Accuradio Song Of The Day-Mark Ronson

Artist:Mark Ronson f/Bruno Mars
Song:Uptown Funk
Album:Uptown Special





Though Mark Ronson has had a lot of success as a producer, Uptown Funk was his very first hit single as a recording artist. He's released a few albums but this is the first time he has had real success mostly thanks to Bruno Mars. Ronson was born Sept. 4, 1975 in London, England. He got into music because his mom was married to Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones. The family moved to New York City in 1983. While attending New York University, Ronson built his reputation as a DJ in New York clubs. This eventually led to production. The 2001 Nikka Costa hit Everybody Got Their Something was his first hit as a producer. He released the 2003 CD Here Comes The Fuzz for Elektra. They dropped him when it didn't sell. Then he started his own Allido label with Sony distribution. He uses the label to develop new artists but he occasionally releases his own CDs. His most notable success as a producer was with ill fated British singer Amy Winehouse who sadly died prematurely a few years ago. Ronson appears in the new documentary Amy. Most of the songs on Uptown Special were written by Ronson, his longtime production partner Jeff Bhasker and famed writer Michel Chabon. Stevie Wonder is among the guest singers. Uptown Funk is a little different. Ronson produced a few songs on Mars' 2012 CD Unorthodox Jukebox and he wanted to work with him again. He had to work around Mars' touring schedule. Mars and his songwriting partner Robert Lawrence wrote Uptown Funk with Ronson and Bhasker. They were forced to add The Gap Band to the credits when a Youtube claim was made that the song is too similar to Oops Upside Your Head. The band on the song is The Dap Kings with the Antibalas horns. Those guys know how to bring the funk. The song has a real 70s funk vibe and of course Mars is a great singer. Uptown Funk topped the Billboard Hot 100 but it didn't seem to help album sales. It's not on a Bruno Mars CD. It is only on Ronson's CD Uptown Special. Ronson is still mostly producing other artists, most recently Duran Duran, Adele and he is currently working on Lady Gaga's next CD. So if he has any more hit singles, they will probably be one offs like Uptown Funk. Here's the video for Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Bachelors

Artist:The Bachelors
Song:Diane
Album:Presenting The Bachelors





The Irish group The Bachelors scored a top ten hit in 1964 with Diane. They were a much bigger deal in England. Despite the timing, they weren't a British Invasion act. And though they look like a folk music group, they recorded Tin Pan Alley standards. The Bachelors are from Dublin, Ireland with Conleth Cluskey, his brother Declan Cluskey and John Stokes. At first they were called The Harmonichords. Decca Records A & R man Dick Rowe suggested the name change to The Bachelors. He signed them and assigned them to producer Shel Talmy, best known for producing The Kinks. Charmaine was their first top ten hit in England in 1962 followed by I Believe. Diane topped the British charts in 1964 but it also reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Erno Rapee and Lew Pollack for the 1927 film Seventh Heaven. Mario Lanza, Jim Reeves and Miles Davis are among those who have recorded Diane. This is typical of the songs The Bachelors recorded. Their music was aimed at an older audience. Though Diane was their biggest US hit, The Bachelors continued to have success in England. This CD from the British reissue label RPM is a repackaging of The Bachelors first US album with some bonus tracks added. Beware of off labels selling re-recorded versions of The Bachelors hits. Though The Bachelors faded in the late 60s, they continued to perform in the 70s and record for Philips Records. They split in 1984. The Cluskey brothers still perform as The New Bachelors. Stokes also performs as The New Bachelors. I guess there is a legal dispute about the use of the name The Bachelors. Both groups tour the oldies circuit in England. Here are The Bachelors performing Diane and I Believe on a 60s variety show.

