Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Dione Barbosa vs Ernesta Kareckaite

Here's the fight video of Dione Barbosa vs Ernesta Kareckaite from last night's UFC show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This fight is at Flyweight. Both fighters are making their UFC debuts and both went through Contenders Series. Dione is 31 years old from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She trains at BH Rhinos. She was an Olympic judoka so she's known as the Brazilian Ronda. Ernesta is 25 years old from Lithuania. She's a former competitive swimmer. She a striker. Dione got off to a quick start and easily won round one 10-9. Round two was a nothing round. There was a long period with Dione on her back and Ernesta standing and kicking her legs. I don't know why she continued to do that. Plus the ref should have put a stop to it and stand them up. So I scored the round 10-9 for Dione. Dione seemed to run out of gas in round three. So Ernesta won the round 10-9. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Dione. All three judges scored it the same. Dione looks like a good fighter who needs to work on her endurance. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Iasmin Lucindo vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Here's the fight video of Iasmin Lucindo vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz from last night's UFC show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This fight is at Strawweight. Iasmin is 22 years old from Fortaleeza, Brazil. She trains at Academia Fight House. Virna Jandiroba is one of her teammates. She's 2-1 in the UFC. She won her last two fights. Karolina is 38 years old from Lodz, Poland. She trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. Her UFC record is 9-7. She's on a four fight winning streak. When I first heard about this fight, I thought Karolina was nuts to take it. It's obvious what the UFC is up to. Iasmin is a young fighter and they have big plans for her. Karolina is a former title contender. A win for Iasmin moves her up the rankings. Plus the fight is in Brazil and most of the fights on this show were set up so the Brazilians would win and please the fans. Karolina is not a great fighter to begin with. I expected Iasmin to have a big edge in speed and quickness. And that's why Iasmin won the fight. Round one was almost a 10-8 for Iasmin. And she won the other two rounds easily. I scored the fight 30-27 for Iasmin and so did all three judges. Iasmin is not an elite fighter yet. But she may be heading there. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Benson Boone

Artist:Benson Boone

Song:Beautiful Things

Album:Fireworks & Rollerblades

Singer songwriter Benson Boone successfully auditioned for American Idol in 2021. When he discovered that they weren't going to let him perform his own songs, he quit the show. That paid off in a big way when the 2024 single Beautiful Things topped charts worldwide. He was born June 25, 2002 in Monroe, WA. Boone discovered his musical talent when a high school classmate asked him to appear in a battle of the bands. He was going to go to college but decided to concentrate on music. After posting videos on Tik Tok, Benson auditioned for American Idol. When he was invited to advance to Hollywood Week, Benson changed his mind and left the show. He returned to posting videos on Tik Tok. One of the videos got the attention of Imagine Dragons leader Dan Reynolds. Reynolds signed Boone to his Night Street label with Warner Bros. distribution. When Boone's 2021 single Ghost Town charted and so did his EP Walk Me Home..., that led to the 2024 album Fireworks & Rollerblades. The single Beautiful Things reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts worldwide. Boone wrote all the songs with co-writers and producers. Jason Suwito of the band Sir Sly produced five songs. Evan Blair and Jack LaFrantz wrote and produced Beautiful Things. Boone is currently on tour in Europe. Would Benson Boone have had the same success if he had stayed on American Idol? I doubt it but I don't think he expected to score a big hit single either. Here's the video for Beautiful Things by Benson Boone.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tinashe

