TAJIRI launches Wrestling New Classic

When SMASH closed last month, it was well known that TAJIRI would launch a new company very quickly. And it appears the plan is to pick up where SMASH left off. The conflict between TAJIRI and SMASH president Sakai is Sakai wanted to form an alliance with the legendary Genchiro Tenyru and his Tenyru Project and TAJIRI didn't want to do that. Because Sakai owned the name SMASH, the company needed to close. And today TAJIRI announced the new company is called Wrestling New Classic. TAJIRI says he wants to do old fashioned professional wrestling of high quality which he calls New Classic. The picture I have posted is from the WNC website. I wanted to see if a roster was posted but the website is just a shell right now. From what I can tell, it looks like most of the SMASH roster has joined WNC. Two shows were announced. A pre-debut show will be Apr. 26 at Shinjuku FACE followed by the official debut show May 24 at Korakuen Hall. The main event of the Apr. 26 show will be TAJIRI vs AKIRA. The winner of that match will face Dave Finley in the main event of the May 24 show. The other match announced for Apr. 26 is joshi tag team match with Kana & Io Shirai vs Syuri & Makoto. He also said Lin Bairon will participate. It was reported by Nikkan Sports that New Japan wrestler and current IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada is interested in working for WNC. Don't know how that will work.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hank Jones

Artist:Hank Jones
Song:The Very Thought Of You
Album:Live At Maybeck Recital Hall Vol. 16





Jazz pianist Hank Jones was the oldest and least famous of the three Jones brothers who were all prominent jazz musicians. For most of his career, Jones was a very busy and reliable sideman. Later in life, he became more active as a recording artist and toured regularly until his 2010 death. He was born July 31, 1918 in Vicksburg, MS and grew up in Pontiac, MI. His father was a Baptist deacon and lumber inspector. Jones was the oldest of seven children. His mom sang so all seven kids took piano lessons. His brothers were trumpeter Thad Jones, best known as leader of The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band. And drummer Elvin Jones, best known as part of the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960-66. He is considered to be one of the all time jazz greats. Hank Jones studied piano and listened to Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. By age 13, he was playing gigs locally. His big break came when he met Lucky Thompson in 1944 and he moved to New York to join his band. He toured with Jazz At The Philharmonic and accompanied Ella Fitzgerald from 1948-53. He also recorded with Charlie Parker. He recorded several albums for Savoy Records and was the house pianist there for several years. From 1959 to 1975, Jones was house pianist at CBS Studios accompanying anyone who recorded there including backing performers on The Ed Sullivan Show. Hank Jones played piano when Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy on May 19, 1962. Jones continued to record as a sideman and leader through the 70s. He was also musical director of the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin'. The Very Thought Of You was first written and recorded by Ray Noble in 1934 and was a hit for Bing Crosby and later Vaughn Monroe. Jones first recorded it in 1976 on a solo piano album he recorded for Arista. That album is only available in Japan. This version was recorded in 1992 as part of a series of solo piano albums recorded by Concord Jazz at Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, CA. Hank Jones has received many awards including the NEA Jazz Masters in 1989, the ASCAP Jazz Living Legend in 2003, the National Medal Of Arts in 2008 and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2009. Hank Jones remained in demand as a senior and had just returned from a tour of Japan when he died on May 16, 2010 at age 91. Hank Jones was never flashy but he was very reliable and jazz fans should check him out. Here's Hank Jones performing The Very Thought Of You Berne, Switzerland probably in the 80s.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Juicy

