Mizuki Inoue (she is no longer billed as MIZUKI) will defend her DEEP JEWELS Strawweight Championship against veteran Emi Fujino. Mizuki is coming off of two straight losses in Invicta but I don't expect her to have much trouble with Fujino. Mizuki beat her as part of the tournament in 2013 and even broke Fujino's nose in a J-Girls kickboxing match several years ago. Fujino has never beaten anyone higher ranked than her. And until she does, I don't expect it from her. She's always been a midcard fighter. If you look at her record, all her losses have been to elite fighters and she's never beaten an elite fighter. Of course part of the problem is many DEEP JEWELS 115lb fighters have dropped to 105. So there are very few choices at 115lb right now. So again, the low talent level fails DEEP JEWELS. I will have more details when more matches are announced.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-702

Artist:702
Song:Where My Girls At?
Album:702





The R & B girl group 702 scored a top five hit in 1999 with Where My Girls At?. The name 702 is because they are from Las Vegas and 702 is the area code for Nevada. They started out singing together at Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas. There were four girls in the group at first. Three of them were sisters. The oldest was LeMisha "Misha" Grinstead, twin sisters Irish and Orish Grinstead and their friend Kameelah Williams. Kameelah was usually the lead singer. They were singing in the lobby of Caesars Palace when they were spotted by comedian Sinbad. He sent them to a music convention and talent contest in Atlanta. He named them Sweeta Than Suga. They finished second in the competition. But their big break came when they met Michael Bivins of New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe. He signed them to his production company at Motown. Kameelah was replaced briefly by Grinstead cousin Amelia Childs. After 702 appeared on the single This Lil' Game We Play by Subway, Amelia left and Kameelah returned. Orish left 702 while their debut CD No Doubt was being recorded. In searching for the right producer to work with 702, they seemed to click with rapper Missy Elliott. She produced four songs on No Doubt including the hit single Steelo. 702 scored their first top ten pop hit with Get It Together written and produced by Donell Jones. The album was certified Gold. Their 1999 CD 702 was even bigger as the single Where My Girls At? reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. Where My Girls At? was written and produced by Elliott and the duo of Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart, known as Keybeats. They worked a lot with Aliyaah before her tragic death. 702 also appeared on the Missy Elliott single Beep Me 911. 702 is available as a budget CD. Then Kameelah left 702 to go solo. When her solo career didn't pan out, she returned for the 2003 CD Star. That album didn't do well and it's interesting to note that they didn't work with Elliott on that album. Though Motown dropped them, 702 attempted to remain together. Orish Grinstead died of kidney failure at age 28 in 2008. Kameelah left 702 for good in 2010. She is calling herself Meelah and her recording of a solo album was featured on the TV One reality show R & B Divas Atlanta. The single and video Give It To You was released Sept. 2014. It's a duet with her singer songwriter husband Musiq Soulchild. They have one child. There's no word on when the album will be released. Here's the video for Where My Girls At? by 702.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Teresa Brewer

Artist:Teresa Brewer
Song:Music! Music! Music!
Album:The Original Sound Of Miss Music! Music! Music!




Music! Music! Music! was the first hit single and also the signature song for Teresa Brewer in 1950. After her career faded in the late 50s, she would later reinvent herself as a jazz singer. She was born Theresa Veronica Breuer May 7, 1931 in Toledo, OH. While her dad worked at a local glass manufacturing plant, her mom pushed her into performing. As a child, Teresa was a regular on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour radio show traveling with her aunt. She returned to Toledo to attend high school. At 16, she won a talent contest that got her a trip to New York City and an appearance on Stairway To The Stars. Teresa played local clubs until she signed with Decca Records in 1949. Her debut single Copper Canyon, a duet with Bobby Wayne, was released on Decca's London label in 1949. Then they released the single Copenhagen with Music! Music! Music! on the B-side. DJs preferred the B-side and Music! Music! Music! topped the pop charts in 1950 and a star is born. The song was written by Stephen Weiss and Bernie Baum and it was the biggest hit for both guys. Baum went on to be part of the team that wrote songs for Elvis Presley films in the 60s including Devil In Disguise. The backup band on the single is credited as the Dixieland All Stars. How's that for a generic name. This was a short lived band of veteran musicians who appeared on a couple of London recordings in the early 50s including trumpeter Max Kaminsky, trombonist Bob "Cutty" Cutshall, clarinetist Ernie Caceres, pianist Jack Pleis, guitarist Danny Perri, bassist Eddie Safranski and drummer George Wettling. They were all big band veterans. In 1951, Decca moved Teresa to Coral Records to release 10" LPs of her music. Her other number one hit was Till I Waltz Again with You in 1952. Like a lot of pop singers, Teresa faded in the late 50s when Rock 'N' Roll took over. You can get all her original 50s hits on this CD from Jasmine Records. Beware of rerecorded versions. Teresa recorded for Philips Records in the 60s with little success. Then she married legendary jazz record producer Bob Thiele in 1972. Of course he was the house producer at Impulse Records in the 60s. When he started his own Flying Dutchman label in the 70s, Teresa recorded for that label and and his subsequent labels Amsterdam and Doctor Jazz. She worked with jazz musicians on these records so it was similar to the reinvention of Rosemary Clooney. Teresa retired after Thiele died in 1996 and she died on Oct. 17, 2007 at age 76. Here's Teresa Brewer performing Music! Music! Music! on a 1950 Snader Telescription. Snader produced short music films for TV in the early 50s similar to Soundies in the 40s.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tecia Torres vs Angela Hill