Veteran pro wrestler Syuri signs multi fight deal with Pancrase

Syuri

After the weigh ins for tomorrow's PANCRASE show, PANCRASE owner Masakazu Sakai held a press conference to announce that veteran pro wrestler Syuri (real name-Kondo Shuri) has signed a multi fight deal with PANCRASE. She will make her MMA debut on PANCRASE 277 Apr. 24 at Differ Ariake. Though this will be Syuri's MMA debut, Sakai knows her very well. Syuri debuted in pro wrestling in 2008 for Hustle which was owned by Sakai. Then she worked for SMASH which was also owned by Sakai. After SMASH closed, Syuri worked for Wrestling New Classic. Currently she works for REINA as their top babyface. She's one of the more popular joshi wrestlers in Japan. At the same time, Syuri holds a 13-1 kickboxing record and she is the current Krush Women's Champion. Syuri says her goal is to be the Queen of PANCRASE Champion and then go to the UFC. She will compete in Strawweight and she will train at AACC with Invicta Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki who got a lot of credit for training RENA for her successful MMA debut in RIZIN. She already trains with former UFC fighter Eiji Mitsuoka. Apparently this is a four fight deal. Syuri says she will continue pro wrestling with REINA. But she plans to relinquish her Krush kickboxing title. Syuri is a good athlete. She was a dancer before she became a pro wrestler. Maybe she can transition from kickboxing to MMA. We shall see.

Lisa Fischer concert review

Photo by David Spodek

Last night I went to Koerner Hall in downtown Toronto to see legendary backup singer Lisa Fischer. Have you seen the Oscar winning doc Twenty Feet From Stardom? You can read my review by using the Search box in the top left hand corner of this page. Lisa is one of the featured singers in the film. She started out in the 80s as a background singer and she topped the R & B charts with the 1991 single How Can I Ease The Pain. When management changes at Elektra Records scuttled Lisa's second album, she returned to background singing and still does that today. Most notably, she has toured with The Rolling Stones since 1989 and she was featured on their 2005 live recording of Gimme Shelter. What is unusual about this tour is Lisa isn't promoting a new CD. She doesn't even have a record deal. She should be on Verve or Concord or Blue Note. Don Was, where you at, man? Her backing band Grand Baton is unorthodox but very interesting. They are from France led by JC Maillard. He plays guitar, piano and SazBass. What? Maillard invented the SazBass in 2000. It's an eight stringed mix of the saz from Turkey and the bouzouki. Maillard explains the SazBass on the 2014 NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring singer Sofia Rei. You can watch this on Youtube. The other musicians are Thierry Arpino on drums who has toured with French violin legend Jean-Luc Ponty and bassist Aidan Carroll. Because this is a small band, the concert is very intimate though Maillard makes all kinds of noises with his various instruments. Because Lisa isn't promoting a new CD, she mostly mines her past including How Can I Ease The Pain. She also performs several Rolling Stones songs including Jumpin' Jack Flash, Gimme Shelter and Wild Horses. She also used two microphones, one for her singing and the other for vocal effects. That's very unusual but Maillard seems like the kind of guy who thinks outside the box. Of course Lisa is a great singer or I wouldn't be there in the first place. But as is usually the case with these Koerner Hall concerts, a lot of the audience are long time season subscribers who have no idea of Lisa Fischer's history. Would somebody please sign Lisa to a record deal and record her with this band?

