AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jo Stafford

Artist:Jo Stafford
Song:You Belong To Me
Album:The Columbia Hits Collection





Jo Stafford was one of the most popular vocalists of the pre-Rock 'N' Roll era. She had her first chart hit in 1944 and continued to chart until 1959. You Belong To Me was her biggest hit and dominated the charts in 1952. Like a lot of pop singers of this era, Jo Stafford started out as a jazz singer. She was born Nov. 12, 1917 in Coalinga, CA which is near Fresno. She performed as a child and sang with sisters Christine and Pauline as The Stafford Sisters on Los Angeles radio station KHJ. They started working as background singers in films and created the arrangement for Fred Astaire's performance of Nice Work If You Can Get It in the 1937 film Damsel In Distress. While working on the 1938 film Alexander's Ragtime Band, Jo joined the vocal group The Pied Pipers and this eventually led to interest from Tommy Dorsey's arranger Paul Weston. Dorsey liked them but the sponsor didn't so The Pied Pipers were never hired. Eventually four of the eight members were hired including Jo Stafford. She got some solo time there. They were signed to Johnny Mercer's new label Capitol by music director Paul Weston. At first Jo recorded with The Pied Pipers but left to go solo in 1944. Her tours with the USO earned her the nickname GI Jo. She had several top ten hits on Capitol and her own radio show. But when Weston left Capitol for Columbia in 1950, Jo went with him. They married in 1952. It gave her the advantage of first choice of songs. She continued to have hits in the 50s. and she even had her own TV show for a while. You Belong To Me topped the charts for 24 weeks and was one of the biggest hits of 1952. The song was written by Chilton Price who also wrote Tennessee Waltz. She was a music librarian at Louisville radio station WAVE. Country music artists Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart convinced her to publish her songs so she always shared credit with them. You Belong To Me was first recorded by country singer Sue Thompson and then Patti Page. The Duprees also had a top ten hit with it in 1962. But Jo Stafford's version is definitive. Jo Stafford also recorded with Weston as part of the comedy act Jonathan and Darlene Edwards. As her career wound down, Jo Stafford retired from performing in the mid-60s but continued to record on her own Corinthian label. She won the rights to her Columbia recordings in a breach of contract lawsuit. So this comp is on her label. Paul Weston died in 1996 and Jo Stafford died on July 16, 2008 at age 90. Here's a video for You Belong To Me by Jo Stafford.

Kana vs Lin Bairon-who will bare breasts?

So you probably know that Kana will face Lin Bairon on the June 18 SMASH show for the SMASH Divas Title. So Kana appeared at a very amusing press conference today and I have the video for you. I'm sorry to say she didn't beat anyone up. When asked about Kana, Lin Bairon called her a big boobed slut. When told this, Kana just laughed and suggested that the loser of the match takes off her top and shows off her boobs. That's why she's posing like that for photographers. I dunno. The more I watch SMASH matches, the more I prefer the press conferences. Enjoy the video!

Rin Nakai to appear on Shikoku kickboxing show

The Martial Arts Japan Kickboxing Federation or MA Kickboxing for short announced today that VALKYRIE Open Weight Champion Rin Nakai will appear on their July 17 show in Ehime Prefecture in Matsuyama which is the capital of the remote island of Shikoku. It will be an MMA match though the rest of the show is kickboxing and she is on the poster. They don't have an opponent yet and it looks like they don't know if they will find one. So it may end up being an exhibition match. If I find out anything else, I will let you know. Rin is doing this show because she was born and still lives in Matsuyama and she wants to support the local fight community.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alias