Here's the match video of Tecia Torres vs Angela Hill from last night's UFC show in Mexico City. It was on the PPV portion of the show. But the fight is so bad, you may want to skip it. I actually watched it a second time to pick up on a couple of things that I wanted to comment about. The things I do so you don't have to. Before the fight, Tecia complained that Angela isn't in her class and she asked for a higher ranked opponent. Officially, Tecia is undefeated. But in the TUF house, she didn't look very good against either Randa Markos or Carla Esparza who are both grapplers. I think Tecia is overrated. She's a kickboxer with no ground skills and that was exposed especially against Randa. Angela is also a kickboxer with no ground game. So I guess matchmaker Sean Shelby was hoping for an action packed throwdown. Instead we got a lay and pray stinkeroo reminiscent of Julia Budd sitting on Germaine De Randamie in Strikeforce three years ago. The other factor is the altitude in Mexico City which was an issue through the whole show. Though I think Tecia is a skilled technical kickboxer, Angela punches harder. Not much happened in the first round until halfway through, Tecia took Angela down and laid on her. She didn't advance her position and Angela couldn't seem to get out from under. There were two reasons for Tecia to do this. As I said, Angela punches harder and laying on her would tire Angela out in that altitude. Of course this strategy worked. It's no secret how much I hate lay and pray. But the ref can stop it if he breaks them up quickly. Big John McCarthy didn't even warn Tecia until there was less than a minute left in the round. That was way too late. And then in the second round, Tecia took Angela down early in the round and McCarthy finally stood them up with less than a minute left in round two. By this time, the fans are booing. So Angela is down two rounds and needs a finish. But she's way too tired to do anything. Instead of taking her down in round three, Tecia pins her against the fence to stall. It's the same strategy designed to kill the clock. Of course Tecia won the fight. I scored it 30-27 in her favour. I guess some fighters don't care how they win. I don't see how a performance like that gets Tecia closer to a title shot. And this fight was on the main card. Of course Tecia wants a fight with a top contender. She didn't do anything to deserve that. Two weeks ago Juliana Lima used lay and pray to win for the second straight time. I say match these two up and make it the curtain jerker on UFC Fight Pass. Whoever sits on the other longest wins the fight and the loser goes on a one way trip to Palookaville. I know the UFC doesn't officially punish fighters for boring fights. But unofficially they do by moving them down the card and giving them lesser opponents until they learn not to be boring. Of course some fighters never learn. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Syl Johnson

Artist:Syl Johnson
Song:Take Me To The River
Album:Mississippi Mainman





Though music fans probably know that Al Green wrote Take Me To The River, Hi Records never released his recording as a single. Instead producer Willie Mitchell gave it to labelmate Syl Johnson and Take Me To The River was his biggest hit in 1975. At the time, Johnson was overlooked but his 70s recordings are a must for soul fans. He was born Sylvester Thompson July 1, 1936 in Holly Springs, MS. His brothers are guitarist Jimmy Johnson and bassist Mack Thompson. His family moved to Chicago in 1950 and Magic Sam was his next door neighbour. Johnson started out as a backup singer, guitarist and harmonica player for blues artists. He toured with Howlin' Wolf in the 50s. Johnson first recorded as a solo artist for King's Federal label in 1959 and in the mid-60s he had some success on Twinight Records with R& B hits like Come On Sock It To Me, Different Strokes and Is It Because I'm Black. Willie Mitchell produced some of those recordings and when Mitchell joined Hi Records in 1970, he brought Johnson with him. Twinight folded in 1972. Of course Johnson's problem at Hi was he played second fiddle to labelmate Al Green. So he was always overlooked. But he had a few R & B hits like We Did It and Back For A Taste Of Your Love. Take Me To The River reached #7 on the R & B Singles chart in 1975 and it was Johnson's biggest hit. Of course Al Green wrote the song with his guitarist Mabon "Teenie" Hodges and Green recorded it on his 1974 album Al Green Explores Your Mind. But Hi never released Green's version as a single. Mitchell had Johnson record it with the same musicians. The only difference was Johnson's harmonica solo. Take Me To The River was popularized by Talking Heads and David Byrne made sure fans knew Green wrote it. But Byrne didn't connect it to Johnson. Johnson left Hi in 1979 and recorded for his own label in the early 80s. This comp from the British reissue label Demon Music's Backbeat label is a good intro to Johnson's music. In the mid-80s, Johnson opened a restaurant and semi-retired from music. In the 90s, when Johnson found out that hip hop guys were sampling his music, he signed with Delmark Records and released the 1994 album Back In The Game. His daughter Syleena Johnson has had some success as a singer working with R. Kelly and she revived the Twinight imprint for him to record new music. And they are raising money through Kickstarter to produce the Syl Johnson documentary Any Way The Wind Blows. So Syl Johnson is still kickin' it and you don't want to overlook his great music. Here's Syl Johnson performing Take Me To The River at the 1975 Memphis Blues Festival. I know the clip is not professionally shot and it cuts off but it is footage of Syl Johnson in his prime.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alive 'N Kickin'

