TNA pimps out Madison Rayne

Here's the video from last night's TNA Knockouts Championship match between Angelina Love and Tara on TNA Victory Road. I'm sure you already know that Angelina regained the title. So many fans are wondering why TNA would move the title back to Angelina so quickly and have suggested that the Impact ratings have gone down when Tara is on. Spare me. If only it was true. It's much stupider than that. The match itself was fine but the ending was ludicrous with ref Slick Johnson counting to three though Tara's foot was on the ropes. Later in the show, it is revealed that Johnson was paid off with...ahem...sexual favours by Madison Rayne. Oy! A rematch between Angelina and Tara has been ordered. What the hell are those morons at TNA smoking to do this kind of crap? And it's interesting to note that TNA recently fired ref Rudy Charles. Maybe he refused to do this angle. Oy again! I watched the Sharmell vs Jenna Morasca match but you don't want to see it. It was a train wreck. Sharmell was wearing an evening gown and wrestling boots. Jenna looked like a two dollar hooker and didn't know what the hell she was doing. The only good thing was when Awesome Kong splashed Jenna post match. And those same morons thought this should be on a PPV. Back to the drawing board, idiots! Enjoy the video.

Victory Road 2009 1/19 (HQ) - MyVideo

Victory Road 2009 2/19 (HQ) - MyVideo

Jango Song Of The Day-The Creation

Artist:The Creation

Song:Making Time

Album:Our Music Is Red - With Purple Flashes

The Creation could very well be the best British band of the 60s to not be successful. Today they have a devoted cult following but back then they did well only in Germany. The main guy behind The Creation was guitarist Eddie Phillips (born Aug. 15, 1942 in East London). He was the first guitarist to use a violin bow on the guitar, something Jimmy Page would do later. You'll see it in the video clip. The group started out in 1963 as The Blue Jacks with lead singer Kenny Pickett. When Phillips joined, the name was changed to Mark Four. They recorded a few unsuccessful singles for Mercury and Decca and Mark Four ended when two members quit. In 1966, Phillips and Pickett brought in drummer Jack Jones and ex-Merseybeats bassist Bob Garner and they got a new manager in Aussie Robert Stigwood. Making Time was the debut single for The Creation and it was produced by Shel Talmy. It didn't catch on. Painter Man did a little better in England but it was number one in Germany. Pickett tired of touring in Europe and was replaced by Kim Gardner. The short story is The Creation never had much success anywhere but Germany and the band was finished in 1968. Eddie Phillips joined P.P. Arnold's band and then became a bus driver. There were reports that he was asked to join The Who but Phillips says it didn't happen. Kenny Pickett died in 1996. The Creation got a boost when Making Time was used in the film Rushmore and this comp from Demon Records has all their recordings. Here's The Creation performing Making Time on the German TV show Beat, Beat, Beat 1966.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Hues Corporation

Artist:The Hues Corporation

Song:Rock The Boat

Album:The Very Best Of The Hues Corporation

Like a lot of black music of the 70s, the 1974 hit Rock The Boat got a lot of airplay in discos and then crossed into the pop charts. I would describe The Hues Corporation as pop soul; very bouncy and smooth. The group started out as backup singers in the Los Angeles area in 1969 and then opened for other acts. The leader was St. Clair Lee and the others were Flemming Williams and Ann Kelley. Their big break came when they were asked to appear in the 1972 film Blacula. They had three songs on the soundtrack and this led to a contract with RCA Records. They wanted to call themselves The Children Of Howard Hughes but RCA nixed that and they settled on The Hues Corporation. Rock The Boat was the second single and after becoming a hit in clubs, it crossed over to the pop charts and topped the Billboard Hot 100 and went gold. The song was written and produced by Waldo Holmes. The group met him while working on Blacula and he became their manager. Williams sang lead on Rock The Boat and then left after he wanted the group to be called Flemming Williams and the Hues Corporation. According to Lee, Williams was a drug addict and died in 1993. Tom Brown replaced him. The Hues Corporation had some other hits on the disco charts and you can get them on this comp. Lee says the group disageed with RCA on their direction and they disbanded in 1978. They have reunited occasionally including for a 2004 PBS special. Here's The Hues Corporation performing Rock The Boat 1974.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Fratellis

Artist:The Fratellis
Song:Whistle For The Choir
Album:Costello Music





The Scottish band The Fratellis are very popular at home but it doesn't look like their witty pop sound is likely to make waves in North America. Though they all have the last name Fratelli, they're not really brothers and it appears the Fratelli name may have come fron the 1985 film The Goonies though they claim that bassist Barry Wallace's original name was Fratelli. Lead vocalist and guitarist is John Lawler AKA Jon Fratelli. Bassist is Baz Fratelli AKA Barry Wallace. Drummer is Mince Fratelli AKA Gordon McRory. Pianist Will Foster of The Tears is currenty touring with them. The Fratellis started playing the Glasgow club scene in 2005 and quickly got the attention of record companies. They signed with the Island Records subsidiary Fallout Records and are on Interscope in the US. They went to Los Angeles to record their debut CD Costello Music with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck). It did very well in England but The Fratellis have failed to break through in the US. Their 2008 CD Here We Stand continued that. The Fratellis write all their own songs and their music is clearly in the Britpop tradition. So they're worth checking out if you enjoy that kind of music. They're currently working on a new CD. Here's the video for Whistle For The Choir by The Fratellis.
The Fratellis - Whistle For The Choir

Fuuka Matsuri & JWP visit Nikkan Sports

Nikkan Sports has posted two videos promoting a couple of this weekend's joshi shows. The first one has Fuuka & RICA promoring this Sunday's Fuuka Matsuri show. RICA is the artist who does the ring announcing and is in charge of the musical group. They mostly joke about Fuuka's lack of musical talent until former joshi wrestler Mai Ichii intrudes. Ichii has been very successful kickboxing for M-1 and of course she had that Shoot Boxing match with Fuuka last fall. Fuuka & RICA call her a troublemaker. I assume she's on the show but I don't know what she's doing. The other video has Kayoko Haruyama, Azumi Hyuga & Pinkie Mayuca promoting this Sunday's JWP show with Haruyama talking about her JWP Open Weight Championship defense against Kyoko Kimura and Mayuca talking about challenging for the JWP Junior/POP Titles against Misaki Ohata. Enjoy the videos!