Artist:Juicy
Song:Sugar Free
Album:The Masters: Mellow Groove





Jerry Barnes is a bassist, producer, arranger and recording engineer who had brief success with the duo Juicy with his sister Katreese Barnes. Sugar Free was a top 20 R & B hit in 1986. Barnes is from New York and he is primarily a recording engineer and a go to guy for remixes. He was a one time member of Chic and worked with Chuck Mangione and Brazilian jazz musician and arranger Eumir Deodato. He formed Juicy with Katreese in 1982 and the duo was named after James Mtume's 1982 hit Juicy Fruit. They recorded their debut album for Arista in 1982. It went nowhere. But Juicy got some traction when Beat Street Strut appeared on the soundtrack of the 1984 film Beat Street and it made the dance charts. This led to a deal with the Columbia owned Private I Records. The 1986 album It Takes Two was produced by Eumir Deodato and the single Sugar Free reached #13 on the R & B Singles chart. Sugar Free is an answer song to Juicy Fruit. The song was certified Gold. It's probably one of those songs that you will remember when you hear it. Follow up singles and the 1987 album Spread The Love did not sell so Jerry Barnes ended Juicy. You can get Sugar Free on this Sony various artists comp that is part of a series of R & B masters CDs. Though they ended the group, Jerry & Katreese Barnes still work together in the recording studio. He has produced Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack and Phyllis Hyman among others. He does a lot of remixes which tells me he has a great ear and real talent at the studio control board. And Katreese does backup vocals and plays sax and keyboards. And Jerry Barnes produced a bass instructional DVD in 2009. So Juicy had their brief fling with success but are still making music today. Here's a video for Sugar Free by Juicy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stephen Bishop

Artist:Stephen Bishop
Song:It Might Be You
Album:20th Century Masters:The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Stephen Bishop





Though Stephen Bishop had most of his success as a songwriter, he also had some hits in the late 70s and early 80s including It Might Be You from the 1982 film Tootsie. And he recorded themes for several other films including Animal House. He was born Nov. 15, 1951 in San Diego. He had a band in high school called The Weeds. When they split up, he moved to Los Angeles to break into the music business. He finally got his big break when Art Garfunkel used a couple of his songs on his 1976 album Breakaway. This led to a record deal with ABC Records and his 1977 debut album Careless. On And On reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bishop produced his own albums and used studio musicians. Bishop also recorded the theme for the film Animal House and also appeared briefly in the film. He recorded a second album for ABC. But then MCA bought the company and Bishop went to Warner Bros. His 1980 album Red Cab To Manhattan did not do well. But he did reach #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 with It Might Be You from the 1982 film Tootsie. It also topped the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was on the Tootsie soundtrack LP but Tootsie is currently not available on CD. Though Bishop was primarily known as a songwriter, It Might Be You was written by veteran film composer Dave Grusin with lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. The song was nominated for an Oscar and Bishop performed it on the broadcast. Bishop was also nominated for an Oscar in 1985 when his song Separate Lives was recorded by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin for the film White Nights. He has also recorded themes for Unfaithfully Yours, The China Syndrome and The Money Pit among others. You can get all his hits on this budget comp. Universal license It Might Be You from Warners. Stephen Bishop last recorded in 2008 so he's still around. I guess mainstream success is well behind him. Here's Stephen Bishop performing It Might Be You on the 1983 Oscar broadcast.

Megumi Fujii vs Jessica Aguilar set for May 18 Bellator show

Megumi Fujii

I've known about this fight for a while but I just didn't know the location. It was announced today that Megumi Fujii will face Jessica Aguilar at the May 18 Bellator show in Lake Charles, LA. The problem is that Bellator president Bjorn Rebney has told two sources that the fight will be at 125lb, not 115. Huh? So there's been talk for at least a year that Bellator is planning a 125lb women's tournament. The monkey wrench is that Zoila Gurgel blew out her knee last October. If Bellator was going to do this tournament this year, she would have to be ready in August because Rebney won't do it without her. So this tournament is more likely to happen in 2013. Now he has Gurgel, Rosi Sexton and Jessica Eye under contract. He has said in interviews that he wants some of the 115lb fighters to fight at 125 because he's a cheapass weasel. He actually said he didn't want to pay for any more 125lb fighters. So yeah, he's cheap. So Jessica Aguilar told him a few months ago that she won't fight at 125. She thinks this fight is at 115 and she told me that on Twitter a few minutes ago. So if Rebney has announced this fight at 125 without clearing it with Jessica, that is a low thing for him to do. I don't know what weight it will be at but I will say that any 125lb championship tournament that doesn't have Tara LaRosa in it is a joke. I guess her price is too high despite Bellator being owned by VIACOM. It's not like they're short of money. I get very annoyed with promoters taking shortcuts and that's what Rebney is doing. In the end, hopefully he will get the message that this fight should be at 115. EDIT: Rebney has now said that the fight will be at 115 after twice saying it would be at 125. What a weasel.

