AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Karyn White

Artist:Karyn White
Song:The Way You Love Me
Album:Superwoman: The Best Of Karyn White





Karyn White had success mostly on the R&B charts in the late 80s. The Way You Love Me wasn't her biggest hit but it was her first big hit. She was born Oct. 14, 1965 in Los Angeles. Her dad played trumpet and her mom was the church choir director. So Karyn grew up singing in church. And she participated in beauty pageants. After Karyn toured as a backup singer for O'Bryan, she appeared on Jeff Lorber's 1986 album Private Passion. This led to a deal with Warner Bros. Warners gave producers LA Reid and Babyface a list of singers they could work with and they chose Karyn who they had heard with Lorber. They wrote and produced her 1988 debut album Karyn White including the first single The Way You Love Me. The record topped the R&B charts and reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The singles Superwoman and Secret Rendezvous did just as well. The album was certified Platinum. It was around this time that Reid and Babyface started LaFace Records. So for her next album, Warners had to find Karyn a new producer. She worked with several producers on the 1991 album Ritual Of Love including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis famed for working with Janet Jackson. They wrote and produced the chart topper Romantic which turned out to be Karyn's biggest hit. The album did OK but then Karyn married Terry Lewis and she had a daughter. By the time Karyn returned with the 1994 album Make Him Do Right, she was forgotten and the album didn't sell. She left Warners after that and she divorced Lewis in 1999. Karyn recorded an album in 2006 but it was never released. Though she did release an album in 2012, Karyn moved to Sacramento and opened an interior design business. She seems to be retired from the music business. Here's the video for The Way You Love Me by Karyn White.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bernadette Peters

Artist:Bernadette Peters
Song:Broadway Baby
Album:Sondheim, Etc.: Live At Carnegie Hall





Though she has appeared in movies and TV and there was even an attempt to turn her into a pop star back in the 80s, Bernadette Peters is primarily known for her long career on Broadway and especially her interpretation of the songs of Stephen Sondheim. Though Bernadette never appeared in the musical Follies until a 2011 revival, Broadway Baby is probably one of her signature songs. She was born Bernadette Lazzara Feb. 28, 1948 in Queen's, NY. She appeared on TV as a child and at age ten she became a professional actor as Bernadette Peters. The name change was to avoid ethnic stereotyping. She attended school while performing. It was while she was on a national tour of Gypsy that she met Marvin Laird and he has been her musical director ever since. She made her Broadway debut in 1967 in shows like George M!, Dames At Sea and La Strada. She got Tony nominations for On The Town in 1971 and Mack and Mabel in 1974. She moved to Los Angeles. Probably her best known movie roles were Silent Movie in 1976, The Jerk in 1979 and Pennies From Heaven in 1981. She also starred in the sitcom All's Fair with Richard Crenna. She also signed a record deal with MCA and her cover of Gee Whiz was a top 40 pop hit. She first recorded Broadway Baby on her 1981 album Now Playing. She returned to New York in 1982 and she has been appearing on Broadway ever since. Most notable were Sunday in the Park with George and Into The Woods. Both are Sondheim shows. This CD on Angel Records is Bernadette's 1995 Carnegie Hall debut. There is also a second CD from this concert. Bernadette continues to appear on Broadway usually in show revivals including Follies in 2011. She currently appears in the Amazon sitcom Mozart In The Jungle about the backstage wrangling at a New York symphony orchestra. I actually watch that show on Shomi in Canada. It's a very funny show and worth checking out. Here's Bernadette Peters performing Broadway Baby from Boston Pops On Broadway 1982.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Shaun Cassidy

Artist:Shaun Cassidy
Song:Da Doo Ron Ron
Album:Greatest Hits





Teen idol Shaun Cassidy scored his only number one hit with Da Doo Ron Ron in 1977. After his brief singing career, Cassidy turned to acting and then writing and producing for TV which he still does today. He was born Sept. 27, 1958 in Los Angeles. His parents are actors Jack Cassidy and Shirley Jones. David Cassidy is his half brother. While still in high school, he signed with Curb Records and he recorded his 1976 debut album Shaun Cassidy with veteran producer Michael Lloyd. At the same time, he starred in the TV series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. After some success in Europe, Cassidy topped the charts worldwide with his cover of The Crystals classic Da Doo Ron Ron. His next single That's Rock 'n' Roll reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and Cassidy was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. His 1978 album Born Late also did well and Hey Deanie was a top ten hit. But then Cassidy faded and he recorded his final album in 1980. You can get all of his hits on this comp. In the 80s, Cassidy turned to acting. He starred in the 1980 TV series Breaking Away and he appeared on stage and TV. He had a year long run on Broadway with the 1995 show Blood Brothers co-starring with his brother David Cassidy. Then he got into writing. His big break came when he created the TV series American Gothic. Since then he has created and produced several shows. Currently Cassidy is executive producer of the NBC series Emerald City which will debut in 2017. The show is a dark take on The Wizard Of Oz. So there is life after being a teen idol. Here's Shaun Cassidy performing Da Doo Ron Ron on the German TV show Disco 1977.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Benny Mardones

Artist:Benny Mardones
Song:Into The Night
Album:Class Reunion 1980: The Greatest Hits of 1980




Benny Mardones is a two time one hit wonder. Into The Night was a top 20 hit in 1980 and then it was a top 20 hit again in 1989. I don't know of any other two time one hit wonders. Mardones was born Nov. 9, 1946 in Cleveland but he grew up in Baltimore. After a stint in the US Navy, Mardones moved to New York. In 1977, Mardones met Richie Havens. Havens introduced him to Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham and Mardones released the 1978 album Thank God For Girls on Private Stock Records. Unfortunately, Private Stock went out of business soon after the album release. Mardones then signed with Polydor and released the 1980 album Never Run, Never Hide. The album was produced by Styx recording engineer Barry Mraz. Mardones wrote several of the songs including Into The Night with songwriter Robert Tepper. Tepper went on to write No Easy Way Out for the film Rocky IV. Into The Night reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. There is a music video but there seem to be a couple of different edits floating around. After the 1981 album Too Mich To Lose didn't sell, Polydor dropped Mardones. That should have been the end for Benny Mardones. But in 1989, LA DJ Scott Shannon heard Into The Night on a Where Are They Now segment and and added the song to his playlist. It reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Curb Records signed Mardones and they had him record a new version of Into The Night. But it was the original version that charted. Mardones recorded two albums for Curb but only the first one was released. You can get the original recording of Into The Night on this various artists budget CD from PolyGram's Reunion label. Benny Mardones is still around but I guess he is a nostalgia act at this point. Here's the video for Into The Night by Benny Mardones.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Martha Tilton

Artist:Martha Tilton
Song:And The Angels Sing
Album:Liltin'