Artist:Tinashe f/ScHoolboy Q

Song:2 On

Album:Aquarius

The 2014 single 2 On was a top 5 R&B and a top 30 pop hit. It was the debut single for Tinashe and to date her only big hit. She still records on her own label and she has a new album coming out. She is also an actress mostly on TV. She was born Tinashe Jorgenson Kachingwe Feb. 6, 1993 in Lexington, KY but she grew up in Pasadena, CA where her parents are college professors. Her father is from Zimbabwe and Tinashe means "God is with us" in his native language. Tinashe started out as a model and actress as a child but decided to pursue music after graduating high school. She did a lot of voice work in animated films. Her most notable film appearance was in the 2003 film Masked and Anonymous performing the Bob Dylan song The Times They Are A-Changin'. Dylan appeared in the film. Tinashe apparently was the best thing in this bomb. In 2007, Tinashe joined the girl group The Stunners created and managed by Colleen "Vitamin C" Fitzpatrick. Memba her? She scored a couple of hits in the late 90s. By this time, she was starting girl groups like The Stunners. They signed with Columbia and Lionsgate produced a reality show pilot for MTV. This went nowhere and The Stunners split up in 2011. Tinashe went home and taught herself to make music by watching YouTube videos. After releasing music herself, Tinashe signed with RCA Records in 2012. She released her debut album Aquarius in 2014. The first single 2 On reached #3 on the R&B Singles chart and #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. 2 On featured rapper ScHoolboy Q. Tinashe worked with a laundry list of producers. 2 On was produced by DJ Mustard, Jon Redwine and DJ Marley Waters. Mustard has worked with Ty Dolla Sign among others. Tinashe wrote the song with Bobby Brackins. They sampled the 2005 Sean Paul single We Be Burnin' which has a lot of songwriting credits. The album did OK. It's available as a budget CD. The most notable thing about this record is Tinashe is gorgeous. I didn't think the music was anything special. Tinashe recorded three albums for RCA and she only had one hit. She wrote all the songs on the last two albums. Then she left RCA in 2019 to start her own label with Roc Nation distribution. She has released three albums and has a fourth one coming out. Look, I understand Tinashe wants to write and produce her own music. But no one is buying it. So maybe she should try a different approach and give control to a big name producer. What she is doing now is not working. She also appeared in FOX's 2019 TV production of Rent Live. Other than that, she seems to do a lot of reality TV. Maybe Tinashe just isn't distinctive enough to be a star despite her looks. Here's the video for 2 On by Tinashe featuring ScHoolboy Q. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Kid LAROI

Artist:The Kid LAROI f/Justin Bieber

Song:Stay

Mixtape:F*ck Love 3+: Over You Deluxe Edition

Australian teen rapper The Kid LAROI used Justin Bieber's star power to top the worldwide charts with the 2021 single Stay. You know what they say. Everything Bieber touches turns to Platinum. Like many rappers, The Kid LAROI seems limited and I don't expect him to have longevity. He's already fading. He was born Charlton Howard Aug. 17, 2003 in Waterloo, Australia which is a suburb of Sydney. His parents are in the music business but not as performers. His father is a record producer and recording engineer and his mother is a talent manager. They separated when Howard was four years old. Howard got into rap by listening to his mother's record collection. He's a big Kanye West fan. After his parents separated, Howard's uncle became a father figure until his 2015 murder. They moved to a small town to live with his grandparents but that didn't work out and they moved back to Sydney. Howard was hustling to make contacts. But the big one was producer Khaled Rohaim who he still works with today. Howard signed a development deal with Sony Music Australia in 2017 and released an EP in 2018. After he opened for Juice Wrld's Australian tour, Howard went to live with him in Los Angeles. He starts turning up as a featured performer until he released the 2020 mixtape F*ck Love. The lead single So Done is Howard's first top ten hit in Australia. His remix of Without You featuring Miley Cyrus reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The interest in this song started on Tik Tok. And that was followed by Stay with Justin Bieber which topped the charts everywhere. That is Howard's peak to date. You can get Stay on the deluxe edition of F*ck You which is available as a digital download. The main producer was Norwegian DJ Cashmere Cat along with Charlie Puth, Omar Fedi and Blake Slatkin. Slatkin works a lot with Bieber. Since then Howard has faded. He released the album The First Time in 2023. None of the singles from the album charted. So now what? Who knows? Maybe Howard is a hasbeen at age 20. But I think the success of Stay was due to Bieber and Howard was not memorable. It was a fluke. Here's the video for Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Avishai Cohen's Triveni

