AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frank Sinatra

Artist:Frank Sinatra
Song:I've Got You Under My Skin
Album:Songs For Swingin' Lovers!





Of course Frank Sinatra is a legend of popular music with longevity unmatched by anyone. But in the early 50s, his career stalled and seemed to be over. But his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the 1953 film From Here To Eternity saved him from obscurity. And his albums on Capitol Records including Songs For Swingin' Lovers returned him to the top of the charts. And though I've Got You Under My Skin was never released as a single, it is considered one of Sinatra's signature songs. He was born Sept. 12, 1915 in Hoboken, NJ and of course he made his name in the 40s with The Dorsey Brothers, Harry James and then on his own. But by 1948, his singing career had slipped and he was having trouble with his vocal chords. Columbia Records and his agency MCA dropped him in 1952. His performance in From Here to Eternity led to a contract with Capitol Records. And his mid-50s albums are probably as good as anything he ever recorded in his career. They had a much jazzier feel than any of his 40s recordings or anything he did later. The 1956 album Songs For Swingin' Lovers was his fourth Capitol album. It was his third album with arranger Nelson Riddle. So they were on a roll and Songs For Swingin' Lovers continued that and reached #2 on the album charts. There were hit singles from the album but I've Got You Under My Skin was never released as a single. Yet it is considered today as one of Sinatra's signature songs. Of course the song was written by Cole Porter and was sung by Virginia Bruce in the 1936 film Born To Dance. Sinatra first sang it on his radio show in 1946 but this was the first time he had recorded it. Riddle based his arrangement on Ravel's Bolero. Of course Sinatra re-recorded the song several times including on his 1963 album Sinatra's Sinatra. And he even recorded a duet with Bono in 1993 for the Duets album along with a music video. The song was also a hit for The Four Seasons in 1966. Normally I suggest a comp CD but in this case I suggest the Songs For Swingin' Lovers album on CD is a must. Of course Frank Sinatra enjoyed continued success for decades until his death on May 14, 1998 at age 82. But there was a time when he looked like he was through. Songs For Swingin' Lovers was a big part of getting him back to the top. Here's Frank Sinatra performing I've Got You Under My Skin on The Frank Sinatra Show mid-50s.

I've Got You Under My Skin
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AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Heather Headley & Damian Perkins

Artist:Heather Headley & Damian Perkins
Song:How I Know You
Album:Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida: Original Broadway Cast Recording





Aida was a very successful Broadway musical written by Elton John & Tim Rice and produced by Disney. As you probably know, it is based on Guiseppe Verdi's opera Aida and also on a children's storybook version written by opera singer Leontyne Price. Disney acquired the book looking to turn it into a movie. But they had great success with Elton John's musical version of The Lion King that they decided to see if he could do the same thing with Aida. It turned out great. The show premiered in Atlanta Sept. 16, 1998 and then moved to Chicago before opening on Broadway on Mar. 23, 2000 and it ran for over four years. Starring in the title role and winning a Tony award was Heather Headley. She had been with the show in Atlanta. This role made Heather a star and she went on to success as an R & B singer. She is currently recording as a gospel artist for EMI Gospel. Others in the cast included Adam Pascal and Sherie Rene Scott. Damian Perkins played Mereb, the slave who spreads the word about Aida. The duet How I Know You is early in the show. Perkins has done some TV and films but he's mainly a stage performer and director. For reasons unknown, Elton John released a concept version of Aida with guests like Sting and LeAnn Rimes in 1999. Then they came to their senses and released a traditional cast recording in 2000. That's the one you want to get. Before the stage musical was written, Disney had planned to produce Aida as an animated film. In recent years, there has been talk of producing Aida as a live action movie musical. Beyonce Knowles and Christina Aguilera have been rumoured as possible stars but there has been nothing about it for a couple of years. Maybe it will never happen. Here's Heather Headley and Damian Perkins performing How I Know You on The Today Show Aug. 19, 2000.