Liltin' Martha Tilton was a big band singer best known for her stint with Benny Goodman in the late 30s. And The Angels Sing topped the charts in 1939 and it's probably Martha's signature song. She was born Nov. 14, 1915 in Corpus Christi, TX but she grew up in Los Angeles. While still in high school, she sang with bandleader Sid Lippman on his Coconut Grove radio show. Then she left high school to join Hal Grayson's band. After three years, Martha joined Jimmy Dorsey's band and appeared in the film Topper. Then Benny Goodman came to Los Angeles to film Hollywood Hotel. He was looking for a new singer as Helen Ward had just left the band. Martha auditioned and she toured with Goodman for the next couple of years. She became the first non classical singer to appear at New York's Carnegie Hall when she appeared on Goodman's landmark 1938 concert. Martha recorded several hits while with the Goodman band. But And The Angels Sing was probably her biggest hit and it became her signature song. The song was written by Goodman trumpeter and later bandleader Ziggy Elman and Johnny Mercer. When Mercer founded Capitol Records in 1942, Martha was one of the first to record for Capitol. While recording for Capitol in the 40s, she appeared on the Fibber McGee and Molly and Campana Serenade radio shows. Martha also appeared in films and her voice was frequently used to dub for actresses who didn't sing. The most significant of these was Martha dubbing for Barbara Stanwyck in the 1941 film Ball Of Fire. After Martha left Capitol for Coral in 1949, she continued to appear on radio and TV usually with singer Curt Massey. She also appeared as herself in the 1956 film The Benny Goodman Story. This 2CD comp from Jasmine Records covers Martha's entire career. Martha continued to appear on Los Angeles TV in the 60s. After appearing in the 1975 TV movie Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, she retired. Martha Tilton died on Dec. 8, 2006 at age 91. Here's Martha Tilton with Ziggy Elman performing And The Angels Sing 1955.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Katlyn Chookagian vs Lauren Murphy

Here's the match video of Katlyn Chookagian vs Lauren Murphy from last night's UFC show in Siouc Falls, SD. Regular readers of this blog will know that I don't like Lauren Murphy going back to her Invicta days. She's a points fighter and one of the risks of being a points fighter is losing close fights. Katlyn is a UFC newcomer from New Jersey. She's a little undersized for a Bantamweight. She usually fights at 125. The first thing I noticed about Katlyn is she yelled every time she threw a punch. Isn't that telegraphing to your opponent? Not much happened in round one. But Katlyn was marginally more active than Lauren so I scored the round 10-9 for Katlyn. Between rounds, her coach John Crouch told her to do more. So in round two, Lauren scored a takedown. She didn't do much with it. But remaining in top position was enough to score the round 10-9 for Lauren. Round three was very similar to round one. Lauren didn't do enough. Katlyn threw more punches. I didn't think she was overly effective but it was enough to win Katlyn a unanimous decision win. I don't understand how a fighter can train for eight weeks and then go in the cage and do nothing. Her corner tells her to step it up and she still doesn't do it. Lauren Murphy took a match that she should win and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. There's no excuse for it. Watch the video for yourself.

Review of Eat That Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words

Yesterday I went to see the documentary Eat This Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words at the TIFF Lightbox in downtown Toronto. Most music fans should be familiar with Zappa from his 60s band Mothers Of Invention and more recently his 1984 hit single Valley Girl. I'm a big fan of his fusion music from the 70s. And as most should know, Zappa died of cancer in 1993. This film was produced by Gail and Ahmet Zappa who run his estate. Gail has said the reason for the film is there are plenty of misconceptions about her dad. And he did plenty of interviews so she decided to use his own words to clear them up. I was talking to my friend who went to the movie with me. And he knows people who, based on his "weird" music, believe that Zappa must have been a drug addict. But he wasn't. And the whole point of the film is the only "weird" thing about Zappa was his music. Other than that, he was married with four kids like a lot of people. A couple of the more interesting interview segments was Zappa's very first TV appearance on a 1963 episode of The New Steve Allen Show. And an appearance on I've Got A Secret where Soupy Sales correctly guesses who he is. Zappa was a very articulate guy capable of expressing his position on most topics with a great sense of humour and plenty of sarcasm. We also see clips of his various bands featuring musicians like Jimmy Carl Black, Ian Underwood and his wife Ruth Underwood (that's her playing vibes), Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman AKA Flo & Eddie, Aynsley Dunbar, Roy Estrada, George Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty, Don Preston, Chester Thompson and Ike Willis. As the 80s progressed, Zappa didn't really want to be a rock musician anymore. He wanted to be like the classical composers he admired as a youth. Sadly this was cut short by his illness and 1993 death. This period is shown through a Today Show interview. The only thing missing for me is his various battles with record companies to get his music released as Zappa wanted as opposed to what record companies wanted. Maybe he just didn't talk about that much. Eat That Question is recommended to Frank Zappa fans and also to those who think they know about him but they probably don't. This film will give you a clear picture. Check out the trailer.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Cortney Casey vs Cristina Stanciu

Here's the match video for Cortney Casey vs Cristina Stanciu from last night's UFC show in Sioux Falls, SD. The thing I noticed the most was how much bigger Cortney is. She probably should be fighting at 125lb. She was competitive in her first two losses. I think she really wanted to show she belongs in the UFC. Cortney immediately scores a takedown and begins pounding from top position. The dominant position seemed to give her a lot of confidence. So when Cortney took Cristina down a second time, she pounded her until the ref stopped the fight. Maybe Cristina doesn't belong in the UFC. In her post match interview, Cortney said she wants to fight boring fighters so she can liven them up for the fans. She didn't name a specific fighter. But backstage she said she was referring to Carla Esparza. Obviously Cortney knows she has to beat a ranked fighter to get a higher spot in the food chain. Just remember Carla is a former champ for a reason. And Carla may want to fight a higher ranked fighter to get back into the title picture. A win over Cortney wouldn't help Carla with that. There's nothing wrong with asking. It doesn't mean she will get it. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Buckwheat Zydeco

Artist:Buckwheat Zydeco
Song:Hot Tamale Baby
Album:Ultimate Collection





After the death of Zydeco legend Clifton Chenier, someone had to step up and lead Zydeco into the new millennium. That someone turned out to be Stanley Dural Jr. known professionally as Buckwheat Zydeco. Because of his 80s recordings with Rounder and Island, Dural is probably the best known Zydeco musician today. He was born Nov. 14, 1947 in Lafayette, LA. His hair made him look like Buckwheat of The Little Rascals hence the nickname. His dad was a farmer who played accordion. Buckwheat started out in the early 70s playing organ for Joe Tex and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. And he also led the funk band Buckwheat and the Hitchhikers. But then in 1976 he joined Clifton Chenier's band as an organist. He got hooked on Zydeco music. Then Dural took up the accordion in 1978. And he started recording as a leader in 1979. The turning point for Dural came when he signed with Rounder Records and released the 1985 album Waitin' For My Ya Ya. His recording of the Chenier classic Hot Tamale Baby is from that album. The album did so well that it got Dural a deal with Island Records for the 1988 album On A Night Like This. It was nominated for a Grammy and Buckwheat Zydeco appeared in the film The Big Easy. Then he opened for Eric Clapton's 1988 tour including a twelve night stand at London's Royal Albert Hall. Other musicians have had Buckwheat Zydeco open for them. He also won an Emmy for his music for the CBS movie Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich. Buckwheat Zydeco remained with Island until 1997. This comp covers the Rounder and Island recordings. These days Buckwheat Zydeco usually records for his own label Tomorrow Records. But he also recorded the 2009 CD Lay Your Burden Down on Alligator produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and with guest shots by Trombone Shorty, JJ Grey, Sonny Landreth and Warren Haynes. Buckwheat Zydeco is currently on tour and you should check them out if they're coming your way. The show is always a party. Here's Buckwheat Zydeco performing Hot Tamale Baby on the 2012 Rhythm and Blues Cruise.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Magic Numbers

Artist:The Magic Numbers
Song:Mornings Eleven
Album:The Magic Numbers





The Magic Numbers have been successful mostly in their native England. You may have heard Mornings Eleven in the 2008 film Catch and Release. But there are no hit singles. They are a family group from Ealing, England. The lead singer, lead guitarist and main songwriter is Romeo Stodart. His sister Michele Stodart plays bass. Sean Gannon plays drums and his sister Angela Gannon plays the melodica. The two families were neighbours growing up and Romeo and Sean jammed together. The Magic Numbers formed in 2002 and gained a cult following playing London clubs. They released a single in 2004 and this led to a contract with EMI. Their 2005 debut CD The Magic Numbers went Platinum in England despite no big hit singles. The album is available as a budget CD. Since then The Magic Numbers have released four albums. They switched to Caroline Records for the 2014 CD Alias. Michele Stodart released a solo CD in 2012. The Magic Numbers are currently touring England. They are certainly worth checking out if you are not familiar with them. Here's the Magic Numbers performing Mornings Eleven at Glastonbury June 22, 2007.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas

Artist:Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas
Song:Bad To Me
Album:The Very Best Of





The British Invasion group Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas had a few hits. They were cast in the long shadow of The Beatles. They were under the same management and several of their hits including Bad To Me were Beatles rejects. Kramer was born William Howard Ashton Aug. 19, 1943 in Bootle, Lancashire, England. While working at British Railways, Kramer led the group The Sandstormers. He got the name Kramer out of the phone book. A meeting was set up with Beatles manager Brian Epstein. John Lennon was also there and he suggested adding the J to Kramer's name. When Kramer's band The Coasters were reluctant to record, Epstein hired an existing band The Dakotas to back up Kramer. The Dakotas also had their own record deal without Kramer. The Dakotas were Mike Maxfield on lead guitar, Robin MacDonald on rhythm guitar, Ray Jones on bass and Tony Bookbinder on drums. Both acts were on EMI's Parlophone label produced by George Martin who of course also produced The Beatles. Supposedly Martin didn't want to work with Kramer at first because he didn't like his voice. Kramer scored a hit in England with the Beatles song Do You Want To Know A Secret. Then they released Bad To Me and it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was a John Lennon song that The Beatles chose not to record. You can get Lennon's original demo on The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963. So now Kramer and the Dakotas tour the US and appear on TV. Their other top ten hit was Little Children in 1964. The band was undone by personnel changes and disputes with Epstein. Kramer also had alcohol problems. They split up in 1967. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. A version of The Dakotas still tour the oldies circuit. None of the original members are part of the group. Kramer just published his autobiography and he last recorded in 2013. He was part of a 2015 British Invasion tour. Here's Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas performing Bad To Me on The Ed Sullivan Show 1963.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jimmy Ray

Artist:Jimmy Ray
Song:Are You Jimmy Ray?
Album:Jimmy Ray





Are You Jimmy Ray? was a top 20 hit in 1998. But British singer Jimmy Ray quickly faded and now he's the subject of Whatever Happened To profiles. He only recorded one album. I think the problem was Ray had a retro rockabilly look but his music didn't reflect that. He was born Oct. 3, 1970 in London, England. He claimed to be influenced by Elvis Presley and other 50s singers. But when Ray began his music career in 1994, it was as part of a techno pop duo called AV with DJ Graham Drinnan. AV signed with Sony's S2 label but they split up before any music was released. S2 had success with Des'Ree and Jamiroquai. Ray remained with S2 and Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller became his manager. The album Jimmy Ray was released in 1998. Ray wrote and produced the album with Con Fitzpatrick. Are You Jimmy Ray? reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. And I think most fans will remember the video as it was in heavy rotation on MTV. Subsequent singles did not do well and Ray only recorded one album which is available as a budget CD. Ray did a US tour with The Backstreet Boys. So what happened To Jimmy Ray? It looks like there was disagreement with Fuller and Sony over creative direction. Maybe Ray didn't want to be a pop star. He hasn't done much since then. He claimed to be part of a production team working with a girl group. But nothing came of it. And last year he claimed to be working on a comeback record. So it looks like Jimmy Ray could be a one hit wonder. Here's the video for Are You Jimmy Ray? by Jimmy Ray.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Julianna Pena vs Cat Zingano

Here's the match video of Julianna Pena vs Cat Zingano from UFC 200 in Las Vegas. This fight has title contender implications. Cat has been off for over a year since she lost to Ronda Rousey. She's from Denver but she now trains at Alliance in San Diego. When a fighter takes that much time off and it's not for an injury, the question is can she get her head back in the game. Of course Cat is a fan favourite and many fans feel she got a raw deal. I think a lot of them were underestimating Julianna because of their feelings for Cat. Taking feelings out of it, I thought the fight would be very competitive. Julianna trains at Sikjitsu in Spokane and she's looked good since returning from knee surgery last year. This fight was all about control. In round one, Cat scored a couple of takedowns. She remained in top position but didn't do much with it. And though Julianna was active from the bottom, top position is king. So I scored round one 10-9 for Cat. Cat scored another takedown at the start of round two. But Julianna reversed it and she maintained top position for the rest of the round. So I scored round two 10-9 for Julianna. Julianna continued to maintain top position in round three. She tried for a couple of submissions but the control won her a unanimous decision win. It's funny because neither fighter sustained any damage. The win sets up Julianna for a possible title shot. I'm not sure there was anything wrong with Cat except that Julianna was better than her on this day. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Nunes vs Miesha Tate

Here's the match video of Miesha Tate defending her UFC Bantamweight Championship against Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 last night in Las Vegas. Of course I'm sure you have all read that Amanda shockingly dethroned Miesha with a first round rear naked choke. I guess most thought it was an upset. But I have covered Amanda's career since before she came to the US and I may have been the first to interview her on this blog. She's a finisher. All but one of her wins have had finishes. She runs into problems when she doesn't finish because she lacks endurance. So if Amanda was going to win this fight, a first round finish was exactly how she would win. What Miesha needed to do was avoid the finish and win in the later rounds. That's why Miesha tried to keep away from her. But Amanda's first really good shot broke Miesha's nose. Unlike Sara McMann, Amanda won't let Miesha off the hook. She hammered Miesha enough that ref Herb Dean could have stopped the fight. But in a title fight, I agree with his decision to let it go. Amanda took Miesha's back and it ended with a rear naked choke. Congratulations to Amanda Nunes for winning the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Also congratulations to former UFC fighter and American Top Team head trainer Mike Brown and UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff who is Amanda's girlfriend and assists Brown. Now the trick is for Amanda to defend the title. Last night on Twitter, the immediate talk was for Amanda to face Ronda Rousey at the Madison Square Garden show in November. But I don't think Ronda will return until 2017. Other possibilities include Holly Holm if she wins her next fight. But the option that I like would have Amanda defend the title against Julianna Pena in Brazil. The fans there would go bonkers. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ramsey Lewis

Artist:Ramsey Lewis
Song:The In Crowd
Album:The Greatest Hits of Ramsey Lewis





Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis scored a top five hit with The In Crowd in 1965. He has had a few other hits but that is the most memorable. He was born May 27, 1935 in Chicago. As a teen, he formed The Cleffs with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt and they would become The Ramsey Lewis Trio. They signed with Chess in 1956 and recorded for Argo. There's nothing unusual about their music. They are a standard jazz trio. Of course The In Crowd was a big hit for Dobie Gray in 1964. Lewis was in Washington, DC to record a live album at the Bohemian Caverns club May 1965. He was looking for a song he could perform on the show. He's sitting in a coffee shop and the waitress suggests The In Crowd and she plays it on the juke box. Ramsey writes an arrangement and the band records it at that night's show. After the album release, Leonard Chess calls Lewis and tells him The In Crowd is a hit. Lewis says great the album is selling well. Chess says it's bigger than that. We had to release it as a single. The In Crowd reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lewis also scored chart hits with Hang On Sloopy and Wade In The Water. Soon after this Young and Holt left and would later have success as Young Holt Unlimited. They were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. Of course White went on to form Earth Wind & Fire and this led to Lewis' other big hit Sun Goddess in 1974. This budget comp covers Lewis' Chess recordings. Of course Lewis is still around. But there's no question that The In Crowd set the stage for a long and distinguished career. Here's Ramsey Lewis performing The In Crowd as part of a medley at the 1980 Montreal Jazz Festival.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Meiko Satomura vs Io Shirai

