Welcome to Frank Pozen's Big Bad Blog. A lot of folks have been asking me to update them about my recovery. So I thought I would start a blog primarily to do that but also to talk about other topics of interest including the wrestling business and whatever else I can think of. I plan to update this on a regular basis so check back and leave a comment if you wish.
Artist:Dusty Springfield
Song:The Look of Love
Album:Gold
The Look of Love was a top 30 hit in 1967. It was not Dusty Springfield's biggest hit. But it was recorded for the 1967 film Casino Royale and it was nominated for an Oscar. Casino Royale was a James Bond film but it was really a spoof of the Bond films. The music was the most successful part of the film. Producer Charles Feldman hired Burt Bacharach to compose the music for Casino Royale. Bacharach composed the score for the Feldman produced film What's New Pussycat?. The soundtrack album is instrumental except The Look of Love. And at first it was also an instrumental recorded by sax player Stan Getz in 1966. Hal David wrote lyrics for the song and producer Phil Ramone got Dusty to record it. Though he isn't identified, Getz plays the sax solo. The Look of Love reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it was nominated for an Oscar. Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 performed The Look of Love on the Oscar broadcast and that recording reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dusty's recording was on the Casino Royale soundtrack released by Colgems. You can get it on this 2CD comp from Spectrum in England. There are two Gold comps. Make sure it has this cover as the other Australian version isn't as good. The Look of Love was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. Here's Dusty Springfield performing The Look of Love 1967.
Artist:The Voice In Fashion
Song:Only In The Night
Album:Disco Box Vol. 9: Dance Machine
Only In The Night was a dance club hit in 1986. The problem was The Voice In Fashion only released a few singles and then split up. This was in the early days of Freestyle in Miami. Sal Hanono and Ony Rodriguez started The Voice In Fashion as a recording studio project. They released the 1985 single All We Need as The Voice. When the record got airplay on the University of Miami radio station WVUM, they decided to continue as The Voice Of Fashion. I assume they thought The Voice was too generic. Hanono's brother David Hanono was added so they could perform live. Only In The Night was their second single. It was a top ten dance hit. Rodriguez wrote and produced the song with Lewis Martinee who later went on to create the popular group Expose. The record was released on Pantera Records and Atlantic picked it up for national distribution. The Voice In Fashion toured to support it. By the time the 1988 single Give Me Your Love was released, Rodriguez left the group. The Hanono brothers wrote and produced it with Martinee. Pantera licensed the record to EMI-Manhattan. After appearing on the Pet Shop Boys single Domino Dancing, The Voice In Fashion released one more single in 1992. After some success touring Brazil, the Hanonos disbanded The Voice In Fashion. You can get Only In The Night on the various artists budget CD. David Hanono released a solo album and sang with the group London Exchange. The Voice In Fashion returned with a new album in 2012 and they continue to perform today. Here's a video for Only In The Night by The Voice In Fashion.
Here's the match video of Bea Malecki vs Veronica Macedo from last night's UFC show in Brazil. This fight was at Bantamweight. Bea is from Sweden but she trains at Fortis MMA in Dallas. She was in TUF 28 for Featherweights. Veronica was born in Venezuela but she grew up in Florida. She has had success at Flyweight but in preparing for a fight last fall, she got sick and she has decided to go back to Bantamweight. But she is undersized and Bea is a Featherweight fighting at Bantamweight. Veronica starts out OK and wins round one. But I think it was more of a case that Bea did nothing in that round. After her corner read her the riot act between rounds, Bea was a lot better in the other two rounds. Also Veronica was tired by the end of round one. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Bea and so did the judges. Veronica night want to reconsider the decision to move up to Bantamweight and hire a good nutritionist. Enjoy the video!
Here's the match video of Maryna Moroz vs Mayra Bueno Silva from last night's UFC show in Brazil. Both fighters are returning from injury. Maryna is from the Ukraine but she trains at American Top Team. She's mainly a boxer who has had mixed results in the UFC. She is returning from an elbow injury. Mayra was in the Brazilian Dana White Contender Series. She blew out her knee during her UFC debut. It was a close fight but Maryna won the first two rounds. Mayra looked better in the third round. If she had fought like that in the first two rounds, she would have won the fight. I scored it 29-28 for Maryna and so did the judges. They won fight of the night bonuses but I didn't think it was a great fight. Check out the video for yourself.
Here's the match video of Amanda Ribas vs Randa Markos from last night's UFC show in Brazil. This fight is at Strawweight. Since returning from a USADA suspension, Amanda has looked great. She trains with her father and at American Top Team. Paige VanZant was supposed to be her opponent but Paige is still having problems with her arm. The Canadian Randa agreed to replace her. She has been in the UFC since TUF 20 with mixed results at best. Randa is a pretty good wrestler but her striking is terrible. Not only is Amanda a more complete fighter but she is much quicker too. This fight went as I expected except that Amanda couldn't get a finish. She was particularly dominant in round three which I scored 10-8. So I scored the fight 30-26 for Amanda. So did two of the judges. The third judge scored it 30-25. Afterwards, Amanda called out Paige. What is more likely is she will face the winner of Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson. And the winner of that fight will get a shot at Zhang Weili's UFC Strawweight Championship. On my Big Topic of WMMA podcast a few days ago, I named Amanda as the top up and coming Strawweight contender. All that and she's loaded with charisma too. She's a star in the making. Enjoy the video!
Artist:Evan Christopher
Song:I Know That You Know
Album:Django A La Creole
The clarinet was the most popular jazz instrument in the early days of jazz especially in the swing era when the most popular bands were led by clarinetists. Of course this all changed when bebop made the saxophone the instrument of choice. Most sax players also play flute and clarinet. So the clarinet could make a comeback but it hasn't except for a few guys like Evan Christopher. He plays traditional jazz in a contemporary style. This is very popular in Europe and Christopher tours a lot there. He was born Aug. 31, 1969 in Long Beach, CA. He studied at USC and California state at Long Beach with Dixieland musicians like Kenny Davern and George Probert. Touring with singer songwriter A.J. Croce (Jim Croce's son) brought Christopher to New Orleans. He moved to San Antonio and was the featured clarinetist in the Jim Cullum Jazz Band for three years. Christopher moved back to New Orleans and released albums as a leader and recorded with Lars Edegran, Jack Sheldon, Tierney Sutton and Dick Hyman. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Christopher moved to France. And that's where he established his band Django A La Creole. Of course the idea is Christopher's music is a mix of French and New Orleans jazz. I Know That You Know is from the 2008 album Django A La Creole featuring Aussie Dave Blenkhorn on electric guitar, Dave Kelbie on acoustic guitar and Sebastien Girardot on bass. They record for the French label Fremeaux & Assoc. I Know That You Know was written by Vincent Yeomans and Anne Caldwell for the 1926 show Oh, Please!. The song was popularized by Benny Goodman in 1936 and it has been recorded by many jazz musicians. Christopher returned to New Orleans in 2008. He still leads Django A La Creole and he plays New Orleans clubs regularly. Here's Evan Christopher and Django A La Creole performing I Know That You Know in France 2010.