Amanda Nunes is officially a star

So I'm sure that you have already heard that Amanda Nunes won over Julia Budd via TKO at 14 secs of round one at the last night's Strikeforce show in Nashville. In case you haven't already seen the match, I am posting the match video. Blink and you might miss it. So Amanda Nunes was unknown to most fans and Julia Budd was very impressive in her MMA debut with a win over Shana Olsen. She's also bigger than Amanda. Regular readers of this blog should already be familiar with Amanda as I have been writing about her for a year and I conducted the first English interview with her. But a lot of fans didn't know about her and the blog has been getting a lot of Google Search hits for Amanda. I was surprised that the finish was so quick. But I wasn't surprised that Amanda won and Julia should have anticipated that Amanda would come out guns ablazing right from the start. That's how she fights. She's very aggressive and her power is very deceptive. The end result is the kneejerk reaction that Amanda is suddenly the top contender for Cris Cyborg's Strikeforce 145lb Championship. But Amanda can fight at either 135 or 145 and I like her better at 135. I understand the 145lb division is thin and Strikeforce doesn't have an opponent for Cris. But Amanda is 22 years old and with her potential, it would be a huge mistake to feed her to Cris. Fortunately, Amanda's manager Chris Vender agrees with me and plans to have Amanda fight at 135 for the forseeable future. This match was accepted because Amanda is in the US on a temporary visa and will return to Brazil in February. Then she'll get her working papers and return to Team Carvalho in Paterson, NJ permanently. Her family watched the match in her home town and I'm sure they are going crazy right now. Coming up on the undercard of the Jan. 29 Strikeforce show is renowned kickboxer Germain De Randamie vs Stephanie Webber. The winner of that match could be Amanda's next opponent. And there are other possible opponents. But I don't see Cris Cyborg in her immediate future. And don't give up on Julia Budd. She made a mistake and we'll see how she responds to the loss. Last night was a starmaking performance for Amanda Nunes. She's a great fighter and she also has "it". I'm always asked about "it". I don't know what "it" is but I know "it" when I see "it". And I knew last year that Amanda Nunes has "it". Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Artist:Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Song:Don't Come Around Here No More
Album:Greatest Hits





When Tom Petty first surfaced in the late 70s, he was lumped in with the New Wave movement of the time. But Petty has had longevity because his music isn't trendy. He's always acknowledged 60s rock as his main influence. Don't Come Around Here No More was a hit in 1985 mainly because of the video. It was one of his bigger hits but not his first hit. He was born Oct. 20, 1950 in Gainesville, FL. He got to meet Elvis Presley when his uncle was working on the set of Follow That Dream in 1961. And watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 convinced Petty to pursue music. So he learned to play guitar. By the mid-70s, his band Mudcrutch signed with Shelter Records. But they disbanded before they could record an album. Petty and Mudcrutch guitarist Mike Campbell and pianist Benmont Tench formed a new band with bassist Ron Blair and drummer John Lynch. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released their first two albums on Shelter Records. They did well but when ABC Records sold Shelter to MCA, Petty refused to go to MCA. He wanted to renegotiate his deal. Eventually they relented and Damn The Torpeoes went Platinum when released in 1979 and Don't Do Me Like That was his first top ten single. When MCA wanted to sell Petty's 1981 album Hard Promises at a higher list price, Petty refused to deliver the master tapes for pressing. They backed down and the album was a hit. Ron Blair was replaced by Howie Epstein in 1982 and the album Long After Dark did well but not as well as Hard Promises. So Petty brought in Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics to produce the 1985 album Southern Accents and they got back on track. Don't Come Around Here No More reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 but the Alice In Wonderland themed video got them a lot of attention and it won an MTV Video Award. Then the band went on tour with Bob Dylan. They continued to have a lot of success and Petty also recorded solo and with The Traveling Wilburys. This comp is a good intro to his music. Petty moved to Warner Bros. in 1991 and the latest Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers CD Mojo was released June 2010. So the band has been around for 30 years and is still going strong today. Here's the video for Don't Come Around Here No More by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gordon MacRae

Artist:Gordon MacRae
Song:Oh What A Beautiful Mornin'
Album:Oklahoma!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack





Though Gordon MacRae had a lengthy acting and recording career, he is probably best known for his performance in two very popular film musicals; Oklahoma! and Carousel. He was born Mar. 12, 1921 in East Orange, NJ and went to high school in Syracuse, NY. After serving in the Air Force in WWII, he made his Broadway debut in 1946 and then signed a recording contract with Capitol Records. He recorded several hit duets with Jo Stafford. Then he signed a film contract with Warner Bros. and became known for several film musicals with Doris Day. Meanwhile, there were continuing attempts to produce a film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein hit Broadway musical Oklahoma!. The film was produced by Michael Todd, a guy who liked to make very big films. Oklahoma! was the first film to be filmed in the widescreen process TODD-AO. Fred Zinnemann directed his first musical and most of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Arizona. James Dean and Paul Newman were among those who auditioned for the male lead Curly but Gordon MacRae won the role. Joanne Woodward was offered the role of Laurey but Shirley Jones made her film debut in the role. She was in the Broadway production. Others in the cast included Gloria Grahame and Rod Steiger. The film was a huge success and won two Oscars for the music scoring by Adolph Deutsch and the sound. MacRae opened the film with Oh What A Beautiful Morning. The film holds up well today. EMI Angel released the soundtrack on CD in 2001 and you can get the film on DVD. MacRae also starred in the film musical Carousel. In the 60s, he concentrated more on TV and had his own variety show. He was married to Sheila MacRae and the had two actress daughters. MacRae struggled with alcoholism for years and suffered a stroke in 1982. He died Jan. 24, 1986 at age 64. He probably could have been a bigger star in films but seemed to enjoy singing more than acting. He was perfect in Oklahoma! Here's Gordon MacRae performing Oh What A Beautiful Mornin' in the 1955 film Oklahoma! along with a couple of other songs.

Kana is in your face at Nikkan Sports

The Triple Tales girls were making the media rounds today to promote their Jan. 10 show. Here's a video they did at Nikkan Sports. They also did one at Ringstars but this one is better because they're in costume. At Ringstars they're just sitting behind a desk in their winter coats. They're just promoting upcoming shows including one at Taisho Azeria in Osaka on Feb. 13. The funniest part is Kana talking right into the camera. You better listen to her. As most readers are aware, I'm not a fan of these vanity shows unless they run more consistently with standard storylines. I don't think these girls will ever do that. They just want to sell merchandise. Enjoy the video.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Megumi Fujii vs Emi Fujino

OK videoholics. Once again it is time for Big Bad Blog Video Theater. Today's featured match is Megumi Fujii vs Emi Fujino from last week's Sengoku Soul Of Fight at Differ Ariake. You don't want to know what I had to do to get this fight. It's not on Youtube. Other than one obscure site, it's a Big Bad Blog exclusive. And that site doesn't have an embed code. Boooo! I was asked by several fans if I thought Fujii would submit Fujino. I didn't think so. I thought it would go the distance. Though Fujino isn't a good finisher, she is tough and a very good defender. And she showed that in this match. I thought Fujii won decisively but she just couldn't put herself in a position to finish Fujino. She seemed to be annoyed about that too as Fujii was cautioned in the second round for illegal low blows. Fujino was cut above the eye inadvertently at the start of round three by one of those stupid mittens the fighters were forced to wear. You can see in the replay Fujii was pawing at her. It wasn't even a punch. The doc looked at it a couple of times and Fujino continued. And I thought round three was Fujino's best round. She just didn't do enough to get a decision. I'm not sure what others were expecting but I expected Megumi Fujii to win by unanimous decision and that's what she did. I knew Emi Fujino would give her a good match. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Counting Crows

Artist:Counting Crows
Song:A Long December
Album:Films About Ghosts: The Best Of Counting Crows





Counting Crows is one of the more durable bands of the 90s. They've built their rep mostly on live tours and solid albums. They left their longtime label Geffen last year so they may be at a bit of a crossroads. In 1990, Adam Duritz was lead singer of The Himalayans. When they split up in 1991, Duritz formed a duo with guitarist David Bryson. He wasn't a member of The Himalayans but he produced the demos. By 1993, they had become a band with Matt Malley on bass, Charlie Gillingham on keyboards and Steve Bowman on drums. Counting Crows signed with Geffen Records and their big break came when they filled in for Van Morrison at the 1993 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony. Geffen employee Robbie Robertson enthusiastically introduced them. The name Counting Crows came from a poem Duritz heard in the 1989 film Signs Of Life. Their debut CD August and Everything After was produced by T-Bone Burnett and the single Mr. Jones got a lot of Mainstream Rock airplay and the video went into heavy rotation on MTV. While touring, they added guitarist Dan Vickrey. The album sold seven million copies. But Duritz suffered a nervous breakdown and Steve Bowman was replaced by Ben Mize. Though their 1996 CD Recovering The Satellites wasn't as successful as their debut, it still sold two million copies and A Long December did well on the charts and on MTV. Though subsequent albums haven't been as successful, Counting Crows is still a very successful live draw. And they got a nice boost when Accidentally In Love from the Shrek 2 soundtrack charted. That song is included on this comp as a bonus track. After their 2008 CD Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, Counting Crows announced their departure from Geffen Records. They still tour but there has been no indication of a new studio album or record label. Here's the video for A Long December by Counting Crows.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Timi Yuro