Artist:Alias
Song:More Than Words Can Say
Album:Monster Ballads Volume 2





Everyone knows what a power ballad is. That's how hard rock bands get radio play and reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. More Than Words Can Say was a top five hit in 1990 and the only significant hit for Alias. They only recorded one album and split up. But the song is still huge today especially at weddings. But it's frequently mistakenly credited to other bands. Alias was led by singer Freddy Curci and guitarist Steve DeMarchi. They're from Toronto and led the group Sheriff who had a number one hit in 1989 with When I'm With You. But Sheriff had split up in 1985. Curci was unable to reform Sheriff. So he signed a deal with Capitol Records to form a new band and called it Alias. Guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen and drummer Michael Derosier were all from Seattle and were founding members of Heart. Fisher dated Nancy Wilson. Curci and DeMarchi wrote all the songs on the 1990 debut album Alias. It was produced by Rick Neigher who is best known for his work with Tonio K and The Go-Gos. More Than Words Can Say reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and music licenser BMI gave Curci the Million-Airs Award for a million radio plays. That's five years of continuous airplay. Things went south while Alias was touring in support of REO Speedwagon. Fisher, Fossen and Derosier all quit the band. Curci hired new musicians and recorded a second album. But Capitol refused to release it. Curci has recently released it himself. You can get All That Words Can Say on this various artists power ballad CD from Razor & Tie. Freddy Curci recorded a solo album in 1994. But he's mostly been a songwriter for hire and several of his songs appeared in the Lifetime TV series Army Wives. Steve DeMarchi joined The Cranberries in 1996 and continues to work with lead singer Dolores O'Riordan. Here's the video for All That Words Can Say by Alias.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mickey Gilley

Artist:Mickey Gilley
Song:Stand By Me
Album:Ten Years Of Hits





Though Mickey Gilley grew up in the shadow of his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis, he became very successful in his own right in the 70s and into the 80s with the Urban Cowboy movement. His cover of Stand By Me was in the film Urban Cowboy and was Gilley's biggest crossover hit. He was born Mar. 9, 1936 in Natchez, MS and grew up playing piano with cousins Jerry Lee Lewis and evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. Lewis' success convinced Gilley to become a singer. He performed in clubs through the 60s and bought into Shelley's in Pasadena, TX in 1970 and renamed it Gilley's. In 1974, he released a cover of the George Morgan hit Room Full Of Roses and that got him a record deal with Playboy Records. Yes, it was owned by Hugh Hefner. His girlfriend at the time Barbi Benton was a country singer and a Hee Haw regular. Gilley had a string of number one country hits on Playboy. Epic Records bought his contract when Playboy closed in 1978. Gilley's recordings were slipping a bit because of the rise of country pop crossover artists like Kenny Rogers. So he adjusted his sound and got a big boost when Gilley's was used as the main setting for the 1980 hit film Urban Cowboy. Gilley appeared in the film and several of his recordings were used in the soundtrack. His cover of the Ben E. King classic Stand By Me topped the country music singles chart and reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. I don't think trying to cross over to the pop charts worked as well for Gilley as some other artists and he had faded by the mid-80s. He left Epic in 1987 and also was forced to close Gilley's. It burned down in 1990. This 1984 budget comp was originally released on 2LPs but it's now a single CD and very inexpensive. Mickey Gilley was one of the first artists to open a theater in Branson, MO. His first club burned down in 1994 but he opened another one and still performs every night at Gilley's Texas Cafe in Branson. Mickey Gilley had 17 number one country hits so he did have a good run. Here's Mickey Gilley performing Stand By Me on Branson Jam.

Marloes Coenen to defend Strikeforce 135lb title vs Miesha Tate July 30

Marloes Coenen

Here we go again. Strikeforce has announced that Marloes Coenen will defend her 135lb Championship against Miesha Tate on July 30 at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, IL. Of course this was originally supposed to happen in March but Miesha had to drop out due to a knee injury. It wasn't a serious injury but the timing wasn't very good. And Strikeforce didn't help matters by telling Miesha to be quiet though they knew she was injured. Liz Carmouche filled in and performed well but ultimately lost by submission in round four. Miesha's biggest obstacle in this match is Marloes' vast experience. She doesn't want to underestimate that. Liz was winning over Marloes after three rounds by sitting on her and pounding her. But it wasn't as bad as it looked. Liz was sitting too high which didn't give much room to land punches. And Marloes blocked most of the punches with her arms. Golden Glory boss Martijn DeJong told the ref that if Marloes got into that position, she would bring her arms up. She didn't panic and set her trap in round four and won by submission. If Marloes was really getting whupped, don't you think the ref would have stopped it? But he didn't. I saw a lot of folks including the announcers misread that match. Miesha is a grappling specialist so I expect Marloes to keep it standing and use her Muay Thai skills. Both of them like to finish fights so I don't expect it to go the distance. But Marloes' experience over the last 11 years is a huge edge.

