AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Red Hot Chilli Pipers

Artist:Red Hot Chilli Pipers
Song:Smoke On The Water/Thunderstruck/Upside Down at Eden Court
Album:Bagrock To The Masses




I know what you're thinking. Is that a typo? Nope. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers play rock music with bagpipes and drums. They are very popular in Scotland. Look, I remember when Rufus Harley played jazz bagpipes in the 60s. So nothing surprises me. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers were formed in 2002 by students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The founding members were Stuart Cassells and Kevin Macdonald on bagpipes and Malcolm McEwan on drums. The rest of the group has fluid membership. After winning the 2007 BBC talent show When Will I Be Famous?, they signed with REL Records. Bagrock To The Masses was their debut in 2007. What they mostly do is play rock classics like Smoke On The Water with bagpipes. Obviously this band is an acquired taste. But as you can see in the video, they put on a good show. And they are trained musicians. They know what they are doing. They have toured throughout Europe and Asia. I think they toured America as part of a 2010 world tour. Cassells left in 2011. He was having trouble with what is commonly known as writer's cramp and he couldn't play the bagpipes anymore. He was replaced and the band continues. Their latest CD Octane was released in 2016. Here's the Red Hot Chilli Pipers performing Smoke On The Water and Thunderstruck 2009. Even if you aren't into the music you have to admire their musicianship.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane, Asuka, Bayley and Ember Moon vs The IIconics, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane, Asuka, Bayley and Ember Moon vs The IIconics, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville from last night's episode of Smackdown. Last week Paige announced that she has a tag team to challenge The IIconics for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. As I said on my podcast, I expected Kairi to get called up to the main roster. She and Asuka will make a fantastic team. And no they have never worked together before nor have they wrestled each other. They turn this into an eight woman tag team match. It was pretty clear that Bayley and Ember Moon didn't want to be in this match. They attempt unsuccessfully to upstage the new team. Asuka does a funny spot where she waves at Mandy before hitting the butt bump. After Bayley gets some heat, Asuka tags in and cleans house. Everyone gets to hit some moves. Asuka sets Peyton up for Kairi's Insane Elbow. Of course that's what the crowd wants to see. Kairi flies through the air and the match is over. These two will be a very exciting team. Kairi will make her final NXT appearance on tonight's show. I hope to have the match video for you tomorrow. And congratulations to Kairi Sane for arriving on Smackdown. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Sister Sledge

Artist:Sister Sledge
Song:We Are Family
Album:The Best Of Sister Sledge (1973-1985)





The 1979 single We Are Family was the biggest hit for Sister Sledge. They had one other top ten pop hit and then they faded. These real life sisters are from Philadelphia. Debbie, Joni, Kim and Kathy are the daughters of Broadway tap dancer Edwin Sledge and actress Florez Sledge. Their grandmother was opera singer Viola Williams and she taught them to sing in church. They started performing together as teens with mom as manager and tour bus driver. They signed with the local label Money Back. After the 1973 single Mama Never Told Me was a hit in England and the 1974 single Love Don't Go Through No Changes On Me was a hit in Japan, Sister Sledge signed with Atlantic's Atco label. After their first couple of albums were unsuccessful, Atlantic assigned them to producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. They wrote and produced all the songs on the 1979 album We Are Family. The first single He's The Greatest Dancer reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single We Are Family was an even bigger hit. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song transcended the charts because 1979 World Series champs the Pittsburgh Pirates made it their theme song. Kathy Sledge was lead singer on We Are Family. The album was certified Platinum. Subsequent albums didn't do as well. For the 1981 album All American Girls, they switched to producer Narada Michael Walden. Their final album for Atlantic was in 1985. This comp covers the Atlantic years but it also contains a couple of pre-Atlantic singles. Since then Sister Sledge hasn't recorded much but they continue to tour even after Joni Sledge died in 2017. Here's the video for We Are Family by Sister Sledge.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Crusaders

Artist:The Crusaders
Song:Put It Where You Want It
Album:Gold





Of course The Crusaders are best known for the 1979 smash hit Street Life featuring singer Randy Crawford. But they were one of the more durable jazz groups because they changed with the times. They started out in the 50s in Houston. Pianist Joe Sample, tenor sax player Wilton Felder and drummer Stix Hooper went to high school together. They called themselves The Swingsters. They were joined by trombonist Wayne Henderson, flutist Hubert Laws and bassist Henry Wilson and became The Modern Jazz Sextet. Sample, Felder, Hooper and Henderson moved to Los Angeles in 1960. They became The Jazz Crusaders and signed with Pacific Jazz Records. They recorded several albums for Pacific Jazz in the 60s. Jimmy Bond and Buster Williams were among the bassists. They left Pacific Jazz in 1970 and signed with Chisa Records owned by Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine with Motown distribution. After a couple of albums, Chisa closed and after one album on Mowest, they signed with ABC's Blue Thumb label. By this time Levine was working at Blue Thumb. With all the changes in jazz like jazz rock and fusion, Levine suggested the name change to The Crusaders. Put It Where You Want It is from the 1972 album Crusaders 1, their Blue Thumb debut. By this time guitarist Larry Carlton joined the band. Though bassist Robert "Pops" Popwell toured with The Crusaders and permanently joined them in 1974, in the studio Felder played bass and session musician Chuck Rainey was brought in. Wayne Henderson left to go solo in 1975. The Crusaders continued to record for MCA after they bought ABC. Hooper left in 1983. The Crusaders eventually split up in 1991 though Sample had been recording and touring solo for a while. This Hip-O 2CD comp covers the Blue Thumb years. The Crusaders reunited a few times. Sample and Henderson died in 2014. Felder died in 2015. Here's The Crusaders performing Put It Where You Want It at The Rumble In The Jungle in Zaire 1974 from the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Raphael Saadiq

Artist:Raphael Saadiq f/Stevie Wonder and CJ Hilton
Song:Never Give You Up
Album:The Way I See It





Raphael Saadiq is probably best known as part of the very successful group Tony! Toni! Tone!. He has had solo success. But he seems more comfortable writing and producing for others. He has been very successful in that role. He was born Charles Wiggins May 14, 1966 in Oakland, CA the second youngest of 14 siblings. One of his brothers was murdered. Another died of heroin addiction. Another committed suicide due to heroin. And a sister died in a police chase. Saadiq played in gospel groups as a teen. He found out that Sheila E was auditioning backup musicians while touring with Prince. The next thing he knows he's touring the world as her bassist. Upon his return he started Tony! Toni! Tone! with his brother Dwayne Wiggins and cousin Timothy Christian. It was during this time he changed his name to Raphael Saadiq. He did not convert to Muslim. He just liked the sound of the name. Saadiq went solo in 1995 and scored a top 20 hit with Ask Of You from the Higher Learning soundtrack. After Tony! Toni! Tone! split up in 1997, Saadiq formed Lucy Pearl with Dawn Robinson of En Vogue and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest. They recorded one very successful album and then split up. After Saadiq produced D'Angelo's monster hit Untitled, he started his own record company. Since 2002, Saadiq has released four albums and he has a new album coming this year. Never Give You Up is from the 2008 album The Way I See It featuring vocals by CJ Hilton and a Stevie Wonder harmonica solo. Hilton released a couple of 2011 singles on RCA that went nowhere. The single charted but as I said, he seems to prefer staying in the background writing and producing for others. D'Angelo is his most successful production. Most recently he produced the Mary J. Blige song Mighty River for the 2017 film Mudbound and it was nominated for an Oscar. I expect him to tour when his new album is released. Here's a video for Never Give You Up by Raphael Saadiq featuring Stevie Wonder and CJ Hilton.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Poliana Botelho vs Lauren Mueller