Artist:Timi Yuro
Song:Hurt
Album:Hurt: The Best Of Timi Yuro





When folks heard this 1961 top five hit, they thought the singer was black or a man or a black man. No one believed that a tiny Italian girl from Chicago named Timi Yuro could possibly have a voice that powerful. Hurt would turn out to be the biggest hit of her career. Timi was very frustrated by poor song selection by her record company. She was born Aug. 4, 1941 in Chicago. Her parents owned an Italian restaurant. She took voice lessons as a child. Supposedly her nanny snuck her into local blues clubs and Timi got to see Mildred Bailey and Dinah Washington perform live. Her family moved to Los Angeles and Timi performed regularly at the family restaurant. This got the attention of Liberty Records talent scout Sonny Knight and this led to a contract. They started gathering songs for her recording debut. But Timi thought the songs were too lightweight for her voice. She stomped into a board meeting and told Liberty brass that if they couldn't find better songs for her, they could rip up her contract. And she immediately launched into an a capella version of Hurt. Hurt was written by veteran Tin Pan Alley songwriters Al Jacobs and Jimmie Crane and was a top ten R & B hit for Roy Hamilton in 1954. She was immediately sent to the studio with producer Clyde Otis and the result was that Hurt reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though some of her other songs charted, song selection continued to be a problem and Timi left Liberty for Mercury in 1964. She returned to Liberty in 1968 but she was never able to reach the heights of Hurt again. You can get the original versions of her Liberty recordings on this Capitol comp. Timi Yuro continued to tour and occasionally record. She was very popular in The Netherlands. And Elvis Presley was another big fan. When she worked Las Vegas casinos in the late 60s, he would reserve a whole table to see her perform. And he also recorded Hurt in 1976. And Juice Newton topped the country charts with Hurt in 1986. Timi Yuro was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1980 and a 1984 tracheotomy ended her singing career. She died Mar. 30, 2004 at age 63. Here's Timi Yuro performing Hurt in Rotterdam 1981.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Big Country

Artist:Big Country
Song:In A Big Country
Album:Through A Big Country: Greatest Hits





For a short period of time in the 80s, Big Country successfully integrated the sounds of Scotland into rock music. In A Big Country was their only US top twenty hit. Attempts to recreate that success were spotty at best though they remained a popular tour act into the 90s. The lead singer and main songwriter of Big Country was Stuart Adamson. He was born Apr. 11, 1958 in Manchester, England. But his parents were Scottish and he grew up in Scotland. Adamson founded the punk band The Skids in 1977. They recorded four albums and split up in 1979. Adamson then formed Big Country with guitarist Bruce Watson. After trying various rhythm sections, they settled on Tony Butler on bass and Mark Brzezicki on drums. They signed with Phonogram/PolyGram and after some success in England, the 1983 album The Crossing was released in the US. In A Big Country reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and The Crossing reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 200. Though Big Country are perceived as a one hit wonder in the US, they continued to have a lot of success in England. And this comp is a good intro to their music. Big Country continued to record but they faded until Phonogram dropped them in 1991. They continued to tour and record but there was concern about Stuart Adamson's alcoholism. He moved to Nashville and formed The Raphaels. He continued to have problems until he committed suicide on Dec. 16, 2001 at age 43. The other Big Country members reunited in 2007 and released a new album. The split up but are currently touring again. Here's the video for In A Big Country by Big Country.