Rin Nakai vs Kyoko Kimura set for May 20 PANCRASE show in Okinawa

Kyoko Kimua, Rin Nakai

PANCRASE announced today that Rin Nakai vs Kyoko Kimura has been added to their May 20 show at 3F Koza Music Town in Okinawa. The match is Bantamweight and is scheduled for two five minute rounds. Rin is the former VALKYRIE Open Weight champion. She trains at Shooto Shikoku. Her record is 10-0-1 and her last fight was a draw against Danielle West at the Sept. 4 PANCRASE show. She had a problem with a stalker in December but I guess that has been resolved. Some fans ask me about Rin's sexy pics. I guess they don't like them. I think she enjoys doing them because she puts them up on her blog on a regular basis. She has done public appearances in a nurse uniform and a maid uniform. Cosplay is very popular in Japan. Sakura Hirota's entire pro wrestling career is based on cosplay. Rin Nakai is still a great athlete. Veteran pro wrestler Kyoko Kimura trains at Sakaguchi Family Dojo. Her record is 2-0-1 and she won over Korean kickboxer Kim Sung Eun at yesterday's PANCRASE show. Kimura's problem is she is ten years older than Rin but is inexperienced at MMA. This is the deep end of the pool for her. Rin has been an athlete since she was a child and competed in grappling as a teen. She's very experienced at age 25. BTW, fans have asked me why Rin isn't in JEWELS. There are female fighters who don't like the JEWELS rules and won't work there. That's an opening that PANCRASE needs to exploit. Shino VanHoose vs Kikuyo Ishikawa was previously announced for this show.

RENA out of Apr. 23 SHOOT BOXING show with broken foot

When SHOOT BOXING didn't announce RENA's opponent for the Apr. 23 Korakuen Hall show when they announced the rest of the card on Thursday, I knew something was up. Sure enough, they announced today that RENA is off the show with a broken foot. They announced a replacement match that I will get to in a minute. RENA first suffered the injury while training in December. It was diagnosed as a broken bone in her right foot. At first rest was prescribed to see if it would heal on its own. It was still bothering her when she tried to return to training. This time because the foot wasn't improving, she will have surgery this week at a hospital in Osaka. Of course RENA says she wants to return as soon as possible. She says she will attend the upcoming JKS48 tournament featuring her sister MIO. Because she is having surgery, my guess is RENA won't be ready for the S-Girls Cup in August. I don't think we'll see her until 2013. It's a big problem for SHOOT BOXING but they'll survive. The replacement match for the Apr. 23 show will be MIZUKI vs Mina. MIZUKI is the teen J-Girls kickboxer who also does MMA. She beat Ai Takahashi on the Feb. 5 SHOOT BOXING show. On the same show, Mina knocked out Kanako Oka. She's a college student. That's a pretty good replacement match.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charley Patton

Artist:Charley Patton
Song:Rattlesnake Blues
Album:Pony Blues: His 23 Greatest Songs





Blues pioneer Charley Patton is known as Father of the Delta Blues. His 1929 recordings were very influential to the development of the blues and other forms of popular music. He was born Apr. 28, 1891 in Edwards, MS. His parents were Bill and Annie Patton. But it was known locally that he was the son of former slave Henderson Chatmon whose other children were blues musicians. Patton was a light skinned black so it was known that he was of mixed race including Cherokee. He grew up on the Dockery Plantation which was also where Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf learned to play. Patton was taught to play by Henry Sloan, one of the earliest blues musicians in the delta. Not much is known about him except that he taught Patton. Though he occasionally went to Chicago and other places, for the most part Patton toured the south through the 20s. Patton is considered very influential because of his song structure and he also knew he was an entertainer. His shouting singing style was also influential. So he finally got the opportunity to record for Paramount Records in 1929. He recorded Rattlesnake Blues in Wisconsin. The problem was that Paramount didn't care about the recording quality. If you're wondering about the spelling of his name, he was known as Charlie but Paramount spelled it Charley. Companies like Yazoo have done a great job of cleaning the recordings up and remastering them so they are at least listenable. This CD is from the British label Proper and is a good intro to Patton's music. Patton was a big seller for Paramount and he continued to record for them until his death from heart problems on Apr. 28, 1934 at age 42. The headstone you see in the video was paid for by John Fogerty. Obviously Charley Patton's influence is immeasurable but significant. Here's a video for Rattlesnake Blues by Charley Patton.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.