Artist:Alive 'N Kickin'
Song:Tighter, Tighter
Album:'70s Radio Hits Vol. 3





Tighter, Tighter was a top ten hit in 1970 and the only big hit for Alive 'N Kickin'. One other single charted so technically they are not a one hit wonder though most fans have probably only heard Tighter, Tighter. Alive 'N Kickin' were from Brooklyn, NY led by singers Sandy Toder and Pepe Cardona. Other members were Bruce Sudano on keyboards, Woody Wilson on bass, Dave Shearer on guitar and Vito Albano on drums. Apparently Sandy was friends with Tommy James' wife. Of course James was a big pop star at the time. He went to see Alive 'N Kickin' at a club and liked them. Then Sudano and Wilson wrote the James hit Ball Of Fire. So James got them a deal with his label Roulette Records and he was going to give them the song Crystal Blue Persuasion. But he decided to record it himself and gave them Tighter, Tighter instead. All of the other songs on the album were written by Sudano and Wilson. James and his bassist Bob King wrote Tighter, Tighter and produced the album. Tighter, Tighter reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. One other single charted and they only recorded one album. Alive 'N Kickin' split up in 1971 mainly because they couldn't get any money out of Roulette Records owner Morris Levy who was notorious for not paying anyone. Of course it is now known that he had mob connections. The album Alive 'N Kickin' is available on CD but most fans will only want Tighter, Tighter and you can get it on this Rhino Flashback various artists budget CD. Cardona reformed Alive N' Kickin' in 1976 and a version of the band still performs in the Tri State area surrounding New York City. Bruce Sudano moved to Los Angeles and was leader of the group Brooklyn Dreams. He was married to the late Donna Summer and wrote and produced songs for her. Here's a video for Tighter, Tighter by Alive 'N Kickin'.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Maria Taylor

Artist:Maria Taylor
Song:A Good Start
Album:Lynn Teeter Flower





Maria Taylor is another singer songwriter who has been mentored by Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst. She records for his brother's label Saddle Creek Records. She was born May 21, 1976 in Birmingham, AL. At age 15, she was attending the Alabama School of Fine Arts when she formed the duo Little Red Rocket with classmate Orenda Fink. They released two albums on Geffen Records but got lost in the shuffle when Geffen merged with Universal in 2000. The duo moved to Athens, GA and formed the group Azure Ray and recorded for Warm Records. Conor Oberst met them and asked them to tour with him. He signed them to Saddle Creek Records which is co-owned by Oberst's brother. Azure Ray recorded a couple of albums for Saddle Creek and then went on hiatus. After recording with Bright Eyes and appearing with the Bright Eyes spinoff band Now It's Overhead, Maria recorded her solo debut CD 11:11 in 2005. A Good Start is from Maria's 2007 CD Lynn Teeter Flower. It's considered to be her best CD to date. Azure Ray reformed in 2007 and they have recorded a couple of albums. And Maria continues to record solo for Saddle Creek. Her latest CD Something About Knowing was released in 2013. You might have heard Maria's music on TV shows, especially Grey's Anatomy. I'm sure she will continue to turn up on albums by other Saddle Creek artists. She's worth checking out. Here's the video for A Good Start by Maria Taylor.

Analysis of Invicta FC 13 card

Invicta finally announced the full card for the next show. It will be on July 9 at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas during International Fight Week. It will air on UFC Fight Pass and I normally use Roku to watch it on my HDTV. You can also use Apple TV or Google Chromecast. If you have an HDTV and you don't have one of those devices, I highly recommend you get one. I know what you're thinking. Why is this show on a Wednesday? It was supposed to be on July 10 but it was going to conflict with other events during IFW. So Invicta applied to the Nevada State Athletic Commission to move the show to July 9. That was approved last week which is why it took so long to announce the card. This show will have three title matches and a total of seven matches. I guess their thinking is more title matches means it's a better show. I dunno about that. The main event will have Cris Cyborg defending her Invicta Featherweight Championship against Faith Van Duin. Faith is from New Zealand and she won her Invicta debut over Amanda Bell on the last Invicta show in April. Cyborg won her last fight over Charmaine Tweet in less than a minute. I don't expect this to go any longer. Until Cyborg drops to 135, her fights are a waste of time. Then we will have Tonya Evinger vs Irene Aldana for the vacant Invicta Bantamweight Championship. Irene is from Mexico and she's one of those names that has been mentioned as a potential UFC signee. If she wins this fight, she'll probably get that call. I just don't think she has beaten anyone decent yet. Tonya will be her toughest opponent and she could beat Irene. And I don't think the UFC is interested in Tonya. then we have Herica Tiburcio defending her Invicta Atomweight Championship against Japanese veteran fighter Ayaka Hamasaki. Herica won the title over Michelle Waterson last fall. Some thought it was an upset. I think Michelle is overrated. Ayaka is a former DEEP JEWELS 115lb champ who dropped to 105 after recovering from knee surgery. Her last win was over VV Mei on the DEEP New Year's Eve show and she's been sitting around waiting for this fight. Both have good submission skills but Ayaka may be a better striker. And I assume that is something her coach Megumi Fujii is working on. Let's get to the rest of the card. In a Bantamweight match, Pannie Kianzad will face Jessica-Rose Clark. Pannie is new to Invicta but she is a former Cage Warriors 145lb champ. She is someone I would like to see in the UFC. Pannie is from Denmark but she trains in Sweden. Jessy Jess, as she is known, is from Australia and this is also her Invicta debut and her first fight outside Australia. She's 5-1 but Kannie is a big step up in competition for her. In an Atomweight bout, Amber Brown will face Invicta newcomer Catherine Costigan. Amber won her Invicta debut over Liz McCarthy in Nov. 2014. But I liked when she went to Japan in 2013 and submitted the favourite Kikuyo Ishikawa. Catherine is from Ireland and fought for Cage Warriors. But I didn't think much of her opponents. I like both fighters but I think Amber has fought at a higher competition level and that gives her a bit of an edge. In a Strawweight bout, Amy Montenegro will face Jamie Moyle. Amy is 6-1 and she won her Invicta debut in Feb. over Brianna Van Buren who I think was a little overhyped. Jamie is 2-0 and won her last Invicta fight over JJ Aldrich in Feb. She should be the favourite but both are just gaining experience at this point. The opener is a Featherweight match. Marina Shafir will face Amber Leibrock. Both are making their Invicta debuts and Amber is making her pro debut. Of course Marina is known as Ronda Rousey's long time training partner. Because of that, she was a bit overhyped as an amateur. Then in her second pro fight, she was KOd by Amanda Bell in less than a minute. That's why Amanda was overhyped. So both fighters are inexperienced as pros. Who knows what we will get. My main concern is that with three championship matches, maybe Invicta won't have anything left for their next show. Plus I'm expecting at least three of seven matches, including the main event, to be mismatches. So it's probably not as stacked as they think it is which doesn't surprise me because they have a bad habit of overrating their fighters. We'll see how it goes.

