AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Allred & Wycliffe Gordon

Artist:John Allred & Wycliffe Gordon
Song:It's All Right With Me
Album:Head To Head





There's a tradition in jazz of trombone duos going back to J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding back in the 50s. This is a modern day reinvention of that tradition featuring two of today's top jazz trombonists. John Allred is the band leader. He was born 1962 in Rock Island, IL. His dad Bill Allred played trombone. He started out in Los Angeles playing in a Dixieland band at Disneyland. He joined Woody Herman's band. Then Allred moved to Orlando, FL and he was a big part of Harry Connick Jr.'s big band. For the film My Girl, Allred taught Dan Ayckroyd to mimic a tuba player and Allred played on the soundtrack. And he worked with his dad's band. Since moving to New York City in 1999, Allred has played with The Toshiko Akiyoshi Bag Band, The Woody Herman Orchestra and The Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra and occasionally recorded as a leader. Wycliffe Gordon was born May 29, 1967 in Waynesboro, GA. His dad was a church organist and piano teacher. Gordon got into jazz in high school and his music teacher played trombone. Gordon was a member of Wynton Marsalis' band for several years. Since 1999, he has recorded occasionally as a leader. But for the most part, Gordon is still a sideman. Head To Head was released in 2002 and is clearly influenced by those 50s trombone duos. Musicians are John Sheridan on piano, Charlie Silva on bass and Eddie Metz Jr. on drums. This one off project is recommended to fans of those trombone duos. Both Allred and Gordon have returned to being sidemen and occasionally recording as leaders. Here's a video for It's All Right With Me by John Allred & Wycliffe Gordon.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jean Sablon

Artist:Jean Sablon w/Django Reinhardt
Song:The Continental
Album:J'Attendrai





Jean Sablon is frequently described as the Bing Crosby of France. He wasn't as popular as Maurice Chevalier but Sablon had a long career spanning several decades. In the 30s, Sablon was a key figure in helping legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt establish himself in Paris. Sablon recorded about 30 times with Reinhardt. Most of those recordings should be on this comp from ASV/Living Era. A lot of fans may not know that Reinhardt recorded with singers especially in his early days. Sablon was born Mar. 25, 1906 in Nogent-sur-Marne, France. His father Charles Sablon was a composer and so was his brother Andre Sablon. His sister Germaine Sablon was an actress and singer who also recorded with Reinhardt. Sablon studied piano at Lycee Charlemagne in Paris and he studied vocal at Paris Conservatoire. He started singing in Paris cabarets at age 17. His first recordings were with the pianist Mireille and he also performed with Mistinguett at the Casino de Paris. That really helped him as she was very popular at the time. He also spent a couple of years in Brazil. Sablon moved back to France in the early 30s and that's when he met Reinhardt. Sablon helped Reinhardt get established in Paris clubs and in return, Reinhardt recorded with Sablon. The Continental was recorded Jan. 7, 1935 with Sablon on vocals, Reinhardt on guitar and Garland Wilson on piano. Wilson was best known as pianist for singer Nina Mae McKinney. He lived in Paris for a few years and moved back to the US in 1939. The Continental was written by Con Conrad and Herb Magidson and sung by Ginger Rogers in the 1934 film The Gay Divorcee. It won a Best Song Oscar so it was a popular song at the time. Reinhardt recorded The Continental a couple of months later with the Hot Club Quintet featuring Grappelli and singer Jerry Mengo singing in English. Mengo was a drummer who sang occasionally. He just wasn't that well known in France compared to Sablon. Sablon lived in the US during WWII and appeared on radio and Broadway. He returned to France after the war and had a long career until his death on Apr. 24, 1994 at age 87. Here's a video of Jean Sablon with Django Reinhardt singing The Continental.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sinead O'Connor

Artist:Sinead O'Connor
Song:Nothing Compares 2 U
Album:Essential





These days Irish singer Sinead O'Connor is known mainly for her controversial behaviour. So we tend to forget that she scored a huge worldwide hit with Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990. To date it is her only big hit single. She was born Dec. 8, 1966 in Glenageary, County Dublin, Ireland. Her parents separated when she was 8 years old. Sinead lived with her mother and she has claimed that the children were abused. She lived with her dad as a teen and Sinead got into trouble for shoplifting. She was sent to a couple of boarding schools and this is where she got interested in music. She was in the band Ton Ton Macoute. Record companies were interested in her and she signed with EMI's Ensign label in 1987. For her debut album The Lion and the Cobra, she was assigned a producer but they didn't get along and Sinead wrote and produced the album. The album did well in England and the single Mandinka got some airplay but it was not a hit. For her next album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Sinead was paired with Nellee Hooper who was a hot producer in England at the time. She again wrote most of the songs except Nothing Compares 2 U which was written by Prince for one of his side projects The Family. Sinead made the song her own and of course everyone remembers her appearance in the video which was played endlessly on MTV. The record was a worldwide chart topper. It is to date her only big hit and you can get it on this comp. She continued to have minor hits in England. And of course she is known for ripping up The Pope's picture on Saturday Night Live in 1992. That got her plenty of attention and she continues to do things like that. She was recently in the news for threatening suicide on Facebook over a family dispute. I don't think it helps her music much. Most folks just think she's weird. She still records. Her latest CD I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss was released last year on Nettwerk. And she became a grandmother earlier this year. That should make you feel old. here's the video for Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Emma

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Emma from yesterday's NXT Takeover London show. I am posting it for those who don't have the WWE Network. A couple of weeks ago, there was supposed to be an Asuka vs Dana Brooke rematch. But Emma sneaked up on Asuka and applied her Emma lock. Then the two came out to distract Asuka during a subsequent match and Asuka KOd her opponent with a spinning head kick. So that set up the match on the live show. The Aussie Emma was on the main roster. But she was sent back to NXT to reinvent herself as a heel. She's done a good job. But the crowd is chanting "Asuka's Gonna Kill You" for a reason. The crowd goes bonkers for Asuka's entrance. The match was very competitive but the finish was overbooked. Emma got her trademark moves in and Asuka sold them well. The turning point of the match is when Emma is going to curb stomp Asuka to set her up for the Emma lock. Instead, Asuka reverses it and turns it into an ankle lock followed by a German suplex and a Shining Wizard. That reversal was amazing. Then we get a ref bump. And Dana throws her belt into the ring so Emma can clobber Asuka with it. But Asuka gets it away from her and the belt is tossed out of the ring. While Asuka applies her Asuka lock finish, we get a phantom tap out because Dana distracts the ref and throws the belt back into the ring. Emma tries to hit Asuka with the belt. But Asuka nails her with a spinning head kick and the match is over. Asuka wins. Later on in the show, Bayley successfully defended her NXT Women's Championship over monster heel Nia Jax. The match was OK but Nia is very inexperienced and she hasn't figured out how to flow her work properly. At this point her matches need to be kept short. Before the match, Nia did a backstage interview. Asuka confronted her, licked her lips and smiled. So I guess they are going to do a program with these two. Someone asked me if Asuka had ever worked with Aja Kong. I don't think so. Aja works mostly for Oz Academy and Asuka never worked there. Asuka might have worked with Kyoko Inoue during her Passion Red days. But those two are experienced wrestlers and the problem with Nia is her lack of experience. We'll see if Asuka get get a good match out of her. So far she has been really good. Enjoy the video.
Asuka vs Emma by MrCena456

