AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Buffy Sainte-Marie

Artist:Buffy Sainte-Marie
Song:Until It's Time For You To Go
Album:The Best of Buffy Sainte-Marie





Buffy Sainte-Marie has been a regular on the folk festival circuit since the 60s and has a loyal following based on her 60s recordings. But she has had most of her success as a songwriter. Until It's Time for You To Go is one of her best known songs. She was born Feb. 20, 1941 on the Piapot Cree First Nations Reserve in Qu'Appelle Valley, SK. She was adopted by relatives of her parents and grew up in Wakefield, MA. By the early 60s, Buffy was spending a lot of time in the Yorkville coffee house circuit in Toronto with Joni Mitchell and Neil Young among others. She signed with Vanguard Records and built her fanbase on the folk festival circuit. Buffy wrote and recorded Until It's Time for You To Go on her 1965 album Many A Mile. It's been covered by many artists. Elvis Presley scored a top 40 hit with the song in 1972. Her protest song Universal Soldier which she wrote after a 1963 trip to Vietnam was a hit for Donovan. Buffy continued to record and even tried her hand at country music in the late 60s. Her biggest hit single came in 1972 when Vanguard pushed radio stations to play Mister Can't You See and it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Mickey Newbury and Townes Van Zandt and first recorded by Newbury. This was at a time when Buffy was recording with Nashville session musicians and veteran country music producer Norbert Putnam. That song is not on this comp which was first released as a 2LP set in 1970. Buffy left Vanguard for MCA in 1974. After three albums, she retired from recording and became a regular on Sesame Street. Probably Buffy's biggest songwriting success was co-writing the 1981 hit Up Where We Belong with then husband Jack Nitzsche and Will Jennings for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. Buffy returned to recording with EMI Records in 1992. Her most recent CD Running For The Drum was released in 2008. Buffy Sainte-Marie lives in Hawaii and tours regularly. So you can still see this folk music legend perform. Here's Buffy Sainte-Marie performing Until It's Time For You To Go on the BBC 1971.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir

Artist:Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir f/Na Asia Barnes
Song:You Alone
Album:You Alone




The Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir is a spinoff of the long running Georgia Mass Choir. they are currently having success on the gospel charts with You Alone. Charles Moore was a member of the Georgia Mass Choir for 14 years. When he moved to Bentonville, AR, Moore was looking to join a similar choir in Arkansas. When he couldn't find one, he enlisted veteran gospel artist Troy Sneed to start one. Sneed has performed with the Georgia Mass Choir and James Cleveland among others and he appeared in the film The Preacher's Wife. He runs his own church and record label. Auditions were held and the Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir released their debut CD Hold On For Life in 2008 on Sneed's T Records. With their latest CD and single You Alone, they are having success on the gospel charts and appeared on the BET show Bobby Jones Gospel. Na Asia Barnes is the lead singer on You Alone. The song was written by choir member James Edward Johnson and Michael McDowell. Sneed contributes a guest vocal and his pianist Daryl Woodson produced and wrote all the arrangements. This kind of gospel music is not for everyone but this is a solid choir and gospel fans should check it out. Here's the Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir featuring Na Asia Barnes performing You Alone on Bobby Jones Gospel Nov. 14, 2014.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

Artist:Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
Song:All Cried Out
Album:Super Hits





Though it wasn't their biggest hit, All Cried Out was the first big hit for Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam in 1986. They would go on to have two number one hits and they were a staple on the R & B charts through the 80s. Lead singer Lisa Velez was born Jan. 15, 1967 in New York City. When she heard that Madonna was discovered at a New York club, she would sneak out of the house once her family was asleep hoping to be discovered. She was the youngest of ten children. It was in one of these clubs that she met drummer Mike Hughes who was a roadie for the vocal group Full Force. They were getting into producing other artists at the time. Lisa auditioned and they signed her to Columbia Records. Hughes invited his friend guitarist Alex "Spanador" Moseley to join the group and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam was born. Their first two singles did well on the R & B and Dance charts. But the ballad All Cried Out broke the group on the pop charts. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The two male singers on the record are Paul Anthony and Bow Legged Lou of Full Force. They are brothers. The album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force was certified Platinum. The R & B girl group Allure scored a top ten hit with a cover of All Cried Out in 1995. Their 1987 album Spanish Fly did just as well and the singles Head To Toe and Lost In Emotion both topped the pop charts. They faded after that but continued to have success on the R & B charts until they split up in 1991. You can get all their hits on this budget CD. Lisa Lisa has recorded a couple of solo albums, most recently in 2009. Hughes was in the band The Ernies. And Moseley has produced mostly female singers like Tamia and Keyshia Cole and others. Here's the video for All Cried Out by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force.