Jango Son Of The Day-The Music Explosion

Artist:The Music Explosion
Song:Little Bit O' Soul
Album:Nuggets From Nuggets: Choice Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era





The 1967 hit Little Bit O' Soul is a great song from the one hit wonder The Music Explosion. They were part of the Kasenatz-Katz music factory that also included Ohio Express and 1910 Fruitgum Co. The big difference was that The Music Explosion were a real band but they were chewed up and spit out by Kasenatz-Katz and killed. The Music Explosion were from Mansfield, OH. and were led by lead singer Jamie Lyons. Other members were Donald Atkins and Richard Nesta on guitar, Burton Stahl on bass and Robert Avery on drums. They were discovered by Kasenatz-Katz and signed to Laurie Records. Little Bit O' Soul was their first single and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by British songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis who had written several British Invasion hits. Lyons had also recorded as a solo artist for Laurie but it looks like that may have led to Kasenatz-Katz splitting with Laurie and moving to Buddah. Then Kasenatz-Katz got into the pattern of using studio musicians on Music Explosion records and that killed the band. Their other music sucks so be sure to get Little Bit O' Soul on this Nuggets comp. Jamie Lyons went on to record with the Capital City Rockets. He died in 2006. Bob Avery was in Crazy Elephant. Here's The Music Explosion performing Little Bit O' Soul 1967.

Scott Coker says there will be a 135lb women's tournament

For the last few months, many fans and MMA writers have demonstrated tunnel vision by insisting that Strikeforce 135lb women's MMA standout Sarah Kaufman should be a challenger for the 145lb title. Yours truly has said repeatedly that isn't going to happen and that Strikeforce has definite plans for a 135lb division. In this video interview with Ariel Helwani, Strikeforce owner Scott Coker confirms that there are plans for a 135lb women's tournament beginning later this year. So I don't want to see any more baloney about Sarah Kaufman moving up to 145. And remember who told you she wouldn't have to do that first. And though he couldn't remember her name, Coker also said that they are interested in Belgian fighter Candi Dandois as a contender for the 145lb title. She recently won over Marloes Coenen but some folks thought it was a fluke. I dunno. She had a good strategy in that fight. I'm not sure that would work with Gina Carano, Cristiane Cyborg or Erin Toughill. So check out the video. Enjoy!

Scott Coker FanHouse Interview from Ariel Helwani on Vimeo.

Shawn Tompkins responds to Kit Cope's blather

I'm sure you all heard about some ridiculous comments on a Las Vegas radio station by a steroid using fighter named Kit Cope. His fifteen minutes of fame is now based on being Gina Carano's ex-boyfriend. Normally I wouldn't waste my time on this but Ariel Helwani was in that radio station and then on Tuesday proceeded to ambush Gina with Cope's stupid comments about Xtreme Couture. To her credit, Gina didn't bite his head off. I know female fighters who would have. But you have to wonder why Helwani asked her that in the first place. He knows better that to accept Cope's comments at face value but chose not to question him further and it all turned into frat boy nonsense with Cope claiming to have a sex tape of Gina. He has admitted on his blog that the sex tape comment was a joke. But Xtreme Couture head trainer Shawn Tompkins was very upset by Cope's nonsense and asked Dave Farra of MMA Fix for an interview. So watch the interview and you can decide who you believe. Hat tip to Zach Arnold for the video clip.

Watch Shawn Tompkins Sounds Off On Kit Cope on RawVegas.tv

JEWELS fighters on Shoot Boxing show

Shoot Boxing announced today that they will have a tournament called Girls S-Cup 2009 Shinagawa Stella Ballroom on Aug. 23. But the big news is that several JEWELS fighters and one VALKYRIE fighter will be on this show. The tournament is for 52kg and will have a total of eight women. The headline fighter in this tournament is 18 year old shoot boxer Lena. She just won her latest match on Saturday's JEWELS show. Also in the tournament is Korean kickboxer actress Lim Su Jeong. You may recall that Lim defeated Lena on a K-1 show in Korea. So Lena is looking for revenge. Also named for the tournament is JEWELS fighter Saori Ishioka and VALKYRIE fighter V1. V1 has a VALKYRIE Featherweight Championship match in her future and Ishioka lost to Megumi Fujii on Saturday's JEWELS show. Speaking of Mega Megu, she will appear on this show in a non-tournament match and so will JEWELS fighters Shizuka Sugiyama and HIROKO. All fighters except Lim were at the press conference. Shoot Boxing sure is getting a lot of star power out of their relationship with JEWELS.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Knickerbockers

Artist:The Knickerbockers
Song:Lies
Album:Nuggets From Nuggets: Choice Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era





The Knickerbockers' 1966 top 20 hit Lies is probably the best Beatles song not by The Beatles. It was their only chart hit. Though the group wrote their own songs, it appears that they liked to imitate popular groups of the mid-60s. The Knickerbockers were started in Bergenfield, NJ in 1962 by guitarist Beau Charles and his brother bassist John Charles. They struggled until they brought in sax player Buddy Randell formerly of The Royal Teens. They added drummer Jimmy Walker from The Castle Kings. They were spotted by producer Jerry Fuller and he signed them to Challenge Records. They started out imitating The Four Seasons and singing about Hot Rods. But they finally charted with Lies. The song was written by Beau Charles and Buddy Randell but it's clearly supposed to sound like The Beatles complete with John Lennon soundalike vocals. The Knickerbockers appeared in the 1966 film Out Of Sight. They probably should have been bigger but Challenge was too small to properly promote them. Then Jimmy Walker left in 1967 to replace Bill Medley in The Righteous Brothers. You can get Lies on this Nuggets comp. Beau & John Charles tried to keep the group together but couldn't. Beau Charles recorded as Columbus Jones in 1969 and then Beau & John recorded as Lodi on Mowest in 1971. Randell also recorded under several names and and then went into faith based music. He died in 1998. Walker retired from music in 1970. The Knickerbockers have reformed a couple of times and recorded for Sundazed Records in 2006. Here's The Knickerbockers performing Lies on Hollywood-A-Go-Go 1965.

Ariel Helwani interviews Gina Carano

Here's a video interview with Gina Carano courtesy of Ariel Helwani of AOL Fanhouse. The only unusual thing about this interview is Ariel asks Gina about the comments by former boyfriend Kit Cope claiming that she isn't getting proper training at Xtreme Couture. Gina handled it very well. No, he didn't ask her about the ridiculous sex tape nonsense that Cope has been flapping his gums about. Other than that, it's a standard Gina interview. Enjoy!

Gina Carano FanHouse Interview from Ariel Helwani on Vimeo.