Artist:Father MC f/Mary J. Blige
Song:I'll Do 4 U
Album:Uptown Records Block Party Vol. 2
I'll Do 4 U was a top 20 hit in 1990 for rapper Timothy "Father MC" Brown. A few of his other songs charted but this was his biggest hit. The most notable thing about this song is it features a pre-fame Mary J. Blige on backup vocals. Brown was born Apr. 28, 1968 in New York City. After releasing a single independently with 1st Fleet Crew, Brown signed with Andre Harrell's Uptown label distributed by MCA. Of course that was also the home of Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs as a producer. They were the executive producers on Brown's 1990 debut album Father's Day. I'll Do 4 U topped the rap chart and reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The main sample is the Cheryl Lynn hit Got To Be Real. It's a little too recognizable for me. The song and most of the album was produced by Mark Cory Rooney and Mark Morales who was Prince Markie Dee of the Fat Boys. As I said, Mary J. Blige is on backup vocals. It looks like this was her first recorded appearance. She had signed with Uptown and Combs hadn't decided what to do with her yet. Some of Brown's other singles charted but I'll Do 4 U is the song most fans will remember. You can get it on this various artists comp. Brown also appeared on a couple of Ray Parker Jr. albums. When his 1992 album Close To You didn't have any hits, Combs brought Teddy Riley in to produce the 1993 album Sex Is Law. That was also unsuccessful and his final Uptown album. Brown continued to record occasionally. His most recent album was in 2003. It doesn't look like he has done anything lately. Here's the video for I'll Do 4 U by Father MC featuring Mary J. Blige.
Yesterday the UFC confirmed that UFC on ESPN 9 will be June 27 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX. Two women's Flyweight matches have been announced for this show Jennifer Maia will face Viviane Araujo and Alexa Grasso will face Ji Yeon Kim. Jennifer is 31 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. She trains at Chute Boxe. She's a former Invicta Flyweight Champion. Her record is 17-6-1 and 2-2 in the UFC. She's a boxer and a very ineffective MMA fighter. If she had beaten Katlyn Chookagian in her last fight, she would have got a title shot. Viviane is 33 years old from Brazil. Her record is 8-2 and 2-1 in the UFC. She's a former Queen of Pancrase as a Strawweight. I will be interested to see how she bounces back after losing her last fight to Jessica Eye. I think she is undersized at Flyweight. Alexa is 26 years old from Mexico. She trains at he father's gym Lobo. Her record is 11-3 and 3-3 in the UFC. After missing weight at Strawweight twice, she is moving up to Flyweight. I think she's undersized at Flyweight. And she's a one dimensional points fighter. What she has going for her is her looks and she's a big deal at home. The UFC would love to see her emerge as a contender because she's money in Mexico. I just don't see it. Ji is 30 years old from Korea. Her record is 9-2-2 and 3-2 in the UFC. Like many Korean fighters, she's a kickboxer who got into MMA in Japan. She started out in the UFC as a Bantamweight. I like her in this fight as she has a significant size advantage. I'd like her to be busier than she has been in some of her fights. Alexa is a popular fighter but I would favor Ji.
The 2000 single Teenage Dirtbag was the only big hit for Wheatus. It was especially big in England. And then they had record company problems. Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Brendan B. Brown was born Oct. 11, 1973 in Northport, Long Island, NY. He formed Wheatus in 1995 with brother Peter Brown on drums, Rich Liegey on bass and Philip A. Jimenez on percussion, keyboards, samples and special effects. The band name was a childhood nickname. Their manager got them a regular gig at the Luna Lounge in New York City and that led to a record deal with Columbia Records. They released their debut album Wheatus in 2000 and Teenage Dirtbag was the first single. By the time the album was released Liegey was replaced by Mike McCabe. Teenage Dirtbag appeared in the 2000 film Loser and the stars Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari appear in the video. It reached #2 on the British Singles chart but it didn't make the Billboard Hot 100 despite MTV putting the video in heavy rotation. Radio stations had a problem with possible offensive lyrics. Columbia released a radio edit but that didn't help. Wheatus recorded a second album Hand Over Your Loved Ones. But when Brown refused to lipsync the first single American in Amsterdam on Top of the Pops, Columbia cancelled the album release and Wheatus' contract. Since then Brown has released three albums on his own label. He still leads a version of Wheatus and they should have a new album out soon. Wheatus reunited early versions of the band for one night only at New York's Mercury Lounge last year. Brown is releasing a 20th anniversary expanded edition of the 2000 album Wheatus and they will tour to support it. Here's the video for Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus.
Artist:Mustard f/Roddy Ricch
Song:Ballin'
Album:Perfect Ten
Dijon "Mustard" McFarlane is a successful producer who occasionally records as a solo artist. His 2019 single Ballin' was a top 20 pop hit. He was born June 5, 1990 in Los Angeles. His uncle got him into DJing. He started working with rapper Keenon "YG" Jackson in 2010. The success of their mixtapes attracted guys like Micheal Ray "Tyga" Stevenson and Tyrone "Ty Dolla Sign" Griffin. McFarlane produced Stevenson's 2011 single Rack City. It was a top ten pop hit. After producing hits for 2 Chainz and Young Jeezy, he started releasing his own mixtapes which led to a record deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. He released two albums on Roc Nation in 2014 and 2016. There were no hits from these albums. But he continued to produce hits for Rihanna, Lil Dicky and especially Ella Mai's 2018 top five pop hit Boo'd Up. McFarlane started his own label with Interscope distribution and released the 2019 album Perfect Ten. The single Ballin' featuring rapper Rodrick "Roddy Ricch" Moore reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. McFarlane wrote and produced the song with Moore and frequent collaborators Shah Rukh Zaman Khan and Justus West. The album has plenty of guest rappers and singers and it is available as a digital download. He also produced Moore's new hit single High Fashion. I would expect McFarlane's solo career to be sporadic as he's a very busy producer. And now that he has his own label he will want to develop new artists. Here's the video for Ballin' by Mustard featuring Roddy Ricch.