Artist:Avishai Cohen's Triveni

Song:Dark Nights, Darker Days

Album:Dark Nights

As I have explained before, there are two Israeli jazz musicians named Avishai Cohen. I have already featured the bassist. This Avishai Cohen plays trumpet. He was born May 23, 1978 in Tel Aviv, Israel. His sister Anat Cohen plays clarinet and his brother Yuval Cohen plays soprano saxophone. They have recorded and toured together. At age eight, Cohen asked his mother for trumpet lessons. At age ten, he was in the band at the Rimon School of Music. He had to stand on a box so the audience could see him. As a teen, Cohen toured with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. Then he attended Berklee in Boston and finished third in the 1997 Thelonious Monk trumpet competition. After graduating from Berklee, he moved to New York and started playing clubs with pianist Jason Lindner and bassist Omer Avital. Cohen and Avital have worked together frequently ever since. Miles Davis is Cohen's main influence. Because he was frequently confused with the bassist Avishai Cohen, Cohen titled his 2003 debut album The Trumpet Player. That was for the Spanish label Fresh Sounds. Avital also recorded for them and they had a band called Third World Love. He also recorded with his brother and sister as 3 Cohens. When Anat Cohen co-founded Anzic Records in 2005, she brought Avishai with her for the 2007 album After the Big Rain. Cohen recorded six albums for Anzic. He formed the trio Triveni in 2010 and recorded three albums. Dark Nights, Darker Days is from the third album Dark Nights in 2014. The band is Avital on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. Special guests are Anat Cohen on clarinet and Gerald Clayton on piano. That was Cohen's final album for Anzic. He has since recorded five albums for ECM. The latest album Naked Truth was released in 2022. He still works as a sideman and I'm sure we will see him on this summer's festival circuit. Here's Avishai Cohen's Triveni with Omer Avital on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums performing Dark Nights, Darker Days at The Furious Sessions at Sol de Sants Studios in Barcelona, Spain 2015. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Earls

Artist:The Earls

Song:Remember Then

Album:Hy Weiss Presents Old Town Records

Here's a 1962 doo wop classic that is still a staple of oldies radio. It was the only chart single by The Earls. The leader of The Earls was Larry Chance. He grew up in Philadelphia and attended high school with Chubby Checker and Frankie Avalon. Chance and his family moved to The Bronx in 1957. He formed The Hi-Hatters with Bob Del Din, Eddie Harder and John Wray. They changed their name to The Earls and released the 1961 single Life Is But a Dream on Rome Records. They performed with DJ Murray the K and appeared on American Bandstand. The Earls switched to Old Town Records owned by record distributor Hy Weiss. There's a Moon Out Tonight by The Capris was on Old Town. Though he wasn't credited, it looks like they worked with producer Stan Vincent. He went on to be a Buddah Records house producer. Remember Then was the first single. It reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Brill Building songwriters Tony Powers and Beverly Ross. Vincent also got a songwriting credit for coming up with the chorus which is the main reason the song is memorable. This was The Earls only chart single. They recorded for Old Town until the label closed in 1966. This 2CD budget comp from Ace Records is an overview of Old Town. The Earls recorded for ABC, Columbia and Cotillion. And Chance led a version of The Earls on the oldies circuit for many years. Larry Chance died on Sept. 6, 2023 at age 82. Here's a video for Remember Then by The Earls. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Academy Is...

Artist:The Academy Is...