Claudia Gadelha vs Jessica Aguilar added to Aug. 1 UFC show

Claudia Gadelha, Jessica Aguilar

Globo's MMA website Combate reported this morning that Claudia Gadelha vs Jessica Aguilar will be added to UFC 190 in Brazil. Globo is the UFC Brazilian broadcaster. They are reporting that there are verbal agreements. The fight agreements still need to be signed. This match will determine who gets the next shot at the UFC Strawweight Championship. Claudia is a BJJ black belt and she trains at Nova Uniao. In her last fight, she suffered her first loss by split decision to current UFC Strawweight Champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Though I scored the fight for Claudia it was very close and I explained in my analysis how the judges scored the fight the other way. Her problem in that fight is easy to correct. After a takedown, she needs to advance her position. Of course Joanna's defense may have been better than Claudia's offense. So Claudia has been whining about the loss ever since and she and her manager told Tatame that she should have got the title shot that went to Jessica Penne. They lobbied the UFC for it but were rebuffed. Obviously the UFC wants her to win a fight first. Claudia was scheduled to fight Aisling Daly in March but Claudia dropped out due to a back injury. This will be Jessica's UFC debut after wasting two years at UFC placeholder WSOF. Her problem is she hasn't fought an elite fighter in a long time and her wins in and before the WSOF weren't that impressive. So we're going to find out if Jessica is still an elite fighter because her opponent is clearly an elite fighter. I thought they might match Jessica up with Carla Esparza after Carla made some stupid comments recently about Jessica. But if Jessica wants to step into the deep end of the pool for a possible fast track to a title shot, that suits me fine. I'm looking forward to this one. Who wants it more?

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dusty Drake

Artist:Dusty Drake
Song:One More Time
Album:Dusty Drake





Country singer Dusty Drake had brief success on the country charts with this song written in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. There were several songs like this that were hits at the time. Drake hasn't had much luck since then. He was born Dean Buffalini Feb. 23, 1964 in Monaca, PA. He started out playing drums in local bands and was an air traffic controller before moving to Nashville in 1993. He changed his name to Dusty Drake because a manager told him there were too many Deans in Nashville. He co-wrote the song C-O-U-N-T-R-Y which was a hit for Joe Diffie in 1996. He continued to write until he signed with Warner Bros. in 2002. One Last Time was the second single from his 2003 debut CD Dusty Drake. It reached #26 on the Country Singles chart. It's one of several songs written after the 9/11 bombings that were country music hits. The song was written by veteran songwriters Kerry Kurt Phillips and Patrick Jason Matthews. Phillips biggest hit was the 2005 George Strait hit She Let Herself Go. Matthews biggest hit was the 2005 Billy Currington hit Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right. Drake's album was produced by veteran producers Paul Worley and Billy Crain. He seemed to be off to a good start. But when a 2004 single from his next album didn't do well, Warners dropped him. Dusty Drake is available as a budget CD. Drake signed with Big Machine Records in 2007. An album was recorded. But when the single Say Yes only reached #36 on the Country Singles chart, Big Machine shelved the album and dropped Drake. Drake has released one single since then and has seemingly disappeared. I guess at 51 years of age Drake is too old to be an up and coming country artist. Here's a video for One More Time by Dusty Drake.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Elton John

Artist:Elton John
Song:Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Album:Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Deluxe Edition




Elton John's 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick represents Elton John's transformation from popular singer songwriter to flamboyant pop superstar. Crocodile Rock was his first number one hit in the US and John also started wearing crazy costumes on stage. John, lyricist Bernie Taupin and producer Gus Dudgeon went to Kingston, Jamaica to record Goodbye Yellow Brick Road because The Rolling Stones had just recorded Goat Head's Soup there. They wrote the songs but there were technical problems in the recording studio and the commotion surrounding the George Foreman vs Joe Frazier boxing match was disruptive. So they decided to return to the Chateau d'Herouville in France where they had recorded the albums Honky Chateau and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player. John and Taupin had written 22 songs but usually Dudgeon was able to whittle them down to a single LP. He didn't do that for Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and it was released as a 2LP set which can be very risky because of the retail price. Most of the songs were nostalgiac as Taupin was thinking about movies he watched when he was growing up. Apparently The Wizard Of Oz was the first film Taupin saw when he was a child. And the song is about returning to simpler times. The single reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 but it really set the stage for the album's huge success. Bennie and the Jets was the other big hit from the album. Candle In The Wind is considered a classic Elton John song but it was not a hit. It's probably John's most popular album and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2003. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released on one CD. Last year, Universal released a 2CD Deluxe Edition. The second CD contains live recordings from 1973 and covers of songs from the album by contemporary artists. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is covered by country artist Hunter Hayes. There is also a 4CD/DVD Super Deluxe edition 2CDs of live recordings and some sort of documentary DVD. It's too expensive so I recommend the 2CD Deluxe Edition. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was certified 8XPlatinum last year. Here's Elton John performing Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on Top Of The Pops 1973.