Artist:Horst Jankowski
Song:A Walk In The Black Forest
Album:The Golden Age of American Popular Music: Hits with Strings and Things
German pianist Horst Jankowski scored a top 20 pop hit with A Walk In The Black Forest in 1965 right in the middle of the British Invasion. Most of his success was on the Easy Listening chart. He was born Jan. 30, 1936 in Berlin, Germany. He studied at the Berlin Music Conservatory. He started out as a jazz musician in Berlin clubs backing up singer Caterina Valente. He also composed the German version of Muzak. Jankowski recorded jazz in the late 50s with guys like clarinetist Rolf Kuhn. In the early 60s he started recording with an orchestra and singers. His 1965 single Eine Schwarzfaldfahrt was a big hit in Europe. Mercury Records released it in the US as A Walk In The Black Forest. it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it topped the Easy Listening chart. It's not clear why the song was a hit but Jankowski wrote it as background music or Muzak in 1962. The song was intended to be part of a stock music library. Jankowski continued to have success on the Easy Listening chart until 1968. The 1965 album The Genius of Jankowski has never been released on CD. The one comp CD I saw does not contain the original version of A Walk In The Black Forest. You can get the original version on this Ace Records various artists comp. As I said, Jankowski had a long music career in Germany. He returned to jazz in the 80s. And for the German network RIAS, he was one of the leaders of RIAS Tanzorchester. They recorded and had their own TV show. Horst Jankowski died of cancer on June 29, 1998 at age 62. Here's a video of A Walk In The Black Forest by Horst Jankowski.
Here's the match video of the Kabuki Warriors vs Liv Morgan and Natalya from last night's episode of RAW. On Sunday's Elimination Chamber, the WWE tried so hard to get Shayna Baszler over as a monster, they forgot all about The Riott Squad split. So they put this random team to advance that angle. That's called ass backwards booking. So Ruby Riott comes out followed by Sarah Logan. And when they start fighting at ringside, Liv leaps from the top turnbuckle to the floor and abandons Nattie. The end comes when Asuka makes a blind tag. While Nattie has Kairi in the Sharp Shooter, Asuka kicks her in the head and wins the match. No doubt this will lead to Nattie teaming with Beth Phoenix for Wrestlemania. Enjoy the video!
Artist:Lea Michele
Song:Mama Who Bore Me
Album:Spring Awakening: Original Broadway Cast
Though Lea Michele is best known for the TV series Glee, she had a long career on Broadway. She had her greatest success with the 2006 show Spring Awakening. She was born Lea Michele Sarfati Aug. 29, 1986 in The Bronx, NY and she grew up in Tenafly, NJ. Her father owned a delicatessen. She was eight years old when she played Young Cosette in the Broadway production of Les Miserables. She also appeared in Ragtime in Toronto and New York. Spring Awakening was written by singer songwriter Duncan Sheik. Lea was involved in the early development of the show. She played the female lead Wendla. Mama Who Bore Me kicked off the show. Spring Awakening was very successful. Lea was nominated for a Drama Desk award. It was after she left Spring Awakening in 2008 that she signed on for the TV series Glee. And that's where most fans know her. While still on Glee, Lea signed a record deal with Columbia. She has released three albums. The latest was Christmas in the City in 2019. Since moving to Los Angeles, Lea has continued to be successful on TV. She was a regular on the Fox series Scream Queens, the ABC series The Mayor and she currently is the lead voice on the Nickelodeon animated series Butterbean's Cafe. She is also hosting the health and wellness show Well, Well, Well for the Ellen DeGeneres Network which is scheduled to launch as Ellen Digital Network in 2020. Lea still appears occasionally on the Los Angeles stage and she also got married last year. Here's Lea Michele performing Mama Who Bore Me on the 2007 Drama Desk Award broadcast.
Over the weekend the UFC finally confirmed that UFC on ESPN+ 33 will be May 16 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego. There will be two women's Flyweight matches on the show. Ariane Lipsky will face Luana Carolina. and Cortney Casey will face Lara Procopio. As you can see above, Ariane signed a new UFC contract which she posted on Facebook. She's 26 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. She now trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA. Her record is 12-5 and 1-2 in the UFC. She is a former KSW champ. But she lost her first two UFC fights. She looked bewildered after her loss to Molly McCann. She looked good enough in her last fight that she signed a new contract. We'll see if she can live up to her potential. Luana is 26 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her record is 6-1. she was in the Brazilian Dana White Contender series. After winning her UFC debut, Luana was supposed to fight in August but pulled out due to injury. Cortney is 32 years old. She trains at MMA Lab in Phoenix with John Crouch. Her record is 8-7 and 4-6 in the UFC. All of those fights have been at Strawweight. This will be her first fight at Flyweight. I don't think she's that good anyway so I don't know if that will make any difference. Lara is 24 years old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She trains at Nova Uniao. Her record is 6-1. She lost her UFC debut to Karol Rosa by split decision. I didn't think it was that close. Karol kept it standing and she is a striker. Lara couldn't take it to the ground. Lara took that fight on short notice and it was at Bantamweight. She fought in both weight classes in Brazil. So I don't know if fighting at Flyweight will make any difference. But going through a full training camp could make a difference.
Artist:Happy Mondays
Song:Kinky Afro
Album:Double Easy: The U.S. Singles
Happy Mondays were successful mostly in their native England. They were from Manchester, England so they were part of what was known at the time as the Madchester sound. Unlike The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays were fueled by the rave scene and lead singer Shaun Ryder's drug use. The 2002 film 24 Hour Party People was partially based on Ryder's life. The other members were Ryder's brother Paul Ryder on bass, Mark Day on guitar, Paul Davis on keyboards and Gary Whelan on drums. Backup singer Rowetta and dancer Mark Berry were added later. They signed with Factory Records in England and Elektra in the US. The 1990 album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches was their most successful album. It was certified Platinum in England. The single Kinky Afro reached #5 on the British singles chart. So did the single Step On. They were never able to break through in the US. The band split up and Factory went bankrupt after the 1992 album Yes Please. Ryder's drug abuse was a big problem. This budget comp has all their singles. Ryder formed Black Grape in 1995. After they split up in 1998, Happy Mondays reformed in 1999. They have reunited several times. There was an album in 2007. They toured last year but I don't think they are active right now. It looks like Ryder is working on vinyl reissues of Happy Mondays albums. And he seems to appear a lot on reality TV in England. Here's the video for Kinky Afro by Happy Mondays.
Here's the match video of Zhang Weili defending her UFC Strawweight Championship against Joanna Jedrzejczyk from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This is likely going to be the match of the year for 2020. It was even for the most part. The big difference was Weili's power. Some will complain that statistically Joanna landed more punches. But that was marginal and Weili's punches were more damaging. Look at Joanna's forehead. She said afterwards that she almost passed out from the pain. Any other fighter would have been knocked out. I scored the fight 49-46 for Weili. I gave Joanna round three. The other rounds were very close but as I said, Weili's punches were more damaging. The judges scored it even going into round five. Two of the judges scored round five for Weili and the other scored it for Joanna. With a fight that close, a rematch night be in order. Dana White said that Weili's next fight will be at Madison Square Garden in November. The opponent could be the winner of the upcoming Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade fight. Or it could be a rematch with Joanna. Tatiana Suarez is still injured so it won't be her. Enjoy the video!