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sixpence None The Richer

Artist:Sixpence None The Richer
Song:Kiss Me
Album:Top Ten





Sixpence None The Richer is a Contemporary Christian Music group that crossed over to pop when Kiss Me was used as the theme for the 1999 film She's All That, a film very popular with teens. They were already successful in the CCM market. The pop crossover was a bonus. The name Sixpence None The Richer comes from the C.S. Lewis book Mere Christianity. The band is from the Dallas area. Lead singer Leigh Nash and guitarist Matt Slocum met in the early 90s in a church in her hometown of New Braunfels, TX. After the band toured and released a couple of CDs independently, Sixpence None The Richer signed with Squint Entertainment in 1997. Squint was owned by CCM singer songwriter Steve Taylor. The 1997 CD Sixpence None The Richer did very well in the CCM market. Kiss Me got some attention when it was used in the TV series Dawson's Creek. Columbia picked up the album for distribution and Kiss Me was used as the main theme in the 1999 film She's All That. Kiss Me reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album Sixpence None The Richer was certified Platinum. A couple of their other songs charted but Kiss Me was their biggest hit. You can get it on this comp. Sixpence None the Richer recorded their next album. But Squint was having financial problems and they closed in 2002. The CD Divine Discontent was released but ultimately Sixpence None The Richer split up in 2004. Slocum formed The Astronaut Pushers. Leigh Nash started her own label with Nettwerk Records distribution and released a solo CD in 2006. Sixpence None The Richer reformed in 2009 and they released a CD in 2012. Leigh Nash also continues to record solo. Here's the video for Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Kairi Hojo

Here's the match video of the main event of STARDOM's fifth anniversary show Jan. 17 at Korakuen Hall. It's Io Shirai defending her World of STARDOM Championship against Kairi Hojo. The thing I will say about Hojo is for a model, she is becoming a decent wrestler. She was out of shape when she first came to STARDOM. She's improved a lot but she's not quite there. But STARDOM needed for Hojo to be credible for a half hour match with their ace Io Shirai. In many ways, Hojo is a copy of Io. She does some of the same moves. The big difference is Io is much more experienced. Her moves are more crisp but she sells Hojo's offense well enough to keep this match interesting for 30 minutes. But I never thought Hojo could win. The turning point of the match was when Hojo landed her flying elbow drop finisher and Io kicked out of the pin. When she goes for the move again, Io gets her knees up and that's the beginning of the end. Io Shirai is the ace of STARDOM and I expect her to be the ace for a long time. Enjoy the video!
Watch Io Shirai vs Kairi Hojo in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Bethe Correia vs Raquel Pennington added to Apr. 16 UFC show

Bethe Correia, Raquel Pennington

The Brazilian TV network Globo reported this morning that Bethe Correia vs Raquel Pennington has been added to UFC on FOX 19. This show will be on Apr. 16. The location has not been announced. Of course Bethe suffered her first loss last Aug. to Ronda Rousey by KO. Her previous wins in the UFC were unimpressive. But she knows how to talk. Raquel is a lot better than her 6-5 record because she likes to fight top fighters. She choked out Jessica Andrade in her last fight and sent her to Strawweight. Before that, Raquel lost to current champ Holly Holm by split decision despite breaking both hands during the fight. Maybe she will send Bethe back to the office job she had before she was a fighter.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Klaatu

Artist:Klaatu
Song:Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft
Album:Klaatu/Hope





Klaatu was one of the more enigmatic bands of the 70s. The band was so intent on being anonymous that trade magazines like Billboard speculated that they could be The Beatles recording under a pseudonym. People believed this for a while and it helped Klaatu's record sales until fans discovered the truth. Klaatu were from Toronto. They named themselves after the alien from the classic sci-fi film The Day The Earth Stood Still. And much of their music including Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft had a sci-fi theme. Klaatu was formed in 1972 by Toronto studio musicians John Woloschuk and Dee Long. Drummer Terry Draper was added later. After releasing a couple of singles on GRT Records, they signed with Daffodil Records and released their debut album 3:47 EST in 1976. The album and the single Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft did well enough that Capitol Records picked it up for release in the US. The group insisted on remaining anonymous. There were no publicity photos of Klaatu and there were no names on the album cover. The songwriting was credited to Klaatu. When the album started getting radio airplay, the similarity to The Beatles was noticed and rumours started spreading. It took on a life of its own when Steve Smith of the Providence Journal wrote about it. Klaatu was recording their album Hope in England. They knew about The Beatles rumours because the British music paper New Musical Express published an article Deaf Idiot Journalist Starts Beatle Rumour. But they didn't realize how widely the rumour had spread. So they didn't take it seriously. Finally somebody checked the US Copyright office and found out Klaatu's real identity. Obviously Klaatu's record sales weren't as strong after that. Their first two albums are available as a twofer. Klaatu split up in 1981. Capitol in Canada tried to get them to tour but Long refused and left the band. Long and Woloschuk returned to studio work. Draper owns a successful roofing business but he started releasing albums in 1997 and he still does that today. Here's the video for Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft by Klaatu.