Sara McMann vs Amanda Nunes added to Aug. 8 UFC show

Sara McMann, Amanda Nunes

Last night the UFC announced that Sara McMann vs Amanda Nunes has been added to UFC Fight Night 74 Aug. 8 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This show will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada probably on the main card. This is an important match in the Women's Bantamweight division with two fighters who seem to have title contender potential but both have fallen short. Of course Sara McMann has that 2004 Olympic Silver medal in wrestling. But that hasn't helped her much in MMA. She was heavily hyped before challenging Ronda Rousey for the belt last. I can't tell you how many supposed experts thought she would win that fight. And when she lost in a minute, there were plenty of excuses. Earlier this year, Sara got an opportunity to get back in the title picture. She knocked Miesha Tate down in round one. But instead of taking advantage of that with ground and pound, she inexplicably sat on Miesha for the rest of the round which gave Miesha time to recover. There is no excuse for that kind of poor decision making. And then Miesha came back to win by majority decision. Now Miesha is fighting Jessica Eye for a title shot and Sara could be headed to Palookaville if she doesn't win this fight. Brazilian Amanda Nunes now trains at Master MMA in Florida. She also missed a title shot opportunity when she lost to Cat Zingano last fall. Amanda started out like a house afire and then ran out of gas. She says she learned her lesson from that and she beat Shayna Baszler a couple of months ago. Shayna has since been released. But Amanda has never beaten an elite fighter and needs to do that to become an elite fighter herself. A win over a former title contender like Sara will do that. And if Amanda falls short again, she could be headed to Palookaville. And avoiding Palookaville is what this fight is about.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Anita Wilson

Artist:Anita Wilson
Song:Speechless
Album:Worship Soul





Gospel singer Anita Wilson started out as a backup singer and then did very well on the gospel charts with her 2011 debut album Worship Soul and her debut single Speechless. She was born June 19, 1976 in East St. Louis, IL and like a lot of gospel artists, she grew up in the church as a Preacher's Kid. Her dad was a pastor. She was an in demand backup singer with Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, DeWayne Woods and Vanessa Bell Armstrong. Then she became a regular with Donald Lawrence and sang lead on Happy Being Me from the album The Law Of Confession Part 1. Then she moved to Chicago and joined the staff of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church led by Charles Jenkins. He leads a very popular choir and records for EMI Gospel (now Motown Gospel). Anita signed with the same label and Jenkins' musical director Rick Robinson produced the album and wrote a lot of the songs with Anita. Robinson started out as a pianist with Ricky Dillard and Donald Lawrence and he has produced gospel artists like Lamar Campbell, Bishop Larry Trotter and VaShawn Mitchell. The single Speechless did well on the gospel charts and Anita's 2014 CD Vintage Worship has also done well. There is definitely some Smooth Jazz influence in Anita's vocals and I think that will give her longevity in the gospel music business. Worship Soul is available as a budget CD. Gospel fans should check it out. Here's the video for Speechless by Anita Wilson.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Brown

Artist:James Brown
Song:My Thang
Album:Gold





The reason James Brown had such a long career was his ability to change with the times and reinvent himself. He started out in the 50s and in the 60s he became Mr. Dynamite. And by the late 60s he became Soul Brother No. 1. In the early 70s he needed to reinvent himself again as The Godfather of Soul. This was because of the rise of funk and jazz rock fusion. He knew that if he didn't keep up with musical trends, he would fade away. This began when most of his road band quit over money in 1969. Brown formed his new band around Bootsy Collins and his brother Catfish Collins. Bobby Byrd remained and so did Fred Wesley and the JBs. The first thing Brown did was record Sex Machine. Not only was this record a big hit but it took Brown in a different direction and set the stage for his success over the next few years. Then he finally left his long time record label King for the much larger Polydor label and a more lucrative contract. The Collins brothers left in 1971 over money and Bootsy's LSD use. Bootsy would soon join Parliament/Funkadelic. St. Clair Pinkney and John Starks replaced them. Then he brought in supporting players like Lyn Collins, Vicki Anderson and Hank Ballard. After a hiccup when Brown's support of Richard Nixon for President caused a boycott of his music, Brown returned to the #1 spot on the R & B charts with The Payback. The album topped the Billboard Hot 200. This was followed by the album Hell and the first single My Thang topped the R & B charts in 1974. By this time, Brown was known as The Godfather of Soul. And jazz musicians like Miles Davis acknowledged him as an influence. And Hell was recorded in New York City with his usual group augmented by jazz musicians like Joe Beck on guitar, Jon Faddis on trumpet and David Sanborn, Joe Farrell and Pee Wee Ellis on saxes. After one more number one R & B hit, Papa Don't Take No Mess, Brown faded in the late 70s. But then he reinvented himself in the 80s. This 2CD comp covers Brown's entire career and it's available as a budget release. Here's James Brown performing My Thang on Soul Train 1974.

Analysis-Is the UFC phasing out the Women's Bantamweight division?