Artist:The Hotelier
Song:Piano Player
Album:Goodness
Fans of emo music might want to check out The Hotelier who have had modest success reviving that kind of pop music. They met while attending high school in Dudley. MA. in 2009. Lead singer Christian Holden also plays bass. Other members are Chris Hoffman and Zack Shaw on guitar and Sam Frederick on drums. At first they were called The Hotel Year but there was a band with a similar name so it was changed to The Hotelier. After releasing a couple of EPs, they released the 2011 album It Never Goes Out. Shaw left in 2012 and Ben Gauthier replaced him. For the 2014 album Home, Like Noplace is There, they signed with the Tiny Engines label. The album got a lot of favorable press and The Hotelier were hailed as one of the leaders of the emo revival of 2014. Holden didn't understand that. He says he didn't know The Hotelier were emo. But if it got them attention and sold CDs, so be it. Piano Player is from the 2016 album Goodness. You'll notice the album cover is blurred. The picture is supposed to be a group of nudists. They were forced to censor it so stores would carry it. It's unclear if The Hotelier are still together. It looks like they lost their record deal and Holden has CDs in his basement. He is also playing local clubs with his new band World's Greatest Dad. Maybe they are just on hiatus. Here's the video for Piano Player by The Hotelier.
— Sherdog by Mandatory (@sherdogdotcom) March 7, 2020
Most of last night's Invicta show was a Bantamweight tournament. But the main event of Julija Stoliarenko vs Lisa Verzosa crowned a new Bantamweight champ. Julija likes to finish fights in the first round so she got off to a very quick start. But when she wasn't able to get a finish, she slowed down a lot and Lisa won the second round. The turning point of this fight was when Julija busted Lisa open with a third round elbow. The fight should have been stopped at that point. I don't know why the doctor let it continue. I thought Julija won the other two rounds and won the fight 49-46. A big deal was made about using open scoring on this show. As I have said all along, open scoring does not make inept judges competent. One of the judges scored this fight 49-46 for Lisa. I don't know what he was looking at but that is why Julija won by split decision. So the answer is still state ACs need to get rid of inept judges and get rid of inept doctors while you're at it as this fight should have been stopped. The other fight that was not part of the tournament was Kay Hansen winning dominantly by unanimous decision over Liana Pirosin. This was at Strawweight. The rest of the show was the tournament and I hate the one round fights. The final was three rounds. In that final, Taneisha Tennant beat Taylor Guardado by unanimous decision. Taneisha used her height to employ the dreaded keep away strategy. It's a strategy that can win fights at a lower level. But it tends to fail against better fighters who are willing to risk getting hit and be more aggressive. The fight was boring. Taylor admitted afterwards that she didn't listen to her coach/husband. She looked pretty good in the other fights. Remember this was her pro MMA debut and her first time in a cage since 2011. If she learns from this, she could have potential. Other than that, the one round fights were dull and I wish Invicta would stop doing them.
Artist:Dave Loggins
Song:Please Come To Boston
Album:Romancing the 70s: Lovin' You
The 1974 top five hit Please Come To Boston was the only big hit for singer songwriter Dave Loggins. He has gone on to have plenty of success in Nashville as a songwriter. He was born Nov. 10, 1947 in Mountain City, TN. Kenny Loggins is his cousin. He moved to Nashville in 1970 and that's where he met producer Jerry Crutchfield. Loggins released the 1972 album Personal Belongings on Vanguard Records with Crutchfield producing with Nashville session musicians. The album went nowhere but his song Pieces of April was a top 20 hit for Three Dog Night. Epic Records exec Don Ellis liked what he heard from Loggins. The album Apprentice (In A Musical Workshop) was released in 1974. Please Come To Boston reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Loggins produced most of the album except Please Come To Boston which was produced by Crutchfield. Loggins says the song is a recap of his visits to several cities. The romance is fictional. He says the song wrote itself in ten minutes. One of his other songs charted so technically he isn't a one hit wonder. You can get Please Come To Boston on this 2CD Time Life various artist budget comp. Loggins recorded four albums for Epic. He was unable to repeat the success of Please Come To Boston. His only other chart success as a performer was the 1984 #1 country hit Nobody Loves Me Like You Do with Anne Murray. He was very successful as a songwriter in Nashville. He had a total of 14 #1 country singles spanning from 1984 to 1992. The biggest of those hits was the 1984 Kenny Rogers single Morning Desire. He also wrote the song Augusta that is used in the Masters Golf Tournament broadcast. Loggins was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995. Here's Dave Loggins performing Please Come To Boston on The Midnight Special 1974.
Artist:Jamiroquai
Song:Too Young To Die
Album:High Times: Singles 1992-2006
Jamiroquai have had success mostly in their native England. They came from the Acid Jazz scene. The 1993 single Too Young To Die was their first big hit in England. Jay Kay is the leader of Jamiroquai. He was born Dec. 30, 1969 in Stretford, Lancashire, England. His mother Karen Kay is a singer and TV host. After getting into trouble as a teen, Kay turned to music. After attempting to record solo, he decided to form Jamiroquai. The name is a mix of "jam" and "Iroquois". A demo got Kay a record deal with Acid Jazz Records. Kay's main collaborator in Jamiroquai was keyboard player Toby Smith who also wrote songs with Kay. Other members when they recorded the 1993 album Emergency on Planet Earth were Wallis Buchanan on digeridoo, Stuart Zender on bass, Nick Van Gelder on drums, Simon Bartholomew on guitar and Gary Barnacle on sax and flute and he wrote the horn arrangements. They signed with Sony Soho Square in England and Columbia in the US. Recording engineer Mike Neilsen produced the album. Too Young To Die was the second single. It reached #10 on the British singles chart. It was an anti war song written by Kay and Smith. The album was certified Platinum in England. Jamiroquai had their greatest international success with the 1996 single Virtual Insanity mostly because the video went into heavy rotation on MTV. It won four MTV Music Awards. But that didn't convert into international chart success. You can get all of Jamiroquai's singles on this budget comp. Toby Smith left Jamiroquai in 2002 to become a producer. He died in 2017. Jamiroquai continued to have success in England. They left Sony in 2005 and have since recorded for Universal and the 2017 album Automation was on Virgin. They aren't on tour right now. I think they are due for a new album. Here's the video for Too Young To Die by Jamiroquai.