Jessica Andrade vs Marion Reneau added to Feb. 22 UFC show

Jessica Andrade

The UFC has confirmed that Jessica Andrade vs Marion Reneau has been added to UFC Fight Night 61 Feb. 22 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Jessica first posted the news on the UFC Brazil website. It's a quick turnaround for Marion as she just won her UFC debut over Alexis Dufresne last Saturday. As I said in my review of that fight, Alexis gave such a poor performance that it's impossible to tell if Marion is a good fighter. Jessica is clearly a step up in competition. Jessica won her last three UFC fights including a win via guillotine over highly touted prospect Larissa Pacheco in September. Jessica has won several of her fights with the guillotine so Marion will have to watch for that. Someone asked me if I thought that Jessica should be facing a higher ranked fighter. For one thing, her trainers have said they don't want to rush her. And the UFC wants to build her up in Brazil. Though Bethe Correia has a higher profile, Jessica is younger and I like her better than Bethe. BTW, Bethe is currently recovering from eye surgery. She's expected to return in the spring. After her win on Saturday, UFC president Dana White apologized to Marion for telling her she was too old when she tried out for TUF18. But I don't think that fight was enough to sell me on her. This fight should give me a better read on how good Marion might be.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Robin Eubanks

Artist:Robin Eubanks
Song:Pentacourse
Album:Karma




Trombonist Robin Eubanks has been around since the 80s as a sideman and recording his own albums. He was born Oct. 25, 1955 in Philadelphia. You're probably familiar with his guitarist brother Kevin Eubanks who led The Tonight Show with Jay Leno band. His other brother Duane Eubanks plays trumpet. Their uncles are pianist Ray Bryant and bassist Tommy Bryant. Robin Eubanks arrived in New York in the early 80s and played with Slide Hampton, Sun Ra, Stevie Wonder, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. He was in Dave Holland's band for 15 years. Eubanks has been a member of the M-Base Collective led by Steve Coleman and Greg Osby since the 80s. Eubanks signed with JMT Records in 1988 and recorded four albums there including Karma in 1990. His band includes Renee Rosnes on piano, Lonnie Plaxico on bass and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums. There are guest appearances by Cassandra Wilson, Branford Marsalis, Greg Osby, Dave Holland and Kevin Eubanks. Eubanks also recorded Pentacourse on his CD/DVD EB3 Live but that is out of print. Eubanks is a professor at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. His latest CD Klassik Rock Vol. 1 was released in 2014. Robin Eubanks is worth checking out if he comes to your town. here's Robin Eubanks with Orrin Evans on piano and Kenwood Dennard on drums performing Pentacourse. This was taped for the 2007 DVD Live Vol. 1 but did not appear on the DVD.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Murray Head

Artist:Murray Head
Song:One Night In Bangkok
Album:Class Reunion: Greatest Hits of '85