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Robert Plant

Artist:Robert Plant
Song:Big Log
Album:The Principle Of Moments





Of course Robert Plant is best known as lead singer of Led Zeppelin. He went solo after they split in 1980 and Plant has had a very successful solo career. The 1983 single Big Log is his biggest chart hit to date. He was born Aug. 20, 1948 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England. Plant sang with various bands in the 60s before forming Led Zeppelin with Jimmy Page in 1968. After Led Zeppelin split up in 1980, Plant considered leaving music for a teaching career. But Phil Collins talked him out of that and Collins was in Plant's first band. Other members were former Bronco guitarist Robbie Blunt, former Black Sabbath keyboard player Jezz Woodroffe and session bassist Paul Martinez. This was Plant's band for his first three albums. Big Log is from Plant's second album The Principle Of Moments. It reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it is Plant's biggest solo hit to date. If you're wondering about Sea Of Love by The Honeydrippers, that was not a solo record. It was a one off side project. Plant also had chart success when he recorded a couple of albums with Jimmy Page in the 90s. Atlantic has not released a single CD Robert Plant comp. But The Principle Of Moments was released on CD in 2007 with bonus live tracks. It's available as a budget CD. Plant's current band is called Sensational Shape Shifters. The CD Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar was released last year on Nonesuch. At the end of their 2015 tour, Plant said they will return to the recording studio to record a new CD. The music is folk rock with a West African influence. So it doesn't look like Robert Plant is slowing down anytime soon. Here's the video for Big Log by Robert Plant.

Jessica Eye vs Bethe Correia added to Feb. 21 UFC show

Bethe Correia, Jessica Eye

This morning, Globo in Brazil reported that Jessica Eye vs Bethe Correia has been added to UFC Fight Night 82 Feb. 21 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. this show will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. And I expect this match to air on the main card. Jessica is from Cleveland so she really wanted to be on this show. Jessica had a chance to get into the title picture but losses to Miesha Tate and Julianna Pena have dropped her in the rankings. I thought she took the Pena fight way too soon after the loss to Tate and Jessica faded badly in round three. Bethe's mouth got her a title shot and she lost to Ronda Rousey in less than a minute. Neither fighter has a ground game so I expect this to remain standing. I think Jessica punches harder so I would favour her to win this fight. I don't think Bethe's fight skills can cash the cheques she writes with her mouth. She's not very good but her pre-fight trash talk should at least be amusing.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Javier Garcia

Artist:Javier Garcia
Song:Me Gustaria
Album:13





Singer songwriter Javier Garcia made a big splash in the Latin music market with the 2005 album 13. Unfortunately it's his most recent release but he is still a behind the scenes figure in the Miami music scene. Garcia was born in 1974 in Spain to a Cuban father and an Irish mother. He actually moved to Ireland as a teen but eventually he moved to Miami and he has been part of the Latin music scene ever since. He was a member of the 90s group Los Lunes. After recording a solo album in 1997, Garcia returned to writing for others. But then he resurfaced with the 2005 CD 13 on Universal Latin. The album was produced by Gustavo Santaolalla who has had success with other Latin artists. Me Gustaria was one of several hit singles from the album. That song features a trumpet solo by Cuban legend Arturo Sandoval. Garcia's music is a mix of several styles but that Cuban backbeat is the basis for everything. Garcia is still active as a producer and songwriter but it doesn't look like he plans to continue as a solo artist. He has been working on The Acoustic Guitar Project and also with Alex Cuba. 13 is worth checking out. Here's the video for Me Gustaria by Javier Garcia.

Sarah Moras vs Lauren Murphy added to Feb. 21 UFC show

Sarah Moras

Yesterday, the UFC announced that Sarah Moras vs Lauren Murphy was added to UFC Fight Night 82 Feb. 21 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. This show will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. But it would not surprise me if this fight aired on the UFC Fight Pass prelims. This looks like one of those fights where the loser might get released. Sarah is from Kelowna, BC. She was on TUF 18 but she injured her knee so she didn't appear on the TUF finale. She's 1-1 in her two UFC fights. In her loss to Jessica Andrade, I thought she fell behind and needed to show more urgency. She also got very poor advice from her corner. Maybe the fear of getting cut will give her the kind of urgency she needs. Lauren is from Alaska but she now lives in Texas. She is a former Invicta Bantamweight champ. But I didn't even like her much back then because she's a points fighter. Lauren is a striker but she doesn't have KO power. So she doesn't finish fights and of course the decision might not go her way. In her first UFC fight, I thought she beat Sara McMann. But the judges went the other way and she lost by split decision. Then she had another close fight in a loss to Liz Carmouche. I scored that fight for Liz. Of course the solution to Lauren's problem is to learn to finish fights. But I've seen enough of her fights to know that she might not be able to learn how to do that at age 32. It would not surprise me if this was another close fight as I haven't seen a dominant performance from either fighter.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Band

Artist:The Band
Song:Christmas Must Be Tonight
Album:An Americana Christmas





I bet you didn't know that The Band recorded a Christmas song. Christmas Must Be Tonight was written by Robbie Robertson and Rick Danko sang lead. Robertson wrote it as a Christmas gift to his son Sebastian. The song was recorded for the 1975 album Northern Lights-Southern Cross but it didn't make the album. So instead it appeared on the 1977 album Islands. Islands was an odds and ends album that was released to fulfill The Band's contractual obligation to Capitol. So it wasn't promoted and Christmas Must Be Tonight was never released as a seasonal single. Robertson recorded his own version of Christmas Must Be Tonight for the 1988 film Scrooged. And he even recorded a third version on his 1995 album Winter, Fire and Snow: Songs For The Holiday Season. But I can't help thinking that if the song had been released as a seasonal single back in the 70s, it would be a highly regarded Christmas classic today. Christmas Must Be Tonight was added as a bonus track when Capitol released Northern Lights-Southern Cross on CD in 2001. But I think you should check out this various artists budget CD released last year by New West Records. They release a lot of roots music or I guess it's also called Americana. John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Bob Dylan and Old 97s appear on the CD. So it looks like solid Christmas music for those interested in Americana. Here's Rick Danko performing Christmas Must Be Tonight at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ Dec.17, 1977.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marsha Ambrosius

Artist:Marsha Ambrosius
Song:Late Nights & Early Mornings
Album:Late Nights & Early Mornings





R & B singer Marsha Ambrosius is best known for her success as one half of the duo Floetry. She has recorded two albums since going solo and she has had success on the R & B charts. She was born Aug. 8, 1977 in Liverpool, England. She met Floetry partner Natalie Stewart while both were attending BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. They formed Floetry and moved to Philadelphia in 2000. They signed with DreamWorks Records and had success with the 2002 album Floetic. But DreamWorks was unsuccessful and after they closed, Floetry split up in 2006. Marsha signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Nothing came from that but Marsha was still active as a songwriter working with Alicia Keys, Jamie Foxx and others. Then she signed with J Records for her 2011 debut CD Late Nights & Early Mornings. Marsha had success on the R & B charts with singles like Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player), Far Away and Late Nights & Early Mornings. She was nominated for a couple of Grammys. Marsha wrote and produced most of the album. She co-wrote and produced Late Nights & Early Mornings with Beyonce's producer Rich Harrison. After J Records was closed, Marsha was moved to RCA. Her 2014 album Friends & Lovers didn't do as well as the first album. She may be getting lost in the shuffle at RCA and it wouldn't surprise me if she went elsewhere. This year she appeared on several songs on Dr. Dre's latest CD Compton. Marsha's songwriting and production talent will assure that she has a long career in music. But she's a great singer too so maybe she needs a more supportive label. Here's the video for Late Nights & Early Mornings by Marsha Ambrosius.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tecia Torres vs Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger

Here's the match video of Tecia Torres vs Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. It aired on the prelims on Fox Sports 1 and TSN. Jocelyn was a late replacement for an injured Michelle Waterson. The fight went pretty much as expected. Jocelyn is much bigger than Tecia but I didn't think she would be able to handle Tecia's quickness. Tecia's big weakness is her lack of ground skills. But Jocelyn isn't very good on the ground either. Tecia did what she does in all her fights. She darts in and out and lands enough punches to win the fight. Jocelyn tried to clinch with her on the fence to see if she could overpower Tecia. But Tecia was much stronger than Jocelyn. And Jocelyn needed to be more active. It's not that her punches were ineffective. She just didn't throw enough of them. She couldn't keep up with Tecia. Tecia picked up the pace in round three but she rarely finishes fights. She's a points fighter. As we saw on TUF, she has flaws. But Jocelyn was not going to be able to exploit those flaws. You get what you get with a late replacement. After the fight, the talk was that Rose Namajunas will be the likely next opponent for Tecia. Tecia beat Rose in Invicta a couple of years ago. At some point, I expect Tecia's one dimensional point fighting style to catch up to her. Maybe that will happen if she faces Rose. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Franks

Artist:Michael Franks f/Brenda Russell
Song:When I Give My Love To You
Album:The Best Of Michael Franks: A Backward Glance




He probably didn't know it back in the 70s but singer Michael Franks turned out to be a pioneer of what is now called Smooth Jazz. He was a regular on the jazz and adult contemporary charts in the 70s and 80s. He was born Sept. 18, 1944 in La Jolla, CA. He started out as a folksinger and he studied poetry at UCLA. Franks recorded and toured with blues legends Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in 1973. They recorded three of his songs. He released an album in 1973 on Brut Records which was owned by Faberge tied in with their Brut cologne. Comedian Robert Klein also recorded for them. They were only around for a year. But it was enough to get the attention of veteran producer Tommy LiPuma who got Franks a record deal with Warner Bros. The album The Art Of Tea was released in 1976. Franks was backed up by Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Larry Carlton of The Crusaders with guest shots by Michael Brecker and David Sanborn. LiPuma produced The Crusaders. Popsicle Toes was a minor hit single. But the album established Franks in the jazz market and that's where most of his success was for the next ten years. When I Give My Love To You is from the 1985 album Skin Dive and it features singer Brenda Russell. You'll notice a different singer in the video. Unlike most jazz singers, Franks didn't record standards. He wrote all his own songs. LiPuma thought his singing style would work better in jazz than as a typical singer songwriter. Franks was on Warner Bros. until 1995. This budget comp is a good intro to his music. He also recorded for Windham Hill and Koch. His latest CD Time Together was released on Shanachie in 2011. Franks has had some health problems in recent years. But he is recording a new album and I expect him to tour in 2016. Here's Michael Franks featuring Veronica Nunn performing When I Give My Love To You in Tokyo 1993.

Valentina Shevchenko to face Sarah Kaufman at Dec. 19 UFC show

Last week the UFC announced that Germaine de Randamie had dropped out of her fight with Sarah Kaufman at UFC on FOX 17 Dec. 19 at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL. with an injury. Last night they announced that Valentina Shevchenko will be Sarah's new opponent. I would describe Valentina as a veteran kickboxer who has dabbled in MMA. Of course her signing says that she isn't dabbling anymore. The UFC has been after her for the last year and she was very reluctant to give up kickboxing. I'm pretty sure they paid a premium to get her to sign. Valentina is 27 years old. She was born in Kyrgystan and she moved to Lima, Peru in 2008. She now trains at Tiger Muay Thai in Houston and it looks like she goes back and forth from Peru. She has a 60-1 kickboxing record and a 9-1 MMA record. That might look good but that's ten MMA fights since 2003. So that's why I say she has dabbled in MMA. She has gone long periods without fighting MMA. She seems to have made a renewed commitment to MMA over the last year when she signed with Legacy Fighting Championships. But they also promote kickboxing so she was doing both. Her most recent MMA fight was a win over Jan Finney on Feb. 27, 2015. That's the best known fighter she has beaten. She also lost to Liz Carmouche in 2010. As an MMA fighter, I would describe her as unproven because she hasn't fought MMA at a high level of competition. So Sarah Kaufman is a big step up in competition. Valentina is coming in on short notice. But she had a fight for Legacy scheduled for January. So she was already in a training camp. Sarah is not a kickboxer but she isn't very good on the ground. Valentina is similar to Germaine so Sarah shouldn't have to change her strategy much. Conventional wisdom says this will be a kickboxing match. Unless Valentina wants to switch things up and show her ground skills. That would make things interesting.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Backstreet Boys

Artist:Backstreet Boys
Song:Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)
Album:The Hits-Chapter One





Backstreet Boys were probably the most successful of the boy bands of the 90s probably because they were first in the marketplace. I find their music is bland but teenage girls sure loved them. Surprisingly, they never had a number one hit. But their albums were huge sellers. Backstreet Boys begins with cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell from Lexington, KY. In 1990, Richardson moved to Orlando, FL and he met AJ McLean, Howie Dorough and Nick Carter and they decided to form a group heavily influenced by Boyz II Men. Influenced by the success of New Kids On The Block, manager Lou Pearlman held auditions for a potential boy band. McLean auditioned and then the others were selected. And then Richardson brought Littrell to Orlando. They were named after Orlando's Backstreet Market which was a teen hangout. Backstreet Boys performed locally while trying to get a record deal. They signed with Jive Records in 1994. For their 1995 debut CD Backstreet Boys, they worked with several producers but they really clicked with Swedish producer Max Martin who was just starting out at the time. He's still very successful. At first they were successful in Europe. But it took a couple of years to break them in the US. I don't think radio station program directors liked their music. They had already released their second album Backstreet's Back when Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) got enough radio airplay to reach #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jive rereleased the first album and it sold 11 million copies. Quit Playing Games was written and produced by Martin and frequent songwriting partner Herbie Crichlow. So now they have a huge fanbase of teenage girls. It doesn't matter what they do. Everything turns to Platinum. I was just surprised they never had a number one hit. But trouble was looming. Backstreet Boys sued Pearlman for fraud. Basically he was skimming their earnings. He managed several bands and they all sued him for the same thing. Now Pearlman is in prison for running a ponzi scheme. The Backstreet Boys success continued but they took a hiatus and they returned in 2004. Richardson left in 2006 but Backstreet Boys continued. They just aren't as successful as they were in the 90s. You can get all their 90s hits on this budget comp. Backstreet Boys are still around. Richardson returned in 2012 and a new CD was released in 2013. They also toured with New Kids On The Block. I guess that's a boy band nostalgia tour. Backstreet Boys recently announced they are working on a new CD for a 2016 release. Here's the video for Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) by Backstreet Boys.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kailin Curran vs Emily Peters Kagan

Here's the match video for Kailin Curran vs Emily Peters Kagan from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This aired on UFC Fight Pass. Emily was in TUF 20. The last time we saw her was when she lost to Angela Hill at last year's TUF Finale. I wasn't impressed with her and considering that she is now 34 years old, I didn't think she belonged in the UFC. So now she has another chance to prove herself. Kailin is a young fighter from Hawaii. She lost her first two UFC fights. She was winning her last fight vs Alex Chambers but she got caught with an armbar. They said on last night's broadcast that Kailin's trainer Jason Parsons says that Kailin loses her concentration during fights sometimes That would explain the loss to Alex. That's a difficult problem to fix because that's not a physical problem. So both of these fighters could be on the chopping block. Round one begins well for Emily. She's going at a quick pace and Kailin didn't do enough. There was also a lot of clinching on the fence. Ref Marc Goddard warned them a couple of times but he never broke them up. I scored round one 10-9 for Emily. Kailin needed to be busier. But in round two, it looked like Emily had run out of gas and Kailin was a little busier. She was able to get Emily's back and got the win with a rear naked choke. I would not be surprised if Emily is released. And I think Kailin may have challenges with better competition. I guess a win is a win. Enjoy the video.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rose Namajunas vs Paige VanZant