Big Country-In A Big Country
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Big Bad Blog 2010 Fighter Of The Year

Rin Nakai

So you see all these year end lists with a fighter of the year and they open it up to fan voting. But here at the Big Bad Blog, I usually go in a different direction. And there's only one vote around here that counts and that's mine. This ain't a democracy. And there was one fighter that wasn't on any of these polls and the truth is there is only one female fighter in the world who went 5-0 in 2010 and snagged a championship. And that fighter is Rin Nakai. The Beautiful Backflip Woman is the Big Bad Blog 2010 Fighter Of The Year. And Rin accomplished that 5-0 in a very convincing fashion. She was born Oct. 22, 1986 in Matsuyama, Japan. That is the capital city on the island of Shikoku. Population is 500, 000. That's a long way from Tokyo. She still lives there and trains at Shooto Shikoku. She trained in judo and gymnastics and competed in both as a child. She was ranked #3 in judo in all of Japan when she was in high school. Rin made her MMA debut on the Oct. 1, 2006 Pamcrase show in Osaka with a TKO win over Asuka Ito. She broke Ito's nose. Rin is 5'1" tall and for the first part of her career, she fought at 125lb. After a win over WINDY Tomomi in Dec. 2008 gave her a 5-0 record, Rin decided to move up to 135lb. by hitting the gym and pumping enough iron to turn her into a pint size powerhouse. She returned on the Feb. 10 VALKYRIE show with a submission win over Mizuho Sato. After a win over Megumi Yabushita on the June 19 VALKYRIE show, Rin entered the VALKYRIE Open Weight tournament. She won her semi final with a submission win over Super Benkei. And she won the title over Mizuho Sato via TKO when she broke Sato's orbital bone. And last week, she finished the year with a win over HARI on the big Sengoku show. And after each victory, Rin backflips across the ring. One of the Japanese bloggers called it air dancing. So obviously Rin Nakai is a great fighter and a premiere athlete. Her preferred fighting weight is 135lb but in her match against Super Benkei, she weighed 145lb. Remember it was an open weight tournament and Super Benkei normally fights at 145. She went back to 135 for the Sato fight and weighed 139 for the HARI fight because HARI is a heavier fighter too. Rin could be tough to beat because of her well rounded skills. She is very quick on the ground and has excellent punching power. And her legs are so thick, she is hard to take down. She has a low center of gravity. She may be short but very powerful. Rin's sense of showmanship and her willingness to do sexy photo shoots are quickly making her a celebrity in Japan. Given the opportunity, she could be a star here too. Then maybe you'll see her on those year end popularity contests.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lenny Welch

Artist:Lenny Welch
Song:Since I Fell For You
Album:A Taste Of Honey: The Complete Cadence Recordings 1959-1964





Lenny Welch had his biggest hit in 1963 with the big band standard Since I Fell For You. A couple of his other songs charted but circumstances beyond his control prevented him from being a bigger star. He was born Leon Welch May 15, 1938 in Asbury Park, NJ. During a 1958 Decca Records audition, executives started calling him Lenny because they thought it sounded better than Leon. A couple of singles went nowhere. Then boxer Coley Wallace introduced Welch to Cadence Records owner Archie Bleyer. Welch signed and his first single You Don't Know Me charted. Unfortunately Ray Charles had a much bigger hit with that song. He also recorded A Taste Of Honey before The Beatles had a hit with it in 1963. Finally Welch scored when Since I Fell For You reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Buddy Johnson and he originally recorded it in 1945 with sister Ella Johnson singing lead. Paul Gayten's version was a top 20 R & B hit in 1947. Eartha Kitt and Dinah Washington were among those who recorded Since I Fell For You before Welch recorded his definitive version. When Welch's recording of Ebb Tide was used in the 1964 film Sweet Bird Of Youth, it looked like he was on his way to a long successful career. But Archie Bleyer closed Cadence in 1964 because he saw what The Beatles were doing and he didn't think he could keep up with changing musical tastes. He sold all the recordings to Andy Williams. So Welch was looking for a new label. And he was drafted into the service. He signed with Kapp Records but was never able to recreate the success of Since I Fell For You. You can get his Cadence recordings on this comp from Ace Records. Lenny Welch still tours the oldies circuit today. Here's a video for Since I Fell For You by Lenny Welch.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Assembled Multitude

Artist:The Assembled Multitude
Song:Overture From Tommy
Album:Super Hits of the 70's: Have A Nice Day Vol. 16