Here's the match video of Meiko Satomura defending her Sendai Girls World Championship against Io Shirai at the Sendai Girls 10th Anniversary show July 2 at the Niigata City Gymnasium. First of all, there's no way this belt was going to change hands on Meiko's home turf. And once you see all the belts that Io has already, she doesn't need any more hardware. The whole idea is to put on a great match. And that's exactly what they do. Meiko may not be who she used to be. But she can still rise to the occasion when it's necessary. Like all great matches, it starts out slowly. But it really picks up at the halfway mark. Io gets to land all her trademark moves like the rolling German suplex and the moonsault. But once Meiko kicks out of the moonsault, it's obvious that Meiko is winning. And a kick to the head followed by three death valley drivers, it's all over. Afterwards, Meiko thanks Io for doing the job. It's an entertaining match and I thing you will enjoy it.
Meiko Satomura (c) vs Io Shirai - (SENDAI 2016... by SenorLARIATO

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tatiana Suarez vs Amanda Cooper

Here's the match video of Tatiana Suarez vs Amanda Cooper from last night's UFC show. This was the final of The Ultimate Fighter 23. I tried to watch the show. But it was terrible. And I thought most of the fighters weren't very good. Tatiana was the exception to that. She's from California. Amanda is from Michigan. It was clear for the start of this fight that Tatiana is more aggressive. That's one of the things I liked about her. She got a first round finish with a d'arce choke. It's pretty slick so be sure to check out the match. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Claudia Gadelha

Here's the match video of Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her UFC Strawweight Championship against Claudia Gadelha from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Of course this rivalry goes back to Joanna's Dec. 2014 split decision win over Claudia. The problem is that at some point, Claudia had to figure out why the decision go her way. And I don't think she did that. She needed to do more after takedowns. And now we are talking about five rounds so she has to pace herself. I thought Claudia won the first two rounds. But by the end of round two, she was out of gas and she never got it back. Joanna won the last three rounds. And in round four, she came very close to finishing Claudia. All three judges scored that round 10-8. So Joanna retains the title by unanimous decision. Joanna prepared for five rounds and Claudia did not. She blew it all in the first two rounds and got the crap beat out of her like all of Joanna's other opponents. Both got fight of the night bonuses. Afterwards, Joanna said she wants to fight on the Nov. MSG show in New York. Claudia was whining that she thought she won round three. Maybe she needs to look in the mirror for her problems. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Michael

Artist:George Michael
Song:Faith
Album:Faith: Special Edition





First with the duo Wham! and then as a solo artist, George Michael was one of the biggest pop stars of the 80s. The 1987 album and single Faith were huge sellers worldwide. His decline was caused by bad personal behaviour and record company disputes. He was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou June 25, 1963 in the London suburb of East Finchley. His family moved to Redlett, Hertfordshire and he met future partner Andrew Ridgeley at school. Michael started out as a DJ and he had a ska band with Ridgeley and his brother. The two formed Wham! in 1981. They had a lot of success after signing with Columbia. But it became obvious that Columbia was more interested in Michael as a solo act especially after the 1984 hit Careless Whispers. So it was not surprising when Wham! split up in 1986. After Michael's duet with Aretha Franklin I Knew You Were Waiting topped the charts, Michael released the 1987 album Faith. Michael wrote and produced the album. The problem was the debut single I Want Your Sex was banned at a lot of places. It did well but the single Faith was more successful just because it wasn't banned. The album sold five million copies in the US and 25M worldwide. Faith is available on CD in a 2CD Special Edition with a CD of bonus tracks. You would think Michael would be happy with his success. But he told Columbia that for his 1990 album Listen Without Prejudice, there would be no videos and he refused to promote it. Apparently he wanted to be respected as a serious artiste. Though the album still sold eight million copies worldwide, it was the harbinger of things to come. He sued Columbia for not promoting the album. Eventually he got out of his contract and he signed with Virgin for the 1996 album Older. It did well in England but not in the US. There was also his 1998 arrest for lewd behaviour in Los Angeles. So that killed his career in North America. He continues to be successful in England. His most recent CD was a live CD released in 2014. But Michael's prima donna attitude with Sony and his legal problems with drugs and bad behaviour have probably cost him more than he would care to admit. There was recent rumours that he would tour but those were denied. Maybe he is retired. He doesn't need the money. Here's the video for Faith by George Michael.

Mika Nagano to come out of retirement on Aug. 27 DEEP JEWELS show

Mika Nagano, Sachiko Fujimori

DEEP JEWELS has announced several matches for the Aug. 27 show at Differ Ariake. They are running it back to back with DEEP 77. The big news, if you want to call it that, is that Mika Nagano is coming out of retirement. She retired in Feb. 2014 to get married and she had a baby last year. it's been known for several months that she was going to return. Mika was always a big favourite of DEEP JEWELS matchmaker Shigeru Saeki. Because of her looks, there were always high hopes that college wrestler Mika would be that breakout women's MMA star in Japan. She turned out to be a disappointment with a 14-9 record. And unlike wine, MMA fighters don't get better with age. Her opponent is Sachiko Fujimori. She's 4-1 but her last fight was in Nov. 2015. So the rest of the card is filled with these DATE girls who are all models turned fighters. The fights include old lady Mina Kurobe vs Tomo Maesawa. They are bringing in German fighter Tanja Hoffman to face Nori DATE. Tanja is 5-4. She just won a match last month at Shooto Europe. Nori DATE is 1-3. Well, at least she won a fight. Other fights include Chinese fighter pan Hui (2-1) vs Renju DATE (0-2), Yuko Kiryu (2-2) vs 12 year old Karen DATE making her pro debut. Both of Kiryu's wins have been over DATE girls. Yukari Nabe vs Nao Date (both pro debuts) and Sayuri Yamaguchi (0-1) vs Ayumi Misaka (1-0). They also added a kickboxing match and there are more matches to be added. There are too many DATE girls for me.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chris Janson

Artist:Chris Janson
Song:Buy Me A Boat
Album:Buy Me A Boat





Chris Janson had success as a songwriter before scoring a top five country hit in 2015 with Buy Me A Boat. He was born Apr. 2, 1986 in Perryville, MO which is in Southeast Missouri. Janson moved to Nashville after graduating from high school. He recorded a couple of duets with Holly Williams on her 2009 album Here With Me. Then he signed with BNA Records and his debut single Til A Woman Comes Along charted. But when Sony folded BNA into Columbia Nashville in 2011, Janson left. He began to have success as a songwriter. He co-wrote the Tim McGraw hit Truck Yeah. Janson also played harmonica for Lee Brice. This led to a record deal with Keith Stegall's Bigger Picture Music Group. Janson released an EP and the single Better I Don't in 2013. But then Bigger Picture closed. Janson released the single Buy Me A Boat independently. When it started to get airplay in Nashville, Warner Bros. signed Janson and released Buy Me A Boat nationally. It reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. The album Buy Me A Boat was released Oct. 2015. Janson wrote the song with Chris DuBois who owns a publishing company with Brad Paisley. Paisley's other partner Brent Anderson produced the record. Janson also worked with Byron Gallimore on Buy Me A Boat. And Janson co-wrote all the songs on the album. Janson is currently touring to promote the album. It's likely he will record after the tour. Even if Janson doesn't make it as a recording artist, songwriting will keep him busy for a long time. Here's the video for Buy Me A Boat by Chris Janson.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The J. Geils Band