Jango Song Of The Day-Johnny Burnette

Artist:Johnny Burnette
Song:You're Sixteen
Album:Dreamin': The Very Best Of Johnny Burnette





Johnny Burnette was a rockabilly pioneer who lucked into teen idol stardom with the 1960 hit You're Sixteen. He died in 1964. He was born Mar. 25, 1934 in Memphis. It has been rumoured that he was a high school classmate of Elvis Presley. Not true. Johnny and his brother Dorsey were avid boxers and Golden Gloves champs. They met another boxer named Paul Burlison and in 1952 the three started a band called The Rhythm Rangers. After winning on the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour, they signed with Coral Records and were called Johnny Burnette & The Rock and Roll Trio. Despite recording some great rockabilly classics, the group never charted. The three moved to Los Angeles in 1957 and earned a contract with Imperial Records by camping out on Ricky Nelson's doorstep. But they weren't successful there either. Johnny Burnette signed as a solo artist with Freedom Records in 1958. When Liberty Records shut the label down, house producer Snuff Garrett started working with him. Burnette finally charted when Dreamin' reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. You're Sixteen did even better and reached #8 and earned Burnett a gold record. They sold Burnette as a teen idol though he really wasn't. But Burnette suffered a ruptured appendix and was unable to follow up You're Sixteen. He also recorded for Chancellor, Capitol and even his own label but could never repeat the success of You're Sixteen. This comp from Collectibles is the only single CD comp that includes You're Sixteen and Burnette's rockabilly recordings. Johnny Burnette died in a boating accident on Aug. 14, 1964 at age 30. Ringo Starr had a number one hit with You're Sixteen in 1974. His son Rocky Burnette was a successful musician in the 80s. Here's Johnny Burnette performing You're Sixteen 1960.

Carano/Cyborg press conference a yawnfest

So I watched the Strikeforce press conference for the Aug. 15 match between Gina Carano and Cristiane Cyborg broadcast live from the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. It was streamed live at Strikeforce.com. I did a live tweet on my Twitter. First, it was scheduled to begin at 2:30PM but started a half hour late and they knew there was an open workout for the press scheduled for 4PM. Boooooo! for starting late. And there were technical issues with the feed. The audio was jumpy and cutting out and the feed itself cut out several times until it gave out completely near the end. Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. hosted the press conference. He said Strikeforce owner Scott Coker wasn't there. He was there but he wanted the attention to be on the fighters so he didn't come out until the end. There were no revelations from either Carano or Cyborg. As usual, the media questions were stupid. Can you believe that no one asked these two about making weight? Instead they ask if they train with men, a question Gina had already answered and the difference between men's and women's MMA. Huh? And the usual nonsense about Gina being "the face of women's MMA". Gina said she wants to see other weight classes for women in Strikeforce. That's an issue Coker needs to address. Check out the title belt in the pic. It looks like another great Reggie Parks belt. So that was the press conference and just to keep you going, here's Gina Carano on FOX News' MMA Fight Game with Mike Straka. Enjoy!

Emi Fujino to join joshi puroresu company Ice Ribbon

The Ice Ribbon joshi puroresu company announced today that MMA fighter Emi Fujino has begun training for her pro wrestling debut scheduled for August. That's her in white in the pic. Keep in mind that in Japan there is a frequent crossover between MMA and pro wrestling. Megumi Yabushita has done both for her entire career. Ice Ribbon is owned by joshi wrestler Sakura Emi and the interesting thing is most of their shows aren't in a ring but on mats. I don't know if this is a full time gig for Fujino but Ice Ribbon runs several small shows per week. I'm not a big fan of their use of preteen girls. Fujino's MMA record is 8-3 but she's lost her last three fights. And she had to be disappointed when she was finessed by V1 as part of the #1 contender tournament for Yuka Tsuji's VALKYRIE Featherweight Championship. And she had beaten V1 in 2007. You may also recall that Fujino was supposed to fight Fuuka on a Sept. 2007 Smackgirl show. And when Fuuka dropped out due to injury, Fujino cut a scathing promo on Fuuka in the ring. I think she'd still like to get her hands on Fuuka. There's no reason why she couldn't continue MMA. She's a very good fighter.

Jango Song Of The Day-Fontella Bass

Artist:Fontella Bass

Song:Rescue Me

Album:Rescued: The Best Of Fontella Bass

I bet you think that Rescue Me is one of Aretha Franklin's greatest hits. Except Aretha never recorded the song and it was actually a top five hit in 1965 by Fontella Bass. The confusion is understandable because they are very similar singers but Fontella has never got her due. She was born July 3, 1940 in St. Louis and is the daughter of Martha Bass of The Clara Ward Singers. So of course she grew up singing in church. By age 16 Fontella was house pianist at the St. Louis nightclub The Showbar. In 1961 she joined Little Milton's band and sang lead on his 1962 hit So Mean To Me. It was here that she met her husband trumpeter Lester Bowie of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. When pianist Oliver Sain left Little Milton to start the Oliver Sain Soul Revue, Fontella was lead vocalist. She also recorded with Ike & Tina Turner. Sain took her to Chicago to record Don't Mess Up A Good Thing for The Chess records label Checker. It was a top ten R & B hit. Fontella left Sain and moved to Chicago to record Rescue Me in 1965. The song was credited to Chess session musicians Raynard Miner and Carl Smith though Fontella has maintained that she should have received a songwriting credit and has sued successfully for that credit. Rescue Me topped the R & B charts and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it predates Aretha Franklin's breakthrough by two years. Aretha did record a portion of Rescue Me for a 1993 American Express commercial but she never actually recorded the song for release. Fontella had some more R & B hits in the 60s but left Chess in 1969. This comp covers her Chess years. Fontella Bass has recorded over the years mostly with her husband's avant garde jazz band Art Ensemble Of Chicago. They moved back to St. Louis in 1971. She has also recorded with her gospel singer brother David Peaston. She suffered a stroke in 2005 and is now retired. Fontella Bass should have been a much bigger star. Here's Fontella Bass performing Rescue Me on Hollywood-A-Go-Go 1965.