It is time once again to unravel one of the mysteries of popular music. Of course the rock opera Tommy by The Who was one of the biggest albums of the late 60s. Most long time music fans probably remember hearing the Overture From Tommy on the radio and assume that it was a hit by The Who. But it was actually a 1970 top twenty hit by The Assembled Multitude. They were a group of Philadelphia session musicians who recorded one album for Atlantic Records in 1970. They recorded instrumental versions of songs like Woodstock, MacArthur Park and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Overture From Tommy was released as a single and reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. I think many music fans think it was The Who's version that was played on the radio but it was actually this version. The guy behind The Assembled Multitude was session musician Tom Sellers. He produced, arranged and even wrote a couple of original songs for the album. Then Sellers went back to producing music for others. The most notable thing about Sellers other than this was his pre-stardom association with Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates. He was a member of Hall's group Gulliver which released it's only album in 1969. Sellers produced albums by Essra Mohawk, Batdorf & Rodney and Eric Andersen and was a session musician and arranger on plenty of records. He died in a house fire in 1988. The Assembled Multitude album is available on CD from Wounded Bird Records but you can get Overture From Tommy on this Rhino various artists comp. Obviously The Assembled Multitude was nothing more than a one shot deal. But I guess it could be considered a forerunner to the very popular 70s instrumental group MFSB. Here's a video for Overture From Tommy by The Assembled Multitude.

NEO finally closes

Ayumi Kurihara, Yoshiko Tamura

NEO finally closed after yesterday's finale at Korakuen Hall in front of a packed crowd. And of course Yoshiko Tamura, Tanny Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki all retired. And that's the main reason NEO is closing. With all the retirements over the last couple of years and an inability to attract new talent, NEO president Tetsuyo Koda threw in the towel. Certainly the writing was on the wall when Haruka Matsuo retired two years ago after Koda bungled her title run. Booking especially at the big Korakuen Hall shows was always a problem for NEO. They kept shooting themselves in the foot with questionable booking. And that legacy continues today. The big news at this show is that Ayumi Kurihara won the NEO Singles and NWA Pacific Titles from Yoshiko Tamura and got to hold them for five minutes before the titles were retired. It's meaningless now because it should have been done two months ago. When Azumi Hyuga retired a couple of years ago, she probably put every joshi wrestler over at least once. That's what you're supposed to do. You give back to the business. That's what Tamura should have done. Obviously she doesn't care if selfishness is her legacy. So finally dropping the title to Kurihara now when she should have done it a couple of months ago is an empty gesture designed to deflect criticism. It doesn't matter as much with Tanny Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki because they're a comedy act. Of course they had the big ceremony afterwards and everyone cried which is normal. NEO may be gone but companies will spring up to replace them. Whether STARDOM or the to be named company rumoured to be started by Kyoko Inoue and Kaoru Ito will be any good remains to be seen. When I see JWP trying to turn a pop singer into a wrestler, that's pure desperation. It's not a good sign for the future.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Faith Hill

Artist:Faith Hill
Song:This Kiss
Album:The Hits: Special Edition





Faith Hill is one of several country music artists who have crossed over to mainstream pop to the point where it's hard to tell if they're singing country or pop. The 1998 top five pop hit This Kiss was Faith's breakthrough in that direction. Breath was even bigger. She's not as big today probably because she has concentrated on raising her family. She was born Audrey Faith Perry Sept. 21, 1967 in Ridgeland, MS which is near Jackson and was raised by adoptive parents in nearby Star, MS. She grew up singing in church influenced by Reba McEntire. At age 19, she moved to Nashville to pursue a singing career and took a job as a secretary at a music publishing firm. She married publishing exec Daniel Hill in 1988. No, not THAT Dan Hill. Different guy. So she was singing to herself one day and company head Gary Morris, a successful country artist himself, made her a demo singer to gain experience. Faith was spotted singing backup vocals for songwriter Gary Burr at a Nashville club by a Warner Bros. exec and she was signed to a contract. He first couple of albums did very well in the country market. Meanwhile, she divorced Hill in 1994 and was engaged to her producer Scott Hendricks. But then she went on tour with Tim McGraw in 1996 and I guess it was love at first sight because they now have three daughters. She took a break to start her family and returned with the 1998 CD Faith. On this album, she worked with new producer Byron Gallimore who was very successful working with Tim McGraw. Session guitarist Dann Huff was brought in to give the album a more mainstream pop vibe. He's worked with all kinds of pop and country artists. This Kiss was the first single and not only topped the country singles chart but reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. And the album reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 200 and went 6X Platinum. This Kiss was written by singer songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman. She records her own music but has been very successful as a songwriter. Faith followed up immediately with the 1999 CD Breath. The album and single were even bigger crossover hits. So now Faith Hill was a pop star. She had a TV special in 2000 and in 2001 had a big hit with There You'll Be from the Pearl Harbor soundtrack. But her 2002 CD Cry did not do as well as the two previous CDs. So she took a break and returned with the 2005 CD Fireflies and toured with husband Tim McGraw. The album still topped the country and pop charts. She's still a big star but I sense that she's not as big as she was in the late 90s. Her latest CD was the 2008 Christmas CD Joy To The World and she has a new CD scheduled for release in 2011. This Hits comp is available with a bonus DVD of all of Faith's videos. Here's the video for This Kiss by Faith Hill.