Song:About a Girl

Album:Fast Times at Barrington High

The pop band The Academy Is... was on their way to success when the 2008 album Fast Times at Barrington High and single About a Girl charted. But they couldn't seem to get along and they split up in 2011. They have reunited a couple of times but they missed their big opportunity. The Academy Is... is from Chicago. In 2003, lead singer James Beckett and bassist Adam T. Siska were classmates at Barrington High School. They decided to start a band and recruited guitarist Mike Carden after his previous band split up. They added lead guitarist AJ LaTrace and drummer Michael DelPrincipe. They released the 2004 EP The Academy on the local label LLR. Beckett and Carden had recorded solo projects for the label. When Fall Out Boy leader Pete Wentz liked the EP, he took them on tour and they signed with Atlantic's Fueled by Ramen label. The band name was changed to The Academy Is... to avoid legal problems. They recorded the 2004 album Almost Here in Florida with Dashboard Confessional producer James Paul Wisner. After a summer tour, La Trace and DelPricipe were replaced by Thomas Conrad and Andy Mrotek. Then they toured again with Fall Out Boy. The album was finally released Feb. 2005 and The Academy Is... went out on their first headline tour. The album didn't do very well. Conrad was replaced by Michael Guy Chislett. For the 2007 album Santi, The Academy Is... went to Los Angeles to record with producer Butch Walker of Garbage. The album did better so at least they made progress. For the 2008 album Fast Times at Barrington High, The Academy Is... worked with the production team of S*A*M and Sluggo (Sam Hollander, Dave Katz) who had success with Cobra Starship. This album did a lot better as it reached #17 on the Billboard 200. The single About a Girl reached #88 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm sure the video helped. It was really good. As with all their albums, Beckett wrote all the songs. So now they are getting somewhere. After the 2009 EP Lost in Pacific Time, Mrotek and Chislett left and Beckett announced plans for a new album. But instead they split up. Apparently they weren't getting along and after two guys left, it didn't make sense to stay together. After Beckett recorded solo, The Academy Is... reunited for a 2015 concert and they reunited again in 2022. Based on Beckett's Facebook, a permanent reunion seems unlikely though one offs could happen. I think their time is past anyway. Here's the video for About a Girl by The Academy Is... 

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ivana Petrovic vs Na Liang

Here's the fight video of Ivana Petrovic vs Na Liang from Saturday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Ivana is 29 years old from Croatia and she trains at Orion MMA Academy in Norway. She lost her UFC debut. Na is 27 years old from China. She trains at Longyun MMA. She's 0-3 in the UFC. She starts out OK but she runs out of gas quickly. That's what happens in this fight. Na has nothing left in the third round anyway. But Ivana submits her with a triangle choke. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ketlen Souza vs Marnic Mann

Here's the fight video of Ketlen Souza vs Marnic Mann from Saturday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Ketlen is 28 years old from Amazonas, Brazil. She trains at Team Felipe Rego. She lost her UFC debut. Ketlen says the fight was at Flyweight and Strawweight is her natural weight. Marnic is 31 years old from Bozeman, MT. She trains at Montana Mixed Martial Arts. She also lost her UFC debut. Based on this fight, she doesn't belong in the UFC. Marnic was very tentative and Ketlen won easily 30-27. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Karine Silva vs Ariane da Silva

Here's the fight video of Karine Silva vs Ariane da Silva from Saturday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Karine is 30 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. Her coach is Gile Ribeiro. She's 3-0 in the UFC. She likes to finish fights. Ariane is 30 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. She trains at the UFC Gym in Miami. She's 6-5 in the UFC. She's been a disappointment but she's on a three fight winning streak. These two used to be teammates so I expected Karine to be more conservative than usual. She didn't get a finish. But I thought Karine won the fight 30-27. One judge scored it the same. The other two gave Ariane round three and scored the fight 29-28 for Karine. It doesn't matter as Ariane needed a finish. So Karine is on the way up. We'll see who she fights next time. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dee Clark