V1 wins shot at Yuka Tsuji's title

The CAGE FORCE/VALKYRIE show was yesterday at Differ Ariake. There were three VALKYRIE matches on the show. The most important was the final of the #1 contender tournament for Yuka Tsuji's VALKYRIE Featherweight Championship between V1 and Kyoko Takabayashi scheduled for three three minute rounds. V1 begins by pushing Takabayashi into the wire mesh. Takabayashi takes her down but is kicked off. In round two, V1 hits a knee kick and Takabayashi counters with a takedown and some pounding. Takabayashi begins round three with takedown attempts but V1 defends well with strikes. She takes Takabayashi down and pounds her. V1 is given the win by split decision and she gets the title shot. Not that it matters. She can't beat Tsuji. In a Welterweight match, Super Benkei pounded Mizuho Sato relentlessly until winning by TKO at 2:48 of round three. In a Featherweight match, Madoka Ebihara and sakura engaged in a slugfest until Ebihara got sakura in an ankle lock and made her submit at 2:00 of round one. BTW, Ebihara has given herself a ring name made up of symbols. This is it: ♂ha@THE♀ I dunno what it means and I'm not going to call her that. I don't know yet when VALKYRIE is doing this title match.

Jango Song Of The Day-Ray, Goodman & Brown

Artist:Ray, Goodman & Brown
Song:Special Lady
Album:The Best Of Ray, Goodman & Brown





The 1979 hit Special Lady is still a bedroom classic today. It was the first single by Ray, Goodman & Brown. They were previously known as The Moments but had to change their name for legal reasons. The Moments began in the mid-60s and had a big hit in 1970 with Love On A Two Way Street on Joe & Sylvia Robinson's Stang label. Al Goodman (born Mar. 31, 1947 in Jackson, MS) and Billy Brown (born June 30, 1946 in Perth Amboy, NJ) joined The Moments in 1969 and Brown sang lead on Love On A Two Way Street. He had previously been with The Broadways and Goodman was working for Stang as a producer. They brought in Harry Ray (born Dec. 15, 1946 in Long Branch, NJ) from The Establishments. The Moments had 27 R & B chart hits through the 70s but they decided to sign with the much larger Polydor label in 1978. They couldn't use The Moments name so they called themselves Ray, Goodman & Brown. Special Lady topped the R & B charts and reached #5 on the pop charts. Their smooth R & B sound continued to have success on the R & B charts. Ray left for a solo career but returned when Ray, Goodman & Brown moved to EMI and had a top ten R & B hit with Take It To The Limit in 1986. This 1996 Polygram comp includes their Polydor and EMI recordings. Harry Ray died in 1992 but Ray, Goodman & Brown continue to tour today and record occasionally. They also sang backup vocals on the Alicia Keys hit You Don't Know My Name. Here is Ray, Goodman & Brown performing Special Lady 1980.

Jango Song Of The Day-Willie Tee

Artist:Willie Tee
Song:Teasin' You
Album:Anthology 1962-2005





Willie Tee was a legend of New Orleans soul despite commercial success eluding him for most of his career. Teasin' You was his biggest hit in 1965 and it wasn't that big. He was born Wilson Turbinton Feb. 4, 1944 in New Orleans. His older brother Earl Turbinton played sax. They formed their first group The Seminoles in 1960 and Willie also joined the AFO Band led by his music teacher Harold Battiste. He also recorded for Battiste's AFO label as Willie Tee in 1962. He started The Souls and signed with cousin Ulis Gaines' label Nola. His 1965 single Teasin' You became a big enough hit that the Righteous Brothers performed it on Shindig and then Atlantic picked it up for national distribution. It reached #12 on the R & B charts. Tee never had a bigger hit so Atlantic dropped him and Nola closed. Tee started getting into production with Margie Joseph's 1969 classic One More Chance. His work with Earl got the attention of Cannonball Adderly and a short lived contract with Capitol. In 1973, Tee was approached about making an album of Native American Mardi Gras music. The result was the classic album The Wild Magnolias, a must for any black music fan. Tee released an album on United Artists in 1976 called Anticipation that went nowhere. He never again recorded for a major label but he continued to perform in New Orleans clubs and even went to England in the 90s. He was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in 2007. He also appeared in the 2005 film Ray. This comp from the Beach Music label Ripete has all of Tee's 60s music along with some recent recordings. Willie Tee died of colon cancer Sept. 11, 2007 at age 63. Here's Willie Tee performing Teasin' You, Walking Up A One Way Street & Thank You John at his 2007 Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Mega Megu still undefeated

JEWELS had their show today at Shin-kiba 1st Ring in front of a capacity crowd. Of course the main event was the undefeated Megumi Fujii against the youngster Saori Ishioka. It appears that Ishioka did better than expected but the end result was never in doubt. Ishioka surprises Fujii with flying knee kicks. Fujii counters with a straight left. She pushes Ishioka into the ropes and goes for a takedown but Ishioka connects with a knee to the body. They exchange punches but Fujii rocks Ishioka with a right hook. Fujii finally gets Ishioka on the ground and pounds her. Fujii goes for an armbar but Ishioka stands up and reverses position and pounds Fujii. This excites the crowd. But Ishioka's advantage is temporary and Fujii is on top again by the end of round one. In round two, Ishioka wants to prevent Fujii from going to the ground. So she lands a couple of punches but Fujii responds and drops Ishioka with a front leg kick. Ishioka counters but Fujii gets a double leg takedown and eventually submits Ishioka with an armbar at 4:17 of round two. So a good showing by Ishioka means she has potential. DEEP Lightweight Champ MIKU appeared and said she wants to fight in JEWELS. Matchmaker Shigeru Saeki says Fuji/MIKU will happen early next year.





In other matches, Shoot Boxer Lena won over Tomoko SP by unanimous decision. Hitomi Akano had no problem with Miki Morifuji and won with an armbar at 4:17 of round two. Rina Tomita started out strong but Mika Nagano had her in big trouble by the end of round one. Nagano won with an armbar at 35 sec. of round two. Shizuka Sugiyama won what was mostly a slugfest over HARI by unanimous decision. HARI got in some shots but Sugiyama was too much for her. Asami Kodera made a successful return from hernia surgery with a win over Yukiko Seki with an armbar at 4:47 of round one. Matsumi Kasai won over Celina with an armlock at 3:06 of round one. And Hiroko Kitamura used her height advantage to batter the winless HARUMI before taking her down and winning with a triangle choke at 3:51 of round one. The next JEWELS show will be in September.

The Big Bad Blog on Twitter

I just wanted to let regular readers of the blog know that I am now on Twitter. Yeah, I know. It's the trendy thing to do but I'm getting over a hundred hits per day now and Twitter is a good way to continue to grow. So I've been looking to join Twitter for a while but I was concerned about having to do too much to post blog links on Twitter. Yesterday Appscout posted an article about RSS2Twitter. When you add your RSS feed to the site, it automatically adds the post to my Twitter complete with a shortened link to the post. And it's in real time. So when I publish this post, it will immediately post to Twitter. That's faster than any RSS reader I am aware of. So it's a great way to follow the blog. I will post some other updates that aren't worthy of a blog post. I have posted links to my Twitter and RSS2Twitter in the Links section. I recommend that site to any blogger. Please feel free to follow my Twitter and if I know you, I will follow you as well.