Here's the match video of Poliana Botelho vs Lauren Mueller from last night's UFC show in Atlanta. The weight cut to Strawweight was giving Poliana problems. So she decided to move up to Flyweight. She trains at Nova Uniao in Brazil with Andre Pederneiras. She is mainly a striker but Poliana said during the week that she has been training with UFC Bantamweight Ketlen Vieira to improve her ground game. That could pay dividends in the future. Lauren is also a striker. She trains at Alliance in San Diego with Eric Del Fierro. Both fighters are coming off of losses. Which one will bounce back? And Poliana could be a different fighter at Flyweight. A minute into round one, Poliana hit a body kick that hurt Lauren. She tried to hide it. But Poliana went after her and scored a takedown. She didn't do much with it but her top control was enough to win the round 10-9. Round two was similar though by the end of the round Poliana was getting tired and trying to kill time in the clinch. I also scored that round 10-9 for Poliana. So now Lauren needs a finish. Pederneiras told Poliana that she's winning and she just needs to kill time. She tries to do that with clinching on the fence and the ref keeps breaking it up. Lauren is scoring with strikes. She knocks Poliana down. And instead of letting her get up so she can hit her some more, she follows her to the mat and full guard. That was a huge mistake and Poliana was able to hold on to win the fight 29-28. All three judges scored it that way. I don't know if Lauren could have finished her. But her chances were better standing. She should be kicking herself for that mistake. I saw some improvement from Poliana especially in attempting takedowns. Now she needs to work on submissions. And she needs to work on her endurance too. It looks like Ketlen has helped her already. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Django Reinhardt

Artist:Django Reinhardt f/Jerry Mengo
Song:Lily Belle May June
Album:Rhythm & Swing




Here's an interesting recording from the early days of Django Reinhardt's Quintette du Hot Club de France. Though Reinhardt frequently recorded with bands that featured singers, I don't think his own band featured singers very much. Lily Belle May June was one of four songs recorded on Mar. 4, 1935. Based on the discography I looked at, Reinhardt's quintet had recorded previously once. So they may be trying to figure out what they want to be. Of course Reinhardt is on guitar along with Stephane Grappelli on violin. Roger Chaput and Joseph Reinhardt are also on guitar with Louis Vola on bass. The singer is Jerry Mengo. This was the only time Mengo sang with Reinhardt. And he wasn't really a singer. He was born Giuseppe Mengozzi Apr. 17, 1911 in Nice, France but he grew up in England. His singing appearance with Reinhardt was while he was studying in Paris. For the most part he was a drummer and later a bandleader recording swing in the 40s and easy listening music in the 60s. He also composed film music and even appeared as an actor in a couple of Jean-Pierre Melville films. Mengo died in 1979. I guess appearing with Reinhardt is Mengo's claim to fame but Reinhardt wasn't famous when he sang with him. You can get Mengo's appearances on this 7CD Reinhardt box set. Here's a video of Lily Belle May June by Django Reinhardt featuring Jerry Mengo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-PartyNextDoor

Artist:PartyNextDoor
Song:Not Nice
Album:3





If R&B singer PartyNextDoor reminds you of Drake, it's not a coincidence. Not only are they close friends and they frequently work together, PartyNextDoor records on Drake's OVO label. He has a new album coming out soon. Though PartyNextDoor has had some success, he may have to break away from Drake to have real success. He was born Jahron Braithwaite July 3, 1993 in Mississauga, ON which is west of Toronto. His parents are from the Caribbean. At 18 years old, he signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and then he released his first mixtape in 2013. Then Braithwaite signed with OVO. The album 2 was released in 2014. The album 3 was released in 2016. His singles including Not Nice have done OK in the R&B charts. Braithwaite has a new CD Club Atlantis scheduled for a 2019 release. At the same time, Braithwaite continues to work with Drake. He appears on Drake albums and Drake appears on his albums. Drake and his gaggle of producers wrote and produced Not Nice with Braithwaite. Braithwaite writes all of his own songs. And he scored his first number one hit writing the 2016 Rihanna single Work. He toured with Jeremih and they released a song and they plan to work together in the future. Braithwaite obviously has talent. He brings a Caribbean vibe to his music. The question is is he satisfied with being Drake's sidekick or does he want to pave his own path. His songwriting ability will make him good money regardless. Here's the video for Not Nice by PartyNextDoor.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 12, 2019

UFC 236 preview, new fight announcement and WWE news.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sweet Comfort Band

Artist:Sweet Comfort Band
Song:Got To Believe
Album:The Light Years





Sweet Comfort Band were pioneers in what would be called Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). It was called Jesus Music when they started in the mid 70s. Their music is slick pop very similar to a band like Pablo Cruise except Sweet Comfort Band sings about Jesus. Bryan Duncan formed Sweet Comfort Band in 1973 with Kevin Thomson on bass and his brother Rick Thomson on drums. Guitarist Randy Thomas joined in 1976 after his band Psalm 150 split up. Duncan and Thomas shared lead vocals. After one album, Sweet Comfort Band signed with Light Records. They brought in Seawind drummer Bob Wilson to produce. And he brought with him Jerry Hey and The Seawind Horns. The 1978 album Breakin' The Ice was very successful in the Christian market. And Got To Believe was a popular song. At the time CCM was only sold in Christian bookstores. It wasn't until the 80s that record companies tried to sell CCM in secular record stores. Elektra Records picked up one of their albums to try to cross them over to pop. Sweet Comfort Band recorded five albums for Light. This comp covers those years and it is available as a digital download. John Andrew Schreiner was brought in to play keyboards so Duncan could concentrate on singing. Sweet Comfort Band split up in 1984. Bryan Duncan has had a significant solo career. He was one of the most popular CCM artists of the 90s. Randy Thomas formed Allies with Bob Carlisle. Their real success came with Carlisle's 1997 monster hit Butterfly Kisses. Thomas co-wrote that song and made a whole lot of money. Rick Thomson became a contractor and owns a recording studio. After Kevin Thomson died in 2010, the other three reformed Sweet Comfort Band and recorded and toured in 2013. But there's no question Sweet Comfort Band was a an integral part of the advancement of Contemporary Christian Music. Here's Sweet Comfort Band performing Got to Believe 1977.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-EL VY

Artist:EL VY
Song:Return To The Moon (Political Song for Didi Blume to Sing, With Crescendo)
Album:Return To The Moon