As expected, the UFC announced today that Amanda Nunes will defend her UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 250 May 9 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. With two belts to defend, Amanda has been on a roll. But she did not look her best when she beat Germaine de Randamie by unanimous decision. If she fights like that against Felicia, that could be a problem for her. Felicia is 29 years old born in Montreal but she trains at The Jungle in Orlando, FL. Last week we saw he beat Zarah Fairn with ground and pound and she also has good submission skills. Amanda should be the favorite. But if she doesn't come out and destroy Felicia in round one, we could see an upset.
Artist:Johnny Green
Song:Finale
Album;West Side Story: Original Soundtrack
Johnny Green is best known for writing the standard Body and Soul. That was enough to get him in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. But he was very versatile. In this case, he conducted Leonard Bernstein's score for the 1961 film West Side Story. He was born Oct. 10, 1908 in New York City. While attending Harvard, Green wrote and arranged the 1928 song Coquette with Gus Kahn for Guy Lombardo. Then he wrote Body and Soul with Yip Harburg for Gertrude Lawrence. Green was her accompanist. Of course this song is now a standard. Among Green's other songs were I Wanna Be Loved and I Cover The Waterfront. He also worked for Paramount Pictures in New York. After leading his own orchestra in the 30s and working as a musical director in radio, Green moved to Hollywood to work for MGM. He was musical director from 1949-59 so he was a big part of most of the MGM musicals of that era. After that he toured as a guest conductor of orchestras. And he still worked in film and TV. He won one of his four Oscars for conducting West Side Story. His other Oscars were for Easter Parade, An American in Paris and Oliver!. It looks like he retired after working on the film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. He died on May 15, 1989 at age 80. Here's the Finale of the 1961 film West Side Story with music conducted by Johnny Green.
Today the UFC announced they are returning to the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, SK on June 20. One match announced for this show is Gillian Robertson vs Taila Santos at Flyweight. Gillian is 24 years old from Niagara Falls, ON but she trains with Din Thomas at American Top Team in Florida. Her record is 7-4 and 4-2 in the UFC. Gillian was on TUF 26. She's a wrestler. In her last fight she tried a higher competition level and Maycee Barber destroyed her. It makes me think that she is a lower midcard fighter. Taila is 26 years old from Brazil. Her record is 15-1. She was on the Brazilian Dana White Contender Series. She lost her UFC debut last year to Mara Romero Borella by split decision. She looked terrible for two rounds and won round three. Taila was supposed to fight in August but she pulled out due to injury. She's a striker so I expect Gillian to try to take her down.
Artist:Joe Arroyo Y La Verdad
Song:Yamulemau
Album:Echao Pa'lante
Colombian Joe Arroyo was one of the top Salsa artists of the 80s. Plenty of music fans enjoy listening to Latin music but don't know the artists. Arroyo is worth checking out. He was born Nov. 1, 1955 in Cartagena, Colombia. As a child, he sang in brothels in the red light district of Cartagena. He was in several bands until in 1971 he was discovered by Julio "Fruko" Estrada of Fruko y los Tesos. He was lead singer of that band through the 70s. Arroyo went solo and formed his own band La Verdad in 1981. This was after he almost died from a drug overdose. He recorded for Estrada's label Discos Fuentes. He left for Sony in 1991. He was very successful in the 80s and 90s. This was despite a history of health problems especially with his thyroid. Yamulemau is from Arroyo's 1987 album Echao Pa'lante. This was released in 2004 in an expanded version and it is available as a digital download. After his final album in 2007, Arroyo's health deteriorated until he died on July 26, 2011 at age 55. A bronze statue was unveiled in Cartogena in 2013. So he was a legend in Colombia and his music is recommended to Salsa fans. Here's Joe Arroyo Y La Verdad performing Yamulemau on the BBC TV show Rhythms of the World Dec. 17, 1989.
Here's the match video of Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane from last night's episode of RAW. Yesterday the WWE announced that Shayna would face Asuka on RAW. Then about an hour before the show they announced that Asuka sprained her wrist and Kairi would take her place. I think this was a phony injury. Shayna vs Asuka should be saved for later. And considering that they had Becky come out halfway through the match, it was the correct decision. So this was Shayna's first match on RAW so it's the first time many fans are seeing her. After watching her plod through this match, you might wonder what the big deal is. The answer is she needs help to elevate a match. And Kairi did that plenty of times in NXT. She tries in this match but because the WWE's purpose is to turn Becky vs Shayna into a big time match, she's only allowed to do a certain amount. They are trying to sell Shayna as dangerous. But I expect the Wrestlemania match to disappoint because neither Becky or Shayna have the ability to elevate a match to an elite level. We saw that at Survivor Series with Becky vs Shayna vs Bayley. Next up is Elimination Chamber on Sunday. They have already said that Asuka will be ready for that match. Plus you have Ruby Riott and the split of The Riott Squad. I expect Shayna to win. But you never know what will happen in gimmick matches. Enjoy the video!
Most music fans should be familiar with El Debarge as the lead singer of his family group DeBarge. After he scored a top five hit with the 1986 single Who's Johnny, Motown owner Berry Gordy convinced DeBarge to go solo. Love Always was the next single and it was a top ten R&B hit. He wasn't as successful after that and then personal problems landed him in prison. He was born June 4, 1961 in Detroit the sixth of the ten DeBarge siblings. He grew up singing in church. In the late 70s, he moved to Los Angeles with his brothers and Debarge signed with Motown. They had success in the early 80s with hits like Rhythm of the Night and El was lead singer on most of them. So it's not surprising that Gordy wanted him to go solo. When Who's Johnny from the popular film Short Circuit reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, that convinced El to record an album. His success was causing tension in the band anyway. Who's Johnny was written and produced by Austrian producer Peter Wolf who started out in Frank Zappa's band. Wolf, session guitarist Jay Graydon and session pianist Robbie Buchanan produced the 1986 album El Debarge. Love Always was the exception to this. That was written by Burt Bacharach, his wife Carole Bayer Sager and Bruce Roberts. Bacharach produced and played keyboards along with Buchanan and David Foster. The sax solo is by Ernie Watts. Love Always reached #7 on the R&B Singles chart. The album El DeBarge was certified Gold. Things didn't go so well after that. When the 1989 album Gemini flopped, Motown dropped DeBarge. El wrote and produced most of the album himself. And that was also true of the two albums he recorded for Warner Bros. In the early 90s. He did appear on the 1990 Quincy Jones hit The Secret Garden and the 1991 Fourplay hit After The Dance. But El was addicted to painkillers and that would eventually land him in prison. After his release from prison, DeBarge released the 2010 album Second Chance. He still tours but obviously he should have been a much bigger star. His personal problems and his insistence on writing and producing himself instead of working with top producers as he did on his debut album didn't help. Here's the video for Always Love by El DeBarge.
