AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Boys Don't Cry

Artist:Boys Don't Cry

Song:I Wanna Be a Cowboy

Album:Modern Rock 1986-1987

I Wanna Be a Cowboy was a top 20 hit in 1986. It was the only chart hit for the British group Boys Don't Cry. So it is a one hit wonder. I think a lot of folks remember seeing the video on MTV. But they may not know the band name or think it's by a different band. That kind of confusion happens a lot more than you think. Nick Richards was the lead singer and keyboardist for Boys Don't Cry. He released a few singles in the late 70s. Then he bought a London recording studio in 1983. He hired session musicians to record as Boys Don't Cry. The misconception is the band name came from The Cure song. Richards says that Boys Don't Cry is a line from the 10cc classic I'm Not in Love. The musicians were Brian Chatton on keyboards, Nico Ramsden on guitar, Mark Smith on bass and Jeff Seopardi on drums. All were session musicians and Chatton had been around since the 60s. Boys Don't Cry released a few singles and DJ Paul Oakenfold got them a record deal with the hip hop label Profile Records. The single I Wanna Be a Cowboy was released in 1986 and it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was a dance floor success before charting. Richards was watching the Clint Eastwood film For a Few Dollars More and the line I Wanna Be a Cowboy got stuck in his head. When he arrived at the studio the next day and told Chatton, the song was written and recorded in an hour. The album Boys Don't Cry was released later in 1986. It didn't sell and neither did the band's second album. Boys Don't Cry split up in 1987. You can get I Wanna Be a Cowboy on this Time Life 2CD various artists budget comp. Richards and Chatton moved to Los Angeles and reformed Boys Don't Cry in 2009. Smith was supposed to be involved but he died before he could come over from England. They toured and released an album in 2014. At this point, Richards is the only original member. So it's his choice if the band is active or not. Here's the video for I Wanna Be a Cowboy by Boys Don't Cry. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oscar Peterson

Artist:Oscar Peterson

Song:Bags' Groove

Album:Jazz 'Round Midnight

This is another in my series of Jazz for Beginners of all time jazz greats. The only requirements are a performance video clip and a CD for beginners. Oscar Peterson is one of the all time jazz greats. His main contributions was as leader of the Verve Records house band in the 50s. He was born Aug. 15, 1925 in Montreal. His parents were from the West Indies. His father was a railway porter and an amateur musician. His dad taught him to play piano. In 1940 Peterson won a national music competition organized by the CBC. He started playing local clubs as a teen and recorded for RCA Victor in the late 40s. Peterson's big influence was Teddy Wilson. The key figure in Peterson's career was Norman Granz. He promoted the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series and owner of Verve Records. Granz said he was in a cab heading to the Montreal airport when he heard a live radio broadcast of Peterson. He was so impressed that he had the cabbie take him to studio to meet Peterson. Granz became Peterson's manager and brought him to New York to debut with Jazz at the Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in 1949. Peterson started out with bassist Ray Brown and then they added guitarist Barney Kessel. When Kessel tired of touring, he was replaced by Herb Ellis in 1953. This band not only toured for several years but they were Verve's house band in the recording studio. They recorded with everyone who recorded for Verve including Fred Astaire and Roy Eldredge. When Ellis left in 1958, he was replaced by drummer Ed Thigpen and Peterson, Brown and Thigpen is the band on this recording of Bags' Groove from the 1963 album Night Train. By this time Granz sold Verve to MGM. He produced this album but Peterson left Verve shortly afterwards. You can get Bags' Groove on this budget comp which is a good intro to Peterson's music. Peterson recorded for Mercury's Limelight label and BASF's MPS label until Granz started Pablo Records in 1972. By this time Peterson's band was Joe Pass on guitar and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass. Drummer Martin Drew was added in 1974. Peterson did the same stuff at Pablo that he did at Verve. He led the Pablo house band until Granz sold Pablo to Fantasy Records in 1987. Those recordings are now owned by Concord and the Verve recordings are owned by Universal. After that Peterson recorded for Telarc. He suffered a stroke in 1993 and he continued to record and tour though it did affect his ability to play. He also had mobility problems because of his weight. In 1997 Peterson received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award. Peterson's health continued to decline until he died on Dec. 23, 2007 at age 82. Here's Oscar Peterson with Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums performing Bags' Groove on German TV 1963.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Adrian Bailey, Frederick B. Owens, Ken Ard, Victor Trent Cook