The 1984 top five hit One Night In Bangkok was the biggest hit for British singer actor Murray Head. It might surprise you that he's been around since the 60s. He was born Mar. 5, 1946 in London, England. His father was documentary filmmaker Seafield Head. His mother actress Helen Shingler starred in the 60s BBC TV series Maigret. His brother is actor Anthony Head of the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Head recorded a few singles in the 60s. But when they didn't take off, he took a job selling insurance. Head also appeared in the 1966 film The Family Way and the 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday. Tim Rice produced one of Head's singles. So when Rice was casting Jesus Christ Superstar, he hired Head to play Judas Iscariot and Head sang lead on the hit single Superstar. It didn't help his music career. Though Head's 1975 album Say It Ain't So was critically acclaimed, it didn't sell though the title song was successfully covered by Roger Daltrey in 1977. Tim Rice wanted to write a show about the Cold War. It was suggested he work with Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus who wanted to work on projects outside of Abba. At the time, there was a rivalry between American Bobby Fischer and Russian Anatoly Karpov. So Chess was a metaphor for the Cold War. They decided to record Chess as a concept album first and then produce it on the stage. Murray Head and Elaine Paige were the leads and the big surprise was that One Night In Bangkok became a worldwide smash hit. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can get One Night In Bangkok on this various artists budget CD. Head and Paige also appeared in the 1986 London stage production of Chess. Since then, Murray Head has had moderate success singing in French. He is currently touring France. And he has acted occasionally on British TV. His latest CD My Back Pages is an album of pop covers and was released in 2012. Here's the video for One Night In Bangkok by Murray Head.

Review of WWE Total Divas season 3 episode 11

We're back with the second half of season three of WWE Total Divas. As usual, I will post the episode video in case you missed it and attempt to review each episode. First, a couple of changes. Trinity "Naomi" Fatu is no longer in Total Divas. In a recent interview, her husband Jon Fatu Jr. AKA Jimmy Uso said he didn't want cameras in his home anymore and that Trinity wanted to remain on the show. So she could return if he agrees to it. Also, they have added Alicia Fox and Paige to the cast. Alicia (real name: Victoria Crawford) has been in the WWE since 2006 when she was found in a swimsuit catalog. She knows how to strut to the ring and has improved as a wrestler. But she's a midcard wrestler and is a favourite of WWE TV executive producer Kevin Dunn. He was behind Alicia's brief time throwing tantrums after losing on TV last year. She stopped doing that because it wasn't part of a storyline and was going nowhere. Paige (real name: Saraya-Jade Bevis) grew up in the wrestling business in England. Her mom is former SHIMMER champ Sweet Saraya. Paige is 22 years old and has been a wrestler for ten years. She was very successful in NXT and won the WWE Divas Championship in her first WWE appearance the night after Wrestlemania. To learn more about Paige, I recommend the British TV doc Wrestling With My Family. Alicia is not in this episode but Paige is. We begin with John Cena kinda sorta splitting up with girlfriend Nikki Bella. But Nikki doesn't know that twin sister Brie Bella, their mom and brother met with Cena to prompt this. That was the stupidest thing Brie has done on this show. Mind your own business. When Brie discovers that Cena didn't tell Nikki about the meeting, she asks him about it and he says he would never throw her under the bus. So now Brie is having second thoughts. Meanwhile, Nattie Neidhart meets up with Paige and they wind up at this party. Fandango is there but everyone else looks like they were hired from Central Casting. Nattie eats a brownie and Paige immediately tells her they contain weed. Nattie asks Paige if she ate one and Paige says she doesn't like brownies. When she said that, I immediately thought this was a rib. And one would think Nattie would know that. She grew up in the wrestling business and her uncle Owen Hart was one of the most notorious ribbers in wrestling history. But instead of using that logic, the producers have Nattie go nuts concerned about flunking a drug test. Nattie looks like an idiot. Brie tells her family that she now wants to tell Nikki about the meeting with Cena. And she blames her brother for the idea though it was her idea. The meeting goes as expected and Nikki is upset with all of them but especially with Brie. She immediately goes to Cena's house and reconciles. Nattie discovers that they are drug testing at work and she doesn't want to go to the arena fearing a positive test. She's driving with Ariane "Cameron" Andrew. Nattie rams a dumpster thinking a fender bender and a trip to the emergency room is a good excuse for her absence. Ariane won't go along with this. They got to the arena and get the drug test. The Bella Twins are getting ready to do this big SummerSlam angle where Nikki turns heel. Nikki is still mad at Brie anyway so she thinks that's great. A few days later, Paige comes to Nattie's house and brings cat toys among other things. She tells Nattie that the weed in the brownies was a rib. And a pretty funny one at that. Paige says she was surprised that Nattie didn't recognize it as a rib. And her reaction after Paige told her it was a rib is typical Nattie outrage on this show. Well, DUH! You should have known it was a rib, Nattie. How dumb are you? I blame the show producers for not understanding the wrestling business. This episode ends with the SummerSlam angle I mentioned earlier. Stay tuned for my weekly reviews of WWE Total Divas. Enjoy the video!
Total Divas - Her Highness - Season 3 Episode... by disnmad