Artist:Dee Clark

Song:Raindrops

Album Golden Classics

The 1961 single Raindrops was the biggest hit for Dee Clark. He had some other hits mostly on the R&B charts. He was born Delecta Clark Jr. Nov. 7, 1938 in Blytheville, AR. His mom was a gospel singer so she encouraged him to sing. Then he was in The Hambone Kids who recorded Hambone for Okeh in 1952. Then he joined the vocal group The Goldentones who became The Kool Gents. After winning a talent contest, Chicago DJ Herb Kent got them a deal with Vee Jay's Abner label. Vee Jay suggested to Clark that he go solo. When Little Richard gave up Rock 'n' Roll for gospel, Clark filled his dates. Four of Clark's singles were top ten R&B hits including Nobody but You, Just Keep It Up, Hey Little Girl and How About That. He was also making inroads on the pop charts. So Vee Jay moved Clark up to the main label so he would get better promotion. And it paid off when the 1961 single Raindrops reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the R&B Singles chart. Clark wrote the song and it was produced by Vee Jay house producer Calvin Carter and arranged by Riley Hampton. Raindrops is still an oldie radio staple. Things didn't go well for Clark after that. When Ewart Abner left Vee Jay in 1963, he took Clark with him to start his new Constellation label. Things didn't go well there either. The label closed in 1966. You can get all of Clark's hits on this Collectables comp. Clark recorded for Columbia, Wand, Liberty and United Artists. And he even recorded an updated version of Raindrops in 1973. Clark performed on the oldies circuit until he suffered a 1987 stroke and died on Dec. 7, 1990 at age 52. Here's a video for Raindrops by Dee Clark.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ed Ames

Artist:Ed Ames

Song:My Cup Runneth Over

Album:The Very Best of Ed Ames

The Ames Brothers were a very popular 50s vocal group. After they split up in 1959, Ed Ames launched an acting career. After some success on TV, his acting career stalled and Ames turned to singing. Though most of his success was in the Adult Contemporary market, a couple of his singles were pop hits. He was born Edmund Urick July 9, 1927 in Malden, MA. His parents were Ukranian Jews. They had nine children. Four of the Urick brothers formed a quartet and won singing contests in the Boston area. They moved to New York and called themselves the Amory Brothers. Famed playwright Abe Burrows suggested a name change to Ames Brothers. They signed with Decca's Coral label and had several hits in the 50s. They also appeared on TV a lot. Like many 50s pop singers, Rock 'n' Roll killed The Ames Brothers and they split up in 1959. It looks like Ed Ames was the only one to remain in entertainment. First he studied acting at the Herbert Berghof School. Ames appeared in the off-Broadway production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible followed by The Fantasticks followed by the Broadway musical Carnival!. Ames' dark complexion led to him playing Chief Bromden in the Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He was spotted by 20th Century Fox and they cast him as the Cherokee tribesman Mingo on the TV series Daniel Boone. This was his biggest acting role. He appeared on the show from 1964-68. Of course he also made a famous 1965 appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and a tomahawk. You can watch that on YouTube. Ames decided to get back into music by signing with RCA Records. When the 1965 single Try to Remember from The Fantasticks reached #17 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #73 on the Billboard Hot 100, Ames must have been surprised. He thought his singing career was over. The 1967 single My Cup Runneth Over did even better. It topped the Adult Contemporary chart and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. My Cup Runneth Over is from the Broadway musical I Do! I Do! written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. The Broadway show starred Mary Martin and Robert Preston. The album My Cup Runneth Over was mostly showtunes produced by veteran Nashville producer Jim Foglesong. That was Ames' biggest hit. He continued to have success in Adult Contemporary until he left RCA in 1972. This comp from the British reissue label Tarragon covers Ames' RCA recordings. Ames returned to acting. He did TV guest shots and appeared in Summer Stock musicals until he retired in the 90s. Ed Ames died on May 21, 2023 at age 95. Here's Ed Ames performing My Cup Runneth Over on The Ed Sullivan Show Sept. 24,1967. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lincoln Brewster