Artist:Adrian Bailey, Frederick B. Owens, Ken Ard, Victor Trent Cook

Song:On Broadway

Album:Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Lieber and Stoller

Jukebox musicals seem to be very popular on Broadway these days. They have been around in different forms for decades. But I guess the current definition is a tribute to a musical artist with no story. It's basically a series of musical numbers by an ensemble cast. There are no stars. The songs are the stars. Smokey Joe's Cafe is a tribute to the songs of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. It was successful on Broadway in the late 90s. The original cast album won a Grammy in 1997 and it was nominated for several Tonys but didn't win any. Smokey Joe's Cafe had a two month run in Los Angeles before premiering on Broadway in Mar. 1995. Jerry Zaks was the director with choreography by Joey McKneeley and vocal arrangements by Chapman Roberts. The show ran until 1999 and then toured. There have been several revivals, most recently in 2018. The original cast album was produced by Arif Mardin with Lieber and Stoller for Atlantic Records. The critics didn't like the show because it didn't have a story. Audiences didn't care and jukebox musicals are more common today. There were nine actors in the cast and none are well known. On Broadway is performed by Adrian Bailey, Frederick B. Owens, Victor Trent Cook and Ken Ard. Today, Ard is a dance teacher and choreographer. Cook is in the vocal group Three Mo' Tenors. Bailey still appears on Broadway. Owens does video game acting like in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't know if anyone has become famous after appearing in a jukebox musical. But they sure are popular. Here's Devin Richards, Adrian Bailey, Frederick B. Owens and Victor Trent Cook performing On Broadway on The Today Show July 31, 1999. Richards replaced Ard in the show. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jimmy Durante

Artist:Jimmy Durante

Song:Frosty the Snowman

Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Season's Greetings

Today when most folks think of Jimmy Durante, the first thing that comes to mind is when he narrated the 1969 Rankin Bass animated TV special Frosty the Snowman. That show still airs during Christmas season so I'm sure plenty of kids know about Durante through that show. But I'm sure you don't know that Durante scored a chart hit with his 1950 recording of Frosty the Snowman. The song was written by the team of Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson. They also wrote the Smokey the Bear theme. Rollins seemed to specialize in holiday songs as he also wrote Here Comes Peter Cottontail. Frosty the Snowman was written for Gene Autry one year after his smash hit Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Autry's recording of Frosty the Snowman reached #7 on the Pop Singles chart and #4 on the Country Singles chart. Back in those days, it was not unusual for several artists to chart with the same song at the same time. Frosty the Snowman was recorded by Jimmy Durante, Nat King Cole and Guy Lombardo. Durante's version reached #7 on the Pop Singles chart and it was #44 on Rolling Stone's 2019 US Top 100. Durante's recording was released on MGM and was arranged and conducted by Al Bargy from Paul Whiteman's band. The reason Durante's recording of Frosty the Snowman has had such longevity is the Rankin Bass 1969 production of the animated TV special Frosty the Snowman that first aired on CBS. Rankin Bass were known for these holiday specials and they are still very popular. The big thing is they hired Durante to narrate and had him re-record Frosty the Snowman. Other voices included Billy De Wolfe, Jackie Vernon, Paul Frees and June Foray. As was typical of Rankin Bass productions, the animation was done in Japan. This was Durante's final film role as he retired after a 1972 stroke and died in 1980. There is a soundtrack album for Frosty the Snowman. But Universal has produced a great video for Durante's 1950 recording and that version is on this 3CD various artists budget comp of Universal Christmas songs starting with Bing Crosby's White Christmas. Here's the video for Frosty the Snowman by Jimmy Durante. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Vanity Project