Artist:The J.Geils Band
Song:Centerfold
Album:Best Of





The J. Geils Band started out as blues rockers in the late 60s. They were a very popular live draw in the 70s. But the one thing missing was a big hit single. A record company switch and the addition of synthesizers made Centerfold a #1 hit in 1982. But conflict in the band split them up by 1985. They started out in Boston in the mid-60s as an acoustic blues trio with John Geils on vocals and guitar, Danny Klein on bass and Magic Dick (real name Richard Salwitz) on harmonica. They played Boston clubs as Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels while Geils went to school. Then they brought in singer Peter Wolf (real name Peter Blankenfeld) and drummer Stephen Jo Bladd. They were now The J. Geils Blues Band. Organist Seth Justman joined a year later. They signed with Atlantic records in 1970. Justman and Wolf wrote most of the songs. Though the band was a strong concert draw and their Atlantic albums sold well, they weren't able to score a hit single. So they switched from Atlantic to EMI America for the 1980 album Love Stinks. This marked a change in the band's music with Justman adding synthesizers as a nod to New Wave. The single Love Stinks reached the top 40. The 1981 album Freeze Frame did even better when the single Centerfold topped the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1982. But with Justman taking more control over the production and songwriting, this caused friction between Justman and Wolf. Wolf left to go solo in 1983. Justman took over as lead singer for the 1984 album You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd. But the album was unsuccessful and the J. Geils Band split up in 1985. This comp has hits from Atlantic and EMI. Wolf released his debut solo album in 1984. It did OK but his music has not sold well since then. Justman went into record production. He produced Debbie Harry's 1986 album Rockbird including the hit single French Kissin' In The USA. Geils opened a car restoration shop in Boston. Magic Dick plays a lot of blues cruises. The J. Geils Band reunited for a 1999 tour. They still tour. It's the original band except they hire a drummer for touring. But they haven't recorded. So now they are a nostalgia act. Here's the video for Centerfold by The J. Geils Band.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joshua Bell

Artist:Joshua Bell f/Frankie Moreno
song:Eleanor Rigby
Album:At Home with Friends




Violinist Joshua Bell is not the first classical musician to record a pop album. Sometimes things get slow in the classical music business. The 2009 album At Home With Friends came out of jam sessions Bell would have with usually bluegrass musicians. Bell and his producer Steven Epstein decided to record a pop album and it topped the classical music charts. Bell was born Dec. 9, 1967 in Bloomington, IN. Bell was a violin prodigy and at age 14 he appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra. After graduating from Indiana University, Bell moved to New York City and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985. He made his recording debut in 1988. He mostly recorded for London but he also recorded for Decca. Bell has also worked on several films, most notably the 1993 film The Red Violin. In 1999, Bell moved to Sony Classical and they had him record non-classical music including the 1999 album Gershwin Fantasy. Then he recorded the 2000 album Short Trip Home with bassist Edgar Meyer and bluegrass musicians Sam Bush and Mike Marshall followed by the 2001 album West Side Story. These were both top ten classical albums. And ever since, Bell has been a top selling classical artist. The idea to record the 2009 album At Home With Friends came out of musicians coming to Bell's apartment for jam sessions. Several of these musicians appear on the album including Meyer, Bush, Marshall and Chris Thile. the celebrity guests include Sting, Chris Botti, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth along with film composers Dave Grusin and Marvin Hamlisch. Eleanor Rigby was recorded with piano and vocals by Las Vegas lounge singer Frankie Moreno. Bell continues to record and perform mostly classical music. But he did record a Christmas version of At Home With Friends in 2013 called Musical Gifts from Joshua Bell and Friends. His latest album is the soundtrack for the 2015 film Einstein's Light. Here's the video of Eleanor Rigby by Joshua Bell featuring Frankie Moreno.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Take 6

Artist:Take 6
Song:Biggest Part Of Me
Album:Greatest Hits





The vocal group Take 6 has had success in the gospel and smooth jazz markets mostly as album artists. They never had a big hit single though songs like Biggest Part Of Me crossed over to R&B. I would describe them as a contemporary version of The Persuasions leaning towards a jazz vibe. Take 6 started out at Oakwood College in Huntsville, AL in 1980. Claude McKnight (Brian McKnight's brother) formed an a capella gospel vocal quartet. They were rehearsing in a campus bathroom for an upcoming performance when Mark Kibble walked in. He joined them on stage that night. He invited Mervyn Warren to join and the group now called Alliance performed on campus for the next few years. Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent and David Thomas joined the group in 1985 and the group signed with Warner Bros. They had to change the group name for copyright reasons and they chose Take 6. Their debut album Take 6 was released in 1988 on the Warner Alliance gospel label. The album did very well on the gospel and jazz charts and it was certified Platinum. Take 6 never really had a hit single. When Warner Alliance was closed, Take 6 was moved to Reprise. The 1990 single I L-O-V-E U was a top 20 R&B hit. Warren left in 1991 to go into record production. He was replaced by Mark Kibble's brother Joey Kibble. With one exception, that's Take 6's current lineup. This cover of the Ambrosia hit Biggest Part Of Me was from the 1994 album Join The Band. McKnight and Chea wrote new lyrics to reflect their gospel viewpoint. The single crossed over to R&B and the album was certified Gold. Take 6 recorded for Reprise until 2002. This 1999 budget comp has all their hits. Take 6 just released a new CD Believe in March with veteran producer Ross Vannelli (Gino Vannelli's brother) and special guest Stevie Wonder on harmonica. And they are currently on tour. Here's the video for Biggest Part Of Me by Take 6.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Artist:King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band
Song:New Orleans Stomp
Album:The Complete Set





Joe "King" Oliver is an important jazz pioneer mainly because Louis Armstrong was in his band. Oliver's own music isn't as compelling. But some of his songs are jazz standards. Armstrong always gave Oliver full credit for helping him. These 1923 recordings are essential. Oliver was born Dec. 19, 1881 in Aben, LA but he grew up in New Orleans. He started out playing trombone and then switched to cornet. He played in local bands in the 10s. But his most significant band at the time was probably with trombonist Kid Ory. And it was Ory who named him King Oliver. The band was very popular but racism forced Oliver to move with his family to Chicago in 1918. There he worked with guys like clarinetist Lawrence Duhe and bassist Bill Johnson. For a while they moved to San Francisco. But they moved back to Chicago in 1922. And this is when King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band was formed with Louis Armstrong on cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Lil Hardin on piano, William Manuel Johnson on bass and Baby Dodds on drums. This band recorded for Columbia's race label Okeh in 1923. Of course the key figures were Armstrong and his wife Hardin and Johnny Dodds who would go on to revolutionize jazz with the Hot 7 and Hot 5 recordings in 1927. But King Oliver is where it started. New Orleans Stomp was recorded Oct. 16, 1923 in Chicago. It was written by Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin and probably arranged by Hardin and she would go on to arrange many of Armstrong's recordings. Ed Atkins was the trombonist on this session and Johnny St. Cyr payed banjo as he would on many of Armstrong's recordings. It's fairly typical of Oliver's recordings as individual solos hadn't become common yet. This 2CD comp covers the 1923 recordings. Armstrong would record New Orleans Stomp with Johnny Dodds in 1927 on Vocalion. Armstrong was under contract to Okeh at the time so he was being a bad boy. And then Armstrong added lyrics to New Orleans Stomp for the 1959 album Satchmo Plays King Oliver on Audio Fidelity. But it wasn't on the album. It was released years later and it does turn up on CD. After Armstrong left Oliver's band, Oliver attempted to continue with Henry "Red" Allen. But health problems caused by gum disease forced Oliver into retirement and he died on Apr. 10, 1938 at age 52. Obviously King Oliver is forgotten today but his importance in Louis Armstrong's career should be remembered. Here's a video for New Orleans Stomp by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band.