The 2015 album Return To The Moon was an alt rock success for EL VY. Though EL VY has been described as a supergroup, my observation is they are a one shot side project who will probably never record again. Matt Berninger is lead singer of The National. Brent Knopf recorded as Ramona Falls and he is currently a member of Menomena. These guys are so busy I wouldn't think they would have time to form a band and tour. Berninger and Knopf became friends when The National and Menomena appeared on a 2003 show in Portland. They wanted to record together for years. They finally got the time after The National went on a break after a 2014 tour. Berninger says the songs on Return To The Moon are more autobiographical than what he normally writes for The National. So many of the songs are about growing up in Cincinnati. The song Return To The Moon was inspired by the 80s band Minutemen and the 2005 Minutemen documentary We Jam Econo. And also Berninger's daughter was obsessed with the movie Grease at the time. The album was released on The National's label 4AD. It did well and the single Return To The Moon was a top ten Adult Alternative hit. EL VY toured and then both guys returned to their usual bands. They told Rolling Stone they would like EL VY to record again. But they don't know if that is possible. The album is worth checking out especially by fans of The National. Here's EL VY performing Return To The Moon (Political Song for Didi Blume to Sing, With Crescendo) on Conan Sept. 30, 2015.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Len

Artist:Len
Song:Steal My Sunshine
Album:You Can't Stop The Bum Rush





So I'm sure you all remember this song. It was a top ten hit in 1999. But I bet you don't know anything about Len. And yes it is a true one hit wonder. Len was formed in Toronto in 1991 by Marc Costanzo and his sister Sharon. It came out of Sharon singing on Marc's basement demos. The music is indie rock with hip hop elements. After releasing a couple of albums independently, Len signed with Work Group with Sony distribution. Jennifer Lopez was also on that label. Their big break came when Steal My Sunshine appeared in Doug Liman's 1999 film Go which was very popular with teens. Then MTV and MuchMusic played the Steal My Sunshine video to death. It reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 in Canada. Costanzo based Steal My Sunshine on the 1976 disco hit More, More, More by Andrea True Connection. The vocals by Marc and Sharon are supposed to be similar to Human League's Don't You Want Me and that group used models as singers. So the vocals are supposed to be amateurish. Among those who worked on this album were Brian "DJ Moves" Higgins, Richard "Buck 65" Terfry and Brendan Canning who would go on to form Broken Social Scene. They were called Cryptik Souls Crew. The album You Can't Stop The Bum Rush was certified Gold. It is available as a budget CD. For the 2002 album We Be Who We Be, Len signed with DreamWorks Records. But DreamWorks closed and the album wasn't released. Len released it themselves as The Diary of the Madmen in 2005. Costanzo now says he only signed with DreamWorks for the advance money. He never wanted to record an album for them. For a while Marc Costanzo was an A&R guy at EMI Canada. Len released an album on EMI in 2012. Costanzo says in interviews that he knew Steal My Sunshine would be a one hit wonder. Besides, he hated being famous. He also ran into tax problems because he never hired an accountant to run his business. The Financial Times chronicled his court case in 2017. It was not pleasant. He does remember the good times though. Here's the video for Steal My Sunshine by Len.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Alexa Grasso added to June 8 UFC show

The UFC announced today that Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Alexa Grasso has been added to UFC 238 June 8 at the United Center in Chicago. This fight will be at Strawweight. I would describe both fighters as overrated points fighters. The big difference is that Karolina has been around the UFC longer and she once beat the current champ Rose Namajunas and that got her a title shot. She is 33 years old from Lodz, Poland. Her record is 12-4 and 5-4 in the UFC. She just lost to Michelle Waterson on Mar. 30. So it's a very quick turnaround. Karolina is on a two fight losing streak. Alexa is 25 years old from Mexico. Her record is 10-2 and 3-2 in the UFC. The last time we saw her she was submitted in round one by Tatiana Suarez May 2018. Since then injuries have forced three scheduled fights to be cancelled. And she had injury problems back in her Invicta days. The interest in Alexa is because she is young, attractive and Mexico is an emerging UFC market. So she tends to get overrated because fans want her to be good. Neither fighter is a finisher. Both are strikers with no power or ground game. So I am expecting three rounds of light sparring with a possible split decision. And I will be very grumpy while I watch this fight. One possible explanation for Karolina taking a quick fight is she announced plans to start a family and she may be looking to retire.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Lacy

Artist:Steve Lacy
Song:San Francisco Holiday
Album:Four Classic Albums





Steve Lacy is one of the all time greats of the soprano sax. His early albums from the late 50s are essential listening. He may have been the first post bop soprano sax player. Because he lived most of his life in Europe he isn't as well known in the US as he should be. He was born Steven Lackritz July 23, 1934 in New York City. Of course his hero growing up was the legendary Sidney Bechet. So it's not surprising that as a teen Lacy played Dixieland jazz with guys like Henry "Red" Allen, Pee Wee Russell and Buck Clayton. But then Lacy took a sharp turn to avant garde when he played on pianist Cecil Taylor's 1956 debut album Jazz Advance. And he also appeared with Taylor at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. Lacy also appeared on a couple of Gil Evans albums. Lacy signed with Prestige Records and his debut album as a leader Soprano Sax was released in 1957. San Francisco Holiday is from the 1961 album Evidence released on Prestige's New Jazz label. Lacy was a big Thelonious Monk fan and Evidence was one of several Lacy albums to feature mostly Monk compositions. The album features trumpeter Don Cherry who at the time was in Ornette Coleman's band. Carl Brown is on bass and Billy Higgins is on drums. The album is available on CD. But Avid has released Lacy's first four albums on 2CDs. So that's what I suggest. Lacy moved to Europe in 1965. He lived with his wife singer violinist Irene Aebi in Paris after moving there in 1970. And they toured and recorded with his band. Lacy returned to the US in 2002. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. He continued to perform and teach until he died on June 4, 2004 at age 69. Here's a video for San Francisco Holiday by Steve Lacy.

Andrea Lee vs Montana De La Rosa added to June 22 UFC show

BREAKING: Montana De La Rosa (@montanamarie211) vs. Andrea Lee (@AndreaKGBLee) in the works for UFC Greenville on 6/22 @FloCombat #UFC https://t.co/HmCyQQ4Py6

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) April 8, 2019

Nolan King of Flo Combat reported today that Andrea Lee vs Montana De La Rosa has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 11 June 22 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. This fight will be at Flyweight. Andrea is 30 years old from Shreveport, LA. Her record is 10-2 and 2-0 in the UFC. Her calling card is sex appeal and charisma. I have seen he a few times and I still don't know if she is a good fighter. In her last fight, her opponent Ashlee Evans-Smith did nothing for three rounds and Andrea won by unanimous decision. So I would like to see her face better competition. It's the same thing with Montana. She's 24 years old from Arlington, TX. Her husband is also a UFC fighter. Her record is 10-4 and 3-0 in the UFC. The good news is she finished all three fights. The bad news is none of her opponents should be in the UFC. So Andrea is a significant step up in competition level for Montana. Or is it? I guess we'll find out.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 8, 2019

Wrestlemania weekend review.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Neko Case

Artist:Neko Case
Song:Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Album:Hard-Headed Woman: A Celebration of Wanda Jackson