Artist:The Vanity Project

Song:Wilted Rose

Album:The Vanity Project

You all know what a vanity project is. There have been plenty of albums and even record labels that have been vanity projects. Barenaked Ladies lead singer Steven Page released this 2005 album while he was still in the band. He recorded it with Tin Tin leader Stephen Duffy. So Page gave the album the ironic name The Vanity Project. Page was born June 22, 1970 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, ON. He attended Woburn Collegiate and became friends with Ed Robertson after running into him at a Peter Gabriel concert. That was when Barenaked Ladies was born. Of course they had great success in Canada and internationally. Stephen Duffy was a founding member of Duran Duran. He is probably best known as the leader of the 80s band Tin Tin. He has recorded solo but he seems to prefer being part of a band. Page started writing with Duffy in the early 90s. After a few songs appeared on Barenaked Ladies albums, the band decided to keep songwriting within the group. The 2005 album The Vanity Project was for songs Page wrote with Duffy. Duffy came from England to Toronto to record the album. They mostly played all the instruments and Page sang lead. Ironically, Page even started his own label for The Vanity Project distributed by Barenaked Ladies label Warner Bros. The album is available as budget CD. Page and Duffy never toured though Page has performed The Vanity Project songs solo. Since leaving Barenaked Ladies in 2009, Page has recorded five solo albums, most recently in 2022. So The Vanity Project was a one off project. Here's the video for Wilted Rose by The Vanity Project.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Grover Washington Jr.

Artist:Grover Washington Jr.

Song:Mister Magic

Album:Ultimate Collection

Of course most music fans are familiar with Grover Washington Jr.'s 1981 top five hit Just the Two of Us featuring Bill Withers. But in the 70s he had success mostly on the jazz charts. The 1975 single Mister Magic was a top 20 R&B hit. Washington's 70s albums on CTI's Kudu label established what became known as Smooth Jazz. Washington's record deal with Kudu came about by accident. He was supposed to play on a Hank Crawford session. When Crawford was unable to make it, producer and CTI owner Creed Taylor asked Washington to fill in. This became Washington's 1972 debut album Inner City Blues. The album reached #4 on the Jazz Albums chart. After that, all of Washington's albums topped the jazz charts. He was CTI's most popular artist. A lot of the credit should go to pianist Bob James who arranged most of Washington's Kudu albums including the 1975 album Mister Magic. When the single Mister Magic reached #16 on the R&B Singles chart and #54 on the Billboard Hot 100, it took Washington to a new level. The Mister Magic album reached #10 on the Billboard 200. Ralph MacDonald wrote Mister Magic and he plays percussion on the album. Other musicians are Bob James on piano, Eric Gale on guitar, Gary King on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, Phil Bodnar and Jerry Dodgion on sax, Tony Studd and Wayne Andre on trombone and Jon Faddis and Marvin Stamm on trumpet. Washington recorded seven albums for Kudu. He left for Motown for the 1978 album Reed Seed because he wanted to record with his own band. When Washington signed with Elektra, he started a new band with guys he worked with at Kudu. That's the band in this video. Of course Washington had his greatest success at Elektra. He moved to Columbia in 1986 and remained there until his 1999 death. This budget comp covers Washington's entire career. Here's Grover Washington Jr. with Eric Gale on guitar, Richard Tee on Fender Rhodes piano, Paul Griffin on synthesizer, Anthony Jackson on bass, Steve Gadd on drums and Ralph MacDonald on percussion performing Mister Magic in Philadelphia June 27, 1981.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Abadon

 Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship against Abadon on last night's episode of Collision. Abadon won a #1 contender's match on Rampage because it's Halloween and AEW owner Tony Khan wanted to do a Halloween match. Abadon hadn't been seen much since she was injured in 2022. So a qualifying match was only done to justify giving Abadon a title shot when a non title match would have been sufficient. I guess Khan doesn't like non title matches. It was a standard weapons match but the weapons were lame. Both wrestlers did video game cosplay. The match was not very good. And I don't know what Hikaru was trying to do with that broom. At least the finishing spot with the Jack O Lantern worked but the rest of the match wasn't very good. Then they had Toni Storm come out afterwards with her new gimmick so it's obvious where they are going with this. Except instead of Hikaru just standing there with a stupid look on her face, they need to have her attack Toni. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kurt Vile