Alfredo Rodriguez concert review

Last night I went to see Cuban jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez at The Jazz Bistro in downtown Toronto as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. I wasn't planning to attend any of this year's concerts until this one was announced after the rest of the schedule was announced. There is a big problem with the Toronto Jazz Festival as it currently stands and that is program director Josh Grossman's insistence on bringing in non-jazz artists like Sarah McLauchlan and KC & The Sunshine Band. After the latter was announced as the opening night free concert, the controversy erupted to the point where the CBC did a piece on this last week. We don't see this same problem for either the Ottawa or Montreal jazz festivals. And Grossman's defense is not compelling. He thinks bringing in KC draws attention when all it does is attract anger from jazz fans. Maybe they should stop calling it a jazz festival. But maybe sponsor TD Bank won't sponsor it. But I think it is disgraceful that during the festival, jazz musicians Kamasai Washington and Melody Gardot played the Danforth Music Hall and not the Toronto Jazz Festival. The Jazz Bistro is not an ideal venue for a concert because it's a restaurant. And a restaurant has to turn over paying customers. That's why the tickets were inexpensive and they were giving away comps. They are expecting you to eat there. It's too expensive for me. That being said, I enjoyed Rodriguez' brief solo concert. If you haven't heard him, Rodriguez should remind you of pianists like Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Michel Camilo or Chucho Valdez. He records for Mack Avenue Records and his latest CD Tocororo was released in March. I enjoyed his music enough that I will go see him again if he performs at a suitable venue. Maybe it's time for local jazz fans to organize and get rid of Josh Grossman. Because this is not a jazz festival anymore.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sonny Rollins

Artist:Sonny Rollins f/John Coltrane
Song:Tenor Madness
Album:Jazz Showcase





Tenor Madness is one of tenor sax legend Sonny Rollins' most significant compositions. It has become a jazz standard since Rollins recorded it in 1956. But it's also significant because it's the only time Rollins recorded with another sax legend John Coltrane. Of course they knew each other and both guys were under contract to Prestige Records. But somehow Prestige owner Bob Weinstock only managed to have the two record one song together. Coltrane does not appear on the rest of the 1956 album Tenor Madness. After spending a couple of years in jail for armed robbery in the early 50s, Rollins recovered from his drug addiction in 1955. Before that he was in The Miles Davis Quintet for a brief time. It doesn't look like he recorded with that band. After rehab, Rollins joined The Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet and Coltrane replaced Rollins in the Davis band. Well, we all know how successful that was. After Brown and pianist Richie Powell died in a June 1956 car crash, Rollins began to record more as a leader. Tenor Madness was his first album of this very productive period for Rollins. The band on Tenor Madness is The Miles Davis Quintet minus Davis. It's Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. These guys along with Coltrane had just finished recording sessions with Davis at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey. Weinstock asked them if they would come back in a couple of weeks and record with Rollins. So they appear on the entire album but Coltrane only appeared on the song Tenor Madness. At the time, Coltrane was struggling with heroin addiction so he might have been ill or in and out of rehab at the time. Of course it's a classic with the dueling saxes. But Coltrane left Prestige so they never recorded together again. The album Tenor Madness is available as a budget CD. But because Coltrane is only on the one song, I think it's a good way to sample Rollins' Prestige recordings at a budget price. Concord now owns the Prestige recordings and this budget CD Jazz Showcase is part of a series. It's a great and inexpensive intro to Rollins. And Tenor Madness is a significant piece of jazz history. Here's a video for Tenor Madness by Sonny Rollins featuring John Coltrane.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Deniece Williams

Artist:Deniece Williams
Song:Let's Hear It For the Boy
Album:The Best Of Deniece Williams: Gonna Take A Miracle




The 1984 chart topper Let's Hear It For The Boy was the biggest solo hit for Deniece Williams. Not long after, Deniece quit secular music for gospel and she still sings gospel today. She was born June Deciece Chandler June 3, 1950 in Gary, IN. She grew up singing in church with her mom. Deniece attended Morgan State University in Baltimore with plans to become a nurse. But she was still interested in music. She was influenced by Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson and especially Minnie Riperton. Her cousin John Harris was a valet for Stevie Wonder and he introduced them and she was hired as a backup singer. She tired of touring after a few years and left in 1975. She signed with Columbia Records and Maurice White and Charles Stepney of Earth Wind & Fire. Her first hit single was Free in 1976. Then she recorded the single Too Much, Too Little, Too Late with Johnny Mathis in 1978. The song was a surprise #1 hit mainly because Mathis hadn't had a hit in years. So the two recorded an album together. Deniece returned to her solo career. She had always recorded one gospel song on each album. But by 1980, she was considering leaving secular music for gospel permanently. She continued to have hits like the 1982 top ten hit It's Gonna Take A Miracle. George Duke produced a few songs on her 1983 album I'm So Proud. So Deniece decided to work with Duke on her next album. Dean Pitchford was a songwriter best known for the 1980 hit Fame. He wrote the screenplay and the music for the 1984 film Footloose. Let's Hear It For The Boy was written with Tom Snow. They pitched it to Deniece and she decided to record it. It topped the charts. The soundtrack for Footloose was a huge success. But the song also appeared on her 1984 album Let's Hear It For The Boy. While still recording for Columbia, she recorded the 1986 gospel album So Glad I Know for Sparrow Records. The producer on that album Brad Westering started producing her Columbia albums. This led to Deniece leaving Columbia for MCA after her late 80s albums were unsuccessful. But she only recorded one album for MCA and she left secular music for gospel. You can get all her Columbia hits on this budget comp. In recent years, Deniece Williams has surfaced occasionally. She last recorded an album in 2007. But she still tours and I guess she's an 80s nostalgia act at this point. Here's the video for Let's Hear It For The Boy by Deniece Williams.

Two more matches added to Invicta FC 18 prelims

As expected, Invicta added a couple of prelims to Invicta FC 18 July 29 in Kansas City. The first match will have Bantamweight Aspen Ladd facing Jessica Hoy. Aspen is 21 years old from Folsom, CA. Her record is 3-0. I have liked what I have seen from her so far. But I think it's time to move her up the card a little bit. She needs to fight a higher competition level. Jessica is from Bellingham, WA. She won her only fight but she's unproven. Maybe Aspen's camp want to bring her along slowly. The second fight will have Atomweight Tessa Simpson vs Simona Soukupova. Tessa is from Austin, TX. Her record is 4-1 but that's since 2009. Her last fight was a win over the Japanese fighter Sarami at a PXC show in Guam. That was after a three year break. Despite the Russian name, Simona is a Brit. I've seen her before. Her record is 5-3-1. She was on an Invicta show in 2003 but she's nothing special. And she's 39 years old. She's too old to be a prospect. Several fans on Twitter asked me about Invicta matchmaking. In the end, it comes down to money. It's a lot cheaper to bring in two Brazilian teammates with heavily padded records than to bring in one more qualified fighter from Europe. They are more concerned about saving a few bucks than bringing in top fighters. Here's the one thing you need to remember about Invicta. If a fighter signs with UFC, Bellator or WSOF, those contracts are exclusive. The fighter can't go anywhere else. Invicta contracts are non-exclusive. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on. So it's easy to toss them around like they mean something when they actually mean nothing. They don't have to fulfill the contract because it's not exclusive. They can sign a fighter to a multi fight contract and then "see ya" after one fight. And they've done this to fighters. Multi fight non-exclusive contracts are a dog and pony show intended to fool fans and fighters. They are unnecessary.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hugh Masekela