Here's the match video of Rose Namajunas vs Paige VanZant from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This aired on UFC Fight Pass but I watched it on The Fight Network in Canada. It was the main event so it was scheduled for five rounds. Joanne Calderwood was supposed to be Paige's opponent but she backed out with a knee injury and she was replaced by Rose Namajunas who I thought would be a tougher opponent for Paige. Since Rose lost in the TUF 20 finale, she has moved to Colorado and it seems that her new trainer Trevor Wittman has calmed her down. This was evident in her last fight when she beat Angela Hill. Though she was coming in with a shorter than usual training camp, I didn't see that as a big issue because she was going to be booked pretty soon anyway. Paige has had a lot of hype but Rose was a big step up in competition. If she beats Rose than I'm sold on Paige. But though Paige was the betting favourite, I expected Rose to win. I think she is a more accomplished fighter. So I was not surprised when Rose took immediate control of the fight. An elbow from top position busted Paige open and that was the beginning of the end of the fight. Rose was patient. She didn't try to force a finish. And a lot of the credit for that patience has to go to Wittman. Paige escaped several submissions including a couple of armbars. But Rose finally finished her with a rear naked choke in round five. I was really impressed with Rose's poise. She didn't get frustrated. She just followed her game plan. I don't expect her to get an immediate title shot. Claudia Gadelha will get that. But Rose might want another shot at Tecia Torres who beat Rose in Invicta. As for Paige, she has to go back to the drawing board. I thought she was overhyped and all it took was a higher level of competition to expose her lack of technique. She is young and she showed a lot of toughness. But she can't hang with high level fighters yet. I almost forgot. Rose won a $50,000 bonus. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barry Manilow

Artist:Barry Manilow
Song:Looks Like We Made It
Album:Ultimate Manilow





Barry Manilow seemed so pervasive in the 70s that it might surprise you that he only had three number one hits and Looks Like We Made It was the last of those number one hits in 1977. And though he has taken detours to jazz and Broadway style music, his biggest hits seem like remnants of the glory days of New York City's Brill Building. He was born Barry Alan Pincus June 17, 1943 in Brooklyn, NY. He took his mother's maiden name Manilow after his Bar Mitzvah. In the 60s, Manilow got into jingle writing and he was very successful. He won several Clio awards. He also worked as an arranger for CBS in New York. In 1971, Bette Midler hired Manilow as musical director for her band after catching his act. He was also attempting to establish himself as a recording artist. He signed with Bell Records in 1973 and his debut album Barry Manilow probably wasn't focused enough to be successful. All of Manilow's 70s albums were produced by Brill Building veteran Ron Dante, best known as lead singer of The Archies. When Clive Davis took over Bell and changed the name to Arista, he took charge of selecting songs for Manilow. This resulted in Manilow's first number one hit Mandy. Manilow didn't want to record it but Davis insisted. The 1974 album Barry Manilow II was certified 2XPlatinum. His third album Trying To Get The Feeling Again was even bigger and was certified 3XPlatinum. I Write The Songs was Manilow's second number one hit. Looks Like We Made It was Manilow's third and final number one hit from the 1976 album This One's For You. Looks Like We Made It was written by veteran songwriters Richard Kerr and Will Jennings. Kerr also co-wrote Mandy and Jennings has written many hits. Manilow had a few more top ten hits like Can't Smile Without You and Copacabana. But by the late 70s, he had faded significantly and he split up with Dante. The success of Copacabana sent Manilow in a more Broadway oriented direction and he also recorded a jazz album in 1984. He continues to have a loyal following though he hasn't had a big chart hit since the 70s. This budget comp covers Manilow's 70s hits. Manilow left Arista in 2000. And after two albums for Concord, he returned to Arista in 2006. He left Arista in 2010 and his latest CD My Dream Duets was released on Verve last year. It's a weird album. His duets are with recordings of deceased legends. At least he has his 70s hits to fall back on. And he was a big part of establishing Arista as a force in the music business. Here's Barry Manilow performing Looks Like We Made It.

Analysis of Jan. 16 Invicta show

Yesterday Invicta announced the complete card for Invicta FC15 Jan. 16 at The Hangar at OC Fair in Costa Mesa, CA. At least it's not in Kansas City. A couple of weeks ago, Invicta owner Shannon Knapp announced that Cris Cyborg vs Cindy Dandois would be the main event but she wouldn't reveal the contracted weight. Then we hear that because Ronda Rousey lost the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship, Cyborg doesn't think she has to fight at 135 anymore. I don't see how the title switch changes her UFC status. She would still need to drop to 135. I actually think her value to the UFC has decreased because they don't need her to fight Ronda anymore. And the UFC is clearly not going to let Holly Holm defend the belt at a catchweight. So I have seen Cyborg's recent interviews. She's out to lunch. Meanwhile, Cindy announced she plans to try out for The Ultimate Fighter. So Invicta found a new opponent, Russian Daria Ibragimova. Her record is 9-1 but all her wins have been over Eastern European nobodies. The one time I saw her was when she lost to Cindy Dandois in a 2010 tournament. And none of her other fights are on video. She won't last long against Cyborg. The co-main event has Livia Renata Souza defending her Invicta Strawweight Championship against DeAnna Bennett. I don't see DeAnna as a credible challenger. She's 8-0 but her last three wins have been squeakers with questionable judges decisions. She has also had trouble making 115 and I think she's a better fighter at 125. If you're wondering about Alexa Grasso, she has had some injuries and she will return to Invicta in March. Now for the rest of the card. Raquel Pa'aluhi will face Colleen Schneider. Raquel's original opponent was supposed to be Irene Aldana but I expect that she will face Sarah Kaufman at next week's UFC show in Orlando. So Colleen is filling in which is why this was not announced two weeks ago. Raquel should win easily. As expected, Invicta signed recent UFC cut Angela Hill and she will face Jodie Esquibel. I like Jodie in this fight. I think regular readers know that I think Angela is a kickboxer, not an MMA fighter. And veteran Lisa Ellis returns to Invicta to face Amber Brown. I don't see this as a competitive fight. Amber is younger, quicker and more aggressive than Lisa. Both of those fights look like mismatches though some will try to say otherwise. On the prelims, MIZUKI will face Lacey Schuckman. A couple of years ago, this might have been a mismatch. But MIZUKI has lost something and she admitted this at a recent DEEP JEWELS show. I don't think MIZUKI is as aggressive as she used to be. I would hate to think she's washed up at age 21 but she doesn't seem to know what is wrong or how to fix it. Amanda Bell will face Ediane Gomes. This looks like it could set up a possible Cris Cyborg slaughter. I think both fighters are inconsistent but that could make for an entertaining fight. Christine Stanley will face Shannon Sinn. Both are older fighters so I'm not a fan of either of them. And the opener is Megan Anderson vs Amber Leibrock at 145lb. Amber should be the favourite. This show will air on UFC Fight Pass. Knapp announced that Barb Honchak has vacated the Invicta Flyweight Championship and there will be a tournament. But the format has not been announced.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Artist:Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Song:Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
Album:Christmas Eve and Other Stories