I know there are plenty of Neko Case fans. I met her when I covered the 2004 world premiere of the women's wrestling documentary Lipstick & Dynamite. She composed the music for the film. Her aunt Ella Waldek was a 50s wrestler who was featured in the film. I met her too. Neko asked me where she could find video of Ella. I gave her a few leads. Sometimes I like to feature what I call orphan recordings. Neko's cover of the Chuck Berry classic Brown Eyed Handsome Man does not appear on any of her albums. It appears on the 2004 CD Hard-Headed Woman: A Celebration of Wanda Jackson. Of course Wanda is a rockabilly legend. And she just retired from performing. So she is certainly worthy of a tribute. This album was released by the alt country label Bloodshot Records. I'm pretty sure Jon Rauhouse produced the album. He's a Bloodshot house producer and he is playing pedal steel guitar on the video clip. Others who appear on this album include Carolyn Mark and the Roommates, Nora O'Connor, Asylum Street Spankers, Anna Fermin, Kelly Hogan, Robbie Fulks, The Sweet Hereafter, Cornell Hurd, Rosie Flores, Candye Kane, Trailer Bride, Jan Baxter-Miller, Wayne Hancock, Kristi Rose, Laura Cantrell, Kim Lenz, Sheri Hurst and The Bottle Rockets, The Ranch Girls, The Brisket Boys and Jesse Dayton. This album should be fun as Wanda is a beloved figure in rockabilly fandom. Here's Neko Case performing Brown Eyed Handsome Man on the TV show Chic-A-Go-Go 2004. Jon Rauhouse and Kelly Hogan are in the band. I dunno about the show. It looks like cable access to me. And I guess Neko etc. wore wigs as a gag.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Students

Artist:The Students
Song:I'm So Young
Album:WCBS FM101: History of Rock: The Doo-Wop Era Part 1




Though it was not a hit when first released in 1958, I'm So Young is considered today to be a doo wop classic. The Students were from Cincinnati. They all went to high school together. Leroy King was lead singer along with Dorsey Porter (first tenor), Roy Ford (second tenor), John Bolden (baritone), Richard Johnson (bass) and Ralph Byrd (guitar). They called themselves The D'Italians. Otis Williams of The Charms helped them get gigs. I'm So Young was written by another high school student William "Prez" Tyus. He gave the song to The D'Italians. And through local distributor Mel Herman they got a record deal with Chess' Checker label. He also suggested a name change to The Students. They went to record at Chess in Chicago with sax player Jimmy Coe. Among those who played on the session was legendary jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. I'm So Young was a midwest regional hit. The Students toured. They even played The Apollo in New York for a week. The Students recorded another single. Then Byrd left and was replaced by jazz guitarist Wilbert Longmire. It all ended for The Students when Chess wanted them to record Cathy's Clown (later a hit for The Everly Brothers). The Students turned it down and Chess dropped them. The group split up. But when the 1961 reissue of I'm So Young was a national R&B hit, they reformed for a year. They reformed in the 70s to tour the nostalgia circuit. You can get I'm So Young on this various artists budget comp. I'm So Young was covered by several groups. But the most notable cover was on the 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!. Apparently Brian Wilson loves this song as it appears on a CD of songs that Wilson cites as influences. Here's a video for I'm So Young by The Students.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane vs Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair

Here's the match video of Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane vs Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair from last bight's NXT Takeover show. It's a great match well worth watching. Things pick up very quickly when Kairi and Io start flying all over the place. The cameras had trouble keeping up with them. The pattern of these kind of matches is everyone gets to land their stuff. The turning point comes when Io lands two moonsaults on Shayna and Kairi breaks up the pin. Then Kairi lands her Insane Elbow and Io breaks up the pin. That's when they started fighting each other. Of course fans wondered if they would do that. Of course they would. And that led to Bianca landing her KOD finisher on both Io and Kairi. They rolled out of the ring and Shayna beat Bianca with the Kirifuda Clutch. Earlier when she tried that Bianca got out of it. I didn't like the finish. I thought it took too long and either Kairi or Io should have been able to break it up. For that reason, I don't like a submission finish in that kind of match. I don't know why they kept the belt on Shayna unless she doesn't want to move up to the main roster. It's a fun match. Be sure to check it out. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-4Him

Artist:4Him
Song:Wings
Album:The Ride





4Him was a very successful Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) group in the 90s. They won the Dove Award for Group of the Year from 1993-95. 4Him are from Mobile, AL. Andy Chrisman, Mark Harris Marty Magehee and Kirk Sullivan met when they sang together in the CCM group Truth. Truth had been around since the 60s and they had a rotating roster of singers. Benson Records reps saw these guys perform as Truth and they wanted them to be in a new group. They left Truth and released the 1990 debut album 4Him. Where Is The Faith was their first big hit. It topped the CCM chart for eight weeks. 4Him's music slickly produced pop music except that it is aimed at the Christian market. Sometimes CCM crosses over to pop. Capitol Records unsuccessfully tried to cross 4Him to pop. Their main producer was veteran CCM producer Don Koch. Harris wrote a lot of the songs with Koch. Koch was just starting out at the time. Wings is from the 1994 album The Ride. Again they are working with Koch. Harris and Koch wrote Wings. Koch brings in outside producers too. Wings was produced by Peter Wolf. No it's not the J. Geils Band singer. Wolf is from Vienna. He started out playing piano for Frank Zappa. They use studio musicians. Jerry Hey of Seawind arranged the horns. The guitar solo is by one time Earth, Wind & Fire member Sheldon Reynolds. Veteran producer and CCM artist Michael Omartian also produced some tracks. This album is available as a budget CD. Omartian would later become 4Him's main producer. And the guys had more input with him. 4Him left Benson for Word in 2001. And after two albums they decided to disband. All four have recorded solo but Harris has been the most successful. 4Him have reunited occasionally including a 2013 tour with Avalon and a 25th anniversary tour in 2015. It wouldn't surprise me if they continued to reunite occasionally. Here's the video for Wings by 4Him.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 5, 2019

Wrestlemania weekend preview and new fight announcements.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ginuwine

Artist:Ginuwine
Song:Differences
Album:Greatest Hits





The 2001 single Differences was one of three top ten pop hits for R&B crooner Ginuwine. He also topped the R&B Singles chart twice. He was born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin Oct. 15, 1970 in Washington, DC. And yes he was named after NBA legend Elgin Baylor who is a DC native. Growing up Lumpkin was a big Michael Jackson fan and he even appeared locally as a Jackson impressionist. And he was in a couple of local bands. Meanwhile he studied to be a paralegal at Prince George's Community College in Largo, MD. Fortunately he was spotted by Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate of Jodeci and Lumpkin took the name Ginuwine and joined DeGrate's group Swing Mob. It was there that Lumpkin met Missy Elliott, Stephen "Static Major" Garrett and most importantly Tim "Timbaland" Mosely. Mosely produced most of Lumpkin's 1996 debut CD Ginuwine...the Bachelor including the single Pony which reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Mosely also produced the 1999 album 100% Ginuwine which was also certified 2XPlatinum. But there were no hit singles. So they split up for the 2001 album The Life. Both of Lumpkin's parents died so he dedicated the album to them. A lot of the album was produced by Cliff Jones who Lumpkin knew from the DC R&B scene. Differences was written and produced by Troy Oliver who produced the Jennifer Lopez album Jenny On The Block. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. From there he faded. The 2003 album The Senior was certified Gold. In Those Jeans was Lumpkin's third top ten pop hit. After one more album on Epic, Lumpkin has bounced around a couple of labels. His most recent album was a Christmas album in 2011. There was talk in 2014 that Lumpkin might reunite with Mosely. It hasn't happened but they are still talking according to a recent Billboard interview. Lumpkin also recorded and toured with Tyrese and Tank as TGT. And he still performs live. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lumpkin do a gospel album. Here's the video for Differences by Ginuwine.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair from this week's episode of NXT. Of course this is supposed to set up this Friday's four way match for the NXT Women's Championship. The match is a great appetizer as these two have great chemistry together. Bianca makes the same mistake everyone makes. She underestimates Kairi's toughness. It makes for a compelling match. Kairi hits a tremendous forearm near the start of the match. Then she mocks Bianca's braids and strut. That pisses off Bianca which leads to Kairi's interceptor spear. Then Kairi goes flying around. The match continues like this until Shayna Baszler and her pals come out to beat both of them up. This brings Io Shirai out and it all turns into a brawl with Io's moonsault taking everyone out on the floor. Io grabs the belt and that's the end. I heard that there was supposed to be a stipulation added to tomorrow's match. There has been no announcement. I can't wait as this match could steal the show. In the meantime, enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Phil Collins