Ever since the UFC brought women in two years ago, there have been a few Chicken Littles who insist that women in the UFC is a short term deal despite evidence to the contrary. Of course they only look at one side of it like the number of Women's Bantamweight fights and that the UFC hasn't signed every 135lb female fighter in the world. They also complain that some fighters don't fight frequently enough. But there is a lot of behind the scenes wrangling that goes into matchmaking that we aren't aware of but I'm sure it gives Sean Shelby headaches. The other side of this is that not all unsigned fighters belong in the UFC and the Women's Bantamweight division talent level is low enough already. Of course this doesn't fit into Chicken Little's agenda. So I'm going to look at the other side of that position. For starters, most of the fighters who came over from Strikeforce have already lost to Ronda Rousey and the UFC would understandably like to avoid giving multiple title shots to any fighter. But if Miesha Tate wins over Jessica Eye in July, she will get that third shot at Ronda. None of the other former Strikeforce fighters seem to want to step up. When Ronda beats a fighter in less than a minute, who the hell wants to see a rematch with any of them? None of those rematches are marketable. And Miesha and Alexis Davis are the only ones who have recently won fights convincingly. So the UFC was hoping that they would get an influx of talent from TUF 18. But that didn't happen. The only possible title contender to come from TUF 18 is Juliana Pena and she blew out her knee and now has to work her way up the ladder. Of the other TUF 18 fighters, two were not signed, one has been released and one dropped to 115lb. So ultimately, the talent level to come from TUF 18 was disappointing. On the other hand, the talent level of the fighters from TUF 20 was a lot higher. And that's why in the short term, the Women's Strawweight division is more interesting than the Women's Bantamweight division. And that may be true for the long term because most of the Bantamweight fighters signed since TUF 18 have been disappointing. Only Jessica Eye and Marion Reneau have exceeded expectations. The others including former Invicta champ Lauren Murphy and especially the overhyped former boxing champ Holly Holm have disappointed. They need to step it up. The Chicken Littles think that signing more Bantamweight fighters will show that the UFC has committed to the division. But of the names I have seen mentioned, the only one I would like to see signed is former Cage Warriors champ Pannie Kianzad from Denmark. I don't think the UFC should sign fighters just to appease the Chicken Littles. Some could get into the UFC as late replacements but I don't think any of them are potential title contenders. I'm sure Sean Shelby is beating the bushes. It doesn't surprise me that he isn't finding much. The talent level at 135lb is low and as long as it is, there won't be an influx of 135lb fighters. It doesn't mean the UFC isn't committed to the division. The Chicken Littles need to smarten up.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nu Shooz

Artist:Nu Shooz
Song:I Can't Wait
Album:Disco Queens: The 80s





Here's one of the more notorious hits of the 80s because MTV played the crap out of the video. Nu Shooz were successful on the dance charts. I Can't Wait is probably the only song most music fans remember. It's perceived as a one hit wonder but technically it isn't a one hit wonder. Nu Shooz was the husband and wife duo of John Smith and Valerie Day from Portland, OR. He wrote and produced all the songs and played guitar and keyboards. She did all the singing. Nu Shooz was a 12 piece band when they first formed in 1979. But after two independently released albums, it was reduced to seven members. At first Valerie played percussion but by 1983, she became the lead singer. I Can't Wait first appeared on the 1985 EP Tha's Right. When it became a regional hit in Oregon, they tried to get a record deal but were rejected. I Can't Wait made it to Europe where it was remixed by Dutch DJ Peter Slaghuis. It became a dance hit and then Nu Shooz signed with Atlantic Records. Then they recorded the album Poolside in early 1986. Smith wrote or co-wrote all the songs and he produced with his engineer Rick Waritz. Smooth Jazz pioneer Jeff Lorber played keyboards and co-wrote the arrangements. Lorber lived in Washington state at the time. The album Poolside was released in May 1986. I Can't Wait was a dance hit first but by Sept. 1986 it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 fueled by the music video in heavy rotation on MTV. The next single Point Of No Return also topped the dance charts and reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Nu Shooz was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. Poolside is available on CD but you can get I Can't Wait on this Rhino various artists budget comp. Nu Shooz' 1988 album Told U So did not sell and they recorded a third album that was never released and Atlantic dropped them. Nu Shooz reformed in 2007 as more of a jazz orchestra and they still tour mostly on the west coast. Their latest CD was released in 2012. Here's the video for I Can't Wait by Nu Shooz.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Willie Dixon

Artist:Willie Dixon
Song:The Seventh Son
Album:I Am The Blues





Willie Dixon was the most important figure in the development of Chicago Blues as a songwriter, producer and bassist. He was the man behind most of the Chess Records recordings of the 50s. But as time progressed, Dixon wanted more credit so he left Chess to lead his own band. He recorded I Am The Blues for Columbia Records in 1970. He was born July 1, 1915 in Vicksburg, MS. He got into blues and gospel as a child and he moved to Chicago in 1936. He was an Illinois State Golden Gloves boxing champ and he fought professionally. He met Leonard Caston at the gym and got back into music. He was having problems with his boxing manager anyway. Their group The Big Three recorded for Columbia's race label Okeh in the late 40s. Then Dixon started playing jam sessions with Muddy Waters and others and this led to his signing with Chess Records first as a recording artist but Chess found Dixon was more useful as a producer. The Seventh Son was recorded by Willie Mabon and released in 1956. It was a much bigger hit when Johnny Rivers recorded it in 1965. In the early 60s, Dixon recorded for Bluesville, Verve and Folkways. He continued to work for Chess but he left in the mid-60s. He formed The Chicago All Stars and recorded I Am The Blues for Columbia in 1970. Musicians were Walter Horton on harmonica, Sunnyland Slim on piano, Johnny Shines on guitar and Clifton James on drums. It was his only album for Columbia and it is available as a budget CD. Dixon owned his own label for a while and also recorded for Ovation and Pausa. He also founded the Blues Heaven Foundation and sued Chess for back royalties. He had health problems in the 80s due to diabetes and Dixon died on Jan. 29, 1992 at age 76. Here's Willie Dixon with The Chicago All Stars featuring Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston on harmonica performing the Seventh Son. This is available on the DVD Wang Dang Doodle.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Art Taylor