The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) are probably today's most popular Christmas act. Their albums do huge sales this time of year. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 is their biggest hit single to date. With that name, you might think they are from Europe. You would be wrong. The man behind TSO Is producer Paul O'Neill. He manages the hard rock band Savatage. They are from Florida. They have been around since the early 80s. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 appeared on the 1995 Savatage album Dead Winter Dead. It gave O'Neill the idea of starting an orchestral rock band. He got Savatage members Jon Oliva, Al Pitrelli and Robert Kinkel on board and then he got the green light from Atlantic Records to go ahead with the concept. Their 1996 debut CD Christmas Eve and Other Stories was supposed to lead to other themes. But instead they have stuck with the Christmas concept. The band name was because O'Neil had been to Siberia. And he thought it was a cool name. The album was a success. It has been certified 3XPlatinum. And Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 charted and continues to appear on seasonal music charts. The song is a mix of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Carol of the Bells. The plan was for TSO to tour but that was put on hold when Jon Oliva's brother and Savatage guitarist Criss Oliva died. TSO began performing live after the 1998 CD The Christmas Attic. They have become one of the biggest and most consistent concert draws in the industry. O'Neill has tried to get away from the Christmas theme. Their latest CD Letters From The Labyrinth is loosely about The Berlin Wall. It was released last month. But Christmas is a big cash cow for TSO and they will keep returning to it. Christmas Eve and Other Stories is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vince Guaraldi

Artist:Vince Guaraldi
Song:Cast Your Fate To The Wind
Album:The Very Best Of Vince Guaraldi





Pianist Vince Guaraldi is best known for composing the music for the Peanuts TV specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas. But before that, he scored a hit single with Cast Your Fate To The Wind in 1962. That song won him a Grammy award. He was born July 17, 1928 in San Francisco. For most of the 50s, Guaraldi was a member of The Cal Tjader Trio. He left in 1959 to start his own band. He signed with Fantasy Records and his first album was Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus in 1962. Half of the album was jazz interpretations of the music from the popular 1959 film Black Orpheus including Manha de Carnaval. The other half of the album included Cast Your Fate To The Wind. Musicians on the album were Monty Budwig on bass and Colin Bailey on drums. Cast Your Fate To The Wind was the B side for the single Samba de Orpheus. DJs preferred Cast Your Fate To The Wind and flipped the record over. It reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm sure no one was more surprised by this than Vince Guaraldi. It also won a Best Instrumental Grammy. In 1964, the song was a top ten hit for the British group Sounds Orchestral. There are lyrics for Cast Your Fate To The Wind but as an instrumental, it's a jazz standard. And the song got Guaraldi the Peanuts gig. Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson heard Cast Your Fate To The Wind and hired Guaraldi to write and perform the music for A Charlie Brown Christmas. And the rest is history. This budget comp is a good intro to Guaraldi's music but Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus is also available as a budget CD with bonus tracks. Here's a video for Cast Your Fate To The Wind by Vince Guaraldi.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-3rd Force

Artist:3rd Force
Song:Revelation Of The Heart
Album:Collective Force: The Very Best Of 3rd Force




3rd Force is a mix of jazz and electronic music. They had success on the Smooth Jazz charts in the 90s. They don't appear to be active. The leader of 3rd Force was Detroit native William Aura (real name-Bill Byerly). He started out in the 80s recording New Age music on his own label. I assume he took the name William Aura because he thought it was a good name for a New Age artist. In 1987, he signed with Virgin Records owned Higher Octave Music which was founded to distribute jazz that Virgin didn't want to release on the parent label. Meanwhile Alain Eskinasi was a remix guy working in Electronic Dance Music. The third member of 3rd Force was Craig Dobbin. They released their debut CD 3rd Force in 1994. They had success in the Smooth Jazz and Electronic Dance Music charts. Revelation Of The Heart is from the 1999 CD Force Field. It features sax player Paul Taylor and guitarist Brian Hughes. Both have recorded several albums of their own. They use several guest musicians including guitarist Craig Chaquico of Starship and they have appeared on his albums. Other guests include Peter White, Grant Geissman, Earl Klugh, Tom Scott, Dave Koz, Eric Marienthal, Boney James and Rick Braun. 3rd Force last recorded in 2005. This comp is a good intro to their music. It doesn't look like the band is active anymore. Eskinasi has returned to doing remixes and Aura occasionally turns up on albums as a sideman. Smooth Jazz fans will want to check out 3rd Force. Here's a video for Revelation Of The Heart by 3rd Force.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hiroshima

Artist:Hiroshima
Song:One Wish
Album:Best Of





The smooth jazz group Hiroshima has been around since the late 70s. They probably had their greatest success recording for Epic in the 80s. But they're still around today. The most unique thing about Hiroshima is they integrate Japanese musical instruments into their sound. Hiroshima was formed in 1974 by flute player Dan Kuramoto, his wife June Kuramoto on the Japanese instrument koto, drummer Danny Yamamoto and percussionist Johnny Mori. Dan Kuramoto grew up in Los Angeles. He got interested in music while he was department chairman of Asian American Studies at Cal State University at Long Beach. June was born in Japan but she grew up on Los Angeles. She is classically trained in the koto. I won't describe it. You'll see it in the video. Meeting June gave Dan the idea of mixing jazz with Japanese music to express his Japanese heritage. The two married and Hiroshima was born. Yamamoto was a jazz drummer but Mori was general manager of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles so he was very knowledgeable about Japanese music. They recorded the 1979 album Hiroshima for Arista. Then they signed with Epic and they recorded for Epic through the 80s appearing regularly on the jazz charts. One Wish is from Hiroshima's 1985 album Another Place. Most of Hiroshima's music is written and produced by Dan Kuramoto. This budget comp is a good intro to their Epic recordings. After leaving Epic in 1992, Hiroshima recorded for Qwest, Windham Hill and Telarc. Since Telarc closed, they have their own label through CD Baby. Johnny Mori retired in 2003 and he was replaced by Shoji Kameda. Hiroshima's albums still do well in the smooth jazz market and they still perform live. Here's the video for One Wish by Hiroshima.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wynonna

Artist:Wynonna
Song:I Saw The Light
Album:Collection





Of course most music fans should be familiar with Wynonna as one half of The Judds singing with her mom Naomi. They had several hits in the 80s. But it was not surprising when Wynonna went solo and immediately scored three number one country music hits including I Saw The Light. Wynonna will release a new CD in February. She was born Christina Ciminella May 30, 1964 in Ashland, KY. But she grew up in Los Angeles. After her 1972 divorce, Naomi Judd and her daughters moved back to Kentucky. They moved to Nashville in 1979 and The Judds signed with RCA in 1983. Because Wynonna sang lead on all their hits, there was pressure on her to go solo. But she was very reluctant to do that in loyalty to her mom. When Naomi retired in 1991 due to chronic hepatitis, Wynonna signed with Curb Records and recorded her 1992 debut CD Wynonna with veteran producer Tony Brown. After Wynonna performed solo on the 1992 American Music Awards, her debut single She Is His Only Need topped the Country Singles chart. This was followed by I Saw The Light and No One Else On Earth which both topped the country chart. The album Wynonna was certified 5XPlatinum. That's called debuting with a bang. I Saw The Light was written by veteran singer songwriter Andrew Gold and singer songwriter Lisa Angelle. Gold was best known for the 1977 hit Lonely Boy. He sang backup vocals on Wynonna. After a failed attempt to establish herself as a recording artist in the 80s, a few of Lisa's songs were recorded by others. I Saw The Light was the most successful of those songs. That debut album is Wynonna's most successful album to date. She scored a few more top ten country hits including the chart topper To Be Loved By You in 1996. She still does OK on the country charts. You can get all her hits on this budget comp. She married her husband Cactus Moser in 2012. He was the drummer for Highway 101. He leads Wynonna's new band Wynonna & The Big Noise. And a CD will be released Feb. 2016 featuring guest appearances by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and Jason Isbell. I expect they will tour to support the album. I understand Wynonna's current sound is a mix of country and blues. We all know she's a great singer. This album could be good. Here's the video for I Saw The Light by Wynonna.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Color Me Badd

Artist:Color Me Badd
Song:I Wanna Sex You Up
Album:C.M.B.