Amanda Nunes vs Valentina Shevchenko added to Mar. 5 UFC show

Valentina Shevchenko

This afternoon the UFC announced that Amanda Nunes vs Valentina Shevchenko has been added to UFC 196 Mar. 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Valentina won her UFC debut in Dec. with a split decision win over Sarah Kaufman. But most media outlets including yours truly and even Sarah Kaufman thought she deserved a unanimous decision. Valentina is an elite kickboxer with plenty of experience. For this fight, we may get to see how good her takedown defense is. Amanda is a Brazilian who trains at American Top Team in Florida. She likes to finish as quickly as possible. She has finished 10 of her 11 wins including her last win over Sara McMann in August. But if she doesn't get a first round finish, she has been known to run out of gas as she did when she lost to Cat Zingano a couple of years ago. But I think Mike Brown at ATT has been working on improving Amanda's endurance. This fight is an interesting contrast of styles and a good test for both fighters.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stan Kenton and his Orchestras

Artist:Stan Kenton and his Orchestras
Song:Swing House
Album:All Time Greatest Hits





Unlike other big band leaders, Stan Kenton embraced bebop. He was criticized for this but Kenton's progressiveness served him well and his band was very successful in the 50s after other big bands had faded. He was born Dec. 15, 1911 in Witchita, KS. Because he was conceived out of wedlock, he was told that he was born Feb. 19, 1912. He was never told the truth so that date is on his gravestone. Kenton learned piano as a child. He went to high school in Bell, CA and he was already leading bands in local clubs. In the 30s, Kenton played in dance bands led by Vido Musso and Gus Arnheim. But by 1941, he started his own band and he signed with Capitol in 1943. All kinds of musicians like Stan Getz and Art Pepper went through his band. June Christy was the featured singer. Other featured musicians included Pete Rugolo, Bob Cooper, Video Musso and Kai Winding. After a year off, Kenton returned in 1950 with a new band that featured younger musicians. Swing House is from the 1952 album New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm. It was written and arranged by Gerry Mulligan. The song was not on the original 10" LP release but was added when the album was released as a 12" LP. Among the musicians on this album are Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Bill Russo, Frank Rosolino, Lee Konitz, Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca, Sal Salvador and Stan Levey. This album was released on CD in 1989 but is currently out of print. Fortunately many Kenton radio broadcasts have been released on CD by Sounds Of Yesteryear. This 2CD comp is a good intro to those broadcasts. Kenton continued to be very successful into the 70s. His career ended when he suffered a fractured skull from a 1977 fall and Kenton died on Aug. 25, 1979 at age 67. Here's Stan Kenton and his Orchestra performing Swing House at the Sporthalle in Berlin, Germany Aug. 27, 1953.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stone Temple Pilots