Artist:Art Taylor
Song:Little Chico
Album:Taylor's Tenors





Drummer Art Taylor was mainly a sideman who occasionally recorded as a leader including this 1959 album featuring tenor sax players Charlie Rouse and Frank Foster. Then he moved to Europe in the 60s. He was born Apr. 6, 1929 in New York City. As a teen, he was a big part of the developing New York bebop scene playing with Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean and Kenny Drew. His first professional gig was with trumpeter Howard McGhee in 1948. Taylor also played with Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, Bud Powell, George Wallington, Art Farmer, Gigi Gryce and Donald Byrd. By the mid-50s, Taylor was a regular on Prestige Records sessions and he appeared on albums by Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jackie McLean and plenty of others. And he also formed his own band Taylor's Wailers and and recorded his debut as a leader in 1956 featuring Donald Byrd, Charlie Rouse and Jackie McLean. Taylor's Tenors was released in 1959 with Charlie Rouse and Frank Foster on tenor sax, Walter Davis Jr. on piano and Sam Jones on bass. So obviously Taylor really liked dueling saxes. Rouse wrote Little Chico. After recording the 1960 album A.T.'s Delight for Blue Note, Taylor moved to Europe and lived in France and Belgium for 20 years. He frequently worked with tenor sax legend Johnny Griffin in that time. He also wrote the book Notes and Tones which consists of interviews with musicians. That book is a must for jazz fans. In the 80s, Taylor moved back to New York to tend to his sick mother. He played New York clubs with young musicians like Marc Cary and Jackie Terrasson. His 1992 album on Verve Wailin' At The Vanguard was nominated for a Grammy. Art Taylor died on Feb. 6, 1995 at age 65. Here's a video for Little Chico by Art Taylor.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Luther Tucker

Artist:Luther Tucker
Song:Mean Old World
Album:Luther Tucker & The Ford Blues Band





Guitarist Luther Tucker had the talent to be a big star in blues. But he seemed to prefer being a sideman. Apparently he was very shy and uncomfortable in the spotlight. That's why there aren't a lot of CDs of his music. He just didn't record much as a leader. He was born Jan. 20, 1936 in Memphis. His mom played piano and introduced him to Big Bill Broonzy's music and his dad was a carpenter and built Tucker his first guitar. His family moved to Chicago and blues legend Robert Junior Lockwood taught Tucker to play guitar. He played Chicago clubs as a teen as Lockwood told the musician's union he would keep an eye on Tucker. The two worked together frequently including in Little Walter's band for seven years. Mean Old World was written by Little Walter. Tucker also played on recordings by Sonny Boy Williamson II, Jimmy Rogers and Muddy Waters. He was playing in Waters' band in the mid-60s when harmonica player James Cotton left to form his own band and made Tucker his featured guitarist. He left that band in 1973 and moved to San Anselmo, CA which is near San Francisco. He was a big part of the Bay Area blues scene and he also was a house musician at Antone's in Austin, TX. Tucker never recorded much as a leader. He would only occasionally do that on various artists CDs. This CD is a collection of those recordings that also includes a radio interview with Tucker. Tucker continued to work as a sideman until his death from a heart attack on June 18, 1993 at age 57. He was respected by his peers and his music is worth checking out. Here's Luther Tucker performing Mean Old World at Antone's 20th Anniversary Celebration in Austin. TX 1985.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billy Branch Lurrie Bell & The Sons Of Blues

Artist:Billy Branch Lurrie Bell & The Sons Of Blues
Song:Mystery Train
Album:Chicago's Young Blues Generation




The duo of harmonica player Billy Branch and guitarist Lurrie Bell should remind you of the legendary duo of Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. Branch and Bell emerged in the 80s as the new generation of Chicago blues while still respecting tradition. Branch was born Oct. 3, 1951 in Great Lakes, IL and he grew up in Los Angeles. He moved back to Chicago in 1969 to attend the University of Illinois. Bell was born Dec. 13, 1958 in Chicago the son of blues harmonica legend Carey Bell. He began playing guitar at age six and played Chicago clubs as a teen. In the mid-70s, he toured with Koko Taylor for four years. Meanwhile, Branch replaced Carey Bell in Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All Stars. After Lurrie Bell recorded with his dad, he formed The Sons Of Blues with Branch and Willie Dixon's son Freddie Dixon. By the time they recorded this 1982 album for the German label L+R Records, the band was Branch, Bell, J.W. Williams on bass and Mose Rutues on drums. They recorded a couple of albums on L+R which were released on CD by Evidence Records in 2001. Branch and Bell split up in the mid-80s due to Bell's drug addiction. Branch has recorded for Alligator, Verve and he currently records for Blind Pig. His latest CD Blues Shock was released Jan. 2014. Bell returned to music full time in 1995 and currently records for Delmark Records. His latest CD Blues In My Soul was released June 2013. Here's Billy Branch Lurrie Bell & The Sons Of Blues performing Mystery Train at the American Folk Blues Festival in Germany 1982.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lefty Frizzell

Artist:Lefty Frizzell
Song:Saginaw, Michigan
Album:16 Biggest Hits





William "Lefty" Frizzell was a pioneer of honky tonk music and one of country music's biggest stars in the early 50s. After fading in the late 50s, Saginaw, Michigan was Frizzell's final number one country hit in 1964. He was born Mar. 31, 1928 in Corsicana, TX and he grew up in El Dorado, AR. He began playing guitar as a child and appeared on a local radio station at age 12. His family moved to Dallas for his teen years. The nickname Lefty was given to him after a schoolyard fight. He continued to perform locally but he likely would have worked in oilfields as his father did if Columbia Records producer Don Law hadn't seen him perform and signed him to a contract in 1950. Frizzell's number one country hits in the 50s included If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time, I Love You a Thousand Ways, I Want To Be With You Always and Always Late (With Your Kisses). Frizzell co-wrote these songs. He was also a regular at the Grand Ole Opry and he toured with Hank Williams. Frizzell's career faded when Rock 'n' Roll took over in the late 50s. But he hung in there and scored his final number one country hit with Saginaw, Michigan. It was written by Bill Anderson and Don Wayne. In addition to being a very popular singer, Anderson was a prolific songwriter. Don Wayne wrote the 1974 Cal Smith hit Country Bumpkin. Frizzell continued to record for Columbia until he moved to ABC in 1973. This comp is a good intro to his Columbia hits. Frizzell moved to Bakersfield and recorded minor hits for ABC. But he was having alcohol problems and this led to Frizzell's death from a massive stroke on July 19, 1975 at age 47. Guys like Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson have acknowledged Lefty Frizzell as a major influence. So he's somewhat overshadowed by Hank Williams but he shouldn't be. Check him out. Here's Lefty Frizzell performing Saginaw, Michigan on The Porter Wagoner Show 1967.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kana vs Hikaru Shida