Three matches added to July 9 JEWELS show

Ham Seo Hee, VV Mei

JEWELS held a press conference today to add three pretty good matches to the July 9 Shinjuku FACE show. Yuka Tsuji vs Saori Ishioka was announced last week. In a match contracted for 52kg, VALKYRIE Featherweight Champ VV Mei will face Korean kickboxer Ham Seo Hee. Mei is freelance. Her record is 8-2-1 and her last match was a submission win over Betiko on the May 3 PANCRASE show. Ham trains at CMA Korea. Her record is 8-4 and her last match was a unanimous decision win over anna on the Mar. 6 Gladiator show. This is a big match for Mei. She admitted to a poor performance in her draw in Nov. against Kyoko Takabayashi and she had trouble with WINDY Tomomi in April. Ham may be a kickboxer but she's a really good kickboxer and she could cause problems for Mei. She's probably a better striker than WINDY. Knowing this, Mei tried to bait Ham into going to the ground. Ham didn't take that bait. If she can keep this standing, I could see Ham winning a decision. In a fight contracted for 61kg, Roxanne Modafferi will face Hitomi Akano. They were supposed to fight at the Dec.30 Sengoku show but Roxy got sick at the last minute and the fight was cancelled. Roxy is freelance. Her record is 15-7 and her last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Rosi Sexton on the Feb. 26 Cage Warriors show in England. Akano trains at AACC. Her record is 17-8 and her last match was a submission win over Chisa Yonezawa on the Mar. 13 PANCRASE Osaka show. Roxy trains a lot at AACC but she says she has never trained with Hitomi. Hitomi is known for pulling crazy submissions out of nowhere. Roxy needs to be very careful with her or it could end in a second. In a match contracted for 65kg, HIROKO will face Esui. HIROKO trains at Master Japan. Her record is 11-1 and her last match was a screwy TKO win over Molly Helsel at the Dec. 17 JEWELS show. The Mongolian former pro wrestler Esui is trained by Akira "Mr. Pride" Shoji At Smash Alley Gym. Her record is 2-1 and her last match was a TKO win over Chisa Yonezawa on the May 14 JEWELS show. This is a real step up in competition for Esui and her lack of experience could cost her. And though she has fought before at 135lb, I think 145 is a more natural weight class for her. Esui has demonstrated good striking ability in her wins. HIROKO is a good fighter if she shows up. If she's overconfident as she has been in recent fights, Esui could give her trouble. It could be very interesting. All three fights will be under Special JEWELS rules meaning unlimited ground and pound. So here's a message to JEWELS matchmaker Shigeru Saeki. Hey, dopey! When will you change the rules to conform with the world MMA standard?

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Genesis

Artist:Genesis
Song:Invisible Touch
Album:Turn It On Again: The Hits





Genesis started out as a successful progressive rock band but changed significantly when lead singer Peter Gabriel left in 1975. They became a more mainstream rock band and had a significant run of hits in the 80s. And that doesn't include Phil Collins' hits and Mike & The Mechanics' hits. Invisible Touch was Genesis only number one hit in 1986. Genesis started out in 1967 as a merger of rival bands Garden Wall and Anon. Peter Gabriel was lead singer. Others were Anthony Phillips on guitar, Tony Banks on keyboards and Mike Rutherford on bass. They were discovered by producer Jonathan King and he named them Genesis and signed then to Decca. King tried to pattern them after The Bee Gees but their first album didn't sell and Genesis signed with Chrysalis for their second album Trespass. By this time, John Mayhew was on drums. The album was very similar to progressive groups of the time like King Crimson. In 1970, Mayhew was replaced by Phil Collins and Phillips left due to stage fright and was replaced by Steve Hackett. This was the lineup until Gabriel left in 1975 for a solo career. Genesis had a lot of critical and commercial success but they were now at a crossroads. They auditioned hundreds of singers but eventually settled on Collins and hired Bill Bruford to play drums on tour. He was replaced by Chester Thompson. Genesis became more of a mainstream band and Collins did a very good Peter Gabriel impression on older songs. Hackett left in 1977. Genesis became a trio in the studio and hired session musicians for touring. Genesis was even more successful in the 80s partially because of Collins' solo success. It's like he was everywhere. Their 1986 album Invisible Touch was their most successful. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified 6XPlatinum. They had five top five singles from the album but Invisible Touch was the only one to top the Billboard Hot 100. Genesis took a break after that but Collins and Mike Rutherford's band Mike & The Mechanics had their own successes. Genesis released one last studio album in 1991 before Collins left. You can get all their 80s hits on this budget comp. Rutherford and Banks hired a new singer and attempted to continue Genesis. But of course they weren't as successful. There have been occasional reunions. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last year. At the time, Collins said Genesis was through and then he retired from music due to health problems. But in the 80s, Genesis was the quintessential British rock group. Here's the video for Invisible Touch by Genesis.