Artist:Michael Giacchino
Song:Dinner Rush
Album:Ratatouille: Original Soundtrack
Michael Giacchino is an award winning film composer. He established himself scoring Pixar films like The Imcredibles and Ratatouille for director Brad Bird. Now he works on all kinds of things. He was born Oct. 10, 1978 in Riverside Township, NJ. His parents were Italian immigrants. Giacchino made his own stop motion animation films with music in his basement when he was ten years old. One of his high school teachers suggested to his parents that he study at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Giacchino majored in film production. One of his teachers offered him an unpaid internship at Universal Pictures. He did that at night, attended school during the day and worked a Macy's to pay the rent. He graduated from SVA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and then took music classes at Juilliard. When his internship ended, Giacchino worked for Universal and then Disney in publicity. And then when Disney moved the publicity department to Los Angeles, he moved with it. While working during the day, Giacchino takes music classes at night at UCLA. When a producer job opened up at Disney Interactive, he took it thinking he could hire himself to compose the music for the video games. And that got him into TV composing the music for JJ Abrams' show Alias and then Lost. When director Brad Bird heard Giacchino's music for Alias, he hired him to score the 2004 film The Incredibles. This was the first Pixar film scored by someone other than Thomas or Randy Newman. Giacchino was nominated for two Grammys for The Incredibles. Giacchino continued to work on Disney projects like Space Mountain rides. And he also did JJ Abrams 2006 film Mission Impossible III. And then he did Ratatouille again for Bird. That got him his first Grammy and an Oscar nomination. This was followed by the Pixar film Up and Abrams' 2009 film Star Trek. Giacchino won his first Oscar for Up. Giacchino also composed the score for the 2008 film Cloverfield directed by Matt Reeves. He continues to work for Disney and especially Pixar for Bird and Pete Docter. And he also continues to work for Abrams and Reeves. He is currently scoring the 2021 film The Batman for Reeves. He works for other directors like Taika Watiti for the 2019 film Jojo Rabbit. But Giacchino's whole career has been built on long term relationships with Abrams and Bird. Reeves started out with Abrams. Here's Michael Giacchino performing Dinner Rush as it appeared in the 2007 film Ratatouille.
Here's the match video of Megan Anderson vs Norma Dumont from last night's UFC show in Norfolk, VA. Norma is a UFC newcomer from Brazil. She has been on the UFC roster since Mar. 2019. Her previous fights were at Bantamweight. Norma's plan was to take Megan down. But when that didn't work out, it seemed to poop her out. She left an opening and Megan knocked her out and got a $50,000 bonus. Since Felicia Spencer has already beaten Megan, I expect she will get the title shot. Normally I would expect Norma to return to Bantamweight. But she told Guillerme Cruz of MMA Fighting that she's staying at Featherweight because she doesn't like cutting weight. She might want to rethink that. Enjoy the video!
Here's the match video of Felicia Spencer vs Zarah Fairn from last night's UFC show in Norfolk, VA. Yesterday is was reported that Amanda Nunes will defend this title in Brazil in May. So the two Featherweight matches on this show amount to a top contender tournament of sorts. Felicia is the best of the four fighters though I don't think she can beat Amanda. Zarah is from France. She lost to Megan Anderson in her UFC debut. If she was in any other weight class, she wouldn't be in the UFC. And once Felicia took Zarah down and started pounding her, it was over. Since Felicia has already beaten Megan, I expect Felicia to get the title shot. And it's like Schwan Humes and I said on my new Big Topic in WMMA podcast, the only reason the UFC started a Featherweight division is because Cris Cyborg is a draw. Now that she's gone they should shut it down and let the fighters go elsewhere. And here's a message to those idiots who think there are decent Featherweights out there, there aren't. Neither the UFC or Bellator will hire the fighters you guys keep mentioning. They know none of them are any good. Zarah was brought in because the UFC needed a warm body that fans didn't know. I already knew she wasn't any good. I would know about any decent hidden Featherweights. There aren't any. Enjoy the video!
FIDLAR is a skatepunk band that is probably closer to hard core punk than other skatepunk bands. Their 2012 debut album FIDLAR appeared on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. They will never have mainstream success but they have a solid fanbase. FIDLAR are from Los Angeles and they come by their skatepunk roots authentically. Guitarist Elvis Kuehn and his drummer brother Max Kuehn are the sons of pianist Greg Kuehn of the 80s punk band T.S.O.L. He has had a long career in film and TV music composition and he still is a member of T.S.O.L. Lead singer Zac Carper is the son of famed surfboard designer John Carper. He's into the skateboard scene. Carper and Elvis Kuehn were working at a recording studio. They started recording together when the studio was empty and they posted the songs online. Eventually they formed FIDLAR with Max Kuehn and Carper's friend Brandon Schwartzel on bass. FIDLAR is an acronym for Fuck It Dog Life's A Risk which is a skateboard expression. After releasing a 2011 EP, FIDLAR signed with the indie label Mom + Pop for the 2013 album FIDLAR. After Pitchfork previewed the album, TIME, The Huffington Post and Stereogum named FIDLAR as one of the most anticipated albums of 2013. The album reached #5 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Cheap Beer is probably the most popular song from the album. You may have heard Cheap Beer in the 2014 film Neighnors, the CW TV series iZombie, the skateboard film True or the online auto racing game The Crew. They have released three albums. The latest Almost Free was released in 2019. On that album they worked with producer Ricky Reed who is attempting to give them a more diverse sound. But they need to be careful not to alienate their fans, Here's the video for Cheap Beer by FIDLAR.