Jango Song Of The Day-Maceo Parker

Artist:Maceo Parker
Song:Pass The Peas
Album:Roots and Grooves





Of course sax player Maceo Parker is a legend for his days with James Brown, Funkadelic and many others. These days he's hanging around with Prince. His solo albums are worth checking out as well. He was born Feb. 14, 1943 in Kinston, NC. His brother Melvin plays drums. James Brown wrote in his autobiography that he wanted Melvin Parker for the band and agreed to hire Maceo as part of the deal. The rest is history. Parker was an integral part of Fred Wesley's horn section. He also toured with Wesley when Wesley toured as Fred Wesley & The JBs and he had his own group called Maceo & All The King's Men. Parker left Brown to join George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic crew and also worked with Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell. Parker can always be counted on for a killer sax solo. So Maceo Parker has been a big part of funk history. In recent years he's been touring with Prince. But he has also recorded solo albums over the years. Roots and Grooves was released in 2007 on the German Intuition label. The first CD is Parker's tribute to his music roots especially Ray Charles. The second CD is a live jam with the WDR Big Band in Germany. This version of Pass The Peas is a 17 minute long jam. Funk fans should check it out. Here's Maceo Parker performing Pass The Peas at the North Sea Jazz Festival 1995.

Jango Song Of The Day-Hank Thompson

Artist:Hank Thompson
Song:The Wild Side Of Life
Album:Capitol Collectors Series





When folks think of the phrase "I didn't know God made Honky Tonk angels", Hank Thompson's 1952 hit The Wild Side Of Life is the song they are thinking of. Thompson was a country music star for decades. He was born Sept. 3, 1925 in Waco, TX. He grew up a big fan of Western Swing musicians like Bob Wills and Thompson's music fits into that mold. He had a local radio show as a teen and joined the Navy in 1943 as a radio technician. He formed his band The Brazos Valley Boys in 1946. He recorded a few singles and got the attention of Tex Ritter and Ritter helped Thompson get a contract with Capitol Records in 1947. Thompson had success but had his biggest success when he started working with producer Ken Nelson in 1951. The Wild Side Of Life topped the country music charts for three months in 1952 and it was Thompson's signature song. The Wild Side Of Life is based on the Carter Family song I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes with William Warren's lyrics obviously inspired by a failed relationship. Kittly Wells' answer song It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels was also a number one country hit. Thompson continued to have a lot of success and hosted the first TV variety show broadcast in colour. He also recorded the first live country music album in 1961. His recording career petered out in the 60s. He left Capitol in 1965 and though Thompson continued to record for Warner Bros. & Dot/MCA and was still a popular live act, he never reached the heights of the 50s. This comp covers his Capitol recordings. He was elected to the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1989. Hank Thompson died of lung cancer on Nov. 6, 2007 at age 82. Here's Hank Thompson performing The Wild Side Of Life on Hee Haw.

Azumi Hyuga announces retirement

Azumi Hyuga held a press conference to announce that she will retire on JWP's year end Korakuen Hall show on Dec. 27. Azumi has had several knee surgeries including one last year so I can only assume that her knees aren't getting any better. She's always performed at a high level and probably doesn't want to slip into mediocrity like other veterans who hung on too long. Of course it hurts JWP but after fifteen years, it's time to go while she can still walk. She was born Tomoko Kuzumi Jan. 5, 1975 in Matsudo City. She debuted on Dec. 4, 1994 and by the time she changed her name to Azumi Hyuga in 1999, she had already become one of the top wrestlers in Japan. Despite JWP's financial problems, she remained loyal to the company when she probably should have left to make more money. Back in 2003, she was the only reason to watch JWP. Azumi Hyuga is not only a tremendous technical wrestler capable of almost any move you can imagine, she is a main event performer who always rose to the occasion and delivered superior matches routinely. A great example of this is her Dec. 2006 60 minute draw against Yoshiko Tamura. Tamura is a notoriously inconsistent performer equally capable of delivering great performances and stinking out the joint. Hyuga's consistency was a big reason for that match being hailed as 2006 match of the year. She's a very dependable performer. Of course JWP and NEO botched following up on that match. Maybe we'll see a rematch now. So it's a sad day for joshi puroresu but I'm sure all fans wish Azumi Hyuga the best in whatever she does upon her retirement.

Tomomi vs Izumi on Aug. 9 SHOOTO show

SHOOTO announced on their blog today that they have added a women's match to their Aug. 9 at Fujimi Citizens Lyceum in Fujimi City. Both are experienced kickboxers so I don't expect this to go to the ground. The match is scheduled for two five minute rounds in the Flyweight division (probably 125lbs). It will be WINDY Tomomi (pictured) vs Jet Izumi. WINDY's MMA record is 12-10 and her last fight was a loss to Kyoko Takabayashi at the Apr. 25 VALKYRIE show. Izumi's MMA record is 5-5 but she has concentrated on kickboxing for the last several years. She's been very active in that area but her last MMA bout was a loss to Yumi Matsumoto on the Apr. 30, 2005 SMACKGIRL show. Certainly a KO finish is possible for this match.

Jango Song Of The Day-Ralph McTell

Artist:Ralph McTell

Song:Streets Of London

Album:The Best Of Ralph McTell: Streets Of London

Ralph McTell isn't well known in North America but in his native England he is a legend of folk music. Streets Of London is his best known song and has been recorded by hundreds of other artists. He was born Ralph May Dec. 3, 1944 in Fairborough, Kent, England. He started playing guitar as a teen. After watching Ramblin' Jack Elliott perform at a club in London, he immersed himself in the music of the legends of blues and eventually named himself after Blind Willie McTell. After a few years of busking through Europe, McTell signed with Transatlantic Records in 1967 and released his debut album in 1968. Streets of London was on his 1969 album Spiral Staircase. It was influenced by McTell's busking experiences but he thought it was too depressing to record. Producer Gus Dudgeon convinced him otherwise. It eventually charted in England in 1974 but Streets Of London is now a folk music standard. He has always been a very popular live act in England but a US record company has never promoted him properly. This comp on Castle is a good intro to his music. McTell started his own label in 1980 and continues to record  and tour today. He also wrote songs for the successful children's TV show Alphabet Zoo. You should check him out if you're into folk music. Here's Ralph McTell performing Streets Of London on the German TV show Disco 1975.