genesis - invisible touch by kareem93

Ai Takahashi wins S-Girls Championship on June 5 SHOOT BOXING show

Ai Takahashi throws RENA

After yesterday's confrontation at the weigh in, the question is would RENA be able to channel her anger into a win over Ai Takahashi. I think Takahashi got into her head and that gave her a big advantage. So at yesterday's SHOOT BOXING Korakuen Hall show, Takahashi showed she was really well prepared and won a unanimous decision. You'll notice I didn't mention RENA in the headline. That's because all the Japanese media coverage of this match led with RENA losing as opposed to Takahashi winning. They were all shocked. So I guess RENA is still the chosen one though Takahashi seemed very happy with her victory. She didn't finish her but Takahashi's punches were very crisp and her throws were much improved. And it looks like RENA gassed too as Takahashi dominated in the late rounds. By round five RENA needed a knockout and wasn't going to get it. She left with a bloody nose. Can she come back from this? I dunno but teen kickboxing champ Erika Kamimura won over Sylvia Ranotto by second round TKO on Saturday's RISE show. She broke Sylvia's nose. And the first thing she did was call out RENA. So I think that match may still happen though it might annoy Takahashi. SHOOT BOXING owner Takeshi Caesar knows money when he sees it.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brighter Side Of Darkness

Artist:Brighter Side Of Darkness
Song:Love Jones
Album:70s Soul: Gold





Here's a classic 70s soul one hit wonder that is still a big favourite today. Brighter Side Of Darkness only made one album and that's why their success was short lived. Pre-teen singers have been popular going back to Frankie Lymon in the 50s. Of course in the early 70s, The Jackson Five were one of the biggest successes in pop music and Michael Jackson's youth and his vocals were the main reason for that. So other producers started looking around for similar talent. In the case of Brighter Side Of Darkness, that producer was Eugene Record of the legendary soul group The Chi-Lites. The lead singer of Brighter Side Of Darkness was 12 year old Darryl Lamont. Other members were Chicago high school students Ralph Eskridge, Randolph Murph and Larry Washington. Record got them a deal with 20th Century Records and produced the album Love Jones. The single Love Jones reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the R & B Singles chart in 1973. The song features Lamont's youthful singing and a lengthy spoken word segment very similar to what The Chi-Lites might do. Eskridge and Murph wrote the song with Clarence Johnson of The Chi-Lites. Follow up singles didn't do well and then Brighter Side Of Darkness split up in 1974. They only recorded one album. You can get Love Jones on this 2CD various artists comp from Hip-O. Here's Brighter Side Of Darkness performing Love Jones on Soul Train 1973.