Artist:Lincoln Brewster

Song:Today Is the Day

Album:Today Is the Day

Lincoln Brewster started out as a session guitarist in the 90s. But he felt Christian music was his calling. So he has been a successful CCM artist mostly as an album and touring act since the 00s. He could probably cross over to mainstream rock but he chooses not to do that. He was born July 30, 1971 in Fairbanks, AK and he grew up in the nearby town Homer. His mother got him into music as a child. And by age 12 he was leading the band Lincoln and the Missing Links which included his mother on bass. Brewster's family moved to Modesto, CA. He attended high school there and played in the high school band. Brewster was already getting contract offers when he started attending church with his girlfriend. He became a born again Christian and turned down the record deals. Journey lead singer Steve Perry asked Brewster to work on his 1994 album For the Love of Strange Medicine. He toured with Perry but decided to go home to Modesto become music minister of the local church. The Brewsters moved to Nashville in 1997 and became music ministers at The Oasis Church. He was approached by the Christian label Integrity Music and he was ultimately signed to a record deal. Brewster released his 1999 debut album Lincoln Brewster. Brewster toured with Michael W. Smith. And he moved back to California to become the pastor at Bayside Church in Granite Bay near Sacramento. By the time Brewster released the 2008 album Today Is the Day, Integrity was distributed by Sony. That alone has increased the label's sales and Brewster's as well. Today Is the Day was the first single and it reached #14 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. This was Brewster's first single since 2002. The hiatus was mostly due to his growing family and commitment to his church position. Brewster wrote Today Is the Day with songwriter Paul Baloche, best known for the 2002 Michael W. Smith song After All. Brewster wrote and produced the album. He usually writes with a lyricist. For this album, he wrote several songs with Hillsong's Mia Fieldes. Israel Houghton and Hillsong leader Darlene Zschech make guest appearances. Brewster's latest album Perfect Love was released in 2021. He seems to release a new album every three years so he might be due for a new one soon. Brewster still writes frequently with Mia Fideles. And his co-producer is Colby Wedgeworth. Wedgeworth plays keyboards as well and he has produced other CCM artists. He is from Sacramento. That keeps things close to home. Here's the video for Today Is the Day by Lincoln Brewster. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Booker

Artist:James Booker

Song:Gonzo

Album:Raunchy! Volume 2: More Instrumentals: Rockin' Into the Sixties

Pianist James Booker was a legend of New Orleans R&B. He was known as The Black Liberace. For the most part he was a sideman and studio musician. But he occasionally he recorded as a leader. The 1960 single Gonzo was an R&B hit. Maybe you heard it on the AMC TV series Mad Men. He was born Dec. 17, 1939 in New Orleans. Booker's father and grandfather were Baptist ministers who played piano. He started playing at age six and played piano in his father's church. He spent part of his childhood with his aunt due to his father's health problems. In school he became friends with Art Neville, Charles Neville and Allen Toussaint. Then Booker was hit by an ambulance and broke his leg in eight places. He recovered but was left with a permanent limp. Booker learned to play trumpet and sax and played organ on radio station WMRY every Sunday. Booker first recorded for Imperial Records in 1954. His recordings were produced by Dave Bartholomew. Though his own recordings were unsuccessful, Bartholomew frequently had Booker play piano on Fats Domino records. At the same time, Booker adopted a flamboyant stage persona similar to Little Richard. He became known as The Black Liberace. In the late 50s, Booker recorded for Chess and Ace and as a sideman with Huey "Piano" Smith, Shirley and Lee, Joe Tex, Larry Davis, Junior Parker, Earl King, Smiley Lewis and Lloyd Price. In the early 60s, Booker recorded several singles for Don Robey's Peacock Records. These were all instrumental. Gonzo was the most successful of these. It reached #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the R&B Singles chart. This was the only time Booker charted. As I said, you may have heard Gonzo on the AMC TV series Mad Men. And you can get it on this 2CD various artists comp from the reissue label Jasmine. The musicians on this record are not identified. But I believe Booker played all the instruments including the flute solo. Heroin landed Booker in jail. After his mother's 1967 death, Booker was convicted of heroin possession and sentenced to a year in Angola. He was assaulted while there and lost an eye. After his release, Booker returned to session work. He recorded an album for Paramount in 1973. But the master tapes were lost. They were found in the 90s and released. Then he signed with Island Records and had success touring Europe. Booker returned to New Orleans in 1978 and continued to play clubs until his death on Nov. 8, 1983 at age 43. Though James Booker was never famous, he was certainly revered by the New Orleans music community. Here's a video for Gonzo by James Booker.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brian d'Arcy James