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alan Price

Artist:Alan Price
Song:I Put A Spell On You
Album:I Put A Spell On You And Other Great Hits




Alan Price is best known as the original keyboard player for the Animals. He left in 1965 for a solo career and had success mostly in England. His music is well worth seeking out. He was born Apr. 19, 1942 in Fatfield, Washington, Country Durham, England. A self taught musician, Price had his own band before forming The Animals with Eric Burdon in 1962. The Animals were very successful with hits like House of the Rising Sun. But Price didn't like to fly so he left The Animals in 1965 for his own band The Alan Price Set. His 1966 cover of the Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic I Put A Spell On You reached #9 on the British Singles chart. Other hits included the Randy Newman song Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear and The House That Jack Built. Price's music was more jazz and blues oriented than what he could do with The Animals. Several Alan Price comps have been released but the CDs are all out of print. This one from Sanctuary is available on mp3 at a budget price. Beware of re-recordings of Price's hits. Price also had success recording with Georgie Fame in the early 70s. Price composed scores and appeared in films directed by Lindsay Anderson. His music for the 1973 film O Lucky Man! is well worth seeking out. It's probably his best album. Price hasn't recorded lately but he still tours England and still plays monthly at The Bull's Head in London. Here's Alan Price performing I Put A Spell On You 1966.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Marion Reneau vs Alexis Dufresne

Here's the match video of Marion Reneau vs Alexis Dufresne from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. The fight was on the UFC Fight Pass prelims and not everyone got to see it. Now that I have a new Smart TV with Roku, I can watch UFC Fight Pass on my TV in HD. I highly recommend this. Roku will come in very handy for upcoming Invicta shows. In other news, the UFC announced that the archives of several promotions including Hook 'N' Shoot and Pancrase will begin appearing on Fight Pass this spring. They should talk to DEEP because that's who owns the Smackgirl fights. I don't know who owns the rights to Valkyrie as parent company GCM went bankrupt. And how about Shooto and X-Shooto? After you watch the first round of this fight, you may want to skip the rest. It's pretty bad. I thought Alexis Dufresne was a questionable hire in the first place because I didn't think she could make 135lb. And she missed weight twice. And I didn't see anything in her fights that would make me think she should be in the UFC. And when you watch this fight, you will wonder that yourself. So what happened? It seems that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby was bamboozled by her coach. Both Alexis and her coach knew that she would never make 135. She went along with it to please him. Alexis was so bad in this fight that it's hard to tell if Marion is any good. It was like Alexis was wearing cement boots. One of the judges even scored it 30-25. The one good thing is that Alexis took some hard shots but never went down. So she made it through three rounds. But that didn't stop Joe Rogan from screaming for the fight to be stopped. He's done this before and I disagreed with him on that occasion. and I disagree with him on this occasion. Alexis was just bleeding from the nose. She was trying to defend herself but was ineffective. That is not a criteria for a stoppage. I don't know if Alexis has any fights left on her contract but the UFC might be wise to farm her out to Invicta so she can fight at her proper weight. She could be damaged goods now. She's only 24 years old. Her coach is the real disgrace. Enjoy the video if you can.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Martin

Artist:George Martin
Song:The Pepperland Suite
Album:Produced By George Martin: Highlights From 50 Years In Recording