RENA is pissed with Ai Takahashi

RENA, Takeshi Caesar, Ai Takahashi

I don't normally write much about SHOOT BOXING because I don't like their product. But I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about the weigh in for tomorrow's match between RENA and Ai Takahashi. Usually in Japan, weigh ins are not done publicly so we never see the kind of staredowns that we see here. The two have been taking potshots at each other in the media. Takahashi obviously believes that she won the S-Girls Cup tournament final last August. And she has been making fun of RENA for getting knocked down during her recent exhibition match against teen kickboxing champ Erika Kamimura. RENA was not happy at all. And normally she seems like a very nice girl. Obviously SHOOT BOXING owner Takeshi Caesar saw an opportunity for some real fireworks. Caesar says that RENA has done a great job of reviving the S-Girls Cup. RENA thanked him and says that her track record got her the belt though Takahashi thinks differently. Takahashi smiled and said after tomorrow's match the belt will remain with the strongest person. She told RENA not to run away tomorrow. RENA says that doesn't make sense when last time RENA did all the hitting. When asked by a reporter why she had a scowl on her face, RENA says "I have the belt and have done nothing to deserve losing it". She also told Takahashi that her recent fights haven't been very good so who is she to talk about RENA. Takahashi told RENA that she has a bad mouth and that's not good. Takahashi is very confident in her ability and she will take the belt from RENA tomorrow. Caesar unveiled a new belt and Takahashi said "That will look good around my waist". Looks like tomorrow's match will be very interesting.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barry McGuire

Artist:Barry McGuire
Song:Eve Of Destruction
Album:Number 1's: 60's Pop





Barry McGuire's 1965 number one hit Eve of Destruction came at the height of the folk boom when protest songs were becoming very popular. The song was everywhere at the time. But McGuire never had another hit and has been recording Christian music since the 70s. He was born Oct. 15, 1935 in Oklahoma City and grew up in California. He joined The New Christy Minstrels in 1962 and sang lead on their biggest hit Green, Green. He left the group and signed with Lou Adler's Dunhill label in 1965. McGuire was good friends with The Mamas and The Papas leader John Phillips who were also on Dunhill. Eve Of Destruction was written by P.F. Sloan and Sloan produced with long time partner Steve Barri. Sloan was 19 years old and Eve Of Destruction was his first big hit. The duo were house producers at Dunhill for several years and were the guys behind The Grass Roots among many others. Sloan first offered Eve Of Destruction to The Byrds. They rejected it but The Turtles recorded it but it was not released as a single. The original intention was for McGuire to record a demo of the song and then they would have him record a slicker version. But Lou Adler liked McGuire's recording so much that he sent it to a Los Angeles radio station and they started playing it immediately. The rest is history. Eve Of Destruction was one of the biggest hits of 1965. It was even banned by some stations and provoked the response song Ballad Of The Green Berets by Sgt. Barry Sadler. You can get Eve Of Destruction on this Hip-O various artists comp. McGuire recorded three albums for Dunhill but never had another hit single. He became a born again Christian in 1970 and recorded Christian music for many years. For years he disowned Eve Of Destruction but he has softened his stance and performs it today. Barry McGuire lives in New Zealand. Here's Barry McGuire performing Eve Of Destruction 1965.

AccuRadio Song Of Day-The Cars

Artist:The Cars
Song:Drive
Album:Complete Greatest Hits





Though not as critically acclaimed as other bands of the era, The Cars were at the forefront of the New Wave movement. Drive was marginally their biggest hit. Singer guitarist Ric Ocasek and bassist Benjamin Orr met in Cleveland in 1970 while Orr was working in the house band of the local TV show Upbeat. They eventually moved to Boston and formed Milkwood with guitarist Jas Goodkind. They released an album on Paramount in 1973 that went nowhere. Cars keyboard player Greg Hawkes played on that album. Ocasek and Orr tried some other things and formed Cap'n Swing with guitarist Elliot Easton. Orr was lead singer and didn't play bass. But Ocasek didn't like the bassist or drummer. So Orr went back to bass and Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson was hired and the name was changed to The Cars. One of their demos got the attention of Elektra Records A & R head George Daly and he signed them to a contract. Their 1978 debut album The Cars reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified Platinum. The single Just What I Needed reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequent albums did very well and they had their first top five pop hit when Shake It Up reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. Following their 1982 tour, The Cars took a break and Ocasek and Hawkes released solo albums. They returned in 1984 with Heartbeat City produced by Mutt Lange. The album reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and Drive reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it was definitely their biggest hit single. Ocasek wrote Drive but Orr sang the lead vocal. Model Paulina Porizkova appeared in the video and she married Ocasek in 1989. The Cars took another break and the various members released solo albums. They returned with the 1987 album Door To Door but it wasn't as successful The Cars split up in Feb. 1988. This Rhino comp is a good intro to their music. Ric Ocasek continued to record solo and produced other bands. There were always rumours about The Cars reuniting but Ocasek always debunked them. After Benjamin Orr died of cancer in 2000, Ocasek softened his stance and Move Like This was released in May 2011. They are currently on tour. Here's the video for Drive by The Cars.