Artist:Brian d'Arcy James

Song:Blue Skies

Album:Irving Berlin's White Christmas: The Musical

Actor Brian d'Arcy James is mainly known for his work on Broadway. He has been nominated for four Tonys. He has done films and TV. But he is mostly known for Broadway musicals. He was born June 29, 1968 in Saginaw, MI. His uncle was Brian Kelly from the TV series Flipper. After graduating from Northwestern University's School of Communication, he moved to New York and started to appear in shows like Carousel and Titanic. The 2002 musical Sweet Smell of Success was his first Tony nomination. This was based on the 1957 film. His other Tony nominations are for Shrek the Musical (2009), Something Rotten! (2012) and Into the Woods (2023). Blue Skies is from the 2007 musical White Christmas. Of course everyone knows it as a 1954 film starring Bing Crosby with songs by Irving Berlin. It was produced as a musical in 2000 mostly as a touring show. It played briefly on Broadway in 2008. But by that time James left the show to appear in Shrek the Musical. James starred as Bob Wallace which was the character that Bing Crosby played. There's an original cast album for this which is unusual as most cast albums are for Broadway shows. James continues to appear on Broadway currently in the musical Days of Wine and Roses. Probably his most notable film role was as Officer Krupke in the 2021 film West Side Story. BTW, I loved that film. On TV he was in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. But like I said, James prefers the stage and that's where I expect him to stay. Here's Brian d'Arcy James performing Blue Skies at The White House Nov. 2010.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band

Artist:C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band

Song:Turn Around and Say Goodbye

Album:Step It Up!

C.J. Chenier is the son of The King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier. C.J. continues that tradition and is known as The Crown Prince of Zydeco. He was born Clayton Joseph Thompson Sept. 28, 1957 in Port Arthur, TX. He grew up knowing about his father's music but was a fan 0f 70s funk and soul. When he first listened to his father's music, Chenier thought all the songs sounded the same. He played sax in local bands in Texas and studied music in college. In 1978, Chenier was asked to play sax in his father's band. By the time Clifton Chenier died in 1987, C.J. was ready to take over the band. And he's been recording and touring ever since. You may have heard Chenier when he appeared on Paul Simon's 1990 album Rhythm of the Saints and he also toured with him. Chenier recorded several albums for Alligator Records. Turn Around and Say Goodbye is from the 2001 album Step It Up!. This was his final Alligator album. He has since recorded for World Village. C.J. Chenier performs at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and he records his set and sells it. Zydeco is great party music so I suggest you check it out. Here's C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band performing Turn Around and Say Goodbye on The Artie Lange Show 2012. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Josh Gracin

Artist;Josh Gracin

Song:Nothin' to Lose

Album:Josh Gracin

After a fourth place finish on season two of American Idol (AI), Josh Gracin topped the country charts with the 2004 single Nothin' to Lose. Things didn't go so well after that especially when his record label closed. Now I guess he's the subject of "Whatever happened to" articles. That happens to many AI contestants. He was born Oct. 18, 1980 in Westland, MI which is a Detroit suburb. He listened to rock as a child. But when his radio station switched to country, he got into Garth Brooks and George Strait. Gracin performed locally as a teen and performed at a national talent show at the Grand Ole Opry. After graduating from high school, Gracin joined the US Marine Corps, got married and was assigned to Camp Pendlton in California as a supply clerk. He still had the music bug so he successfully auditioned for AI in 2003. After finishing fourth in the finals, Gracin wasn't able to go on the AI tour because of his Marines commitment. They sent him on a recruitment tour. Gracin was honorably discharged in 2004. So how did he get a record deal? When he sang the Rascal Flatts song I'm Movin' On on AI, that band was watching him on their tour bus. Rascall Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus was so impressed that he hooked Gracin up with producer Marty Williams who had produced a couple of Rascal Flatts albums. This led to a record deal with Disney owned Lyric Street Records. Gracin's 2004 debut album Josh Gracin was certified Gold and the single Nothin' to Lose topped the Country Singles chart. A couple of other singles were top five. Nothin' to Lose was written by Marcel Chagnon and Kevin Savigar. It appeared on Chagnon's 1993 album on Mercury Records. He recorded as Marcel. When Chagnon's music career was unsuccessful, he turned to  directing music videos. Savigar is a British session musician who was in Rod Stewart's band in the 80s. Gracin did not write any of the songs. For Gracin's 2008 album We Weren't Crazy, Williams brought in veteran songwriter Brett James to work with Gracin on developing songwriting skills. James wrote Carrie Underwood's Jesus, Take the Wheel. James wrote several songs on the album including a couple with Gracin. But the album didn't do as well as the first one. The criticism of both albums was Gracin was not distinctive enough to be successful long term. In other words, he sounded too much like other country singers. Then Disney closed Lyric Street in 2010. He released the 2012 album Redemption on Average Joes Entertainment. Gracin wrote all the songs and co-produced. But he didn't have the Disney machine behind him anymore. So of course the album was unsuccessful. Since than, Gracin has released a few singles on his own label and he still tours. The closing of Lyric Street really hurt him. So that's what happened to Josh Gracin. Here's the video for Nothin' to Lose by Josh Gracin. The video was shot at a Nashville high school so Anne Marie Kovacs was probably a student there. It's her only credit.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Limblifter