Because of his work with The Beatles, George Martin is probably the most famous record producer of all time. And though his arrangements were an integral element of The Beatles' success, he lucked into the fame because he worked for EMI since 1950. He was born Jan. 3, 1926 in London, England. He was supposed to take piano lessons as a child but didn't because of a dispute between his mother and the teacher. So his career was going to be as a surveyor and he served in the Royal Navy during WWII. After the war, Martin used his veteran's grant to study music. This led to his joining EMI in 1950 as an assistant to the head of Parlophone Records. He produced classical music and comedy records especially with Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and The Goon Show and Beyond The Fringe with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Martin wanted to add pop music to Parlophone. So he met with The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. They had been rejected by several labels including Decca. Obviously he signed them and Martin's production and orchestration was a huge part of The Beatles' success. The Pepperland Suite is from the 1967 film Yellow Submarine. Most of that album is Martin's score for the film. There are only four Beatles songs on it. You can get it on this highlights CD of a 7CD George Martin box set. The box set is out of print. Of course Martin worked on other things including the score of the 1973 James Bond film Live And Let Die. One of Martin's most notable non Beatles hits was Ferry Cross The Mersey by Gerry and the Pacemakers. He's been knighted. He's in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. It's amazing for a guy who was nothing more than an EMI Records house producer. Here's a video for The Pepperland Suite by George Martin.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vance Joy

Artist:Vance Joy
Song:Riptide
Album:Dream Your Life Away





Former Australian Football player Vance Joy turned to music and made a big splash with the 2013 worldwide hit Riptide. Now he has a five album record deal and he's opening for Taylor Swift. He was born James Keogh Dec. 1, 1987 in Melbourne, Australia. He got the stage name Vance Joy out of a book. Like Bon Iver, he wants his real name for his private life. He was named 2008 rookie of the year for the Cobourg Football Club in the Victorian Football League. But he left Australian Football after two years and started performing on open mic nights in Melbourne clubs. This eventually led to a record deal with the Aussie label Liberation Music. The EP God Loves You When You're Dancing was released in 2013. When Riptide became a hit on Aussie radio, Atlantic Records signed Joy to a five album deal. His debut full length CD Dream Your Life Away was released Sept. 2014 and he opened for Taylor Swift on her recent tour. One thing I liked about Riptide was the use of the ukelele to establish the rhythm track. And he plays it on stage. Joy is being compared to Mumford & Sons and I guess that will help him get established. But who knows if he can establish himself with his own identity. Joy is starting 2015 touring Australia and then he will tour the US. Here's the video for Riptide by Vance Joy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Turtle Island Quartet

Artist:Turtle Island Quartet
Song:My Favorite Things
Album:A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane




Though violin and bass have always been a part of jazz, I think most folks would agree that string quartets are mainly for classical music. This started to change in the 80s with groups like the Turtle Island Quartet. They are from San Francisco. Violinist Darol Anger was a member of The David Grisman Quintet for ten years. Grisman is a renowned jazz violinist best known for his albums with Jerry Garcia. In the early 80s, Anger played with violinist David Balakrishnan in the group Saheeb. The two met Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra cellist Mark Summer at a recording session and formed the Turtle Island Quartet in 1985. The group has had several violists over the years. They first recorded for Windham Hill in 1985 and became known for performing jazz standards. They left Windham Hill in 1995 and after a couple of albums for Koch, they signed with Telarc for the 2005 album 4 + Four. By this time, Anger left the group and moved to Maine. He was replaced by Danish violinist Mads Tolling. They got a lot of buzz for this 2007 John Coltrane tribute album. And they won a Grammy for best Classical Crossover Album. Tolling left Turtle Island after the 2010 CD Have You Ever Been...? which was a Jimi Hendrix tribute. Also, Telarc closed in 2010. He was replaced by former Atom String Quartet violinist Mateusz Smoczynski for their latest CD Confetti Man on Azica Records. The Turtle String Quartet will begin touring soon. Check them out if they are coming your way. Here's the Turtle String Quartet performing My Favorite Things in Espinho, Portugal July 6, 2008.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ayaka Hamasaki vs VV Mei