Faith Hill - This Kiss
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AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Carl Carlton

Artist:Carl Carlton
Song:Everlasting Love
Album:Everlasting: The Best Of Carl Carlton





Everlasting Love is one of only two songs to reach the top forty in four decades. The other song to do that is The Way You Do The Things You Do. Carl Carlton's 1974 top ten hit version was the most successful. Carlton had modest success in the 70s but was hampered by a royalty dispute after Don Robey sold Duke/Peacock/Back Beat to ABC Records. Carlton was born May 21, 1952 in Detroit. He first recorded as Little Carl Carlton in 1968 for Lando Records. When Don Robey picked up one of his records for distribution on Back Beat, he moved Carlton to his home base in Houston. He had some minor hits. Robey sold his company to ABC in 1972. Carlton heard Everlasting Love on a David Ruffin album but was unaware that it was a top twenty hit for Robert Knight in 1967. Papa Don Schroeder produced a discofied version of the song and Carlton's version of Everlasting Love reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Schroeder produced James & Bobby Purify's I'm Your Puppet. Everlasting Love was written by Nashville producers Buzz Cason & Mac Gayden and they produced Robert Knight's original version which reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. The version recorded by Rex Smith & Rachel Sweet reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. And the version recorded by Gloria Estefan reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. Mac Gayden even recorded it himself on his 1976 album Skyboat. A royalty dispute forced Carlton to wait for his ABC contract to lapse before he could record again. He eventually worked with Leon Haywood at 20th Century Records and She A Bad Mama Jama reached #2 on the R & B Singles chart in 1981. The album Carl Carlton went gold and Carlton was nominated for a Grammy. It was released on Motown after 20th Century closed. He also recorded for RCA and Casablanca but ran out of record companies by the late 80s. Hip-O released this excellent comp last year. Carl Carlton still tours the oldies circuit and records occasionally. He is currently working on his first gospel CD. Here's Carl Carlton performing Everlasting Love on the PBS special Rhythm, Love and Soul 2002.

Tomoko Morii to concentrate on MMA, joins FIGHT CHIX

Tomoko Morii

Former Ito Dojo pro wrestler Tomoko Morii announced today that she plans to take a serious run at MMA. She has joined the FIGHT CHIX dojo run by women's MMA pioneer and pro wrestler Megumi Yabushita. She says she's not sure how much pro wrestling she will do. She will discuss that with Yabushita. Morii has been a pro wrestler for about five years and was trained by Kaoru Ito. When Ito announced the closing of Ito Dojo in October, Morii left the company. It is rumoured that Ito will start a new company with Joshi puroresu legend and former NEO owner Kyoko Inoue and Morii is supposed to be part of that company. Maybe not. Morii's MMA record is 1-2 and her last fight was a loss to Alexandra Sanchez on the Dec. 11, 2009 JEWELS show. Her normal fighting weight is 60kg (130lbs). I expect to see Tomoko Morii fight for JEWELS in 2011.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bush