Artist:Limblifter

Song:Tinfoil

Album:Limblifter

Ryan and Kurt Dahle of the Canadian band Age of Electric (AOE) started Limblifter in 1994 when AOE went on hiatus and they had surplus songs they wanted to use in a side project. The Dahle brothers are from Vancouver. Ryan plays guitar and Kurt plays drums and sings. AOE signed with MCA in Canada and Mercury in the US which was also AOE's label. The album Limblifter was released in 1995. The third member of Limblifter was Taste bassist Ian Somers. The Dahle brothers wrote and produced the albums. Singles like Tinfoil were played on Canadian radio. When AOE returned with the 1997 album Make a Pest a Pet, the Dahles put Limblifter on the backburner. When AOE split up in 2008, the Dahles revived Limblifter and replaced Somers with Todd Fancey. After the 2000 album Bellaclava, Kurt Dahle and Fancey left to join The New Pornographers. Ryan Dahle formed a new band Alarm Bell with former members of The Matthew Good Band. When that didn't work out, Dahle revived Limblifter. Limblifter has since released three albums. The latest was Little Payne in 2022. They are playing some shows in May. Here's the video for Tinfoil by Limblifter. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Daniel Boone

Artist:Daniel Boone

Song:Beautiful Sunday

Album:Hard to Find 45s on CD Volume 8: Seventies Pop Classics

British singer songwriter Daniel Boone scored a top 20 hit with the 1972 single Beautiful Sunday. He is perceived as a one hit wonder but one of his other songs charted so he is technically not a one hit wonder. Boone has had a long career in England. He was born Peter Charles Green July 31, 1942 in Birmingham, England. He was guitarist for The Beachcombers who played local clubs from 1958-62. The band met Tommy Bruce who had a top five hit with the 1960 single Ain't Misbehavin'. He was billed as Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers. But there was no band as the music was recorded by studio musicians. So The Beachcombers became The Bruisers. Green started writing and recording as Lee Stirling with Bruce's manager Barry Mason. Green had little success as Lee Stirling. But The Bruisers continued to chart until they split up in 1967. In 1971, Green joined Larry Page's Penny Farthing label as a singer songwriter. He decided to call himself Daniel Boone. Page produced The Troggs hit Wild Thing. Green started writing with another staff songwriter Rod McQueen. They wrote several songs for an upcoming Daniel Boone album. But the song they thought would be a hit was Beautiful Sunday. After hearing the song, Page thought so too. Beautiful Sunday reached #21 on the British Singles chart. But when it was licensed to Mercury Records in the US, it reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Boone continued to write and perform for many years. But Beautiful Sunday was his only big hit. You can get it on this various artists CD from the oldies label Eric Records. This song is on a lot of various artist CDs. But I know Boone re-recorded it I know that this CD has the original recording. Daniel Boone died on Jan. 27, 2023 at age 80. Here's the video for Beautiful Sunday by Daniel Boone.