Artist:Stone Temple Pilots
Song:Interstate Love Song
Album:Thank You





Though Stone Temple Pilots were frequently accused of ripping off other bands, it didn't stop them from being successful. When a band starts out with a cult following and then blows up, they tend to attract a lot of hate. At first they were called Mighty Joe Young when they formed in 1989. Lead singer Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo met in 1985. After trying a couple of guitarists, DeLeo suggested his older brother Dean DeLeo who only played guitar as a hobby. It worked out and a demo got them a deal with Atlantic Records. Drummer Eric Kretz was already in the band. For copyright reasons, they weren't going to be able to use the name Mighty Joe Young so the band name was changed to Stone Temple Pilots because they liked the STP logo they saw on race cars. Their 1992 debut album Core was a big hit. It was certified 8XPlatinum. MTV played videos like Plush and Creep. And though STP was slammed by music critics for being "grunge imitators", it didn't matter and they were very successful. In 1994, Rolling Stone writers named them the Worst New Band and Rolling Stone readers named them the Best New Band. The success continued with the 1994 album Purple which was certified 6XPlatinum. Interstate Love Song was the biggest hit from that album as it topped the Mainstream Rock chart. Their 1996 album Tiny Music...Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop wasn't as successful as the first two albums. And Weiland was having drug abuse issues. So STP went on hiatus. Weiland released a solo album and the others released an album as Talk Show. STP reformed and recorded two more albums before disbanding in 2002. This budget comp covers their 90s hits. Weiland formed Velvet Revolver and the DeLeo brothers formed Army Of Anyone. STP reformed in 2008 after Weiland was fired from Velvet Revolver. STP went on tour and released a 2010 album. Weiland was fired in 2013 and replaced by Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. He toured and recorded with STP before returning to Linkin Park in Nov. 2015. Weiland toured with his new band the Wildabouts and on Dec. 3, 2015, he was found dead in his tour bus apparently from a drug overdose. STP acknowledged that Weiland was gifted beyond words but he was also cursed with drug abuse. It is unknown if Stone Temple Pilots will continue. Here's the video for Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Clinton Gregory

Artist:Clinton Gregory
Song:(If It Weren't For Country Music) I'd Go Crazy
Album:If It Weren't For Country Music, "I'D GO CRAZY"



Clinton Gregory is a fifth generation fiddle player. He started out as a session musician and sideman. After brief success on the country music charts in the early 90s, Gregory returned to session work. He was born Mar. 1, 1964 in Martinsville, VA. His father Willie Gregory performed on the Grand Ole Opry. In the 80s, he got into session work and also was in country music star Suzy Bogguss' band. In 1990, veteran producer Ray Pennington signed Gregory to his label Step One Records. Ray Price was also on that label. Gregory's debut album Music 'n' Me was released in 1990. But he didn't have a hit single until his second album If It Weren't For Country Music, "I'D GO CRAZY". The title track reached #26 on the Country Singles chart. The song was written by Alan Syms. His other top 30 country music hits were Play, Ruby, Play and Who Needs It. In 1995, Gregory moved to Polydor Records and released the album Clinton Gregory. When that wasn't successful, he returned to session work. He still does that today. The album If It Weren't For Country Music, "I'D GO CRAZY" is available as a budget CD. Gregory last recorded for Melody Roundup Music in 2013. It looks like it was a bluegrass album. He released a couple of singles in 2014 but he closed his website. So that tells me that he isn't planning to record in the future. He toured with his bluegrass band in 2015. Here's the video for (If It Weren't For Country Music) I'd Go Crazy by Clinton Gregory.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Keith Urban

Artist:Keith Urban f/Eric Church
Song:Raise 'Em Up
Album:Fuse





So if you are country music star Keith Urban and your record sales are starting to fall off, a good way to keep yourself relevant is to record duets with singers who are at the top of the charts. So with his 2013 CD Fuse, Urban recorded We Were Us with Miranda Lambert. That topped the country charts. Raise 'Em Up with Eric Church was the fifth single from the album. So it didn't top the charts but it reached #8 on the Country Singles chart. It's good strategy. Both guys are on Capitol Records. Right now, Church is a much bigger star than Urban. If Church's fans like the song, they buy a Keith Urban record that they normally wouldn't buy. And maybe they get into Urban's back catalog. There's no down side to this. Urban writes and produces a lot of his music usually with long time producer Nathan Chapman. With Fuse, Urban went in a more pop music direction than previous albums. He wanted to see how far he could go before it's not him. Raise 'Em Up was written by Nashville songwriting veterans Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston and Jeffrey Steele. Urban sent a demo to Church with the intention of recording it as a duet. Church loved the song and that was it. It did very well. Urban is currently a judge on the final season of American Idol. In October, Urban announced that his next CD Ripcord will get a 2016 release. Do you think it might come out during the final season of AI and he performs a song on the show? Here's the video for Raise 'Em Up by Keith Urban featuring Eric Church.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tracy Nelson