Artist:Kurt Vile

Song:Baby's Arms

Album:Smoke Ring for my Halo

Singer songwriter Kurt Vile has had success as an album and touring artist. It's unlikely that he will ever have mainstream success. My guess is he doesn't want that anyway. His music might appeal to those who like similar artists like Jeff Buckley. He was born Jan. 3, 1980 in the Philadelphia suburb of Lansdowne, PA. Believe it or not, Kurt Vile is his real name. His father gave him a banjo at age 14. He worked on his music at home. Influences include minimalist acts like Pavement, Beck and Smog. Vile worked on his music while working day jobs until he met Adam Granduciel in 2003 and they formed the band The War on Drugs. They had modest success with a couple of albums. But Vile thought that was Granduciel's band. And he wanted to do his own music. So he started his own band Kurt Vile and the Violators and signed with Matador Records. Granduciel was in that band at first. Vile's debut album for Matador was Childish Prodigy in 2009. They toured with Dinosaur Jr. and Thurston Moore. Vile's main collaborator with The Violators is Jesse Trbovich. He plays guitar, bass, sax and keyboards. Trbovich started out with Vile in 2006 and he's still in the band. Baby's Arms is from Vile's 2011 album Smoke Ring for my Halo. Vile wrote and produced. Vile says the songs on this album are more introspective than previous albums. Because of constant touring, Vile's albums have charted on the Billboard 200. And he gets airplay on Alternative Radio. But I don't think Vile will ever have a hit single. He may not want one. After six albums with Matador, Vile moved to Verve Forecast for the 2022 album Watch my Moves. He says The Velvet Underground being on Verve in the 60s influenced him to sign there. The album did not do as well commercially probably because they weren't touring during the pandemic. I think leaving Matador will turn out to be a big mistake. Here's the video for Baby's Arms by Kurt Vile. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Johnny Wakelin

Artist:Johnny Wakelin

Song:Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)

Album:Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day Vol. 15

This 1974 tribute to Muhammad Ali was a top ten hit in England and a top 30 hit in the US. It was Johnny Wakelin's only big hit. He did have a second hit in England. You might think this was a fluke hit but I will explain why it wasn't. Wakelin was born in Brighton, England in 1939. He was performing in local clubs when Pye Records producer Robin Blanchflower heard Wakelin perform the song Black Superman and thought it could be a hit. Blanchflower was the producer of the worldwide hit Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas. That shows that Blanchflower had good instincts and why Black Superman was not a fluke. Blanchflower wisely released Black Superman in Oct. 1974 after Ali beat George Foreman in Rumble in the Jungle. So most listeners thought the record was a tribute to Ali's Rumble in the Jungle win. But Wakelin wrote it in 1972. Black Superman reached #7 on the British Singles chart and #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wakelin's single In Zaire reached #4 on the British Singles because he performed it on Top of the Pops. Wakelin called his band The Kinshasa Band so he wanted an African vibe. Wakelin released three albums on Pye. They have not been released on CD. You can get Black Superman on this Rhino various artists CD. Wakelin released an album in 2006 but it looks like he's retired. Here's a video for Black Superman (Muhammad Ali) by Johnny Wakelin.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Patsy Cline