Artist:Phil Collins f/Marilyn Martin
Song:Separate Lives
Album:...Hits





Of course Phil Collins had plenty of hits in the 80s. The 1985 top five hit Separate Lives was on the soundtrack of the film White Nights. It's a duet with Marilyn Martin. Who? Well, that's the point. She was going to be this big star. But her career fizzled. She was born May 4, 1954 in Tennessee but she grew up in Louisville, KY. After singing in local clubs, she toured with Joe Walsh and then moved to Los Angeles. She got into session singing. And I guess the big album she appeared on was the 1985 Stevie Nicks album Rock A Little because Atlantic Records head honcho Doug Morris heard her and asked for a demo. Meanwhile she appeared on the soundtrack of the 1984 film Streets Of Fire. Jim Steinman produced that and he produced her demo. That got her a deal with Atlantic. Morris was working on the music for White Nights. He asked Collins and producer Arif Mardin if they would record a song with Marilyn. They agreed. Stephen Bishop wrote Separate Lives and he recorded it on his 1985 album Sleeping With Girls. He was getting divorced when he wrote it. The record reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also nominated for an Oscar. But Say You, Say Me by Lionel Richie also in White Nights won the Oscar. It wasn't on the soundtrack album for contractual reasons. Marilyn released her solo debut album Marilyn Martin in 1986, The single Nigh Moves, a duet with John Parr (St. Elmo's Fire) was a top 30 hit. But that was the final chart appearance for Marilyn. The album did not do as well as expected. And she worked with big name producers like Arif Mardin and Phil Ramone. For her 1988 album This Is Serious, Marilyn worked mostly with Night Moves producer Jon Astley. They even got Madonna and her producer Patrick Leonard to write a song for her. It didn't help and Atlantic dropped her. Marilyn returned to background singing. Morris suggested she go to Nashville and record a country album. After the 1994 single Through His Eyes didn't do well, the album was shelved. It is available on Marilyn's website. Marilyn is still around. She released a Christian album in 2012. She toured with Stevie Nicks and she currently tours with Fleetwood Mac. As was explained in the Oscar winning doc Twenty Feet From Stardom, some singers aren't meant to be stars. Here's the video for Separate Lives by Phil Collins featuring Marilyn Martin.

Lina Lansberg vs Tonya Evinger added to June 1 UFC show

The UFC Europe Twitter just announced that Lina Lansberg vs Tonya Evinger has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 10 June 1 at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. This fight will be at Bantamweight. Lina is 37 years old from Malmo, Sweden. She trains with former UFC fighter Akira Corassani. Her record is 8-4 and 2-3 in the UFC. She came to the UFC as a Cris Cyborg sacrifice. Otherwise I don't think she would be in the UFC. Lina is a kickboxer known as The Elbow Queen. But she isn't much of an MMA fighter. Her striking isn't even that good. Tonya is also 37 years old. She is from St. Louis but she lives in Houston. Her record is 19-8-1NC and 0-2 in the UFC. I think it's fair to say that Tonya is a women's MMA pioneer. She debuted in 2006. Interestingly, she also came to the UFC as a Cris Cyborg sacrifice. Before that she was Invicta Bantamweight Champion. And before that she failed to make the TUF 18 house. After the Cyborg fight, she was forced to pull out of a fight due to a knee injury. And then she lost to hot prospect Aspen Ladd Oct. 2018. There's no question that Tonya is a more accomplished fighter than Lina. She should win this fight. But what if she loses. My assessment of this fight is whoever loses goes on a one way trip to Palookaville.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago

Artist:Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago
Song:Awesome
Album:The Best of Both Worlds





Long time gospel music fans should be familiar with Rev. Clay Evans, founder of Chicago's Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. For many years Evans was a popular gospel artist on Savoy Records. Evans retired in 2000 and turned the reins over to Charles Jenkins. His mix of traditional choir music and contemporary gospel has topped the Gospel charts since the 2012 album The Best of Both Worlds. Jenkins was born Dec. 14, 1975 in Chicago. After attending Moody Bible School and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, he took over as pastor of Fellowship when Evans retired in 2000. The choir continued of course but Jenkins didn't want to ride Evans' coattails. So he waited for ten years before signing with EMI Gospel which is now called Motown Gospel. The 2012 album The Best of Both Worlds was Jenkins' first album. The album and the single Awesome topped the Gospel charts. And the album reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 200 which is pretty good for a gospel album. Jenkins has released three albums. The most recent is Think About These Things in 2016. He has also released a couple of his sermons on CD. He has also worked with Israel Houghton among others as a songwriter and producer. Jenkins announced in February that he will retire from pastoring at the end of 2019 probably to concentrate on his music. It's not clear yet what he will do. It would not surprise me if he starts his own church. Here's the video for Awesome by Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Danleers

Artist:The Danleers
Song:One Summer Night
Album:WCBS FM101: History of Rock The 50s Part 1





One Summer Night was a top ten hit for The Danleers in 1958. It turned out to be their only chart hit. The Danleers were typical of doo wop groups of the 50s. They started out singing on Brooklyn streetcorners. Jimmy Weston was lead singer along with Johnny Lee, Willie Ephraim, Nat McCune and Roosevelt Mays. Danny Webb became the group's manager and songwriter. He even named the group after himself. One Summer Night was the first single. It was released on Bill Lasley's AMP 3 label. When One Summer Night became a regional hit, Lasley sold it to Mercury Records. Once it got national distribution, the record reached #7 on the Billboard singles chart. This procession was typical of how most doo wop singles became hits. It starts with a small label who sold it to a large label. The Danleers went on tour and appeared on TV. They recorded two more singles for Mercury and then were dropped when those went nowhere. Then the whole group jumped ship. Weston recruited all new singers and The Danleers recorded for Epic, Everest, Le-Mans and Mercury's Smash label. The Danleers disbanded for good in 1964. You can get One Summer Night on this Collectables various artists CD. Jimmy Weston revived The Danleers in the 70s to tour the nostalgia circuit. He did that until his 1993 death. Here's The Danleers performing One Summer Night 1958.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joey DeFrancesco