Artist:Tracy Nelson
Song:Down So Low
Album:The Best Of Tracy Nelson/Mother Earth





Singer Tracy Nelson has been around since the 60s. She's always been respected by singers and musicians. But she was never able to break through to a wider audience. Down So Low is probably her best known song as Linda Ronstadt covered it. Tracy was born Dec. 27, 1944 in Madison, WI. While attending the University of Wisconsin, she sang in local clubs. She recorded the 1964 album Deep Are The Roots for Prestige Records and she lived in Chicago for a couple of years. Then she moved out to San Francisco and formed the band Mother Earth. Opening for Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix got them a record deal with Mercury and producer Barry Goldberg. Tracy and former Thirteenth Floor Elevators member Powell St. John wrote most of the band's songs. Down So Low appeared on Mother Earth's 1968 debut album Living With The Animals. That album is available on CD from the reissue label Wounded Bird. The band changed after they moved to Nashville. But Tracy was still lead singer and she wrote a lot of the songs. Mother Earth recorded four albums for Mercury and then two albums for Reprise. She recorded Down So Low on her 1974 album for Atlantic Tracy Nelson. This Best Of CD consists of songs from that album and Mother Earth's Reprise albums. Tracy also recorded in the 70s for Columbia and MCA. Her music was highly acclaimed but it didn't sell. So she signed with the roots label Flying Fish and there was less pressure on her to sell records. When Flying Fish closed, Tracy moved to Rounder. Tracy last recorded solo in 2011. In recent years, she had recorded and toured with The Blues Broads. This started out as an informal group but became more permanent in 2012. I'm not sure if they are still around. They last toured in 2014. Tracy's website closed in 2013 so maybe she has retired. She's certainly one of the best singers you never heard of. Here's Tracy Nelson performing Down So Low on The Lonesome Pine Specials 1987.

MIZUKI added to Mar. 6 DEEP JEWELS show

MIZUKI, Nori DATE

DEEP JEWELS added a few matches to their Mar. 6 show at Shinjuku FACE. The good news is that MIZUKI will be on the show. The bad news is she will face one of those greenhorn DATE girls. DEEP JEWELS matchmaker Shigeru Saeki's insistence on pushing this group of models will ultimately fail. You can't throw these girls in the deep end of the pool before teaching them how to swim. It's not fair to anyone. He's just desperate to sell tickets even if it's to dirty old men. Of course MIZUKI just beat Lacey Schuckman in Invicta last week. She's the DEEP JEWELS Strawweight Champion. She's an elite fighter. Nori DATE is a 17 year old model. In her MMA debut, she got thrown into the deep end of the pool with veteran fighter Emi Fujino. MIZUKI is better than Fujino. It's not even close. At least it's not for the title. MIZUKI's training partner Yukari Yamaguchi has a 1-0 MMA record. But she's already a kickboxing champ. Her opponent Hana DATE won her MMA debut over Pan Hui. But Pan is a newbie too. She's going to have a much tougher time with Yukari. The other two matches they have added aren't as big of a deal. Mina Kurobe will face newcomer Renju DATE. Kurobe is 5-2. She has lost her last two fights. The problem with her is she is 38 years old and she may have hit a wall in her development. The other fight will have Pan Hui against newcomer REAL Date. Both are greenhorns so it's a more realistic fight. They have also added a couple of amateur matches. If they add any more matches, I will let you know.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gary Burton and Chick Corea