Artist:Hugh Masekela
Song:Grazing In The Grass
Album:Grazing In The Grass





South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela topped the charts with Grazing In The Grass in 1968. Though it was a surprise hit and Masekela is perceived as a one hit wonder, some of his other singles did chart and he's still around at 77 years old. He was born Apr. 4, 1939 in Witbank, South Africa. He learned to play piano as a child. After watching Kirk Douglas play Bix Beiderbecke in the 1950 film Young Man With A Horn, his high school chaplain gave Masekela a trumpet. Then he started playing in local bands. With Apartheid in South Africa, things were brutal for black musicians and many of them left the country. In 1960, British musician John Dankworth brought Masekela to England. He studied at London's Guildhall School of Music. Then he came to the US and Harry Belafonte got Masekela into the Manhattan School of Music in New York. He also married Miriam Makeba who toured with Belafonte. They divorced two years later. After recording for Mercury and MGM, Masekela signed with UNI Records. After he charted with his cover of Up, Up and Away, Masekela recorded the 1968 album The Promise of a Future. The album was produced by Crusaders producer Stewart Levine. The story goes that UNI exec Russ Regan thought the album was too short. So Grazing In The Grass was added almost as an afterthought. Masekela wrote the song with an actor friend Philemon Hou. Surprisingly, Grazing In The Grass topped the charts. Musicians on the album were Al Abreu on sax, Bill Henderson on piano, Henry Franklin on bass and Chuck Carter on drums. Of course Friends Of Distinction leader Harry Elston wrote lyrics for Grazing In The Grass and it was a big hit for them. Masekela has recorded for many labels and he's still active at 77 years old. Probably his most high profile gig was touring with Paul Simon in the 80s. Masekela's son Sal Masekela works for ESPN and the two produced short films about South Africa to go along with ESPN's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. You can get Hugh Masekela's original recording of Grazing In The Grass on this budget comp from Verve's European label Jazzclub. Beware of rerecorded versions. It looks like he is currently touring Europe. Here's Hugh Masekela performing Grazing In The Grass with an all star band of Stevie Wonder on harmonica, Jimmy Heath on sax, George Duke on piano, Lionel Loueke on guitar, Christian McBride on bass and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums at the United Nations for International Jazz Day Apr. 30, 2012.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Duke Ellington and Count Basie

Artist:Duke Ellington and Count Basie
Song:Segue In C
Album:First Time! The Count Meets The Duke





As I have said in the past, when Duke Ellington's career was revived in the late 50s, one of the things he decided to do was record with other jazz legends. After all, he wasn't getting any younger. This included albums with Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus. Of course in Ellington's heyday of the 40s, Count Basie was considered to be Ellington's greatest rival. I don't think there was ever a real rivalry between the two. It seems like any rivalry was fan motivated. Both bands were outstanding but they had different styles. But when First Time! was recorded, the two bands did work together. You can clearly hear this on Segue In C which was written by Basie sax player Frank Wess and the Basie band first recorded it on the 1959 album Chairman Of The Board. Basie and Ellington both solo on the song. And I think Wess and trombonist Benny Powell also solo. But the integration is seamless. You won't know that there are two bands on this album. It could have been a big mess but it isn't. Columbia wanted to call the album Battle Royal after the Ellington song that leads off the album. But Basie balked at the album title as he thought the recording session was very genial. So obviously Basie didn't think there was a rivalry. In 1999, Sony released First Time! with several bonus tracks. These are mostly alternate takes but there are a couple of songs that weren't on the original album. And it's available as a budget CD. It's a must for Ellington and Basie fans. Here's a video of Segue In C by Duke Elington and Count Basie.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ronny Jordan

Artist:Ronny Jordan
Song:After Hours
Album:The Essential Guide To Jazz




Guitarist Ronny Jordan was successful mostly in his native England in the 90s in Smooth Jazz and also in Acid Jazz. Unfortunately his most popular album is out of print. He was born Robert Simpson Nov. 29, 1962 in London, England. His father was a preacher so he grew up singing in church. In the 80s, he got interested in jazz. Jordan was a self taught guitarist influenced by Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. When hip hop took off, he wanted to mix it with jazz. This got him a record deal with Island's 4th & Broadway label. The Antidote was his debut CD in 1992. Jordan's cover of the Erskine Hawkins jazz standard After Hours was probably the first song to get noticed by hip hop fans. His cover of Miles Davis' So What also did well. A couple of tracks featured rapper IG. Other musicians included Philip Bent on flute, Joe Bashorun on piano, Arnie Somogyi on bass and Longsy D on drums. Unfortunately The Antidote is out of print but you can get After Hours on this 3CD various artists comp intended for beginners. Jordan also appeared on Guru's Jazzmatazz and this set him up for success on the jazz charts. Jordan recorded four albums for Island and he also recorded for Blue Note and N-Coded. Jordan had plans for new music when he died on Jan. 13, 2014 at age 51. Here's a video of After Hours by Ronny Jordan.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs

Artist:Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs
Song:Sugar Shack
Album:Top Hits of the Sixties: Amazing Hits





Sugar Shack topped the charts for five weeks in 1963. It might seem like a one hit wonder. But The Fireballs had a long history and they even scored another top ten hit with Bottle Of Wine in 1967. The Fireballs were the house band for Norman Petty in Clovis, NM. Of course as many fans are aware, this is where Buddy Holly recorded all his hits. The Fireballs recorded their own records and would back up other acts. They got the name from the Jerry Lee Lewis hit Great Balls Of Fire. The original 1958 lineup was Chuck Tharp on lead vocals, George Tomsco on lead guitar, Dan Trammell on rhythm guitar, Stan Lark on bass and Eric Budd on bass. They charted with Torquay and Bulldog in 1959 and Quite A Party in 1961. Then Tharp, Trammell and Budd left The Fireballs. They were replaced by Jimmy Gilmer on piano and vocals and Doug Roberts on drums. Gilmer was already working at Petty as a studio musician and he had released a single on Decca in 1959. Petty signed The Fireballs to Dot Records. Sugar Shack was the first single released as Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs. It topped the charts for five weeks in 1963. The song was written by Keith McCormack of The String-A-Longs who had success recording for Petty. The catchy organ riff was played on a Hammond Solovox. Petty would release some records as Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs, some as The Fireballs and even some as just Jimmy Gilmer. But they were all recorded by The Fireballs. Most of their singles didn't chart except for the 1963 top 20 hit Daisy Petal Pickin'. Sugar Shack is still a memorable song and you can get it on this various artists comp from Collectables. And Ace Records has released The Fireballs recordings through a deal with Petty's estate. Of course like a lot of bands, The Fireballs were killed by the British Invasion. They returned to the charts with the 1968 top ten cover of Tom Paxton's Bottle Of Wine on Atco Records. By this time, Gilmer had left The Fireballs to become a producer in Nashville. The Fireballs are still around led by Tomsco and Gilmer. Sugar Shack has had a long life. Here's Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs performing Sugar Shack 1968.