Artist:Joey DeFrancesco f/Joe Doggs
Song:Secret Love
Album:Falling In Love Again





Joey DeFrancesco has done a lot to keep the Hammond organ alive. He is probably the most prolific jazz musician in the world. He records a lot not only as a leader but as a sideman. And he's been going since he signed with Columbia Records in 1987 when he was 16 years. And of course he records with many musicians and singers. On this 2003 album Falling In Love Again, he is recording with a singer credited as Joe Doggs. You might be surprised to know that Joe Doggs is actually Oscar winning actor Joe Pesci. You might also be surprised to know that Pesci started out in music in the 60s. Pesci was friends with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Then while working as a barber like his mom, Pesci played guitar with several bands including Joey Dee and the Starliters who were famous for Peppermint Twist. Then in 1968 he recorded an album for Brunswick Records called Little Joe Sure Can Sing. He was supposed to be called Joe Ritchie but the cover just says Little Joe. It was produced by jazz producer Jack Lewis and and arranged and conducted by Artie Schroeck. He also performed in New York clubs with actor Frank Vincent as Vincent and Pesci. They were supposed to be like Martin and Lewis. They released a single in 1972. Of course then he got into acting. He returned to music in 1998 with the album Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Records Just For You. It's supposed to be his character from My Cousin Vinny. Then Pesci announced his retirement from acting to pursue music. From what I can tell, the only time Pesci recorded was as Joe Doggs on this 2003 album Falling In Love Again with Joey DeFrancesco. Musicians are Pat Martino on guitar, Ralph Moore on tenor sax and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Pesci is not identified. So it makes me think that Concord thought of signing Pesci and they wanted to try him out. Pesci hasn't recorded since then and he has returned to acting. Here's a video of Secret Love by Joey DeFrancesco featuring Joe Doggs. Just another unearthed musical curio.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Mar. 31, 2019

UFC on ESPN 2 review.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Maryna Moroz vs Sabina Mazo

Here's the match video of Maryna Moroz vs Sabina Mazo from last night's UFC show in Philadelphia. Maryna has had a mixed run as a UFC Strawweight. But before the UFC she fought at Flyweight. Would that make a difference? Maryna is also training at American Top Team in Florida. Sabina is 22 years old from Columbia making her UFC debut. She is a former LFA champ and she trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA. The betting odds favored Sabina. Even if you don't think highly of Maryna, she is still a big step up in competition level. Sabina broke her nose early in round one. It looked like it might have been an accidental clash of heads. I'm not sure how that affected her but she lacked aggression. Maryna won the first two rounds fairly easily. Sabina would need a finish. She is known for her head kicks. Of course Maryna was aware of this and she fought conservatively in round three. So Sabina won round three but she didn't get the finish she needed. I scored it 29-28 for Maryna and she won by unanimous decision. She seems like a better fighter at Flyweight. A ranked opponent might be in order for her. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Marina Rodriguez vs Jessica Aguilar

Here's the match video of Marina Rodriguez vs Jessica Aguilar from last night's UFC show in Philadelphia. Jessica came in as a late replacement for Alexa Grasso. Jessica is probably at the point where she should think about retirement. Marina drew with Randa Markos in her UFC debut. She's a kickboxer. Jessica broke her nose early in round one. After that there was blood all over the place. Then there was an eyepoke and Marina was admonished. But Jessica was still able to get a takedown and almost an armbar submission. Marina escaped and then another eyepoke. This time the ref took a point from Marina. When the fight restarted, Marina knocked Jessica down. I scored the round 10-8 for Jessica because of the near submission. Things didn't go so well for Jessica after that. She got hammered in round two. It just wasn't quite enough for a stoppage. I scored the round 10-8 for Marina. Marina continued to pound Jessica in round three. I scored the round 10-9 for Marina. Marina won by unanimous decision. Both fighters went to the hospital afterwards. It looks like Marina hurt her arm. Jessica took such a pounding in this fight that I would like to see her retire. But you know how fighters can be. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Michelle Waterson vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Here's the match video of Michelle Waterson vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz from last night's UFC show in Philadelphia. Whoever wins this fight gets closer to a Strawweight title shot. I expected the fight to be competitive but not compelling. And light sparring is what we got in round one. I thought Michelle was marginally more effective so I scored the round 10-9 for Michelle. Michelle got what she needed in round two as she got a takedown halfway through the round. She didn't come close to a finish. But the idea was to put the fear of a takedown in Karolina's mind so she thinks twice about doing anything. It worked. Michelle won the fight 30-27. So does she get a title shot. I dunno. Tatiana Suarez and Weili Zhang may have something to say about that. This was a big win for Michelle. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Presidents of the United States of America

Artist:The Presidents of the United States of America
Song:Lump
Album:The Presidents of the United States of America





The Presidents of the United States of America (PUSA) came from the 90s alt rock and grunge scene in Seattle. Their 1995 debut album did very well mostly because MTV played the video for Lump to death. But after their second album didn't do well, they split up. They were from Seattle led by lead singer, bassist and songwriter Chris Ballew. He met guitarist Dave Dederer in school. In the late 80s Ballew lived in Boston and was in the band Egg. He moved back to Seattle in 1993 and formed PUSA with Dederer and Love Battery drummer Jason Finn. After releasing a couple of singles, PUSA signed with Columbia and released the 1995 album The Presidents of the United States of America. Lump was their biggest hit as it topped the Alt Rock chart. The album was certified 3XPlatinum. This was driven by MTV playing the video for Lump to death. The video was directed by Roman Coppola. The album was produced by PopLlama Records owner Conrad Uno who originally signed PUSA. Their music was more tongue in cheek than other bands of that era. Their 1996 album II didn't do as well. After releasing the rarities album Pure Frosting, Ballew disbanded PUSA to spend more time with his family. They reformed in 2004 and recorded on their own label and toured until Ballew decided to disband PUSA for good in 2016. Ballew has recorded solo but he seems to really enjoy performing children's music as Caspar Babypants. I guess he's found his calling. Here's the video for Lump by The Presidents of the United States of America.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dhar Braxton

Artist:Dhar Braxton
Song:Jump Back (Set Me Free)
Album:Ultimate Dance Mega Hits





Chances are pretty good that if you are a fan of 80s freestyle dance music you heard Jump Back because it topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1986. But not only was Dhar Braxton a one hit wonder, she only recorded a couple of singles and then disappeared. I know what you're thinking. Isn't she one of the Braxton sisters? Nope. Dhar's mom was jazz singer Byrdie Green. Byrdie released the 1966 album The Stinger Meets The Golden Thrush with organist Johnny "Hammond" Smith. Byrdie put her singing career on hold to raise her family. She returned in the 70s to tour with The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Jump Back was released in 1986 on Sleeping Bag Records, one of the leading producers of Freestyle dance music. As I said, it was a big hit in clubs at the time. The song was written and produced by Jhon Fair. The only other singer of note he produced was Colette "Chocolette" Thompson and she's singing background vocals on this record. The remix was by Robert Civilles who would later become famous as one half of C+C Music Factory. Dhar recorded a second single Illusions in 1987 but it went nowhere. She never recorded an album and the only way to get Jump Back is on various artists CDs like this one from the British label Warlock. Dhar did release the 1993 single No More Shadows on her own label. And that's it. I assume she started a family. Here's a video for Jump Back (Set Me Free) by Dhar Braxton.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Mar. 29, 2019