Artist:Patsy Cline

Song:Crazy

Album:Crazy: The Collection

Despite Patsy Cline's career being curtailed due to a 1963 plane crash, she is still considered to be one of the all time greats of country music. The 1961 single Crazy is her signature song. It was a top five country hit and a top ten pop hit. She was born Virginia Patterson Hensley Sept. 8, 1932 in Winchester, VA. Her mother was 16 when Patsy was born. Her father was a blacksmith who couldn't find work. So they were poor. Patsy told Loretta Lynn that her father sexually abused her. Patsy was 13 years old when she was hospitalized with rheumatic fever. Upon her recovery, she suddenly had this big booming voice. So she started performing at local clubs and the local radio station. Patsy auditioned unsuccessfully for the Grand Ole Opry at age 15. She joined Bill Peer's Melody Boys and Girls in 1952. That was when she met her first husband Gerald Cline and changed her stage name to Patsy Cline. Patsy signed with Four Star Records in 1954. Four Star was a small label that leased recordings to Decca. So Decca house producer Owen Bradley was brought in to produce. The problem was Four Star owner Bill McCall chose all the songs. And except for the 1957 single Walkin' After Midnight, Patsy's Four Star recordings were unsuccessful. This has mostly been blamed on mediocre songs. Patsy met her second husband Charlie Dick in 1956. And he seemed to have a better handle on what kind of songs she should be recording. After Patsy sang Walkin' After Midnight on a 1957 episode of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, it was a big hit. Subsequent singles did not do well. After marrying Charlie Dick and having a daughter, Patsy moved to Nashville in 1960 and signed with manager Randy Hughes. He helped her become a Grand Ole Opry member. Then she left Four Star for Decca. Owen Bradley was still her producer. But he chose better songs. I Fall to Pieces was a top five country hit in 1961. Then on June 14, Patsy almost died in a car accident. After her recovery, Crazy was released and reached #2 on the Country Singles chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Crazy was written by Willie Nelson. It was his first hit. Nelson recorded a demo. Dick really liked the song and insisted Patsy record it. Patsy recorded three albums for Decca. And then she died in a plane crash on Mar. 5, 1963 at age 30. Randy Hughes was the pilot and the weather was bad. They probably shouldn't have been flying. There are tons of Patsy Cline comps out there. I recommend this 2CD budget comp from the British reissue label Edsel, Here's Patsy Cline performing Crazy on a 1961 episode of Grand Ole Opry.  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Ruby Soho

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship from last night's episode of AEW Dynamite. The match was OK but nothing special. The biggest and most glaring booking issue was when Ruby did her Eddie Guerrero homage trying to get Hikaru DQd. Somebody forgot to tell Ruby that she can't win the title by DQ. I'm sure in Tony Khan's mind, it seemed like a fun idea but he forgot about that last part. As usual with AEW, there were far too many false finishes along with the ref looking like a moron too frequently. So now they have already taped a four way women's match for Friday''s Rampage with Willow Nightingale, Skye Blue, Anna Jay and Abadon. The winner gets a title shot on Saturday's Collision. I won't tell you who won but think Halloween. Ugh!. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ron Jackson

Artist:Ron Jackson

Song:Technophile

Album:Flubby Dubby

If you're a fan of what was known in jazz circles back in the 70s as "burners", you should like guitarist Ron Jackson. This 2009 album attempts to reproduce "burners". And the album was produced by 70s guitar legend Melvin Sparks. Jackson was born July 27, 1964 in Manila, Philippines. His father served in the US Marines in Vietnam. Jackson started playing guitar at age 11. He attended Berklee on Boston and moved to Paris for a couple of years. Jackson moved to New York in 1987 and started playing live clubs. Jackson first recorded as a leader with the 1992 album A Guitar Thing on Muse Records. Musicians were Benny Green, Lonnie Plaxico and Cecil Brooks III. Since Muse closed, Jackson records for his own label. Technophile is from Jackson's 2009 album Flubby Dubby. This was recorded live at Cecil's in West Orange, NJ. It looks like it was taped too as all the clips are on YouTube. Musicians are Kyle Koehler on organ and Otis Brown III on drums. Saxophonists Don Braden and Bruce Williams appear on two songs. Koehler is usually in Braden's band. Brown is in Joe Lovano's band. The album was produced by 70s guitar legend Melvin Sparks. It's supposed to sound like one of his albums from the 70s. Flubby Dubby is available as a budget CD.  Jackson's latest album was released in 2022. He still plays New York clubs. Here's Ron Jackson with Kyle Koehler and Otis Brown III performing Technophile at Cecil's in West Orange, NJ 2009.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Irish Tenors