Lauren Murphy vs Katlyn Chookagian added to July 13 UFC show

Lauren Murphy, Katlyn Chookagian

This afternoon, Combat Press reported that Lauren Murphy vs Katlyn Chookagian has been added to UFC Fight Night 91 July 13 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, SD. This show will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. I expect this fight will air on the prelims. Regular readers of this blog will know that I am not a Lauren Murphy fan because she is a points fighter. She's a striker with no power or ground game. I thought she was overrated when she was a champ in Invicta. So she came to the UFC and lost a couple of close decisions. But that's the chance she takes as a points fighter. She actually got a late third round finish in her last fight. But her opponent Kelly Faszholz came in on short notice and ran out of gas early in the fight. So it doesn't count in my assessment of Lauren and I don't think the win helped her move up the Bantamweight ladder because here she is fighting another UFC newcomer on the prelims. Fans in the Northeast US should be familiar with Katlyn. She's from New Jersey and she trains at Renzo Gracie in Philadelphia. Her record is 7-0. The only problem is she has fought mostly at Flyweight and she is undersized for a Bantamweight. She was CFFC Flyweight Champion and she also fought in the WSOF and in Europe. I like that she has fought outside her region. The size difference could be a factor. I would be surprised if there is a finish in this fight. I expect it to go to a decision.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Amboy Dukes

Artist:The Amboy Dukes
Song:Journey To The Center Of The Mind
Album:Dick Clark's All Time Hits Vol. 3





Most fans should be familiar with guitarist Ted Nugent's solo career. But his solo career was a continuation of The Amboy Dukes. He just dropped the name in 1975. The Amboy Dukes scored a top 20 hit in 1968 with the psychedelic classic Journey To The Center Of The Mind. Though Nugent is from Detroit, he went to high school in Chicago. He was in The Lourds in the early 60s and this is where he met Amboy Dukes lead singer John Drake. Nugent first formed The Amboy Dukes in 1964. He stole the name from a defunct band. After the original band split up, Nugent moved back to Detroit and he formed a new Amboy Dukes. They signed with Bob Shad's Mainstream Records and released their debut album The Amboy Dukes in 1967. The band was Nugent on lead guitar, Drake on lead vocals, Steve Farmer on guitar and vocals, Dave Palmer on drums, Rick Lober on keyboards and Bill White on bass. For the 1968 album Journey To The Center Of The Mind, Lober and White were replaced by Andy Solomon and Greg Arama. Most of the songs including Journey Of The Center Of The Mind were written by Farmer. Journey To The Center Of The Mind reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Today it is considered to be a psychedelic classic and much different to Nugent's later music. Things began to go south for The Amboy Dukes when Drake was replaced by future Cactus lead singer Rusty Day. They left Mainstream for Polydor and then Frank Zappa's DiscReet label. Nugent seemed to have problems keeping lead singers and that hurt the music and record sales. By 1975, Nugent signed with Epic and dropped the Amboy Dukes name. You can get Journey To The Center Of The Mind on this various artists CD. The original album is also available. The Amboy Dukes reunited at the 2009 Detroit Music Awards. They received a Distinguished Achievement award. Here's The Amboy Dukes performing Journey To The Center Of The Mind 1968.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Thomas Dolby

Artist:Thomas Dolby
Song:She Blinded Me With Science
Album:The Best Of Thomas Dolby: Retrospectacle




Thomas Dolby is an electronic keyboard whiz who scored a top five hit with She Blinded Me With Science in 1982. He has been very successful as a songwriter, producer and session musician. These days he is the Music Director for the TED Conference. He was born Thomas Morgan Robertson Oct. 14, 1958 in London, England. His father Martin Robertson was an internationally known professor of classical Greek art and archaeology at the University of London. Dolby is a self taught pianist influenced by Oscar Peterson and Dave Brubeck. The nickname Dolby came from messing around with electronics in the 70s. Robertson decided to call himself Thomas Dolby so he wouldn't be confused with singer Tom Robinson. Dolby was an important figure in the early days of synth pop. He was the keyboard player for Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (Video Killed The Radio Star) and he wrote the single New Toy for Lene Lovich. He also worked with Foreigner, Robyn Hitchcock, Whodini and Def Leppard. Then he signed with EMI's Harvest label and released the 1982 album The Golden Age Of Wireless. The original British release did not contain She Blinded Me With Science. That was on an EP that was released after that. When She Blinded Me With Science started getting radio play, it was added to a re-release of The Golden Age Of Wireless. The song reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. I think everyone remembers the video featuring this old guy playing a scientist. But he was a real scientist. Magnus Pike was best known for appearing on the 70s British TV show Don't Ask Me where he was on a panel answering science questions. He was actually a food scientist and he wrote several books. Here in America, Dolby is viewed as a one hit wonder. But he was much more successful in England and he continues to record today. This budget comp is a good intro to his music. Dolby has continued to produce bands like Prefab Sprout and also as a session musician. In the 90s, Dolby became involved with internet technology and in 2001, he was named Music Director for the technology conference TED. And he is also a professor at Johns Hopkins University. So maybe Thomas Dolby really is a scientist. Here's the video of She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby. Much to my surprise, this video is not on Youtube.

Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science from Mad Hatter on Vimeo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Jackson

Artist:Michael Jackson
Song:Ben
Album:The Definitive Collection





Ben was Michael Jackson's very first number one hit as a solo artist in 1972. And it was his only number one solo hit for Motown. When The Jackson Five came to Motown and topped the charts with their first four singles, it was inevitable that they would spin off Michael as a solo artist. He sang lead on most of their hits anyway. Michael's first solo album was Got To Be There in 1971. The single Got To Be There reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and his cover of the Bobby Day classic Rockin' Robin reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. They released two more singles that didn't do as well. The album was certified Gold. It doesn't look like they were planning another solo album when Motown was approached by the producers of the film Ben. Ben was the sequel to the successful killer rat film Willard produced by Bing Crosby Productions. The song Ben was sung in the film by the film's star Lee Montgomery. But the film producers wanted a version of the song played over the end credits. They wanted Donny Osmond to record it but he was on tour and unavailable. So they offered it to Motown and Michael Jackson. Ben was written by Don Black and Walter Scharf. Black was a Brit best known for writing Thunderball and other James Bond themes with John Barry. Scharf was a veteran composer of film and TV music since the 30s. He composed the score for Ben. When Ben topped the charts in late 1972, I guess it surprised Motown because there were no plans for a second Michael Jackson solo album. Berry Gordy brought in a team of producers to record a new album. Fortunately, Ben was nominated for an Oscar and Michael performed Ben on the Oscar broadcast. So that was still fresh when the album was released in May 1973. The album did OK but there were no other hit singles. Then things went sour for the Jacksons at Motown and by 1975 they left for Epic. This budget comp covers Michael Jackson's Motown solo hits along with some Jackson 5 hits. Of course he would become a mega star at Epic. But remember it all started with a song about a rat. Here's Michael Jackson performing Ben at the 1973 Oscar Awards broadcast.

Jessica Eye vs Bethe Correia added to Sept. 10 UFC show

Today it was finally confirmed that Jessica Eye vs Bethe Correia has been added to UFC 203 Sept. 10 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. I expect this fight to air on the prelims. This was first reported a couple of weeks ago by Globo in Brazil. But we were waiting for UFC confirmation because Globo has sent us bum steers in the past. Jessica finally confirmed the fight on Twitter today as she was doing a promotional appearance with her teammate UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic. Of course Cleveland is Jessica's home town so it's not surprising that she is on this show. Both fighters are on losing streaks. Jessica is on a three fight losing streak. She has looked the same in all three of those fights. Several fans have asked me why she is still on the UFC roster. I can't answer that but she just hasn't looked good in any of those losses. Bethe should be an easier opponent as like Jessica, Bethe is a striker and has no ground game. I think Jessica punches harder so if she can land enough leather, she should be able to beat Bethe. Bethe couldn't break an egg with her punches. This could be a loser gets cut from the UFC match but I thought Jessica might get cut after her most recent loss. I dunno. I guess the UFC knew the Cleveland show was coming up.