Here's the match video for Ayaka Hamasaki vs VV Mei from yesterday's DEEP DREAM IMPACT show at Differ Ariake. This was the featured women's match on the show. Unfortunately, DEEP matchmaker Shigeru Saeki continues to disrespect female fighters by scheduling their fights for two rounds instead of three. I thought Ayaka won both rounds. She got top position in both rounds. And though she didn't come close to a finish, I think the top control was enough to give her the win. Mei had a bit of flurry at the end of round two. But it was too little too late. And I'm not sure a third round would have done her any good. In the other women's fights, Emi Fujino easily won by unanimous decision over Emi Tomimatsu. I don't think either are elite fighters but Fujino landed more strikes and Tomimatsu looked pooped by the end of round two. Shizuka Sugiyama won over Raika by first round armbar. Raika is a retired boxer trying to make it in MMA in her late 30s. Maybe that's not such a good idea. She's not a credible opponent so the win does nothing for Sugiyama. And finally, Saeki did this silly pro wrestling angle where model Rika Hamada wants to get revenge on veteran fighter Satoko Shinashi for beating her friend in 2006. Hamada comes to the cage like she's going on a picnic. And then she's completely useless as she squirms around as Shinashi sits on her and pounds away. An armbar puts Hamada out of her misery and the fight is mercifully over very quickly. UGH! Enjoy the video!

2014 Big Bad Blog Fighter of the Year-Carla Esparza

Carla Esparza

I bet you thought that Ronda Rousey would be my Fighter of the Year for the fourth straight year. Of course it's certainly possible that Ronda could return to that lofty honour in 2015 but Carla Esparza's survival in The Ultimate Fighter house to win the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship is a tremendous accomplishment and the highlight of her career. The big question now is how long can she keep the belt. I'll get to that. Carla entered TUF as the Invicta Strawweight Champion and the heavy favourite to win the UFC title. But as Joanne Calderwood admitted afterwards, the TUF house is not for everyone. And I thought Carla let the TUF drama get to her a little bit especially that foolishness with her BFF Felice Herrig and Randa Markos. Her wins in TUF over Tecia Torres and Jessica Penne were not dominant enough for my liking. And that's why Rose Namajunas was the favourite going into the championship match. But in the four months since the TUF fights were filmed, Carla seemed to calm down training with her usual team at Team Oyama. So when she came to the cage for the title fight, she looked to be well prepared to take care of business and make a statement. That's what I like to see. Rose looked very nervous and Carla took advantage of that and won in a dominant fashion. But the competition level in the Strawweight division is much higher than the Bantamweight division. Carla's first challenger will be Joanna Jedrzejczyk. That won't be easy as Joanna has Muay Thai skills that are comparable to Carla's wrestling skills. And as we saw in her win over Claudia Gadelha, Joanna is well coached and has excellent ground defense. And if Carla gets past Joanna, there are others gunning for that title. But successfully navigating the landmine that is The Ultimate Fighter to win the title makes Carla Esparza the 2014 Big Bad Blog Fighter of the Year. Congratulations!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Orlons

Artist:The Orlons
Song:The Wah-Watusi
Album:The Best Of The Orlons: Cameo Parkway 1961-1966




The Orlons scored three top five hits in the early 60s including The Wah Watusi in 1962 which popularized the Watusi dance craze. The Orlons were from Philadelphia led by lead singer Rosetta Hightower. At first they were called Audrey and the Teenettes with Rosetta, Marlena Davis and Shirley, Jean and Audrey Brickley. When their parents wouldn't allow 13 year old Audrey to perform in some clubs, she and Jean left the group. So now they had to find a new name. Meanwhile the girls met Stephen Caldwell who was lead singer of The Romeos and they asked him to join the group. There was a rival group at their high school called The Cashmeres so they called themselves The Orlons as a gag. The Dovells lead singer Len Barry suggested The Orlons audition for The Dovells' label Cameo-Parkway Records which was also the home of Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell. Cameo-Parkway producer Dave Appell and label owner Kal Mann were known for popularizing dance crazes like the Twist, the Mashed Potato and the Bristol Stomp. There was a 1961 hit called The Watusi by The Vibrators. That inspired Appell to write The Wah Watusi. The record reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was covered by Chubby Checker and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The Orlons had two more top five hits; Don't Hang Up and South Street. You can get all their hits on this comp. Davis and Caldwell left and were replaced. The Orlons continued to record but didn't have much success. The Orlons split up in 1968 when Rosetta Hightower moved to England. She had a long career as a session singer until her 2014 death. Shirley Brickley was murdered during a 1977 home robbery. Marlena Davis died in 1993. Caldwell still leads The Orlons touring the oldies circuit. Here are The Orlons performing The Wah Watusi on one of those PBS oldies specials.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jim Byrnes