Artist:Gary Burton and Chick Corea
Song:Falling Grace
Album:Crystal Silence: The ECM Recordings 1972-79




Gary Burton is an innovator of the four mallet vibraphone as opposed to the two mallet technique used by guys like Lionel Hampton and Milt Jackson. Burton emerged in the 60s with Stan Getz and then with his own jazz fusion band. Some of Burton's best recordings were duet albums with pianist Chick Corea led by Crystal Silence in 1972. Burton was born Jan. 23, 1943 in Anderson, IN. He studied at Berklee in Boston and Burton has been on the staff at Berklee since the 70s. He became known to jazz fans for his mid-60s stint with Stan Getz. Then he started his own band in 1967 with guitarist Larry Coryell, drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Steve Swallow. Swallow is still a member of Burton's current band. In 1972, Chick Corea had already been a big part of the popularization of jazz fusion with Miles Davis. Then he formed Return To Forever and signed with ECM Records. After success in the late 60s recording for RCA and Atlantic, Burton also signed with ECM. His first album for ECM was the 1972 album Crystal Silence with Corea. It's just the two of them. This album was so successful that they toured as a duo and they recorded three more albums. The albums were Duet in 1979, In Concert Zurich Oct. 28, 1979 and Lyric Suite for Sextet in 1982. That final album was recorded with a string quartet. You can get all four albums on this 4CD box set from ECM. Falling Grace was written by Burton's long time bassist Steve Swallow. It was first recorded on the 1969 album Paris Encounter featuring violinist Stephane Grappelli. Swallow played bass on the album. Burton also recorded Falling Grace on the 2009 CD Quartet Live featuring guitarist Pat Metheny. Burton and Corea reunited for the 1997 album Native Sense on Concord. Crystal Silence may have been intended as a one off project. But it turned into a very successful long term partnership. Gary Burton still tours and he recently published his autobiography. His latest CD Hommage A Eberhard Weber was released Sept. 2015. It was recorded live in Germany with the SWR Big Band and it marks Burton's return to ECM after leaving in 1986. Here's Gary Burton and Chick Corea performing Falling Grace 1986.

Ham Seo Hee vs Bec Rawlings added to Mar. 19 UFC show

The Brisbane Times first reported and the UFC confirmed last night that Ham Seo Hee vs Bec Rawlings has been added to UFC Fight Night 84. This event will be at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia Mar. 20. It will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada on Mar. 19. These two were supposed to fight last May but Ham pulled out due to a broken nose. Bec won her fight over Lisa Ellis. Then she was supposed to face Joanne Calderwood but Bec pulled out due to a hip injury. Meanwhile Ham got a big win over Cortney Casey in her native Korea in Nov. Though undersized for a Strawweight, Ham has showed a lot of heart in her two UFC fights. And I think she gained a lot of fans with her last fight. Of course I have known about her for years because of her history in Japan. She is a former DEEP JEWELS Atomweight Champion. Bec is popular because of her look and her ability to talk. Like a lot of the Aussie fighters, I think she's a little behind in her training. To address this, she moved from her home town of Brisbane to train at Alliance in San Diego. We haven't seen her in almost a year so we'll see if she's progressed at all. She's fighting in her home town so she'll be hyped. We saw how having her home town fans behind her helped Ham. But fighting in enemy territory won't bother her as she has fought most of her career as a Korean in Japan. She's used to it.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Patina Miller

Artist:Patina Miller and company
Song:Magic To Do
Album:Pippin: New Broadway Cast Recording