Jango Song Of The Day-Gladys Knight & The Pips

Artist:Gladys Knight & The Pips

Song:Midnight Train To Georgia

Album:Gold

Of course Gladys Knight is one of the all time great soul singers and the 1973 hit Midnight Train To Georgia is one of several Gladys Knight & The Pips hits. She was born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta and she won on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour at age 7. She formed a group with her brother Merald, sister Brenda and cousins William and Elinor Guest called The Pips. They were named after another cousin James "Pip" Woods. Cousins Langston George and Edward Patten replaced Brenda and Elinor in 1959. The group had some success with VeeJay Records in the early 60s and after George left, Gladys quit to raise her children. She returned and Gladys Knight & The Pips signed with Motown in 1966. Their biggest hit at Motown was their 1967 version of Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine. They left Motown for Buddah Records after Neither One Of Us reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. Gladys said they felt they were a second string act at Motown. Midnight Train To Georgia was their second single on Buddah and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. Neither One Of Us and Midnight Train To Georgia were both written by veteran Nashville songwriter Jim Weatherly. The original title was Midnight Plane To Houston and it was recorded by Cissy Houston in 1970. Weatherly was recording for Buddah at the time. Tony Camillo produced the song and played organ on the song along with sessionmen Bob Babbitt , Jeff Mironov and Mike & Randy Brecker. This 2CD comp on Hip-O is recommended because it covers the Motown and Buddah recordings. Gladys Knight & The Pips continue to perform today and they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1996. Here's Gladys Knight & The Pips performing Midnight Train To Georgia 1973.

Satoko Shinashi is a mommy!

DEEP announced today the DEEP Women's Flyweight Champ Satoko Shinashi gave birth on Sunday to a son weighing 2486 grams. Mother and child are doing great and Satoko is very excited. Mama Fighter will start working towards a return to fighting. DEEP matchmaker Shigeru Saeki said a few months ago that Satoko is aiming to return in December and that is still the schedule. I'm sure all women's MMA fans look forward to seeing Satoko Shinashi back in action. Congratulations!

Jango Song Of The Day-The Sparkles

Artist:The Sparkles
Song:No Friend Of Mine
Album:Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate 60s Garage Collection





Here's a 1967 garage band classic that never got it's due because of poor distribution. Various artists comps have kept the song alive because there are no comps of The Sparkles. This group from Texas was led by guitarist Stan Smith. They recorded with legendary producer Norman Petty in 1958 but the recordings were never released. The Sparkles broke up but Smith reformed them in 1962 and recorded one single that went nowhere. They split up again and Smith formed a new version of the group with drummer Lucky Floyd, guitarist Donnie Roberts and bassist Bobby Smith. Stan Smith and Roberts left in 1965 and guitarists Gary P. Nunn and Louie Holt and drummer Jim Marriot joined. The Sparkles signed with Hickory Records and worked with Roy Orbison's drummer Larry Parks as producer. They released some singles including the 1967 classic No Friend Of Mine but none were successful. Nunn & Holt quit and the others moved to California and renamed themselves The Pearly Gates. They eventually split up for good in 1972. No Friend Of Mine has been kept alive by garage band comps like this one from Big Beat. Gary P. Nunn went on to join Jerry Jeff Walker's band and is best known for his song London Homesick Blues which is the theme song for Austin City Limits. Here's a video for No Friend Of Mine by The Sparkles.

Ayumi Kurihara uses her "noodle"

The Naigai Times interviewed Ayumi Kurihara, one of our favourite little wrestlers. As many fans are aware, Ayumi's parents own a restaurant and have provided food for joshi shows in the past. It appears that Ayumi plans to follow in their footsteps and she's not even waiting for her wrestling career to end. The accompanying picture is a promotional poster for a noodle soup that Ayumi is producing. Her first customer is the Chiba Marine Stadium, home of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team. Ayumi threw out the first pitch at a recent game. She admitted that she's not much of a baseball fan but the fans are enjoying her noodles. She said she started thinking about food products while she was out with a serious shoulder injury last year. Of course her parents are entrepreneurs so it's not surprising that Ayumi would want to start her own business too. She still enjoys joshi but it's very smart to plan for life after wrestling. She says she's going to Mexico in August to wrestle as the masked A*YU*MI character and learn some new mat techniques. Ayumi has also taken up her mentor Michiko Ohmukai's interest in aromatherapy. So while she's in the ring entertaining fans, Ayumi plans to build her business in preparation for life after wrestling. That means she's using her "noodle".

Jango Song Of The Day-Desmond Dekker & The Aces

Artist:Desmond Dekker & The Aces

Song:Israelites

Album:The Original Reggae Hitsound Of Desmond Dekker and the Aces

Though the 1969 hit Israelites is looked at as a one hit wonder in North America, It paved the way for other Jamaican stars like Bob Marley. And Desmond Dekker had a significant career in Jamaica and England. He was born Desmond Dacres July 16, 1941 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was working as a welder in 1961 when his co-workers suggested that he should be a singer. He became friends with Derrick Morgan and started recording for producer Leslie Kong in 1963. Dekker's music became a big part of the Rude Boy sound of the late 60s. He was very popular in Jamaica but Dekker broke through internationally in 1968 with Israelites. Dekker wrote the song when he was walking through the park one day and heard a couple arguing about money. This song about poverty reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the British charts. Dekker moved to England in the 70s. He wasn't having much success until the British ska revival of the late 70s with Stiff Records. That died out in the mid-80s but Dekker got a big boost when Israelites was used in a 1990 Maxell commercial and Dekker was rediscovered and hailed as a legend. He continued to tour and record periodically until his death on May 25, 2006 at age 64. This comp from Trojan covers Dekker's 60s recordings. Here's Desmond Dekker & The Aces performing Israelites in Wembley Stadium in London 1970.

Tomo Hashimoto arrested

It is being reported today that MAKEHEN owner Tomo Hashimoto was arrested for attempting to extort money from a restaurant owner. I normally wouldn't mention it but he has a couple of joshi wrestlers working for him. What will happen to them if the company closes. Relax. Nothing has happened yet. It was reported that the Shirai Sisters were with Hashimoto when he was arrested but I understand that was incorrect. Basara has only said that she's not leaving MAKEHEN. So they're not going anywhere yet. In the meantime, here's a video about Basara from her hometown TV station. It's one of those local girl makes good stories talking about how she got into wrestling and stuff like that. Enjoy!