Artist:Vicki Sue Robinson
Song:Turn The Beat Around
Album:Disco Nights Vol. 1; Divas of Dance
The 1976 single Turn The Beat Around was one of the biggest hits of the disco era. It was the only big hit for Vicki Sue Robinson. Some of her other songs charted so she is not technically a one hit wonder. But it's the only song you will care about. She was born May 31, 1954 in Harlem, NY. Her father Bill Robinson was a black Shakesperean actor. This is not Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Her mother Jolly Robinson was a folk singer from Europe. She grew up in Philadelphia and then New York. Vickie Sue appeared with her mother at the Philadelphia Folk Festival when she was six years old. Vicki Sue was still in high school when she joined the Broadway cast of Hair. Then she moved to the cast of Soon which was not successful. She was also in the Broadway cast of Jesus Christ Superstar. Then she gets into studio work on Todd Rundgren's 1972 album Something/Anything. And she toured Japan with Itsuro Shimoda. So she's in a recording studio in 1975 and producer Warren Schatz really likes her voice. Fortunately for Vicki Sue, Schatz is the VP of A&R at RCA Records. Her first single is a cover of The Foundations' Baby Now That I've Found You. That led to the 1976 album Never Gonna Let You Go. Turn The Beat Around reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. And it topped the dance charts worldwide. The song was written by Gerald and Peter Jackson of the R&B group Touch of Class. Associated Studios recording engineer Al Garrison allowed them to cut a demo one Sunday afternoon as long as they were quick because his girlfriend was picking him up for dinner. The girlfriend was Vicki Sue Robinson. She wanted the song immediately but they planned to record it on their next album. But their label passed on it and they gave it to Vicki Sue. The rest is history. Never Gonna Let You Go is available on CD but it's expensive. You can get Turn The Beat Around on this various artists budget comp from Polygram's Rebound label. This is the full album version. A lot of CDs have the radio edit. Vicki Sue recorded three albums for RCA. But she was unable to repeat the success of Turn The Beat Around. When Schatz left RCA for Ariola, Vicki Sue went with him. After one single for Ariola and a few singles for small labels, Vicki Sue returned to session work. She became a jingle singer and she sang in the animated series Jem. After Gloria Estefan covered Turn The Beat Around in 1994, Vicki Sue returned to performing live and she toured with other disco artists. And she had a one woman show in 1999. Vicki Sue Robinson died of cancer on Apr. 27, 2000 at age 45. Here's Vicki Sue Robinson performing Turn The Beat Around on The Midnight Special. The girl playing bass is Wendy Simmons. She appeared on Vicki Sue's second album. It was her only recorded appearance.
Artist:Jordan Davis
Song:Singles You Up
Album:Home State
Singer songwriter Jordan Davis had success on the country charts with his 2018 album Home State and hits like Singles You Up. He should have a new album out shortly. He was born Mar. 30, 1988 in Shreveport, LA. His brother Jacob Davis is also a singer songwriter. His uncle Stan Davis played pedal steel guitar for Commando Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen in the 70s and he wrote a couple of hits for Tracy Lawrence in the 90s. After graduating from Louisiana State University with an Environmental Science degree, Jacob convinced him to move to Nashville and try to get into the music business. After securing a publishing deal in 2015, Davis signed with MCA Nashville in 2016. Singles You Up was released in 2017 and it reached #4 on the Country Singles chart. Davis wrote the song with Justin Ebach and Steven Dale Jones. Jones is a veteran songwriter whose biggest hit was the 2000 Diamond Rio #1 country hit One More Day. The album Home State was released in 2018 and the singles Take It From Me and Slow Dance in a Parking Lot charted. The album was certified Gold. The album was produced by Boys Like Girls lead guitarist Paul Di Giovanni. He's from Boston. While that band has been on hiatus, Di Giovanni has been working in Nashville. He gives the album that pop rock backbeat that country music purists hate but has been successful for singers like Sam Hunt. Davis co-wrote all the songs on the album. After touring, Davis recorded his second album which should be out soon as he is going on tour in March. Davis married in 2017 and they had a daughter in Nov. 2019. He told The Boot that those life changes will be represented in the new album. So after a successful debut album, we will soon see if Davis can repeat that success. Here's the video for Singles You Up by Jordan Davis. The girl is model Abbey George from Austin, TX. The video was shot in El Paso.
Artist:Pretty Ricky
Song:Your Body
Album:Bluestars
The 2005 single Your Body was one of three top twenty hits for Pretty Ricky. They had most of their success on the R&B charts. The group name is a character in the sitcom Martin. They are a family group from Miami. Marcus "Pleasure P" Cooper was lead singer. The other three guys are rappers; Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith, Spectacular Smith and Corey "Slick 'Em" Mathis. They were managed by their father Joseph Smith Sr. At first they were called Pretty Rickie and the Mavericks. When they started having success locally, producer Jim Jonsin came in to help them get a record deal. Jonsin was just starting his career but he's best known for his work with Lil Wayne. They released an album independently and the single Flossin' was a hit on Miami radio station Power 96. That got Pretty Ricky a deal with Atlantic Records. The 2005 album Bluestars was produced by Jonsin and Derrick "Big D" Baker. The first single Grind Me reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the second single Your Body reached #12. The album was certified Gold. The 2006 single On The Hotline also reached #12 and the 2007 album Late Night Special was certified Gold. It looks like that album was produced by Diamond Smith. Then Cooper was fired after accusations of child molestation surfaced. He recorded a solo album for Atlantic in 2009. He was replaced by Christopher "4Play" Myers. Pretty Ricky recorded a third album but Atlantic shelved it and they left and released a 2009 album on the small Big Cat label. They have released a few singles but that's their latest album. Cooper returned to Pretty Ricky in 2015 and they still tour. Spectacular Smith created Grumpy Cat and that made him a millionaire. I'm not kidding. He's worth $100M. He has appeared on the reality series Love & Hip Hop. Here's the video for Your Body by Pretty Ricky.
Artist:Beyond The Wizards Sleeve f/Euros Childs
Song:Door To Tomorrow
Album:The Soft Bounce
Beyond The Wizards Sleeve (BTWS) is a union of two British DJs known mainly for remixes. BTWS was formed because both guys were fans of psychedelic music. Erol Alkan and Richard Norris knew each other from the London club scene. One day they were guests on the same radio show and they decided to work together as Beyond The Wizards Sleeve. They record for Alkan's Phantasy label. At first they released several remix EPs. But in 2012 they decided to record an original single Black Noise/Door To Tomorrow on vinyl only. When it was well received and the single sold out, they decided to record a full album as BTWS. But first they remixed Temples 2014 album Sun Structures. The album The Soft Bounce was released in 2016. The album was well received. The guest singer on Door To Tomorrow is former Gorky's Zygotic Mynci lead singer Euros Childs. He is currently a member of Teenage Fanclub. Other guest singers include Hannah Peel of The Magnetic North, Blaine Harrison of Mystery Jets, Jane Weaver, Holly Miranda and Jon Savage. Norris and Alkan play all the instruments except for jazz musician Leo Taylor of The Invisibles on drums. Fans of neo psychedelia should check it out. Alkan and Norris continue to work on remixes together and individually. It remains to be seen if Beyond The Wizards Sleeve will record more original music. Here's the video of Door To Tomorrow by Beyond The Wizards Sleeve featuring Euros Childs.