Artist:Jim Byrnes
Song:Running Out Of Time
Album:House Of Refuge





Though you may not know his name, I'm sure you have seen Jim Byrnes in films and TV shows produced in Vancouver. And you've heard his voice as he does a lot of animated films. But his first love is the blues and I first heard of him in the 80s. He was born Sept. 22, 1948 in St. Louis. He learned to play guitar as a teen and took acting classes. He was drafted to serve during the Vietnam War. But it's not clear if he ever went to Vietnam and he moved to Canada in 1970. So he could be a draft dodger a la Jesse Winchester. He lived in Toronto for a couple of years until he lost his legs in a serious car accident. Then he moved to Vancouver and playing clubs led to a record deal and the 1981 album Jim Byrnes for Polydor. Though he won a Best New Artist Juno award, he didn't record again until 1987 for Stony Plain. Meanwhile, his acting career took off with a recurring role in the TV series Wiseguy. He also started doing voice work in animated GI Joe films. Byrnes has worked in films steadily ever since. He has appeared in TV series like Highlander and Sanctuary which were shot in Vancouver. And he has recorded for the Vancouver based label Black Hen Music since 2004. Byrnes starred in the 2008 film Heart of a Dragon which was shot in China by a Canadian production company. He also recorded songs for the film including Running Out Of Time. You can get it on his 2006 CD House Of Refuge which is supposed to be Byrnes' gospel influenced CD. Byrnes' latest CD St. Louis Times was released Apr. 2014. It's supposed to recall his childhood. Byrnes is a strong performer so blues fans should check him out. Here's the video for Running Out Of Time by Jim Byrnes.

Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington added to Feb. 28 UFC show

Holly Holm, Raquel Pennington

Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington was supposed to happen on the Dec. 6 UFC show. But Holly was forced to drop out of the fight due to a neck injury suffered during training. So Ashlee Evans-Smith stepped in and Raquel won the fight with a bulldog choke at the end of the first round. Last week, Raquel told Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie that she still wanted to fight Holly but Raquel was on a 45 day medical suspension due to a 14 stitch cut in her forehead suffered during her last fight. Last night, John Morgan of MMA Junkie reported that Holly vs Raquel will happen at UFC 184 Feb. 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The two have verbally agreed to the fight and signed fight agreements are expected shortly. One of the reasons Raquel still wants this fight is normally a debuting UFC fighter would be on the UFC Fight Pass prelims. But because Holly is a heavily hyped former boxing champ, I expect this fight to be on the main card. Holly has a 7-0 record but Raquel is a big step up in competition. Of course Holly will be favoured to win. But if Raquel pulls an upset, it's a bigger win for her. Raquel is probably a better fighter than her 5-4 record. Her last win was really good considering she was cut and couldn't see through the blood. So whoever wins this fight will get a big boost up the ladder with the winner of Miesha Tate vs Sara McMann being the winner's next opponent. I don't think any of them can beat Ronda Rousey but future title matches need to be set up even if it's someone as heavily hyped as Holly Holm.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tammi Terrell