The R & B group Color Me Badd had three big hits in the early 90s. I Wanna Sex You Up was the first of those hits after it appeared on the soundtrack of the popular film New Jack City. But it didn't last and Color Me Badd disbanded in 1998. Color Me Badd went to high school together in Oklahoma City. The members were Bryan Abrams, Mark Calderon, Kevin Thornton and Sam Watters. They were playing local clubs when they were spotted by Kool and the Gang leader Robert Bell. He got them a manager and they moved to New York City. They signed with Giant Records in 1990. Instead of recording an album, the single I Wanna Sex You Up was recorded for the soundtrack of the 1991 film New Jack City. That soundtrack was very successful and I Wanna Sex You Up was the biggest hit from that album as it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written and produced by Elliott Straite AKA Dr. Freeze and the chorus was sampled from The Brothers Johnson hit Strawberry Letter 23. Straite also wrote and produced the Bell Biv Devoe hit Poison. So Giant sent Color Me Badd into the studio to record an album. C.M.B. was the album and two singles, All 4 Love and I Adore Mi Amor, topped the Billboard Hot 100. And the album was certified 3XPlatinum. When the album was released, it was the first time fans knew that three of the four members of Color Me Badd were white. I don't think it mattered because they were already successful because of New Jack City. For their 1993 CD Time and Chance, Giant thought that if Color Me Badd worked with big name producers like David Foster and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, they would be even more successful. But it didn't turn out that way. There were no hits and the album was a commercial disappointment. The same thing happened with the 1996 album Now and Forever. They worked with guys like Narada Michael Walden, Babyface and Boyz II Men but the album was a failure. Color Me Badd left Giant for Epic. And after the 1998 album Awakening went nowhere, the group split up. The album C.M.B. is available on CD. Kevin Thornton became a minister in Fort Worth, TX and he has recorded as a Christian artist. Sam Watters has had success as a producer especially for Fantasia Barrino. He has worked with other American Idol contestants and he married AI contestant Tamyra Gray in 2006. Bryan Abrams and Mark Calderon reformed Color Me Badd in 2010 and Thornton joined soon after. Though they haven't recorded any new music, they toured Asia in 2015. So at this point, I guess they are a nostalgia act. Here's the video for I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Badd.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra

Artist:The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Song:Squatty Roo
Album:Live At MCG





The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra is a contemporary big band firmly rooted in jazz tradition. This album was recorded live at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh in 2005. Bassist John Clayton, his brother sax player Jeff Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton were all successful sidemen before they formed the band in 1990. As a teen, John Clayton studied with Ray Brown. After touring with Monty Alexander and Count Basie, he spent five years as bassist for the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Then he moved back to the US. Jeff Clayton has toured with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. among others and has also played a lot of sessions. The Clayton Brothers first recorded together in 1977. Jeff Hamilton worked with John Clayton in Monty Alexander's band. He was also a member of the LA Four with Laurindo Almeida, Bud Shank and Ray Brown. And he was a regular sideman for Concord Records. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra first recorded in 1990. They have recorded several albums and have also backed up Charles Aznavour, John Pizzarelli and Diana Krall. This version of the Johnny Hodges standard Squatty Roo is from the 2005 CD Live At MCG. It was recorded in Pittsburgh. Featured musicians include Tamir Hendelman on piano, Rickey Woodard on tenor sax, Snooky Young on trumpet and George Bohannon on trombone. John Clayton writes all the arrangements and conducts the band. Big band fans should check it out. They did tour this year so I expect they will do so next year. John Clayton's pianist son Gerald Clayton frequently tours with them. Their latest CD Sunday In New York was recorded with singer Trintje Oosterhuis and it was released in 2011. Here's The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra performing Squatty Roo in Germany 2011.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Azar

Artist:Steve Azar
Song:I Don't Have To Be Me ('Til Monday)
Album Waitin' On Joe





The 2001 top five country hit I Don't Have To Be Me ('Til Monday) was the only big hit for singer songwriter Steve Azar. He had a brief major label career and he now records for his own label. He was born Apr. 11, 1964 in Greenville, MS. He began performing as a teen and continued to perform while earning a business management degree at Delta State University. Azar moved to Nashville in 1993. He started working on songs and he released his debut CD Heartbreak Town in 1996. The problem was the record company River North closed soon after the album was released. He finally got a major label deal with Mercury and the 2001 CD Waitin' On Joe. I Don't Have To Be Me ('Til Monday) was the first single. It reached #2 on the Country Singles chart and reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100. It got three MillionAire awards for radio airplay from BMI. I also think Azar's videos were popular on CMT. Azar wrote most of the album's songs with producer and bassist Rafe VanHoy. But I Don't Have To Be Me was written with his harmonica player Jason Young and veteran songwriter RC Bannon. So Azar should have been on his way to a successful career. Unfortunately, Azar was forced to take several years off due to throat surgery. He signed with Midas Records and recorded the album Indianola. But when the first single didn't do well, Midas refused to release the album. Azar left Midas and released the CD himself in 2008. Since then he has recorded for his own label Ride Records and he's moved back to Mississippi producing music that he feels is closer to the kind of Delta Blues he listened to when he was growing up. He last released an album in 2011 but he has released a few singles. And he still tours. Here's the video for I Don't Have To Be Me ('Til Monday) by Steve Azar.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Juluka

Artist:Juluka
Song:Scatterlings Of Africa
Album:The Best Of Juluka





Johnny Clegg was born in England but he is probably best known for helping to popularize South African music with his bands Juluka and Savuka. He first recorded Scatterlings Of Africa with Juluka. It was a hit single in Europe. You may have heard the song in the hit film Rain Man. Clegg was born June 7, 1953 in Bacup, Lancashire, England. His parents divorced and Clegg moved with his mother to South Africa. An interest in Celtic music led to an interest in Zulu music. He then met Sipho Mchunu and they formed Juluka. When Juluka was formed in the late 70s, biracial bands were not allowed in South Africa. Juluka defied this which got them international acclaim and a record deal with Warner Bros. Scatterlings of Africa was on Juluka's 1982 album Scatterlings. This was Juluka's first US release. The album did well but Mchunu quit the music business to move back to his farm and take care of his family. Clegg simply formed a new band Savuka and he had success with them as well. He also recorded Scatterlings Of Africa with Savuka and the song was a hit in Europe. The video I have is the Savuka version. The song was used in the 1988 hit film Rain Man and I think that helped generate interest in Clegg's music in general. This budget CD covers Juluka. Savuka ended when Clegg's partner Dudu Zulu was murdered in 1993. Juluka reunited and toured in the 90s. Clegg continues to record and tour today. He has done a lot to popularize South African music. Here's the video for Scatterlings Of Africa by Johnny Clegg & Savuka.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Johnny Mathis