Artist:The Irish Tenors

Song:Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears

Album:Ellis Island

Anyone who watches PBS knows that fundraising is a big part of their programming. I'm sure you all love their pledge breaks. I usually PVR shows and fast forward through the pledge breaks. Acts like Celtic Woman have been a big part of PBS fundraising for years. In 1998, PBS producers Daniel Harte and Bill Hughes were in Cannes when they got the idea of forming a trio of Irish tenors and use them for PBS fundraising. If PBS owns it then they don't have to pay anyone for the rights. They approached Irish tenor Finbar Wright but his contract with Sony wouldn't allow him to do it. Then they approached Canadian tenor John McDermott and he agreed to do it. He recruited Anthony Kearns and Ronan Tynan and the 1999 show The Irish Tenors: Live in Dublin aired on PBS and the related products raised a lot of money. They also toured. Then McDermott's mother died and Finbar Wright was brought in to replace him. Ellis Island was The Irish Tenors' third TV special in 2001. The album is available as a budget CD with a DVD of the TV show. Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears led off the show. The song is about an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island. Brendan Graham wrote the song. Mary Duff recorded it in 1997 and Celtic Woman has also recorded it. Graham co-wrote You Raise Me Up which was a big hit for Josh Groban. Ellis Island was The Irish Tenors final PBS show. They did one other TV special for RTE in Ireland. The Irish Tenors last recorded in 2010. But according to their Facebook, they are planning their annual Christmas tour. Here's The Irish Tenors performing Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears on the 2001 PBS TV special Ellis Island.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lauren Wood

Artist:Lauren Wood

Song:Fallen

Album:Pretty Woman: Original Soundtrack

Singer songwriter Lauren Wood had her greatest success when her 1981 song Fallen was used in the 1990 hit film Pretty Woman. It was never released as a single but Fallen got airplay on Adult Contemporary radio. She has had one chart single but I would think most listeners know nothing about her. She was born Ilene Rapaport in Pittsburgh. Her childhood nickname is Chunky. She was in the 60s band Rebecca and the Sunnybrook Farmers and they released a 1969 album on Musicor. She formed the trio Chunky, Novi & Ernie with cousin Ilene "Novi" Novog and Ernie Eremita. Lauren wrote the songs and sang lead, Ilene Played viola and keyboards and Eremita played drums. Doobie Brothers producer Ted Templeman got them a record deal with Warner Bros. Templeman and John Cale produced the 1974 album Chunky, Novi & Ernie. After two unsuccessful albums, Warners signed Ilene Rapaport to a solo contract and renamed her Lauren Wood. The 1979 album Lauren Wood featured Lauren's only chart single when Please Don't Leave reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was a duet with Michael McDonald. Fallen is from Lauren's 1981 album Cat Trick. As with the first album, Lauren wrote all the songs. The album was produced by Peter Bunetta and Rick Chudacoff of the band Crackin'. The sax solo on Fallen was by David Woodford. Lauren continued to write songs but she wouldn't record again until 1997. When the 1990 film Pretty Woman was coming, Disney asked Ron Fair of EMI to put together a hit soundtrack album. The big hit single from that album was the #1 hit It Must Have Been Love by Roxette. The album was certified 3XPlatinum. Most listeners would not have known that Fallen was recorded in 1981. It got Adult Contemporary radio airplay. Lauren still records occasionally on her own label. She does a lot of studio work like background vocal and voiceovers for animated films. But I'm sure having one of her songs on a big hit soundtrack was a welcome windfall. And those royalty cheques are still coming. The Pretty Woman soundtrack is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Fallen by Lauren Wood.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Armik