Asuka, UFC on ESPN 2 preview and new fight announcements.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fiona Hendley

Artist:Fiona Hendley
Song:With Every Breath I Take
Album:City Of Angels: Original London Cast Recording





British actress Fiona Hendley had success on the London stage and TV in the 80s. She retired from acting to be a minister. She appeared in the 1993 London production of the Broadway musical City Of Angels. She was born in Surrey, England in 1959. She first appeared on British TV in the late 70s. Then she appeared in the ITV series Widows. This show was created by Prime Suspect creator Lynda LaPlante. The show was so successful there was a 1985 sequel. At the same time Fiona appeared in stage productions of A Beggar's Opera, Guys and Dolls and Kiss Me Kate. And she appeared in the 1985 production of Randy Newman's Trouble In Paradise. City Of Angels is a musical tribute to Film Noir written by Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart. The 1989 Broadway production starred David Naughton. Of course it's not unusual for successful Broadway shows to turn up in London. And Fiona was in the 1993 production. The original cast album is available as a budget CD. After that Fiona retired from acting. She has been married to Manfred Mann lead singer Paul Jones since 1984. They do evangelistic speaking tours. Here's a video of with Every Breath I Take by Fiona Hendley.

Amanda Nunes vs Holly Holm added to July 6 UFC show

Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported yesterday that Amanda Nunes will defend her UFC Bantamweight Championship against Holly Holm at UFC 239 July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Apparently this has been agreed to verbally pending signed bout agreements. Originally Holly was supposed to fight Aspen Ladd last month. That fight was scrapped for two reasons. Holly was in negotiations for a new contract. And the UFC wanted to do Amanda vs Holly at UFC 237 in Brazil. Holly's manager Lenny Fresquez announced last week that Holly has signed a new six fight contract. And now she's getting a Bantamweight title shot in July. Amanda did the unthinkable by knocking out Cris Cyborg on New Year's Eve. Right now she looks unbeatable. But with this talk about her mother bugging her to retire, I wonder how focused Amanda is on fighting. There's no question she's a better fighter than Holly. Though Holly looked really good in her most recent win over Megan Anderson. And she has shocked the world before. A silly distraction like impending retirement may be the only thing that could derail Amanda. It indicates she's a flake and her head isn't on straight. Stupidity sometimes trumps ability.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Twila Paris

Artist:Twila Paris
Song:The Warrior Is A Child
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Twila Paris




Twila Paris was one of the most popular Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) artists of the 80s and 90s. She is known as "the modern day hymnwriter". The Warrior Is A Child was her very first number one CCM hit in 1984. She was born Dec. 28, 1958 in Fort Worth, TX but she grew up in Arkansas. Her grandparents were traveling preachers. And so were her parents. As a child Twila toured with them. And she released an album in 1965. Her father founded Ecclesia College in Springdale, AR. Twila self financed her 1980 album Knowin' You're Around. It got her a deal with Milk & Honey Records. Her 1984 album The Warrior Is A Child was produced by Jonathan David Brown, a recording engineer who worked with many CCM artists. The single The Warrior Is A Child topped the CCM charts. It was her first number one hit. Twila continued to have success into the 90s first for Star Song and then for EMI's Sparrow label. She won the Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year from 1993-1995. In recent years she has produced her own albums and released them through eOne. This budget comp is a good intro to her music. A lot of her songs are church standards. Here's Twila Paris performing The Warrior Is A Child on the TNN show Crook & Chase 1993.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Charlotte Flair vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Charlotte Flair vs Asuka from last night's episode of Smackdown. The original plan was a five way match to determine a Wrestlemania challenger for Asuka. The WWE decided to change it to a title match for Charlotte. The obvious reason for this is the Wrestlemania card is so bloated that they needed to get rid of a match. I've been saying for the last two months that the logical solution is to add Asuka to the main event and make it a four way especially if the titles will be unified as some of us expect. Of course doing it this way plays into Charlotte as spoiled an undeserving. But they have had way too much time to come up with contrived convoluted nonsense throughout the card. It's all unnecessary and this is no different. When they do it this way, there is no way Asuka is keeping the title. And it pisses off fans because they love Asuka. They don't hate Charlotte. They hate Vince for anointing Charlotte the chosen one. And that has been part of this angle since SummerSlam. The fans aren't booing Charlotte. They are booing Vince. The match itself is very similar to their Wrestlemania match. I actually liked the ending much better. The Wrestlemania match end was too abrupt. Of course fans are all outraged and they think she should leave the WWE. She said in a Japanese post match promo that she lost but she will come back stronger than ever. She'll be fine as long as the WWE doesn't try to cheat her out of a Wrestlemania bonus like they tried to do at SummerSlam. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kate Capshaw

Artist:Kate Capshaw
Song:Anything Goes
Album:Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack




Today Kate Capshaw is best known as the wife of director Steven Spielberg. Her best known role was as nightclub singer Willie Scott in the 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom which was directed by Spielberg. Kate learned to sing in Mandarin and tap dance and she performed Anything Goes over the opening credits. It's the only singing performance in her career. She was born Kathleen Nail Nov. 3, 1953 in Fort Worth, TX. and she grew up in St. Louis. After earning a degree in Education at the University of Missouri, Kate taught school for a few years. She married Robert Capshaw in 1976. They had one child and divorced in 1980. Kate moved to New York to pursue an acting career. And after appearing in the daytime soap The Edge of Night, she won the lead in the 1982 film A Little Sex. And then she got the role in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. And she met her future husband Steven Spielberg. I guess the rest is history. Of course the film was a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Kate had to learn to sing in Mandarin. She learned to tap dance. But her dress was so tight she couldn't dance in it. Though Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was a box office hit, it got mixed reviews and today neither Spielberg or Kate are fond of the film. The good news is they married in 1991, have several kids and still seem happy today. The soundtrack of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in an expanded version in 2008 by Concord. Kate appeared in several 80s films including Dreamscape, SpaceCamp, Power and Black Rain. Love Affair was her biggest film in the 90s. And she produced and starred in the 1999 film The Love Letter. That was her final film and I think it's fair to say that Kate Capshaw is retired. Here's Kate Capshaw performing Anything Goes from the 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Bea Malecki vs Duda Santana added to June 1 UFC show

Ultimate contrata Duda Cowboyzinha, que estreia contra sueca no UFC Estocolmo | combate | Sportv https://t.co/4UuQvQ6K68

— Raphael Marinho (@raphamarinho) March 26, 2019

Raphael Marinho of Combate in Brazil reported this morning that Bea Malecki vs Duda Santana has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 10 June 1 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. This fight is at Featherweight. Bea is 27 years old from Stockholm, Sweden. She had no pro experience when she was on TUF 28. She lost in the first round. She is a former Muay Thai champ in Europe. She doesn't have the experience to be in the UFC. The good news is Duda is inexperienced too. She is 22 years old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She trains at Tata Fight Club with UFC fighters Alex Oliveira and Thiago Santos. Her record is 3-0 in the Brazilian regional circuit. Duda was supposed to appear on the Brazilian Dana White Contender Series. But visa problems prevented her from going to Las Vegas. So she might be a good match for Bea. I favor Bea only because she is fighting in her home town and that should motivate. I guess the only thing this fight shows is the UFC is signing Featherweights.