The joshi puroresu business has deteriorated to the point that most matches aren't worth watching. So occasionally I will post match video that is worth watching that you might miss. This match featuring Kana vs Hikaru Shida was part of a joint Oz Academy, Zuban and Pro Wrestling WAVE show May 10 at the Diamond Hall in Nagoya. It was part of WAVE's ongoing Catch The WAVE league. So it was stuck on the midcard and it wasn't part of an angle though these two are involved in an angle at REINA. When she's on her game, Kana is one of the most entertaining wrestlers in Japan. She has sex appeal but she's not afraid to be a heel. A lot of the girls don't want to be heels because they think it affects their merch sales. She also works very stiff and it can be hard to find opponents who can handle that. This became a problem after Ayumi Kurihara retired last year as the two worked very well together. Kana has been feuding with Syuri in REINA and I know Syuri is popular. But she's just not at Kana's level. Then Hikaru Shida showed up and has shown that she works very well with Kana. So this match reminds me of the kind of matches Kana used to have with Ayumi. Kana hits very hard and applies a lot of submissions and Hikaru can handle that. And she returns fire just as well. The match was a 15 minute draw that was a throwaway on midcard as part of a league. But it makes me want to see them in a more significant situation. And I expect we will see that soon in REINA. While looking forward to that, I think you'll enjoy this match.
Kana vs. Hikaru Shida in Oz Academy on 5/10/15 by purocentral

V V Mei wins DEEP JEWELS Featherweight Championship but does anyone care?

V V Mei wins by TKO

DEEP JEWELS held a show yesterday at Shinjuku FACE to finish up the DEEP JEWELS Featherweight Championship tournament. As has been typical for recent shows, it was very short because they just don't have enough fighters to fill a decent show. And then they had all kinds of injuries and illness issues. Shizuka Sugiyama and Amiba were among those who were forced to drop out due to injury. The short version is that V V Mei won the tournament as expected. She beat Mina Kurobe in her semi final by unanimous decision. Kurobe is 38 years old but she looks about 80 years old. She was undefeated but there was a time when someone that old wouldn't have been allowed to fight. It shows how desperate matchmaker Shigeru Saeki is to even fill a card. Sarami won her semi final by unanimous decision over Tomo Maesawa. Mei won the championship with a second round TKO win over Sarami. I'm glad she won because she's a very good fighter. But as long as DEEP JEWELS continues to flounder around like this, it's meaningless. What will Saeki do if Mei gets the inevitable call from Invicta? She'll be missing in action like Ayaka Hamasaki. Actually, Ayaka was on this show in a grappling match vs MIZUKI. But it was decided beforehand that if there were no submissions, the match would be a draw. That's entering pro wrestling territory. In the other MMA match on the show, Canadian Tushara "TeeVee" Veerella was brought in at the last minute when Amiba got hurt. Her opponent Misaki Takimoto was dragged out of retirement. She hadn't fought since 2011. Veerella won her MMA debut by unanimous decision. There was one other grappling match but that's it folks. The next DEEP JEWELS show will be Aug. 12 at Differ Ariake in a cage. Good luck filling that joint. A cage won't fit in the small arenas. The main event has DEEP JEWELS Middleweight Champion Takayo Hashi defending against Korean Kim Yeon Ji. Kim was supposed to fight Shizuka Sugiyama for a title shot but Sugiyama got hurt. Kim has fought both of them to draws before. Is she good? No, I've seen both fights. Hashi and Sugiyama were both terrible. Hashi should be better now after knee surgery.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sonny Boy Williamson II

Artist:Sonny Boy Williamson II
Song:Nine Below Zero
Album:His Best





I know this is confusing but there were two blues musicians who played harmonica known as Sonny Boy Williamson. The better known of these two who recorded for Chess Records in the 50s and 60s is commonly known as Sonny Boy Williamson II. He was born Alex Ford. He claimed he was born in 1899 but evidence indicates that he was born Dec. 5, 1912 in Tallahatchie County, MS. He took his stepfather's name and was known as Aleck Miller. He left home in the early 30s and traveled the south with another blues legend Robert Junior Lockwood. At the time he was known as either Rice Miller or Little Boy Blue. Rice was a childhood nickname. In 1941 Miller was hired to appear on the King Biscuit Time radio show owned by King Biscuit Flour at KFFA tn Helena, AR. The real John "Sonny Boy" Williamson was already famous. King Biscuit started billing Miller as Sonny Boy Williamson to capitalize on that. They both play harmonica. Who knew the difference? His blues musician pals still called him Rice Miller. After the original Williamson died in 1948, Miller used the Sonny Boy Williamson name from that point. He continued to appear on the radio and first recorded in 1951 for Trumpet Records. When they went bankrupt in 1955, Williamson's contract was sold to Chess and he recorded for Checker Records until his 1965 death. Williamson had modest success on the R & B charts. Don't Start Me To Talkin' was probably his biggest hit. But most of his fame came from 60s European tours. This budget comp is a great intro to his music. Williamson was back doing radio in the mid-60s. When he didn't show up for his broadcast, he was found dead of a heart attack in his room on May 24, 1965 in Helena, AR at age 53. Because the name confusion was deliberate, we now call him Sonny Boy Williamson II. Here's Sonny Boy Williamson II with Matt "Guitar" Murphy on guitar, Otis Spann on piano and Willie Dixon on bass performing Nine Below Zero in England 1964.