Could Cyborg vs Carano 2 be on a UFC PPV?

Yesterday Zuffa announced that Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz will fight Georges St-Pierre on an October UFC  PPV in Las Vegas. This was exactly three days after UFC president Dana White said there were still major hurdles to be jumped over before that match could happen. But the point is that the door is now open for Strikeforce fighters to cross over to UFC and vice versa. We all know that PPV is a big part of UFC's revenue seam. Strikeforce's profitability has been a major question mark for two years and there was constant discussion about possible PPVs. When Zuffa purchased Strikeforce a couple of months ago, they promised that the two companies would operate independently. I didn't believe that either and in case you hadn't noticed, all Strikeforce staff except Scott Coker has been fired and replaced by Zuffa staff. A crossover match was clearly the next step. Showtime was obviously the major barrier that White was referring to but he's not involved with them. Lorenzo Fertitta handles them. He got that done. So when Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, there was a lot of gloom and doom about Zuffa killing Strikeforce and getting rid of women's MMA once the Showtime contract ran dry because Dana White doesn't like women's MMA. But when he announced the purchase in an interview with Ariel Helwani, White admitted that it isn't his decision. It's Fertitta's decision. And though Fertitta hasn't said anything about women's MMA, Sarah D'Alelio and Julie Kedzie signed contracts after the purchase. A couple of days ago I was talking about Cris Cyborg's contract situation with a couple of folks on Twitter. The timing is very interesting. Gina Carano has her return match on June 18 and Cris is a free agent at the end of June. Right now Coker is handling negotiations. But you may recall that White said that once Strikeforce fighter contracts run out, Zuffa is free to negotiate with them. And remember that two years ago before Strikeforce bought the rights to EliteXC fighters, Zuffa was prepared to do Carano vs Cyborg on a PPV. So once Cris' Strikeforce contract runs out, Fertitta could sign her to a new Zuffa contract and then sets up Cyborg vs Carano 2 on a UFC PPV later on. They could do that now that the door has been opened to crossover matches. Call me crazy but that's a big money match by anyone's standards. And those guys like to make money regardless of whether they use men, women or martians. For now, I think the majority of women's matches will be on Strikeforce shows. But things change. And Cyborg vs Carano 2 on a UFC PPV would set a major precedent and could be the end of UFC misogyny.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roy Head

Artist:Roy Head
Song:Treat Her Right
Album:Oldies But Goodies Vol. 15





Roy Head had his only big pop hit with Treat Her Right in 1965. He had a pretty good run as a country artist in the 70s. But most fans will only be familiar with Treat Her Right. He was born Jan. 9, 1943 in Three Rivers, TX which is a small town in south Texas. His family moved to San Marcos in 1955. That's near Austin. While still in high school, he started The Traits and they signed with a local company TNT Music. They had several regional hits through the early 60s but never broke nationally. The band eventually split up and most of the guys got real jobs. Head continued in music and signed with Scepter Records in 1964. He released a couple of singles that went nowhere. So in 1965 he signed with veteran producer Huey P. Meaux. Treat Her Right was released on Don Robey's Back Beat label and it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Head and bassist Gene Kurtz wrote the song. Today the song is highly regarded as a Blue Eyed Soul classic. At the time, I'm not sure Head knew what Blue Eyed Soul was. As you'll see in the video clip, he was also known for crazy dance moves. It appears that the band split up soon after and by the 70s, Roy Head transitioned to the country music market. He recorded for ABC/Dunhill/Dot and had several country chart singles. Come To Me was his biggest hit in 1976 at #16. You can get the original version of Treat Her Right on this budget various artists comp. Roy Head hasn't recorded in years but he still performs. His son Jason Head was a contestant on season 6 of American Idol. Here's Roy Head performing Treat Her Right on Shindig 1965.