Patina Miller won a Tony award for her performance in this 2013 revival of the Stephen Schwartz musical Pippin. Magic To Do is the opening number of the show. What's interesting is Patina is playing the same role that Ben Vereen played in the original 70s production. So yes, the producers did a gender switch. Patina was born Nov. 6, 1984 in Pageland, SC. She grew up singing in church (her mom is a minister) and she attended high school at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities. She went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on a full scholarship and she graduated in 2006 with a degree in musical theater. Her first professional experience was auditioning for the role of Effie in the film musical Dreamgirls. Of course Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for that role. After appearing on the daytime soap All My Children, Patina was an understudy for Dawnn Lewis in the Atlanta production of the musical Sister Act. Patina won the lead role when Sister Act opened in London in 2009. She got a lot of acclaim and that led to her playing the same role when Sister Act came to Broadway in 2011. Then  she won a Tony for playing Leading Player in the 2013 revival of Pippin. Andrea Martin also won a Tony. Patina has turned her attention to film and TV. She played Commander Paylor in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2. And she currently stars as press coordinator Daisy Grant on the CBS TV series Madam Secretary. I guess we've seen the last of her on Broadway. Here's Patina Miller and company performing Magic To Do at the cast recording session for Pippin.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tommy Overstreet

Artist:Tommy Overstreet
Song:(Jeanne Marie) You Were A Lady
Album:20 Classic Songs Of Tommy Overstreet





Smooth singing Tommy Overstreet was a proponent of what was known in the 60s and 70s as Countrypolitan. He had several top ten country music hits in the 70s. He was born Sept. 10, 1937 in Oklahoma City and her grew up in Houston and Abeline, TX. His cousin was jazz singer and songwriter Gene Austin and Overstreet got interested in music at an early age. While studying broadcasting at the University of Texas, Overstreet toured with Austin as Tommy Dean. After a stint in the Army, Overstreet moved to Los Angeles. He was signed to a record deal but nothing was ever released. So he moved back to Texas and formed his own band. In 1967, he moved to Nashville to work as a regional manager of Dot Records. But he also wanted to record. After releasing a few singles, Overstreet released his debut album in 1971. The title track Gwen (Congratulations) reached #5 on the Country Singles chart. This began a string of top ten hits. His biggest hits were Ann (Don't Go Runnin') and Heaven Is My Woman's Love in 1972. (Jeanne Marie) You Were A Lady is from  Overstreet's 1974 album Woman, Your Name Is My Song. It reached #3 on the Country Singles chart. The song was written by Ricci Moreno and Charlie Black. Moreno produced all of Overstreet's 70s albums. Overstreet had a few more hits. But then it all ended when Dot's parent company ABC Records was sold to MCA in 1978. Overstreet lost his job and his record contract. You can get all his hits on this Varese comp. Overstreet also recorded for Elektra and the German label Intercord. But by the late 80s, he didn't have a record deal. Overstreet was one of the first performers to move to Branson, MO and open his own theater in 1989. After several years, Overstreet retired and moved to Oregon. He got married and had two more kids. Tommy Overstreet died on Nov. 2, 2015 at age 78. Here's a video of (Jeanne Marie) You Were a Lady by Tommy Overstreet.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ojos De Brujo

Artist:Ojos De Brujo
Song:Ventilaor R-80
Album:Bari





The Spanish group Ojos De Brujo mixes traditional flamenco with hip hop. This got them a lot of international attention about ten years ago. The 2002 CD Bari is probably their best known CD. Ohos De Brujo translates to Eyes Of The Wizard. Lead singer and main songwriter Marina Abad started hanging around with flamenco musicians like guitarist Ramon Giminez and percussionist Xavi Turull. They brought in musicians like guitarist Paco Lomena and percussionists Sergio Ramos and Maxwell Wright. They decided to add DJ Panko on the turntable and see if they could mix flamenco with hip hop. This went very well with the 2002 CD Bari which was a big seller in Europe. They did several collaborations with hip hop artists worldwide. Ojos De Brujo likely would have been bigger if they had continued but they disbanded after the 2009 CD Aocana. Marina Abad is now known as Marinah. She released a CD in 2013. Ojos De Brujo is recommended to flamenco fans looking for something different. Here's Ojos De Brujo performing Ventilaor R-80 on Later with Jools Holland 2004.