Artist:Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
Song:You Don't Have To Be A Star
Album:Soul Love





After they left The Fifth Dimension, the husband and wife team of Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. topped the charts in 1977 with You Don't Have To Be A Star. They had a couple of other minor hits but they only recorded three albums together in the late 70s and Marilyn went solo in the 80s. Marilyn McCoo was born Sept. 30, 1943 in Jersey City, NJ and grew up in Los Angeles. She won the Miss Bronze California beauty pageant in 1962 and met Lamonte McLemore at a Jet Magazine photo shoot. Billy Davis Jr. was born June 26, 1938 in St. Louis. Marilyn and McLemore were in The Hi-Fi's. When that group split up in 1966, McLemore brought in his St. Louis buddies Davis and Ron Townson and beauty contest winner Florence LaRue to form The Fifth Dimension. Of course they had a great run in the late 60s. Marilyn married Davis in 1969. They left The Fifth Dimension in 1975 and signed with ABC Records and producer Don Davis. Davis produced Johnny Taylor and The Dramatics at Stax and continued to work with them after Stax closed. Marilyn & Billy's first single I Hope We Get To Love In Time was a modest hit. But they struck gold when You Don't Have To Be A Star topped the Billboard Hot 100 in Jan. 1977. Their album and single were certified Gold and they won a Grammy for Best R & B Performance By a Duo or Group. You Don't Have To Be A Star was written by the team of John Dean & John Glover. Dean worked for Motown in the 60s and wrote the 1967 David Ruffin hit What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted with William Weatherspoon. When Weatherspoon left Motown to work for Holland-Dozier-Holland at Hot Wax/Invictus, Dean took Glover as his new partner and wrote songs for Don Davis acts like The Dramatics. The success of this song earned Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. a CBS variety series. They also had a top 20 hit with Your Love. The success didn't last. Their second album The Two Of Us didn't do as well and then they switched to Columbia and the 1979 album Marilyn & Billy was more Contemporary Christian than soul and didn't sell. Marilyn recorded a solo album for Warner Bros. in 1982 that had similar issues. Of course Marilyn hosted the TV show Solid Gold and has acted on the stage and on TV over the years. Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in 2009. They continue to tour and Davis runs their ministry. In recent years, they have recorded mostly gospel music. You can get You Don't Have To Be A Star on this budget priced 3CD various artists comp from Sony. The album I Hope We Get To Love In Time is currently out of print. Here's Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. performing You Don't Have To Be A Star on The Midnight Special New Year's Eve 1977-78.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Munah Holland vs Marianna Kheyfets

Here's a fight from last night's Bellator show that you might have missed because it was on the prelims on the Spike TV website. It features 125lb prospects Munah Holland vs Marianna Kheyfets. Munah is a pro boxer attempting to transition to MMA with mixed success. She's 37 years old which I believe is a little old for an MMA newcomer. Marianna has fought for the XFC in Florida. She was undefeated coming into this fight. But she was losing her last fight against Heather Clark when an accidental elbow cut Heather over the eye and the doctor had to stop the fight. Marianna told Bellator announcer Sean Wheelock she planned to keep the fight standing. I'm not crazy about that strategy against a boxer. Round one was fairly even until Marianna took Munah down near the end of the round. She didn't do much but it was enough to win the round. Munah asserted herself much better in round two and Marianna seemed very tentative. It looked like she was concerned about Munah's power. Munah knocked her down twice and then let her up both times. With less than 30 seconds left in the round, Munah knocked Marianna out with a right hand. So Munah got away with letting her up twice. But it shows me she is uncomfortable with MMA and is still just a boxer. Those mistakes would have cost her against better competition. I wasn't impressed with either fighter. Here's the video.