Yuka Tsuji vs Saori Ishioka set for July 9 JEWELS show

Yuka Tsuji, Saori Ishioka

JEWELS announced on their PR blog today that after an absence of one year and five months, Yuka Tsuji will return to MMA to face Saori Ishioka. Yuka Tsuji is a former Smackgirl and Valkyrie champ and is one of the all time greats of women's MMA. She trains at Angura and of course trains other fighters. Her record is 22-2 and I'm sure many of you are aware that her last fight was a loss to VV Mei at the Feb. 11, 2010 Valkyrie show. Yuka underwent reconstructive shoulder surgery in May 2010 and also underwent arthoscopic knee surgery. The shoulder surgery could have ended her MMA career but she announced at the most recent JEWELS show she is ready to return. And she is very excited about facing Ishioka in her comeback match. Saori Ishioka trains at Zendokai. Her record is 11-6 and her last match was a loss to Ham Seo Hee at the Feb. 25 DEEP show. She wasn't very happy with her own performance in that match and vowed to work on her ground game in particular. Tsuji will certainly be a good test of that. The match is contracted for 52kg with special JEWELS rules meaning unlimited ground and pound is allowed. If you're wondering why JEWELS didn't have a press conference to announce this match, it's because Zendokai opened a branch in Laos and Ishioka is training there right now. Fans have already asked me about a potential Yuka Tsuji vs Megumi Fujii match. I don't have an answer but I think that match is too big for JEWELS. Let's see what Tsuji does in this match first.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bob Lind

Artist:Bob Lind
Song:Elusive Butterfly
Album:Jukebox Hits of 1966 Vol. 1




Elusive Butterfly was a top five hit in 1966 and the only hit single for singer songwriter Bob Lind. Supposedly it was the first folk rock hit to feature strings courtesy of legendary producer and arranger Jack Nitzsche. Lind quit the music business in 1969. He was born Nov. 25, 1942 in Baltimore. His family moved to Chicago and then he went to high school in Denver. He was performing on the Denver coffeehouse circuit when he was signed to a record deal at World Pacific Records. The folk boom was in full swing in the mid-60s and record companies were scouring the country looking for folksingers. World Pacific was an offshoot of the Liberty Records label Pacific Jazz. They released non-jazz albums on World Pacific. Ravi Shankar was on World Pacific. They weren't really a commercial label. Elusive Butterfly reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. Not only was it Lind's only big hit but it was World Pacific's only chart hit. And it started as the B-side of Cheryl's Goin' Home. But as sometimes happens, a Florida DJ flipped it over and Elusive Butterfly became a hit. Jack Nitzsche produced and arranged Elusive Butterfly. He was already known for his work with Phil Spector and The Rolling Stones. And as I said, supposedly this was the first folk rock hit to use strings. You can get Elusive Butterfly on this various artists comp from Jukebox Records. Bob Lind recorded four albums but was unable to recreate the success of Elusive Butterfly though some of his songs were recorded by other artists. He quit the music business in 1969 but tried one more album in 1971 before moving to Florida and becoming a writer. He has written five novels and has written for the supermarket tabloids. He returned to music in 2004 and still tours today. Here's Bob Lind performing Elusive Butterfly 1966.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Black Keys

Artist:The Black Keys
Song:Tighten Up
Album:Brothers





The Black Keys emerged from a decade of relative obscurity to release the best selling CD Brothers in 2010. They started out as a blues influenced band but strayed from that only to return to that style with Brothers. Singer guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney became friends while going to high school in Akron. OH. Auerbach has been heavily influenced by blues musicians especially Junior Kimbrough. After his band The Barnburners split up in 2001, Auerbach and Carney formed The Black Keys. They released their first CD The Big Come Up independently in 2002 and it got them a deal with the blues label Fat Possum. Their next two CDs built them a cult following and then they signed with the Warner Music label Nonesuch. The 2008 CD Attack & Release was produced by Danger Mouse and admittedly strayed from their blues rock roots. Auerbach released a solo CD Keep It Hid in 2009 and Carney formed the group Drummer. It looked like The Black Keys would split up. Apparently Auerbach didn't get along with Carney's wife. But they divorced and The Black Keys stayed together. Doesn't the band usually split up in that situation? They went to Muscle Shoals to record Brothers. It was released in May 2010 and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold. Tighten Up topped the Alternative Singles chart. They were nominated for some Grammys and they're currently in Nashville working on a new CD. We'll see if The Black Keys popularity changes their music. Here's the video for Tighten Up by The Black Keys.