Artist:Armik

Song:Midnight Bolero

Album:Desires: The Romantic Collection

Armik Dashchi is a classical guitarist who has created a cottage industry for himself playing music known as New Flamenco. So my experience is that Flamenco performed by guys like Astor Piazzolla is very energetic. New Flamenco turns it into New Age music. And that market is where Dashchi has been successful. I guess he's comparable to a guy like Jesse Cook. Oh, you never heard of him either. Dashchi was born in Iran and at age seven he traded his watch for a guitar and hid it in his basement. Then he took guitar lessons and was performing as a teen. At first he played jazz. But then he got interested in Flamenco and moved to Spain in the 70s. In the 80s he played on Iranian recordings. Then he moved to California and signed with TSR Records. His debut album Rain Dancer was released in 1994. On his early albums he worked with keyboardist Jeff Sudakin who composes music for TV. But eventually Dashchi started producing his own albums. Then he started his own label Bolero in 2002. Midnight Bolero is from his 2003 album Amor De Guitarra. Dashchi mostly records solo and he writes and produces solo. He rarely brings other musicians in. Because he has softened the traditional Flamenco style, it's perfect for the New Age market. Jesse Cook is more versatile but Dashchi's music is in that ballpark. So it's a nice cottage industry he has set up. Dashchi has recently released several EPs. This comp is a good intro to his music. Here's the video for Midnight Bolero by Armik.

  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Viktoriia Dudakova vs Jinh Yu Frey

Here's the fight video of Viktoriia Dudakova vs Jinh Yu Frey from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Strawweight. Viktoriia is 24 years old from Volgograd, Russia. She trains at Alex Fitness. She got into the UFC through the Contender's Series and won her UFC debut when her opponent got injured. She missed weight by half a pound. Jinh is 38 years old from Arlington, TX. She trains with her husband Doug Frey and former UFC fighter Chas Skelly was in her corner. She's gone 2-5 in the UFC and is on a three fight losing streak. She lacks aggression and just doesn't do enough to win fights. And that's what we saw in round one. Viktoriia landed more strikes and knocked Jinh down at the end of the round. I scored the round 10-9 for Viktoriia. Between rounds, Jinh's husband told her to take Viktoriia down. Jinh did and was in top position for most of the round. So I scored the round 10-9 for Jinh though she didn't do much to advance her position. Viktoriia avoided being taken down in round three and landed enough strikes to win the round 10-9. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Viktoriia. The judges scored it the same way. Viktoriia admitted in her post fight press conference that she had a staph infection which is why she missed weight. She didn't reveal this during pre fight medicals. She probably should have kept that to herself which is what Dana White said after the show. I want to see Viktoriia against better opposition. And I expect Jinh to be released. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Long John Baldry

Artist:Long John Baldry

Song:Let the Heartaches Begin

Album:Let the Heartaches Begin/Wait for Me

There was a time when long time blues rocker Long John Baldry thought he could have success as a pop singer. The result was that the 1967 single Let the Heartaches Begin topped the British charts. But then his pals like Elton John and Rod Stewart talked him back into blues rock in the early 70s. He was born Jan. 12, 1941 in East Hampton, Northampshire, England. His father was a police constable and Baldry grew up in the London suburb of Edgware. After graduating from high school, Baldry started hanging around London coffeehouses and he started performing in them. The Long John nickname was because Baldry was 6'7". He joined Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated and that led to a friendship with The Rolling Stones and Baldry frequently opened for them. He also became friends with Paul McCartney and Baldry appeared on one of The Beatles TV specials. Baldry's band Bluesology began when Baldry took over the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars after Davies' 1964 death. The band was called The Hoochie Coochie Men and then Steampacket. Rod Stewart was in those bands. Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll were also in Steampacket. After that band split up, Baldry formed Bluesology with Reg Dwight on piano and Elton Dean on sax along with Caleb Quaye on guitar. Of course Dwight took the name Elton John from Baldry and Dean and Quaye toured with Elton John. Elton Dean was a member of the jazz rock band Soft Machine. Baldry went solo to work the cabaret circuit. He signed with Pye Records and the 1967 single Let the Heartaches Begin topped the British Singles chart. This was followed by the 1968 top 20 hit Mexico which was the theme for the 1968 British Olympic team. Baldry recorded two albums for Pye written and produced by Tony Macauley and John Macleod. They wrote and produced The Foundations chart topper Baby Now That I've Found You. The reissue label Beat Goes On has released Baldry's Pye albums as a twofer. When Baldry tried to perform Let the Heartaches Begin with Bluesology, they walked off the stage and he had to use a backing tape. Eventually, Elton John and Rod Stewart convinced Baldry to return to blues. Stewart got Baldry a record deal with Warner Bros. and they produced his 1971 album It Ain't Easy. I plan to look at the rest of Baldry's career in the future. Here's Long John Baldry performing Let the Heartaches Begin on a 1967 episode of Top of the Pops.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO SKY vs Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of IYO SKY defending her WWE Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair from last night's episode of Smackdown. The match was pretty good. As expected, Bayley got involved and IYO was able to hold on to the title. The finish went like this. After IYO missed a moonsault, Charlotte would have got the win except Bayley put IYO's foot on the ropes. Charlotte's mistake was going after Bayley and tossing her over the announce table. The distraction allowed Dakota Kai to hand the title belt to IYO. So when Charlotte speared her, her head hit the belt and IYO won. Then of course we got the return of Bianca Belair. We'll see what this leads to but I'm sure it will be easy to predict. Even the swerves are predictable. Enjoy the video!  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-H-Town