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Etsuko Mita announces retirement

Joshi puroresu legend Etsuko Mita announced at today's NEO show she plans to retire after 22 years in pro wrestling. She also announced it on her blog. She will retire at November's Korakuen Hall NEO show. Of course Mita is best known for her long running tag team with Mima Shimoda and is also the creator of the Death Valley Driver. She was an outstanding wrestler in her prime. But in recent years she couldn't really move anymore because of bad knees. She probably should have retired around 2002 but has worked for NEO the last few years mostly as a midcard jobber. She's been working a lot with the pathetic Ice Ribbon wrestler Makoto and took a terrible beating from Revolution Amandora recently. She was the one giving out beatings in the 90s. That's a hell of a comedown for a wrestler who was on top at one time. The writing has been on the wall for a while now. I noticed that NEO president Koda didn't say anything about Mita on his blog. He's probably not very happy about another retirement.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Beau Brummels

Artist:The Beau Brummels
Song:Laugh, Laugh
Album:The Best Of The Beau Brummels 1964-1968





The Beau Brummels may have seemed like a British Invasion group but they were actually from San Francisco and were designed to capitalize on the British Invasion sound. They should have been much bigger but were on a small label and then mishandled by Warner Bros. The co-founders of The Beau Brummels were guitarist songwriter Ron Elliott (born Oct. 21, 1943 in Haddsburg, CA) and singer Sal Valentino (born Sal Spampinato Sept. 8, 1942 in San Francisco). They knew each other in school. In 1964, Valentino was a singer looking for a band and Elliott was looking for a singer. They formed a band with drummer John Petersen and guitarist Ron Meagher and bassist Declan Mulligan. The group was spotted by San Francisco DJ Tom Donohue and signed to his Autumn label. Their 1964 debut album was produced by Sly Stewart, a DJ who would later become Sly Stone. Elliott wrote most of their songs and Just A Little reached #8 and Laugh, Laugh reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. But Elliott was diabetic and couldn't handle touring. He continued to write but Don Irving replaced him on the road. The other problem was Autumn didn't have the distribution to handle the group. So The Beau Brummels signed with Warner Bros. and Warners had them record an album of cover songs. That killed the band and subsequent Beau Brummels albums had Elliott and Valentino with studio musicians. This Rhino comp covers their entire run. Elliott recorded a solo album for Warners and still records today. Valentino was a member of the 70s group Stoneground and still performs today. The Beau Brummels deserved a better fate back in the 60s. Here are The Beau Brummels performing Laugh, Laugh on Shindig 1965.

Branford Marsalis, Dave Holland review

Great concert last night at the Mainstage at City Hall as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival featuring the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the Dave Holland Quintet. Not only are these two of the best musicians in contemporary jazz but these particular bands have been together for over a decade and each individual musician could do his own thing very easily. And some of them do but they come back to this band. Dave Holland led off with an hour long set. The star of his band is tenor sax player Chris Potter. Potter leads his own band called Chris Potter's Underground and they were also performing at the festival. Drummer Nate Smith is the only recent addition to the band. He normally plays drums with Potter's band. Trombonist Robin Eubanks is the older brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks. Vibraphonist Steve Nelson has been around since the 70s playing in all kinds of bands. Holland knows his band well and made sure that they all got a chance to shine. I could see him smiling when guys were soloing. Potter and Eubanks work very well together I was very impressed with Smith's energy. I was not familiar with him but obviously as a bassist Holland understands the value of a great drummer. They gave a very solid performance and I would have liked them to play a longer set. But there was another band coming up.






And that band was led by sax player Branford Marsalis. Of course he's part of a famous musical family with his dad Ellis and brothers Wynton, Delfaeyo and Jason. His quartet has also worked regularly since 1998. The star of the show is pianist Joey Calderazzo. He has worked with Marsalis since replacing the late Kenny Kirkland in 1998. He also records as a solo artist for Marsalis Music. Bassist Eric Revis has also worked with Marsalis since 1998 and was trained by Ellis Marsalis while attending the University of New Orleans. Justin Faulkner filled in for regular drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts but it wasn't a step down. This kid can play. After the show, I suspect a lot of folks not familiar with Calderazzo will buy his CDs. I've been familiar with him for several years and Marsalis is indeed fortunate to have someone of his calibre in his regular band. Branford Marsalis has always been an expressive musician and the whole set meshed very well. And like Nate Smith, Justin Faulkner brought a lot of great energy. Chris Potter and Robin Eubanks came out for Marsalis' encore and it was great fun hearing the three trade solos. I think we all went home happy after watching two of the premier contemporary jazz bands. It didn't seem like a three hour show and that's a good thing.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Tymes

Artist:The Tymes
Song:You Little Trustmaker
Album:Nipper's Greatest Hits: The 70s





The Tymes had hits in the 60s & 70s. They started out in Philadelphia in 1956 as The Latineers with Donald Banks, Albert Berry, George Hilliard and Norman Burnett. In 1960, they changed their name to The Tymes and added lead singer George Williams. They signed with Cameo-Parkway in 1963 and began a long relationship with producer Billy Jackson. At that time, they had their biggest hit with So Much In Love. They faded and after stints with MGM and Columbia, Hilliard left. Jackson financed sessions at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia with the intention of selling The Tymes to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International label. They passed but RCA was building up their soul roster at the time and signed The Tymes. You Little Trustmaker reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Apparently Jackson sang lead on the song. He was in the studio showing Williams how he wanted him to sing the song and they all liked Jackson's vocal so much they decided to use it. The Tymes had a couple more hits and have toured the oldies circuit ever since. George Williams died in 2006. RCA has yet to release a comp of The Tymes 70s recordings so this various artists comp is recommended until they do that. It's got plenty of other great hits too. Here are The Tymes performing You Little Trustmaker at the Star City Beach Music Festival Roanoke, VA Apr. 18, 2009.