Is Gina Carano dropping to 135lb?

The last time we saw Gina Carano in the cage she looked like that pic over there. Now that she made her movie, she is returning to Strikeforce on the June 18 Dallas show. I always thought she would return because she has two fights left on her contract. Scott Coker finally confirmed on Saturday that Gina will face Sarah D'Alelio at 145lb. It leaked out a few weeks ago. Sarah's record is 4-1 and she is training at Lana Stefanac's camp. But she normally fights at 135lb. So if you've followed Gina's career, you'll know that most of her wins have been over undersized opponents. This was because Gary Shaw of EliteXC wanted her to fight at 135 because the fighter pool is larger. Of course the problem was that Gina could never make that weight. In fact, the Cris Cyborg fight was her only fight at 145. So I would prefer she fight someone her own size. She opens herself up for criticism if she gets a win over an undersized opponent. They can avoid that crap. But Coker also announced on Saturday that Gina plans to drop to 135. If that's true, why isn't this fight at 135? The answer is it may not be true. Remember Cris Cyborg is not under contract. So Coker could be sending a message to her that if she doesn't sign, he'll eliminate the 145lb division. Cris is a free agent at the end of June. So Coker could be playing a little contract negotiation poker with Chute Boxe. He lies a lot so it's hard to believe anything he says anyway. It's OK with me if Gina wants to fight at 135...if she can make weight. It's questionable. She's tried to do that before and failed. I know what you're thinking. If Marloes Coenen can make 135, why can't Gina make 135? Historically, Gina has demonstrated a lack of discipline that manifests itself in missing weight. No one ever questioned whether Marloes could make 135 because of her dedication and discipline. Gina needs to prove that she has that same dedication and discipline.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rosemary Clooney

Artist:Rosemary Clooney
Song:You Started Something
Album:The Essential Rosemary Clooney





Rosemary Clooney was one of the most popular vocalists of the early 50s. She was known for novelty songs like Come On-a My House. But she started out in jazz and didn't like those songs. You Started Something was her very first chart single in 1948. Later on she would become a best selling jazz singer and of course she is the aunt of actor George Clooney and mother of actor Miguel Ferrer. She was born May 23, 1928 in Maysville, KY. She started out singing with her sister Betty on Cincinnati radio station WLW. She first recorded with Tony Pastor's band in 1946 on Columbia Records. You Started Something was her first hit and reached #16 on the pop charts. She obviously liked the song as she re-recorded it several times. It was written by Floyd Huddleston and Al Rinker. Rinker was a long time member of Paul Whiteman's band. Huddleston would go on to write songs for Disney animated films like Robin Hood. When Rosemary left Pastor's band in 1949, Columbia's Mitch Miller signed her to a contract. Come On-a My House was her first number one hit. She had a total of four number one hits in the early 50s including Hey There in 1954. She also appeared in several films including starring with Bing Crosby in the 1954 film White Christmas. She also had her own TV variety show in 1956. It's well known that Rosemary didn't like the novelty songs that Miller had her sing. So she left Columbia in 1958 and recorded for MGM, Coral, RCA, Reprise, Dot and United Artists without much success. She had a stormy marriage to actor Jose Ferrer and also suffered from bipolar disorder and struggled with drug addiction. But Rosemary bounced back from that and signed with the jazz label Concord in 1977. She became one of the top selling jazz artists until her death on June 29, 2002 at age 74. So while I recommend this Columbia budget comp for Rosemary Clooney's 50s recordings, you should also check out her Concord recordings. Here's Rosemary Clooney performing You Started Something on a 1959 NBC TV special.