Tara LaRosa escapes with a win at RFA2

Since Bodog Fight closed in 2007, top ranked female fighter Tara LaRosa has been on the outside looking at other fighters success. It seems that every MMA company she has worked for has gone out of business. So now she has signed a two fight contract with Resurrection Fighting Alliance. Last night she won over Kelly Warren by armbar with one second left in the fight. I think it's fair to say that Kelly is not at Tara's level. So what Tara needed to do was make a statement and finish this fight early and decisively. But for some reason, Tara didn't do that. When I was watching the first round of this fight, I was wondering who was fighting because she didn't look like Tara LaRosa. I don't accept the excuse that she is a slow starter. Apparently the judges had Kelly winning after round one. I thought it was even but I was disappointed Tara didn't perform better. Tara won round two but it's not like she dominated. And she continued to have problems with Kelly in round three until she finally took her down and got the position she needed to end it with the armbar. Tara did enough in the third round to win anyway. But it never should have gotten this far. If she's going to have trouble with a fighter like this, maybe time has passed Tara LaRosa by. I hope not but she has to show me something next time. About the commentary, this show was announced by Mauro Ranallo along with former UFC fighters Justin McCully and Jens Pulver. First, I don't like three man booths. Pulver is useless as a fight analyst because he has nothing to say. McCully is one of RFA's owners and it's obvious he is not a professional broadcaster. When Pulver left to corner Tara, Frank Shamrock was brought in. Shamrock has been known for unprofessional behaviour on Strikeforce broadcasts. His commentary during this match is insulting. It's tough for Mauro because he has to be traffic cop with these two guys. I like him a lot better when he works with Pat Militich because the commentary is more concise. On this video, Shamrock is ridiculous. Check it out for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nino Ferrer

Artist:Nino Ferrer
Song:Mirza
Album:Satanee Mirza





Nino Ferrer started out as a jazz guitarist and in the mid-60s became a pop star in France with his breakthrough hit Mirza. He is frequently compared with Jacques Dutronc but Ferrer didn't have the same success and then quit the music business. He was born Nino Ferrari Aug. 15, 1934 in Genoa, Italy. His father was Italian and his mother was French. His father worked in a nickel mine in New Caledonia in the South Pacific. In 1939, Nino and his mom were on holiday in France. But they were unable to leave France because of WWII. The family reunited in 1947. Ferrer earned a degree in archaeology but found it was a low paying profession. He also taught himself to play several musical instruments and was a big jazz fan. After trying several jobs that he didn't like, he decided to become a jazz musician and worked with Richard Bennett & The Dixiecats and then jazz trumpeter Bill Coleman. For several years he played guitar with jazz singer Nancy Holloway. But he was also writing songs and signed with Barclay Records in 1963. Ferrer wasn't successful at first but he was allowed to record his own songs in 1965. Ferrer had become a big fan of soul singers like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding and he used that influence to write and record Mirza in 1965. It was a big hit in France and Nino Ferrer was now a star. Credit should also go to organist Bernard Estrady for the excellent riff. The two were friends in college and worked together frequently. Ferrer could have been a much bigger star. But he didn't like the grind of the French pop music business or the comparisons to Jacques Dutronc. So he moved to Italy in 1967 and continued to record increasingly political songs. After hosting a TV variety show, Ferrer moved back to France in 1970. He formed a group with former T. Rex guitarist Mickey Finn. He recorded an album per year but he wasn't as successful as in the 60s. He quit music in 1984 and returned to his castle and exhibited his paintings in galleries. He recorded a new album in 1993 but as always, he seemed to tire of public life. After his mother died in 1998, Nino Ferrer shot himself and died on Aug. 13, 1998 at age 63. This comp is a good intro to the enigmatic Nino Ferrer. Here's the video for Mirza by Nino Ferrer.