Artist:Bush
Song:Glycerine
Album:Sixteen Stone





Today Gavin Rossdale is probably better known for his marriage to pop singer Gwen Stefani than anything he ever did with his band Bush. But Sixteen Stone was a big seller in 1994. They just weren't able to follow it up and Rossdale hasn't done much better as a solo artist. Bush reformed this year. Rossdale met guitarist Nigel Pulsford in a London club in 1992. Pulsford recorded two albums with the band King Blank. They brought in bassist Dave Parsons from Transvision Vamp and after auditioning drummers settled on Robin Goodrich. At first they were called Future Primitive but changed it to Bush as they lived in the Shepherds Bush section of London. In 1993, Bush signed with the Disney owned Hollywood Records. But the 1994 death of Disney executive Frank Wells turned things sour for Bush at Hollywood. Sixteen Stone was going to be shelved until Interscope Records bought the master and released it in 1994. That turned out to be a great decision as the album has sold six million copies. It was produced by Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley, best known for there work with Madness. Glycerine was one of several chart singles but it's the album that really took off. It's always tough to follow up a debut like that and though the 1996 CD Razorblade Suitcase went Platinum X3, it was still considered a disappointment. Bush moved to Atlantic Records for the 2001 CD Golden State but it was a failure and they split up. Rossdale started a new band Institute and eventually went solo in 2007. He reformed Bush and has a new CD scheduled for 2011 on Roadrunner Records. Nigel Pulsford has his own home studio and doesn't want to tour. The new guitarist Chris Traynor has been with Rossdale since 2002. Robin Goodrich is back with Bush but Dave Parsons passed and was replaced by Corey Britz. It remains to be seen if Gavin Rossdale and Bush can regain the form of Sixteen Stone. Here's the video for Glycerine by Bush.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Len Barry

Artist:Len Barry
Song:1-2-3
Album:The Best Of The Dovells 1961-1965





The 1965 top five hit 1-2-3 was the biggest hit and most memorable song by Philadelphia doo wop veteran Len Barry. He was also lead singer on The Dovells smash hit The Bristol Stomp and a key behind the scenes figure in the development of 70s Philly Soul. He was born Leonard Borisoff June 12, 1942 in Philadelphia. He wanted to be a baseball player but while in the Army, he started singing. After his discharge, he returned home and joined The Dovells as lead singer. These were guys he knew in high school but The Dovells was a new group name. The Bristol Stomp reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. They had a few more hits until Barry left for a solo career in 1963. He signed with Decca Records and 1-2-3 reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Barry wrote the song with John Medora and David White from Danny & The Juniors. The problem was 1-2-3 was a reworking of the Holland-Dozier-Holland song Ask Any Girl which was recorded by The Supremes. Motown successfully sued for royalties. A couple of Barry's other songs charted but after a 1967 album on RCA, he was through as a recording artist. This Dovells comp from ABKCO Records also has four Len Barry songs including 1-2-3. In the 70s, Barry was a songwriter and producer for WMOT Records, one of the two main Philly Soul production companies. He worked with MFSB and wrote and produced the 70s group Fat Larry's Band and also produced Keem-O-Sabe by Electric Indian. Len Barry may not be the first name that comes to mind but he was a major part of 70s Philly Soul. He continues to work the oldies curcuit today and wrote a novel a couple of years ago. Here's Len Barry performing 1-2-3 on Hullaballoo-A-Go-Go 1965.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kenny Nolan

Artist:Kenny Nolan
Song:I Like Dreamin'
Album:Hard To Find 45s on CD, Vol. 12: 60s & 70s Pop Classics





Though most music fans will only know Kenny Nolan from the 1977 top five hit I Like Dreamin', he has had a long career as a songwriter. Nolan could have been a big star as a performer but didn't want to tour. He's a Los Angeles native and could have gone to USC on a composition scholarship. But instead he went to work as a house songwriter for Mike Curb at MGM Records. After a couple of his songs were recorded, he got together with producers Bob Crewe and Wes Farrell and worked with them through the 70s. He was house producer at Farrell's Chelsea label and wrote and produced songs like Jim Gilstrap's Swing Your Daddy and Get Dancing by Disco Tex & The Sex-o-Lettes. With Crewe, he wrote Frankie Valli's My Eyes Adored You and LaBelle's Lady Marmalade. When Nolan sang the falsetto on Get Dancing, it gave him the itch to record. He was working with the group Eleventh Hour. They had a contract with 20th Century Records. Nolan signed a solo deal with 20th Century. Nolan and Crewe wrote I Like Dreamin' for someone else. When it was rejected, Nolan recorded it himself and it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second single Love's Grown Deep was a top twenty hit. But Nolan didn't like flying and wouldn't tour. That limited his future as a performer. He recorded two albums for 20th Century and two more for MCA. He last recorded in 1982. You can get I Like Dreamin' on this various artists comp from Eric Records. Kenny Nolan continues to write hits for others including Masterpiece for Atlantic Starr. And of course he got a big boost when Lady Marmalade was remade for the film Moulin Rouge. Here's a video for I Like Dreamin' by Kenny Nolan.