Last week Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported that Valentina Shevchenko will defend her UFC Flyweight Championship against Joanne Calderwood on UFC 251. Yesterday the UFC announced that this show will be June 6 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Though it might seem that Valentina might be unbeatable right now, I think it has more to do with the weak quality of the current crop of contenders. Joanne is a decent fighter. But I don't think she is any better than those who have already fought Valentina. Joanne's big problem is consistency. She is 34 years old from Scotland but she now trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas with John Wood. Her record is 14-4. Like Valentina, Joanne is a kickboxer but she's not as good as Valentina. Last year she looked good winning over the highly touted Ariane Lipsky. If she had beaten Katlyn Chookagian in her next fight, she would have gotten a title shot. But she lost and that title shot went to Liz Carmouche. Joanne beat Andrea Lee by split decision in her last fight. Normally that wouldn't get her a title shot. But she's getting it by default because the other ranked fighters have either gotten a title shot and failed or they aren't as good as Joanne. So we're in a holding pattern. While we are waiting for someone to be a credible challenger, Valentina is constantly asked about fighting outside her weight class.
Artist:Charlotte Church
Song:Tonight
Album:Enchantment
Charlotte Church was 11 years old when she first performed on TV. Her initial success was as a classical soprano and then she tried to cross over to pop with the 2001 album Enchantment. Most of her success has been in England. She was born Feb. 21, 1986 in Llandaff, Cardif, Wales. Her big break came when she sang on the British TV show This Morning followed by ITV's Big, Big Talent Show in 1997. She continued to attend school. But she left at age 16 after signing with Sony. Charlotte's first two albums were strictly classical produced by Sony Classical producer Grace Row. Her third album was a Christmas album. All three albums were very successful. In the US she appeared on several PBS specials. For the 2001 album Enchantment, Charlotte tried to cross over to pop. Most of the songs were from Broadway shows like Tonight from West Side Story. The album was produced mostly by Keith Thomas who produced CCM acts like Amy Grant and Bebe & Cece. The album didn't do as well as the classical albums. It's available as a budget CD. She also performed the song All Love Can Be in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. It was around this time when she started getting harassed by the British tabloids. After the 2003 single The Opera Song with producer Jurgen Vries was a top five hit in England, Charlotte released her first full blown pop album Tissues and Issues. Charlotte wrote a lot of the songs with pop producers like Guy Chambers. Though Crazy Chick was a top five hit in England, the album wasn't as successful as her classical albums. It was her final album for Sony. She hosted The Charlotte Church Show on Channel 4 from 2006-08. She had two kids with rugby player Gavin Henson. Charlotte told the media in 2008 that she was considering returning to classical music. Instead she released another pop album on her own label in 2010. She continues to record occasionally. But I think it's fair to say Charlotte's career has stalled. After splitting with Henson in 2010, she eventually married musician Johnny Powell in 2017. Here's Charlotte Church performing Tonight in Cardiff, Wales 2001.
Artist:Travis Scott
Song:Highest in the Room
Album:Now That's What I Call Music! 73
Highest in the Room is one of two number one hits for rapper Travis Scott. The thing that's odd about this song is it looks like it was released by accident. So it can be tricky to find om an album. He was born Jacques Webster II Apr. 30, 1992 in Houston. His father played the drums and apparently his grandfather was a jazz musician though he is never identified. I don't think it's Ben Webster. So his father was especially opposed to Scott becoming a musician. So when he dropped out of University of Texas San Antonio to move to New York, he was cut off financially. He formed The Graduates with Chris Holloway and they released a 2008 EP on MySpace. Then he formed The Classmates with OG Chess and released a couple of EPs. Things weren't going well and eventually he moved to Los Angeles where rapper T.I. discovered him and signed him to his Grand Hustle label. He released his debut album Rodeo in 2015. The single Antidote was a top 20 hit. He released an album in 2016 and then the album Astroworld in 2018. Sicko Mode was Scott's first #1 hit. Meanwhile he started dating Kylie Jenner and she had a daughter with him in Feb. 2018. Then they split up Sept. 2019. And Highest in the Room was about their breakup. The song leaked out but Scott pulled it back. He wasn't going to release it. But the demand was so great that Scott had no choice. And then it topped the charts. It's his biggest hit to date. He released a remix on an EP by the collective JackBoys. But the original version is only available as a single. You can get it on the latest edition of the Now series. And it looks like Scott and Kylie have reconciled per People and TMZ. Scott will begin a tour next month and maybe he will record after that. Here's the video for Highest in the Room by Travis Scott.
Here's the match video of Priscila Cachoeira vs Shana Dobson from last night's UFC show in New Zealand. Neither fighter should be in the UFC. Priscila is a teammate of Jessica Andrade at PRVT in Brazil. She's 0-3 in the UFC and she has looked awful. Shana was in TUF 26. She's 1-2 in the UFC. She has recently moved to 303 Training Center in Denver with coach Trevor Wittman and Rose Namajunas. I wasn't looking forward to three rounds with these two. Thankfully it's over in forty seconds as Priscila KOs Shana with an uppercut. If you watch the replay, Shana walks right into it. The good news is that Priscila got a $50,000 bonus. I don't know if she can do that against anyone else. Enjoy the video!
Here's the match video of Angela Hill vs Loma Lookboonmee from last night's UFC show in New Zealand. Again Angela comes in as a short notice replacement. That gives her value because the UFC feels she is dependable. Of course it also puts her against opponents that she can beat. Loma is a Thai kickboxer who is still learning MMA. I'm not sure she should be in the UFC. But she did win her UFC debut. Loma's problem in this fight is she needs to be more aggressive. Kickboxers tend to be counterpunchers but she loses the fight in round one. Angela is not that aggressive either. But she gets away with that in this fight because of Loma's passiveness. Loma overcoming her natural tendencies is a big hill to climb. That's why I doubt she should be in the UFC. She should learn that somewhere else. And she may never learn that. I guess Angela is happy to win fights. But is she satisfied with being a fill in? Most fighters would want to move up the ladder. Of course it's possible she knows her limitations. Enjoy the video!
Here's the match video of Yan Xiaonan vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz from last night's UFC show in New Zealand. Yan is an up and coming fighter from China. She is mainly a striker. She's 4-0 in the UFC. Karolina is a former Strawweight title contender who is on the downside of her career. She's on a three fight losing streak but she's still ranked. So I guess she's now a gatekeeper. The fight went as I expected. Yan is more aggressive than most Strawweights. She nails Karolina in her right eye and she's seeing double for the rest of the fight. It's a dominant performance for Yan. Round two is probably 10-8 and the other two rounds are 10-9. Yan wins by unanimous decision. That should get her in the rankings and I want to see her face somebody better. Most ranked Strawweights are booked right now. So we'll see what happens in upcoming fights. It may be time for Karolina to consider retirement. I don't know what happened to her eye. It could be a detached retina. That will require surgery. Her days as a competitive fighter are probably over. Enjoy the video!