Artist:H-Town

Song:Knockin' Da Boots

Album:MTV Party to Go Vol. 5

Knockin' Da Boots was a top five hit in 1993. It also topped the R&B charts. It was the only big hit for the R&B vocal group H-Town. Some of their other songs charted so they are not technically a one hit wonder. Knockin' the Boots was one of the hottest slow jams of 1993. H-Town is from Houston. Keven "Dino" Connor, his brother Solomon "Shazam" Connor and Darryl "G.I." Jackson went to high school together and called themselves The Gents when they formed in 1991. They released an album on a local label that went nowhere. A demo was sent to rapper Luther "Luke" Campbell of 2 Live Crew. He signed them to his label Luke Records and the group name was changed to H-Town. Campbell hired Bishop "Stick" Burrell to produce. He's a local Houston producer. Campbell wanted H-Town to reflect Houston. The album Fever for the Flavor was released in 1993 and the single Knockin' the Boots reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it topped the R&B Singles chart. The songs were all written by H-Town and Burrell. Keven Connor was usually lead singer. The album was certified Platinum. Their second album Beggin' After Dark was released in 1994. It did well enough on the R&B charts to go Platinum. But they weren't able to cross over to pop. A cover of A Thin Line Between Love and Hate with Shirley Murdock for the 1996 film of the same name was a top 40 pop hit. H-Town left Luke for Relativity for the 1997 album Ladies Edition, Woman's World. Keven Connor produced the album. It just didn't do as well as the first two albums. Fever for the Flavor is available as a digital download. But you can get Knockin' the Boots on this various artists CD. Dino Connor and his girlfriend died in a Jan. 2003 car accident. H-Town had already recorded the 2004 album Imitations of Life on their own label. They have since released two albums on their own label, most recently in 2021. Like I always say, one big hit is better than none. Here's the video for Knockin' the Boots by H-Town. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Randy Stonehill

Artist:Randy Stonehill

Song:Turning Thirty

Album:The Definitive Collection

Singer songwriter Randy Stonehill is a pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). When he first recorded in the early 70s it was called Jesus Music. He had commercial success after he signed with Myrrh Records in 1981. He was born Mar. 23, 1952 in Stockton, CA. After graduating from high school, Stonehill moved to Los Angeles and lived with another CCM pioneer Larry Norman. They worked together in the 70s. Stonehill recorded for Norman's Solid Rock label. Then he started working with the band Daniel Amos and that got Stonehill a record deal with Word's CCM label Myrrh. He recorded for Myrrh from 1981-94. Turning Thirty is from Stonehill's 1983 album Equator. The album was produced by Daniel Amos lead singer and guitarist Terry Scott Taylor. Stonehill wrote all the songs. Turning Thirty is clearly autobiographical. This album has not been released on CD but it is available as a digital download. This comp is available on CD and is a good intro to Stonehill's music. Since leaving Myrrh, Stonehill has mostly recorded for his own label. His latest album Lost Art of Listening was released in 2020. In recent years Stonehill has worked with producers Phil Keaggy and Mike Pachelli and they produced this album. Here's Randy Stonehill performing Turning Thirty on the 1990 VHS video One Night in 20 Years. This is not available on DVD and it's not streaming.