Megan Anderson vs Felicia Spencer added to May 18 UFC show

The Canadian Press reported this morning that Megan Anderson vs Felicia Spencer has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 9 May 18 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. This fight will be at Featherweight. Both fighters are former Invicta Featherweight champions. Megan is 29 years old from Gold Coast, Australia but she trains with UFC fighter James Strauss in Kansas City. Her record is 8-3 and 1-1 in the UFC. She won her last fight over Cat Zingano when her toenail cut Cat's eyelid. Despite Cat's protest, that is a legal blow. But it was a fluke. She didn't look good when she lost her previous fight to Holly Holm. Megan has improved since moving to the US. But I'm not convinced that she is good enough to contend for a title. Felicia is 28 years old from Montreal but she trains at The Jungle in Orlando, FL. Her 6-0 record was all in Invicta. And what I like about her is she finishes fights. And I'm not sure that Megan is any better that Felicia's competition level in Invicta. But she certainly seems to be an elite fighter. Signing Felicia indicates that the UFC is keeping the Featherweight division.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Spiritualized

Artist:Spiritualized
Song:Come Together
Album:Ladies and Gentlemen...We Are Floating In Space




Spiritualized has had success mostly in their native England. The 1997 album Ladies and Gentleman...We Are Floating In Space is their most successful to date. Their music is described as space rock or neo psychedelia. Spiritualized leader Jason Pierce is from Rugby, England. He was a member of the 80s band Spacemen 3. Pierce and co-leader Peter Kember weren't getting along. After Spacemen 3 split up in 1989, Pierce asked the other members if they wanted to form a new band. Pierce was lead singer, guitarist and songwriter. At the time of the 1997 album Ladies and Gentlemen...We Are Floating In Space, the other members were Kate Radley (Pierce's girlfriend) on keyboards, Sean Cook on bass and Damon Reece on drums. Spiritualized were on Dedicated Records, the same label as Spacemen 3. After two albums, they signed a US deal with Arista. And that signed is what got them international attention. The album reached #4 on the British album chart and it was certified Platinum worldwide. Special guests included Dr. John, The Balanescu Quartet and the London Community Gospel Choir. By that time Pierce and Radley split up and she left the band. Cook and Reece left over money and formed Lupine Howl. Pierce hired new musicians and Spiritualized recorded two more albums. In 2005, Pierce almost died from pneumonia. He recorded a solo album during recovery. And he reformed Spiritualized for the 2008 album Songs in A&E. Pierce got ill again this time with liver cancer. After chemotherapy, he signed with Fat Possum Records and there have been two Spiritualized albums since then including And Nothing Hurt last year. Spiritualized is currently on a US tour and they should record new music afterwards. Ladies and Gentlemen...We Are Floating In Space is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Come Together by Spiritualized.

Felice Herrig vs Yan Xiaonan added to June 8 UFC show

Ultimate negocia Felice Herrig x Yan Xiaonan para o UFC 238, em Chicago | combate | Sportv https://t.co/g2qA24klyQ

— Raphael Marinho (@raphamarinho) March 25, 2019

Raphael Marinho of Combate in Brazil reported this morning that Felice Herrig vs Yan Xiaonan has been added to UFC 238 June 8 at the United Center in Chicago. The UFC is waiting for the bout agreements to be signed. This fight will be at Strawweight. Felice is 34 years old from Chicago. She trains with former WEC, UFC and Bellator fighter Jeff Curran. Her record is 14-8 and 5-3 in the UFC. She looked great when she won five straight fights. But now she lost her last two and she didn't look good in either fight. So she really needs a win. Yan is 29 years old from China. Her record is 10-1 and 3-0 in the UFC. She beat Syuri Kondo in her last fight. This is a big step up in competition for Yan. And it's her US debut. And if you don't think that's a big deal, you're wrong. I don't expect a finish in this fight. Felice has finished fights in the past but not lately. And Yan is a points fighter. She's nowhere near as good as Weili Zhang. I like this fight because there is pressure on both fighters to win. My concern is both will be tentative and it will result in a boring fight. Who will risk everything and really go for the win.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Morcheeba

Artist:Morcheeba
Song:Otherwise
Album:Parts Of The Process





Morcheeba was a big part of the 90s Trip Hop movement in England led by Portishead. Morcheeba had success mostly in England. But the 2002 single Otherwise was a dance hit in the US. DJ Paul Godfrey and his keyboard player brother Ross Godfrey moved to London from Kent to get into the music business. At first they produced instrumentals but that went nowhere. They met singer Skye Edwards at a party and Morcheeba was born. After a 1996 EP, they signed with China Records and released the 1996 album Who Can You Trust?. The Godfrey brothers also worked on David Byrne's 1997 album Feelings. They signed with Sire Records in the US. Their next couple of albums were very successful in England. The 1998 album Big Calm was certified Platinum in England. By the time the album Charango was released in 2002, the Godfrey brothers and Skye weren't getting along. So she has a diminished role on that album. The single Otherwise was a dance hit in the US. Skye left to go solo in 2003. She thought Morcheeba was disbanding. But the Godfrey brothers decided to keep the name for the 2005 album The Antidote. They unsuccessfully tried to replace Skye. She released a solo album in 2006. Then she returned to Morcheeba in 2009. After a couple of albums, Paul Godfrey left in 2014. Morcheeba still records and tours. They released an album last year. They're just not as popular as they were in 2002. This comp covers the albums before Skye left. Here's the video for Otherwise by Morcheeba.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Mar. 24, 2019

UFC on ESPN+ 6 review and new fight announcement.

Ashley Yoder vs Syuri Kondo added to June 22 UFC show

The Greenville News reported yesterday that UFC on ESPN+ 11 will be June 22 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. One of the matches announced for this show is Ashley Yoder vs Syuri Kondo at Strawweight. Ashley is 31 years old from Murrieta, CA. She trains at Team Quest. Her record is 6-4 and 1-3 in the UFC. She was in TUF 23. The UFC didn't hire her at first. but she was brought in as on short notice late in 2016. I have seen her since her Invicta days. She's an awful fighter. Syuri is 30 years old from Yokohama, Japan. She trains at Vos. Her record is 6-2 and 1-2 in the UFC. Syuri is a pro wrestler and she was a kickboxing champ in Japan. She's a striker with no power or ground game meaning she's a points fighter. In her last fight she was clobbered by Poliana Botelho in round one. I think she can bounce back from that but she is limited. I just think Ashley is worse than her. This will be Syuri's first fight in the US.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Randa Markos vs Angela Hill

Here's the match video of Randa Markos vs Angela Hill from last night's UFC show in Nashville. Randa is a very good wrestler who makes too many mistakes. Her striking is sub par. Angela is a kickboxer with no ground game. Even her takedown defense is terrible. And that's the story. Randa scores a takedown. She works on trying to get Angela's back for a choke. But when that stalls, she slickly switches to an armbar and it's over. It's a big won for Randa. This is Angela's second UFC stint. She just hasn't improved at all. Enjoy the video!