PANCRASE announces first ever women's MMA match in Okinawa

Shino VanHoose, Kikuyo Ishikawa

PANCRASE announced yesterday that they will return to Okinawa for the first time in four years May 20 at 3F Koza Music Town. The first match announced will be the first ever women's MMA match in Okinawa. It's rare for pro wrestling or MMA companies to go to Okinawa. PANCRASE will draw. I expect them to fill the house. But it's offset by the cost to go there. They'll probably break even. This is why the regional pro wrestling and MMA scene is much healthier than in Tokyo. A local company has a captive audience and no competition. It's too expensive for PANCRASE or anyone else to go there regularly. In a Strawweight (48kg) match scheduled for two five minute rounds, 16 year old Shino VanHoose will face 2010 JEWELS ROUGH STONE tournament winner Kikuyo Ishikawa. Shino is the daughter of an American serviceman and there are military bases near Okinawa. She trains at Hachioji Paraestra. Her record is 2-0 and her last win was over sakura on the Mar. 11 PANCRASE show. Ishikawa is a big step up in competition for Shino. Ishikawa is an Okinawa native. It's obviously a big deal for her to fight in her home town. She trains at Grand Slam Reversal in Yokohama. Her record is 6-3 and her last fight was a loss to Sugi Rock in the finals of the JEWELS Featherweight tournament on Dec. 17. Since all her fights have been in JEWELS, Ishikawa has never fought full MMA rules. All JEWELS fights have limited ground and pound. She did say she is happy to fight full ground and pound and looks forward to punching her opponent in the face. PANCRASE also announced that pro wrestler Kyoko Kimura will be on this show after she fights a Korean kickboxer this Sunday. I think Kimura may have wrestled in Okinawa a couple of years ago.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fred Anderson

Artist:Fred Anderson
Song:Ode To Tip
Album:Timeless: Live At The Velvet Lounge





Tenor sax player Fred Anderson had the training and knowledge to play any kind of jazz he wanted. But he preferred free jazz and was one of the leading lights of the Chicago free jazz scene for many years. He didn't record much until his senior years. Ode To Tip is from a 2005 recording at his own club. He was born Mar. 22, 1929 in Monroe, LA. He taught himself to play sax and he idolized Charlie Parker. His family moved to Evanston, IL in the 40s and Anderson studied at the Roy Knapp Conservatory in Chicago. Anderson worked as a carpet installer for years while playing part time. A lot of his contemporaries toured Europe but he stayed home to support his family. Anderson played with sax player Joseph Jarman in the 60s and was one of the founding members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) which was the home for many free jazz musicians. In the 70s, he opened his own club The Birdhouse and then in 1983 took over the famed Chicago club The Velvet Lounge when the previous owner died. Anderson was a regular participant in the club's weekly jam sessions. He recorded more frequently as a leader in the 90s and into the new millennium. He recorded several CDs for the Delmark label including this 2005 CD recorded at his own club with bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Hamid Drake. Delmark also released a DVD of the concert. Remember Anderson was 75 when this was recorded. So when most guys his age are retired, he's still exploring the boundaries of jazz. The Velvet Lounge moved in 2006 and Anderson also owned The Beehive. Plenty of musicians went through his clubs and credit Anderson as a mentor. After recording an 80th birthday party in 2009, Fred Anderson died on June 24, 2010 at age 81. Here's Fred Anderson performing Ode To Tip on the 2005 DVD Timeless: Live At The Velvet Lounge.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-R.E.M.

Artist:R.E.M.
Song:Losing My Religion
Album:In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003





R.E.M. started out in the 80s as a new wave band with a cult following but graduated to more mainstream success in the 90s. This coincided with a switch from IRS Records to Warner Bros. I don't think their music changed. Losing My Religion was their highest charting single in 1991. R.E.M. is from Athens, GA and started in 1980 when lead singer Michael Stipe met guitarist Peter Buck at an Athens record store where Buck worked. They met bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry and formed a band. Mills and Berry were friends in high school. The group name R.E.M. came out of a dictionary. The group started getting a buzz locally and their debut single Radio Free Europe generated record company interest. They signed with IRS Records. IRS was a leading alternative music label owned by Miles Copeland, brother of Stewart Copeland of The Police. They had success in their early days especially with their 1987 album Document and their first top 20 single The One I Love. But the band were unhappy with IRS' lack of promotion and signed with Warner Bros. when their contract ended. The result was they had their first top ten hit with Stand in 1989. But they did even better when Losing My Religion reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. The album Out Of Time was the first to top the Billboard Hot 200 and sold over four million copies. R.E.M. became one of the most popular bands of the 90s and their success continued through most of the decade. In 1996, they re-signed with Warners for what was reported to be the most lucrative record contract in history. Bell Berry left in 1997 and the band continued as a trio. At first, they didn't seem to know what to do. But they got it together and continued to be successful in the new millennium. This 2003 comp is currently only available in Japan. But with R.E.M. splitting up in 2011, I would expect Warners to issue a new comp and probably a box set. Here's the video for Losing My Religion by R.E.M.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Linda Scott