Artist:Tammi Terrell
Song:Two Can Have A Party
Album:The Essential Collection





Most music fans should be familiar with Tammi Terrell for her classic duets with Marvin Gaye and her tragic death from a brain tumour at age 24. But she did record solo and you can get all her solo recordings on this budget comp. Tammi recorded Two Can Have A Party solo and as a duet with Gaye. Tammi Terrell was not a product of the Motown factory. She was born Thomasina Montgomery Apr. 29, 1945 in Philadelphia. Her nickname was Tammy after she saw the film Tammy and the Bachelor. She signed with Scepter Records producer Luther Dixon at age 15 and released several unsuccessful singles as Tammy Montgomery. She recorded some duets with Chuck Jackson but they weren't released at the time. Tammy also recorded for James Brown's Try Me Records and Checker Records. She returned to school and was taking pre-med at the University of Pennsylvania when Jerry Butler asked her to tour with him and she would return to school. While on tour in Detroit, Motown owner Berry Gordy spotted her and signed her. But he changed her name to Tammi Terrell because he thought Montgomery was too long. Two Can Have A Party was one of several unsuccessful singles written and produced for Tammi by veteran producers Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol. In 1967, Tammi first recorded with Marvin Gaye after Kim Weston left Motown. Of course they were very successful until Tammi collapsed while performing. She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. She couldn't perform anymore but Tammi still recorded. At times when she was too sick to record, Valerie Simpson filled in as Gaye's duet partner. She did record the 1969 solo album Irresistible. But Tammi got worse and died on Mar. 16, 1970 at age 24. She was a great singer and it was sad that she died so young. Here's a video for Two Can Have A Party by Tammi Terrell.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Tractors

Artist:The Tractors
Song:Baby Likes To Rock It
Album:The Tractors





Though The Tractors recorded three albums for Arista in the mid-90s, I think it's fair to say they're a one album band. Their 1994 debut single Baby Likes To Rock It was their biggest hit and their debut CD The Tractors was certified 2XPlatinum. That was their high point. The Tractors were formed in Tulsa in 1988. All five members are veteran sidemen. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Steve Ripley worked with JJ Cale and Bob Dylan. Guitarist Ron Getman worked with Loudon Wainwright III and Leonard Cohen. Keyboardist Walt Richmond was in Rockin' Jimmy & Brothers of the Night and worked with Bonnie Raitt. Bassist Casey Van Beek was in the 70s band Moccasin. And drummer Jamie Oldaker worked with Eric Clapton for many years. They signed with Arista and The Tractors was released in 1994. Baby Likes To Rock It was the debut single and it reached #11 on the Country Singles chart. The video was Video of the Year at the 1995 CMA awards. Ripley and Richmond wrote and produced the song. The album was certified 2XPlatinum and featured guest appearances by JJ Cale, Jim Keltner, Bonnie Raitt, Leon Russell, James Burton and Ry Cooder. The odd thing was their second CD was the Christmas album Have Yourself A Tractors Christmas. And though The Santa Claus Boogie is a Christmas perennial, it was probably too soon to record a Christmas CD. The Tractors real follow up CD Farmers In A Changing World was released in 1998 and by then I think folks forgot about them. The Tractors split up. You can get The Tractors as a budget CD. Ripley moved back to Tulsa and occasionally reforms The Tractors to record on his label Boy Rocking. He still owns custom guitar manufacturer Ripley Guitars. Here's the video for Baby Likes To Rock It by The Tractors.

AccuRadio Song of The Day-Gladys Knight

Artist:Gladys Knight
Song:Men
Album:Icon





Of course most music fans should be familiar with Gladys Knight for her many hits with Gladys Knight and the Pips. But she went solo in the late 80s and Men was a top five R & B hit in 1991. She first recorded as a solo artist in 1978 when she was in a dispute with Buddah Records and they wouldn't allow her to record with The Pips. But they got back together on Columbia Records and then MCA. It was decided that The Pips would retire after the 1987 album All Our Love. Love Overboard was the final big hit for Gladys Knight and the Pips. After recording the theme for the James Bond film Licence to Kill, Gladys released Good Woman in 1991. Men reached #2 on the R & B Singles chart. The song was written, produced and arranged by Attala Zane Giles and Cornelius Mims. Giles was a one time member of Switch and he produced Con Funk Shun and Vesta Williams. Mims is a bassist who worked with Giles in his group Deco. This duo produced most of the songs on Good Woman. Gladys had some other hits including Superwomen in 1991 and Missing You in 1996. You can get all of them along with some Pips hits on this budget comp. Gladys Knight still tours and and her latest CD Where My Heart Belongs was released in September. It is her first gospel CD. Here's the video for Men by Gladys Knight.