Marsalis, Holland at Toronto Jazz Festival tonight

Again I am going to the Mainstage at Toronto City Hall as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival to see two of the top names in contemporary jazz. It will be the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the Dave Holland Quintet. Of course sax player Marsalis is part of a famous family of New Orleans musicians led by his father Ellis Marsalis. Though Branford has played other kinds of music, he said in a recent interview that he always returns to jazz. He owns his own record label Marsalis Music and his latest CD Metamorphosen was released in March. He'll have his usual quartet with him featuring Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Justin Faulkner replacing Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. British bassist Dave Holland isn't as well known but most jazz fans are familiar with his beginnings with Miles Davis in the early 70s and then The Gateway Trio with John Abercrombie and Jack DeJohnette. His regular band includes sax player Chris Potter, trombonist Robin Eubanks and vibraphonist Steve Nelson. I know Potter is here because he's been playing club dates this week but I don't know about the rest of the band. Here's a video of the Dave Holland Quintet that is likely similar to the band I expect to see tonight with Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson with Nate Smith on drums performing How's Never in Spain July 2007. I look forward to an outstanding evening of jazz.
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Jango Song Of The Day-The Tams

Artist:The Tams
Song:Hey Girl Don't Bother Me
Album:The Best Of The Tams: Hey Girl Don't Bother Me





The 60s soul group The Tams have had a lot of longevity for a group that never had a top five pop hit. The leader of The Tams is lead singer Joseph Pope. Other members were his brother Charles Pope, Robert Smith, Floys Ashton and Horace Key. They were from Atlanta. They liked to wear Tam O'Shanters on stage so were named The Tams. They first surfaced in 1962 with Untie Me on Arlen Records. It was a big enough hit that they earned a contract with ABC-Paramount Records. They had some chart success but not a lot. Hey Girl Don't Bother Me reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by veteran cowboy actor Ray Whitley. The song became a favourite on the Northern Soul circuit in England and topped the British R & B charts in 1971. Their biggest hit What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am reached #9 in 1964. But The Tams continued to tour and there were even two versions of the group in the 80s. One was led by Charles Pope and the other by Robert Smith. This comp covers all their 60s hits. Pope died in 1996 but his son continues to lead a version of The Tams today. Here's The Tams performing Hey Girl Don't Bother Me on Top Of The Pops 1971.

Chucho Valdes review

I went to see Chucho Valdes and his quartet last night at the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront. It's part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. The elevator at Union Station was broken so that screwed things up. Valdes is currently touring across Canada. He's already one of the all time greats of jazz piano and he's not slowing down in his old age. He also brought his sister Maryiam Caridad Valdes with him and she sang a couple of songs. He also brought percussionist Yaroldi Abreu who is a member of his band Akokan Ire. I've always like Valdes aggressive style. He grew up in the music business. His dad is a pianist and Valdes draws on a lot of different influences including bebop, classical and of course Cuban dance band music. He's very versatile and most fans are familiar with his big band Irakere but a smaller band showcases his technique. It's fascinating watching his hands. It was a very tight band. These guys knew what they were doing and he's a great leader. His sister seemed out of place but I know she tours with him regularly. Overall it was very enjoyable and I know Chucho Valdes is appearing at the Montreal Jazz Festival and other jazz festivals across Canada so be sure to check him out.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Newbeats

Artist:The Newbeats
Song:Bread And Butter
Album:The Very Best Of The Newbeats: Bread And Butter





Though viewed as a one hit wonder, the Nashville vocal trio The Newbeats had a bit more success than the 1964 top five hit Bread And Butter. Larry Henley (born June 30, 1937 in Arp, TX) possessed that goofy high falsetto. The other two guys were brothers Dean (born Mar. 17, 1939 in Hahira, GA) and Mark Mathis (born Feb. 9, 1942 in Hahira, GA). The Mathis brothers met Henley when he auditioned for a band they were starting in Shreveport, LA. Henley decided to go solo and eventually all three landed at Acuff-Rose Publishing in Nashville. Wesley Rose put the three together and The Newbeats recorded for the Acuff-Rose owned Hickory Records. Hickory was mostly a country music label but occasionally tried pop music. Bread And Butter reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. It's one of those songs you will remember though you won't know the group. The Newbeats charted a few more times in the mid-60s and continued to record until they split up in 1974. This Varese Sarabande comp has all their hits. Larry Henley is best known for co-writing the Bette Midler hit Wind Beneath My Wings. He won a Grammy for that in 1990. He seems to do a lot of songwriting for films. The Mathis brothers still work together and record occasionally. Here are The Newbeats performing Bread And Butter on Shindig 1964.

Chucho Valdes at the Toronto Jazz Festival

I am going tonight to see Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdes at the Enwave Theater as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. I am taking the subway to Union Station and rolling from there. Most jazz fans should be familiar with Valdes as leader of legendary jazz group Irakere since the 70s. He has also recorded several solo albums and he starred in the Latin Jazz documentary Calle 54 which I have on DVD. If you like Latin Jazz, you need to check it out. I think he's appearing solo tonight. It doesn't matter much. He's one of my favourite musicians and everything he plays sounds great. I will review the concert tomorrow. Check out this video of Chucho Valdes performing Number One Son.

Sugiyama, Nagano at JEWELS talk show

Here's a brief video of Shizuka Sugiyama and Mika Nagano appearing at a JEWELS promotional event that was held Sunday at the Akihabara Live Cafe Restaurant. Also appearing was singer LISA Takahashi and radio actor named Miyanaga. They were all signing autographs, answering fan questions, giving away toques and Nagano did a little cosplay where she played a maid. Saori Ishioka will appear at a similar promotional event this weekend and I expect there will be a video for that too.

Jango Song Of The Day-Dobie Gray

Artist:Dobie Gray
Song:Drift Away
Album:Ultimate Collection





The 1973 song Drift Away was the only top five pop hit for country soul singer Dobie Gray. He's had a long career in Nashville. There is some dispute about his birthname and date but he was apparently born Lawrence Ainsworth July 26, 1940 in Simonton, TX. His grandfather was a Baptist minister and he grew up singing in church. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 60s and recorded as Lawrence Ainsworth, Larry Curtis and Larry Dennis before charting in 1965 with The In Crowd and See You At The Go-Go as Dobie Gray. The problem was he was on small labels and was unable to sustain the momentum of those hits. Gray spent two years performing in the Los Angeles production of Hair before resurfacing in the early 70s on MCA Records working with producer Mentor Williams. He's the brother of singer songwriter Paul Williams and he wrote and produced Drift Away. It reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gray left MCA for Capricorn in 1974 and eventually moved to Nashville and had some success in the country market in the 80s. This comp has all his hits. Drift Away got a big boost when Uncle Kracker had a hit with it in 2004. So it's still a very popular song. Dobie Gray still tours today. According to his website, he was planning a new album last year but it doesn't look like it surfaced. Here's Dobie Gray performing Drift Away on The Old Grey Whistle Test 1974.