Artist:Linda Scott
Song:I've Told Ev'ry Little Star
Album:The Complete Hits Of Linda Scott





Teen pop singer Linda Scott had her biggest hit in 1961 with I've Told Ev'ry Little Star. She had a total of twelve charted songs in the early 60s. She was born Linda Joy Sampson June 1, 1945 in Queen's, NY and grew up in Teaneck, NJ. While still in high school, she became a regular on Arthur Godfrey's CBS radio show and released the single In-Between Teen on Epic Records as Linda Sampson. In 1961, she signed with Canadian-American Records who had just had their first big hit with Santo & Johnny's Sleepwalk. Despite the label name, the company was based in New York and owned by Leonard Zimmer. Linda's name was changed to Linda Scott and I've Told Ev'ry Little Star was the first single. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The record was produced by Bill Buster who also worked with Tommy Edwards and The Paris Sisters. I've Told Ev'ry Little Star was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1932 play Music In The Air. The 1934 film version starred Gloria Swanson. The song has been widely covered but Linda had the most success with the song. You probably heard the record in David Lynch's 2001 film Mulholland Drive. The same year Linda had hits with I Don't Know Why and Don't Bet Money, Honey. She wrote that last one. She also appeared in the Chubby Checker film Don't Knock The Twist. By 1964 Linda had faded and moved to Kapp Records. She didn't have much success there but did co-host the TV show Where The Action Is. You can get all her Canadian-American recordings on this comp from the oldies label Eric Records. You'll notice a lot of the songs have the word "star" in them. That's a little too cute for me. Linda recorded for RCA and then released some singles in the UK. She also worked as a backup singer most notably for Lou Christie. She quit music in the early 70s to study theology and taught music at the Christian Academy in New York. Here's a video for I've Told Ev'ry Little Star by Linda Scott.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Katja Kankaanpaa vs VV Mei

Today's edition of Big Bad Blog Video Theater is from Friday's Botnia Punishment show in Botnia, Finland. Undefeated Katja Kankaanpaa faces Japanese veteran VV Mei. As I said before, Mei has been very fortunate in recent fights. Will her luck run out? Katja has a significant height advantage and she seemed to use it in the first round. She took Mei down three times but Mei's defense was good and Katja wasn't able to do much with her. But Mei had no offense so Katja wins round one. Katja takes her down again in round two but this time is in better position and pounds Mei for most of the round. So in round three, Mei has to finish the fight. Katja plays it safe for the most part. But Mei seems to run out of gas and is unable to generate much offense. Katja takes Mei down a few times at the end of the fight to put an exclamation point on her unanimous decision win. Katja Kankaanpaa is still undefeated. Enjoy the video!

Cris Cyborg offers a different excuse for positive drug test

So here's a video where Cris Cyborg gives a new reason...er...excuse for testing positive for stanozolol. You may recall that a couple of months ago she said that she mistakenly took a diet supplement while cutting weight. She forgot to consult a doctor. In this video, she says she was sabotaged. Someone deliberately gave her the tainted supplement. Of course you probably know that she split with her husband a couple of months ago. She might as well throw him under the bus. It doesn't matter. As we saw today, King Mo Lawal throwing himself on the mercy of the Nevada State Athletic Commission didn't earn him a reduction of his penalties. It seems unlikely that Cyborg's luck will be any better. All she is trying to do now is plead for fan sympathy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hank Snow