Artist:Johnny Mathis
Song:Silver Bells
Album:Merry Christmas





So I understand that not everyone is looking for the latest and greatest Christmas albums. Some of you want the Christmas album your parents played when you were a kid. This is probably one of those. Johnny Mathis has recorded several Christmas albums over the years but Merry Christmas was his first in 1958. At the time, Mathis scored his first number one hit with Chances Are. But for the most part, Mathis was an album artist aimed at an older audience that also listened to Frank Sinatra. Merry Christmas was Mathis' sixth album for Columbia. But the album that made Mathis a staple on Billboard's album chart was the 1958 album Johnny's Greatest Hits. This was a collection of singles including Chances Are and Wonderful! Wonderful!. It topped the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified 3XPlatinum. Not surprisingly, Columbia wanted Mathis to record a Christmas album. Merry Christmas was released Oct. 1958. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and still appears on the annual Christmas music charts. It has been certified 5XPlatinum which is amazing for a Christmas album. Percy Faith led the orchestra and wrote the arrangements. Mathis recorded standard Christmas classics but in 1958, a lot of these songs were still fresh. Today Silver Bells is a Christmas standard. It was written by the legendary songwriting team of Jay Evans and Ray Livingston and it was performed in the 1951 film The Lemon Drop Kid by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Bing Crosby, the King of Christmas, was the first to record it. Mathis has recorded several Christmas albums but this is the one you want. It's available as a budget CD and the 2003 reissue adds a couple of bonus tracks that were only released as singles. Here's a video for Silver Bells by Johnny Mathis. Sony has done yule log videos for several Christmas songs on Youtube. You could run them as a mix on your smart TV.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sarah Vaughan

Artist:Sarah Vaughan
Son:You're Not The Kind
Album:Sarah Vaughan





Of course Sarah Vaughan is one the greatest jazz singers of all time. This 1954 album featuring trumpeter Clifford Brown is probably the best she ever recorded. Sarah viewed herself as a jazz singer. But that didn't stop record companies from trying to turn her into a pop singer. That's what Columbia did when Sarah signed with them in 1949. She didn't like that and in 1953, husband and manager George Treadwell signed a deal where Sarah would record pop songs for Mercury and jazz for Mercury's jazz label EmArcy. Sarah wasted no time and recorded the 1954 album Sarah Vaughan featuring the great trumpeter Clifford Brown. The album was produced by Bob Shad and arranged by Ernie Wilkins. Shad would go on to found Mainstream Records and would work with Sarah many times over the years. Musicians are Clifford Brown on trumpet, Paul Quinchette on tenor sax, Herbie Mann on flute, Jimmy Jones on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. This album was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999. This CD release is the original album as it was released in 1954. Some tracks that were recorded but not used have surfaced on some releases. But I don't know if they are decent audio quality. Stick to the original album. You're Not The Kind was written by Will Hudson who led the Hudson-DeLange Orchestra in the 30s. You're Not The Kind was recorded by Fats Waller in 1936. Sarah first recorded the song in the 40s and the song was clearly a favourite of hers as she performed it many times. But it's not a popular jazz standard. This album was the only time Sarah recorded with Brown. And as most jazz fans know, Brown died in a car accident in 1956 at age 26. And even after all these years, Brown is considered to be one of the all time greats of jazz. So this album is a must for jazz fans. Here's Sarah Vaughan performing You're Not The Kind in 1951.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Zapp & Roger

Artist:Zapp & Roger
Song:More Bounce To The Ounce
Album:All The Greatest Hits




Roger Troutman was a funk pioneer who emerged in the 80s with his band Zapp and then as a solo artist and producer. He is best known for his use of the Talk Box which I guess inspired auto tune though I don't think that was Troutman's intention. Zapp was a family band from Hamilton, OH which is a suburb of Cincinnati. Troutman had several bands with brothers Larry, Lester and Terry. The name Zapp came from a band led by Terry Troutman. Their big break came after Roger toured with Parliament Funkadelic. Bootsy Collins and his brother Catfish attended a Zapp concert and suggested to George Clinton that they should record Zapp. This led to a contract with Warner Bros. Their 1980 album Zapp was produced by Bootsy Collins. The debut single More Bounce To The Ounce reached #2 on the R & B Singles chart. Troutman's use of the Talk Box distinguished Zapp from similar funk bands like the Ohio Players. Soon after, Troutman recorded his solo debut album The Many Facets Of Roger. Though Clinton produced and planned to release it on his own label through CBS, Troutman sold it to Warners and split with Clinton. Zapp recorded four albums between 1980-1985. They were all successful as fans didn't tire of Troutman's use of the Talk Box. Troutman also recorded solo but those albums weren't as successful. And Troutman started producing other artists. The 1985 Shirley Murdock hit As We Lay was probably the biggest hit Troutman ever worked on. When the 1989 album Zapp Vibe didn't do as well as previous albums, Troutman disbanded Zapp. He continued to record solo. This budget comp is a good intro to Zapp's music. There was renewed interest in Zapp in the 90s when hip hop guys began sampling their music. Troutman was nominated for a Grammy for appearing on Tupac Shakur's 1996 single California Love. This all ended shockingly on Apr. 25, 1999 when Larry Troutman murdered his brother Roger and then shot himself over the bankruptcy of the family business. Larry was the business manager and he was angry after Roger fired him. Roger Troutman was dead at age 47. Lester and Terry released a Zapp album in 2003 and in a recent interview they said they are planning to record new music. Here's Zapp performing More Bounce To The Ounce on BET 1989.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ham Seo Hee vs Cortney Casey

Here's the match video of Ham Seo Hee vs Cortney Casey from this morning's UFC show in Korea. Yes, I was up early this morning watching on UFC Fight Pass on my HD TV using Roku. Of course Ham's big problem is she is undersized and should be an Atomweight. She's an excellent kickboxer and has fought MMA mostly in Japan. Cortney is from Hawaii and lost her UFC debut. But she looked pretty good coming in on short notice and she has a big size advantage. She is also a kickboxer so I wasn't expecting any takedowns in this fight. Cortney won round one 10-9. She almost finished the fight with a front kick to the face. Ham just didn't do enough. She was moving backwards a lot. Round two began similarly. Cortney scored a knockdown. An accidental eye poke seemed to take some steam out of Cortney. Ham came back at the end of the round but I don't think she did enough to win the round. I scored it 10-9 for Cortney because of the knockdown but it was pretty close to a tie round. It looks like Cortney's corner led by UFC fighter Jon Tuck may have told her she was up two rounds or maybe she was tired. Because she didn't do much in round three. Ham probably scored more in the third round than in the other two rounds combined. So I gave Ham round three and I scored the fight 29-28 for Cortney. But all three judges scored round two for Ham and Ham got the win 29-28. The reaction from Cortney's corner indicates that they thought she had the fight in the bag after two rounds. It just shows you can't take anything for granted. Round two was very close and I thought this would be a split decision. It was a big win for Ham especially fighting at home where the crowd was chanting her name. They should probably have her fight in Japan next because she is very popular there too. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Peter White

Artist:Peter White
Song:The Closer I Get To You
Album:Reflections





British acoustic guitarist Peter White was in Al Stewart's band for many years before recording as a leader in the 90s. He's very successful in the Smooth Jazz market and his albums usually rise to the top of Billboard's jazz chart. He was born Sept. 20, 1954 in Letchworth, England. His younger brother Danny White was a founding member of the popular group Matt Bianco. The Beatles influenced White to take up the guitar. Though White tried electric guitar, he prefers playing acoustic guitar. He moved to London in 1973 and joined a band that split up shortly after he joined. He was referred to Al Stewart and White was in Stewart's band for 20 years. They moved to Los Angeles in 1979. Meanwhile, his brother Danny White formed Matt Bianco featuring the singer Basia. When Basia went solo, Danny asked Peter to tour with them. White finally released his first solo album in 1990. He signed with Bobby Caldwell's Sindrome label and began to have success in the Smooth Jazz market. The 1994 album Reflections is mostly covers of 70s classics including The Closer I Get To You. Producer Paul Brown is also a guitarist. Three sax players appear on the album. Boney James plays sax on The Closer I Get To You. The other sax players are Richard Eliot and Sam Riney. Other musicians are Freddie Washington on bass, Curt Bisquera on drums and Lenny Castro on percussion. White owns all his early albums and he has released them on his own label. White signed with Columbia and released five albums on the label. He currently records for Heads Up which was another label swallowed by Concord. White is releasing a Christmas album next week and he is currently on tour. Here's Peter White with Michael Paulo on sax, David Sparkman on keyboards, Donald Patterson on bass and Lamont Peoples on drums performing The Closer I Get To You at the 2004 Long Beach Jazz Festival.

Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger steps in to face Tecia Torres on Dec. 12 UFC show

Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger

Last week Michelle Waterson pulled out of her match vs Tecia Torres due to a knee injury. Almost immediately, Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger tweeted that she wanted that fight. So not surprisingly, the UFC announced that Jocelyn will face Tecia on UFC 194 Dec. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This will air on the prelims on Fox Sports 1 and TSN. Jocelyn tried out for TUF 20 so the UFC was already familiar with her. She trains at Benson Henderson's MMA Lab in Phoenix. Her record is 6-1. In her most recent fight in October, Jocelyn won the RFA Strawweight Championship by unanimous decision over Zoila Frausto. Zoila was her biggest name opponent to date. But Zoila is on a four fight losing streak. But she's been on TV a lot. Jocelyn's last four fights were for RFA. She fought at 125 early in her career so she has had issues making 115. She's basically a kickboxer with not much of a ground game. And five of her six wins have been by decision so she has no power. Tecia is a big step up in competition for her. Tecia is also a kickboxer so I don't expect any takedowns in this fight. Tecia would be favoured even if Jocelyn had a full camp. With Jocelyn coming in on short notice, Tecia will be a bigger favourite. But Jocelyn deserves credit for answering when opportunity knocked. She'll do OK.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Def Leppard

Artist:Def Leppard
Song:Rock Of Ages
Album:Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits





Though Def Leppard had their highest level of chart success in the late 80s with hits like Pour Some Sugar On Me, it's unlikely they would have had that level of success without earlier hits like Rock Of Ages to establish them. They were formed in 1977 as Atomic Mass in Sheffield, England by guitarist Pete Willis, bassist Rick Savage and drummer Tony Kenning. Joe Elliott joined as lead singer and he brought the name Deaf Leopard which was changed to Def Leppard in tribute to Led Zeppelin. Guitarist Steve Clark joined in 1978 and Kenning was replaced by Rick Allen. Willis was fired for alcoholism in 1982 and replaced by Phil Collen. And that was the lineup through the 80s. Def Leppard signed with Mercury Records and had immediate success when their 1980 debut album All Through The Night was certified Platinum. But things picked up for them when Robert "Mutt" Lange became their producer. It was during the recording of the 1983 album Pyromania that Collen replaced Willis. The singles Photograph and Rock Of Ages hit the top 20 and fueled album sales. Pyromania was certified 10XPlatinum. MTV's constant play of Rock Of Ages was a factor too. The song has biblical roots as Joe Elliott based the lyrics on the hymn Rock Of Ages. When Def Leppard went to record their next album, Lange wasn't available. They brought in Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman. Then Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash. Instead of replacing him, a setup was rigged so he could play with one arm. When the Steinman sessions weren't working, Lange returned, scrapped those recordings and produced the 1987 album Hysteria. One would think the time gap would have hurt them but it didn't. Hysteria was an even bigger hit and so were the singles Pour Some Sugar On Me and Love Bites. And again MTV was a huge factor as they played the videos a lot. Their next album Adrenalize wasn't released until 1992 due to Clark's alcoholism and 1991 death. But Def Leppard continued and they are still around today. You can get all their 80s hits on this comp. They released a new CD in Sept. and they are on tour in England. They will tour the US in the new year. Here's the video for Rock Of Ages by Def Leppard.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ben Vereen

Artist:Ben Vereen
Song:Glory
Album:Pippin: Original Cast Album





Though he has had success in films and TV, Ben Vereen started out on Broadway and won a Tony award for his role as Leading Player in the Stephen Schwartz show Pippin. He was born Oct. 10, 1946 in Miami and he grew up in Brooklyn, NY. Vereen was adopted but he didn't know that when he was a child. His dad was a church deacon so Vereen grew up in the church choir. He attended New York's High School for the Performing Arts. Vereen took odd jobs while trying to get established on Broadway. His big break came when Bob Fosse hired him for the touring company of Sweet Charity. Vereen also appeared in the 1969 film. He appeared in Hair and he was understudy for Sammy Davis Jr. in the London production of Golden Boy. Then he was nominated for a Tony for playing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Pippin was Stephen Schwartz's first Broadway musical. If you're wondering about Godspell, that was off-Broadway. Like Godspell, Pippin is an ancient tale told in a modern setting. Motown financed the production. The title character Pippin was played by actor John Rubenstein. Bob Fosse choreographed the show so he already knew Vereen. The show was a huge success and Vereen won a Tony award. It led him to films and TV. Vereen appeared in the 1975 film Funny Lady and Bob Fosse's 1979 film All That Jazz. But his biggest success was as Chicken George in the 1977 landmark mini series Roots. Vereen was nominated for an Emmy. He also hosted a brief variety series on NBC. And he recorded two albums in the mid-70s with producers Bert DeCoteaux and Tony Silvester on Buddah Records which have never been released on CD. Those two guys were hotshot producers in the 70s. He continued to appear on TV in the 80s including a 1981 TV production of Pippin. Vereen was a regular on the sitcom Webster. But mostly he has done guest shots on episodic TV and appear in occasional films. After he was nearly killed in a 1992 car accident, Vereen returned to Broadway in the musical Jelly's Last Jam. Today he still does TV guest shots on shows like How I Met Your Mother and Hot In Cleveland. He also released a live CD in 2010 on Ghostlight, a Broadway specialty label. Here's Ben Vereen performing Glory in the 1981 TV production of Pippin. This is available on DVD.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Falco

Artist:Falco
Song:Rock Me Amadeus
Album:Greatest Hits





Rock Me Amadeus was one of the more curious number one hits in pop music history. Falco was a big pop star in Europe, especially Germany. He was born Johann Holzel Feb. 19, 1957 in Vienna, Austria. He showed musical talent as a child but he had problems in school and left at age 16. He briefly studied at the Vienna Music Conservatory but he left and played clubs with his jazz rock band. Then he took the name Falco after an Austrian ski jumper. He was in a few bands, most notably the punk band Drahdiwerbl who had some success locally. Falco was spotted by producer Markus Spiegel who signed Falco to a solo record deal with his label GIG Records. Distribution was by CBS in Europe and by A & M in the US. Falco had immediate success in Europe with the single Der Kommissar. An English cover was a hit for After The Fire in the US. When Falco's second album wasn't as successful as his first, he decided to write in English. He also hired the Dutch duo Bolland & Bolland to produce. Brothers Rob and Ferdi Bolland were successful recording artists in Europe. Rock Me Amadeus was inspired by Milos Forman's hit film Amadeus which of course was about Mozart. There's nothing much to the song. It's a repetitive hook with Falco reciting facts about Mozart. It's not singing but it's not really rapping either. Somehow the record caught on and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. I guess it proves that a good hook is all one needs to have a hit record. Also, the video was played a lot on MTV. His follow up single Vienna Calling reached the top 20. And the album Falco 3 reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200. That was it for Falco in the US. But he continued to have success in Europe into the 90s. You can get all his hits on this budget comp. Falco was on holidays in the Dominican Republic when his car collided with a bus. He died instantly on Feb. 6, 1998 at age 40. Tests showed Falco was under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he died. He was planning a comeback at the time. Here's the video for Rock Me Amadeus by Falco.