Artist:Hank Snow
Song:I've Been Everywhere
Album:The Essential Hank Snow





Hank Snow was a pioneer of Canadian country music known for his traveling songs like I'm Movin' On and the 1962 smash hit I've Been Everywhere. I loved this song when I was a kid. Clarence Eugene Snow was born May 9, 1914 in Brooklyn, NS. He joined the Merchant Marines at age 12 to escape an abusive stepfather. He was a cabin boy for four years. Snow based his music on the great Jimmie Rodgers and learned to yodel from listening to Rodgers records. He moved to Halifax in 1933 and appeared as Clarence Snow and his Guitar and The Blue Yodeler on radio station CHNS. Announcer Cecil Landry suggested he change his name to Hank Snow because it sounded more western. This led to a contract with RCA Victor in Canada and national appearances on CBC Radio. So he was a star in Canada but RCA in the US refused to release his records because he wasn't a big enough star for them. He became friends with the legendary Ernest Tubb and an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry convinced RCA to release Snow's records. This paid dividends in 1950 when I'm Movin' On topped the country charts for 21 weeks. Snow had a regular stream of hits in the 50s. And he helped establish Elvis Presley's career when he introduced him to manager Colonel Tom Parker. In the late 50s, Snow was holding his own with the onslaught of Rock & Roll. I've Been Everywhere became Snow's second signature song when it topped the country charts in 1962 and also crossed over to pop. I've Been Everywhere was written by Australian songwriter Geoff Mack and was a hit in Australia for Lucky Starr. Mack's publisher thought it would be a good song for Snow and had Mack rewrite it with names of North American towns. The song has been adapted for many locations. Canadian country music legend Stompin' Tom Connors recorded a Canadian version. Johnny Cash notably covered I've Been Everywhere in 1996. Snow continued to have success in the 60s. But he didn't adapt well when country music went in a pop direction in the 70s and his career slowed down considerably. RCA dropped him in 1981 and he never recorded again. This budget comp is a good intro to his music. Hank Snow continued to appear regularly on the Grand Ole Opry until his death on Dec. 20, 1999 at age 85. Hank Snow is a member of the Country Music Hall Of Fame and the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame. Here's Hank Snow performing I've Been Everywhere on one of Ralph Emery's shows in the 60s.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kenny Rogers

Artist:Kenny Rogers
Song:Lady
Album:42 Ultimate Hits





After trying everything he could think of to keep The First Edition together, Kenny Rogers finally called it quits in 1976. They were going nowhere anyway. They hadn't been popular for a few years so it was questionable if Rogers could have a successful solo career. He was perceived as a has been. But United Artists producer Larry Butler signed him anyway and of course Rogers was a smashing success in the country music market. He also crossed over to the pop charts and Lady was his only number one hit as a solo artist in 1980. His other number one hit was the duet Islands In The Stream with Dolly Parton. Rogers' first album for UA Love Lifted Me did OK. But his second album Kenny Rogers went through the roof with Lucille his first number one country hit in 1977. He had more success with songs like The Gambler and Coward Of The County and he had success recording duets with Dottie West and his 1980 duet with Kim Carnes Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer. With EMI's purchase of UA, Rogers was moved to Liberty Records for his 1980 album Share Your Love. His producer on the album was Lionel Richie who was known as lead singer of The Commodores. This was his first work outside The Commodores. Lady was not on Share Your Love. It was a previously unreleased song on the 1980 Greatest Hits comp. Lady topped the Country Singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100. And Greatest Hits topped the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified 12XPlatinum. Lady was big for Rogers and Richie as it gave Richie the confidence to leave The Commodores and go solo. And Rogers was firmly established as a pop crossover act. Rogers had several more hits in the 80s including the number one hit Islands In The Stream. But even when he faded on the pop charts, he continued to have success in country. He continues that success today. This 2CD comp is a complete overview of Rogers' career. His latest CD The Love Of God was released by Cracker Barrel last year. He continues to tour and performed Lady with Lionel Richie a couple of weeks ago at SXSW in Austin. Here's Kenny Rogers performing Lady 1980.