AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oliver Nelson

Artist:Oliver Nelson

Song:Stolen Moments

Album:The Blues and the Abstract Truth

Jazz saxophonist Oliver Nelson played in several bands in the late 50s. His goal was to be a composer and arranger. And the 1961 album The Blues and the Abstract Truth and especially the song Stolen Moments was so successful that it led to Nelson moving to Los Angeles to compose music for TV and film. So Nelson's path is very similar to Quincy Jones. The difference is that Nelson died prematurely so he never had the chance to be like Jones. He was born June 4, 1932 in St. Louis. His brother was a saxophonist who played with Cootie Williams and his sister sang and played piano. He took up the sax at age 11. His most notable early stint was playing alto sax and arranging for Louis Jordan in 1950. Nelson served in the US Marine Corps and played in their band. He attended a Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra concert that convinced him to become a composer. So when Nelson got home to St. Louis, he studied music composition and theory at Washington University in St. Louis and Lincoln University and graduated with a master's degree in 1958. He moved to New York City and was the house arranger at The Apollo Theater. He recorded several albums for Prestige Records. He played with Count Basie and Duke Ellington and toured with Quincy Jones. ABC-Paramount Records decided to start a jazz label. They hired Creed Taylor as a producer. He had previously worked for Bethlehem Records. Taylor was scouting for talent in New York and met Nelson. Nelson was already under contract to Prestige. So Taylor hired him to compose The Blues and the Abstract Truth and assemble an all star band. The musicians were Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Eric Dolphy on alto sax and flute, Nelson played tenor sax, George Barrow on baritone sax, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. The song Stolen Moments became a jazz standard. Jazz singer Mark Murphy wrote lyrics for Stolen Moments when he recorded it in 1978. The album is available as a budget CD. Nelson continued to record his own albums. But he also worked as an arranger on big band albums. The big one was when Nelson worked with Sonny Rollins on the score for the 1966 film Alfie. Nelson moved to Los Angeles in 1967. He worked mostly on TV shows like Ironside, The Name of the Game, It Takes a Thief, Night Gallery and The Six Million Dollar Man. He also worked as an arranger on films like Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He was recording albums for former Impulse! producer Bob Thiele's label Flying Dutchman. It's likely that Nelson would have continued on this route. But he died from a heart attack on Oct. 28, 1975 at age 43. Here's a video for Stolen Moments by Oliver Nelson.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Clarence Ashley

Artist:Clarence Ashley

Song:Coo Coo Bird

Album:Country Music Pioneer 1927-1935

Clarence Ashley was a country music pioneer who recorded in the late 1920s. Mostly he played the banjo. Coo Coo Bird is probably his best known song. Though he was influential, Ashley was never famous until he was rediscovered in the 60s and played folk festivals. He was born Clarence Earl McCurry Sept. 29, 1895 in Bristol, TN. His father played fiddle. Shortly before Ashley's birth, his maternal grandfather discovered that daddy was an adulterer and was forced to leave town. Ashley and his mom moved in with her parents. They ran a boarding house in Mountain City, TN. He adopted his grandparents name Ashley and his grandfather nicknamed him Tom. So as a child, he was known as Tom Ashley. His grandfather bought him a banjo when he was eight years old. His mom taught him traditional Appalachian folks songs and some of the boarders taught him techniques. In 1911, Ashley joined a medicine show that was passing through Mountain City. He played banjo and guitar and performed blackface comedy. Ashley toured with medicine shows until the early 40s. In the winter, he played local shows with fiddler G.B. Grayson. Ashley first recorded with the Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers in 1928 for Gennett Records. The other members were Garley Foster on harmonica and Clarence Horton Greene on fiddle. He also played guitar with The Carolina Tar Heels with Foster on harmonica and Dock Walsh on banjo. Ashley recorded solo for Columbia in 1929 followed by recordings with Blue Ridge Entertainers and some sides with Gwen Foster on harmonica in 1933. Ashley recorded Coo Coo Bird in 1929. The recording became famous after it was selected for the Anthology of Folk Music in 1952. This box set has all of Ashley's recordings. The Great Depression ended Ashley's performing career. Not only could he not record but all the places that he played for money were closed. No one had money anyway. Ashley started a trucking company in 1937 and he performed with the Stanley Brothers and The Tennessee Merrymakers. Ashley was rediscovered in the 60s because of his inclusion on the Anthology of Folk Music. Mandolinist Ralph Rinzler met Ashley at the 1960 Old Time Fiddler's Convention in Union Grove, NC. and he persuaded Ashley to start playing banjo again. Ashley toured with the great Doc Watson and played the 1963 Newport Folk Festival and New York's Carnegie Hall among other places. He recorded a 1966 album for Folkways Records. Ashley toured England with guitarist Tex Isley in 1966. He was going to go there again when he got sick and died of cancer on June 2, 1967 at age 71. Doc Watson and Roy Acuff are among those who cite Ashley as an influence. At least he got rediscovered in the 60s. This video is mostly an interview with Clarence Ashley. But he does play Coo Coo Bird in the video.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MEW

Artist:MEW

Song:Introducing Palace Players

Album:No More Stories...

The Danish band MEW had success mostly in Europe as an album and touring band. The 2009 album No More Stories... is probably their most popular album. MEW recently retired after a farewell tour. MEW is from Copenhagen, Denmark led by lead singer and main songwriter Jonas Bjerre. They were classmates in the Copenhagen suburb of Hellerup. The other members were Bo Madsen on guitar, Johan Wallert on bass and Silas Graae on drums. When they formed in 1995, they called themselves Orange Dog. Though the band failed, Bjerre regrouped after a trip to the US. The new band was called MEW. It's supposed to be like "eeeew" which is a reaction to something disgusting. They self released the 1997 album A Triumph for Man which got them a distributor. Also, Bjerre created background animation for live shows that got them noticed. This led to a record deal with Columbia. As I said, they have been successful mostly as an album and touring band. Introducing Palace Players was first released on the 2009 EP No More Stories... The album was released a couple of months later. MEW wrote and produced with recording engineer Rich Costey. This is probably their best known album and is available as a budget CD. MEW continued until Bjerre decided to end the band. They were trying to record in 2024. And when things weren't going well, Bjerre decided to end the band. It looks like he plans to start a new band. MEW played their farewell show in February. Here's the video for Introducing Palace Players by MEW. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Yola

Artist:Yola

Song:Diamond Studded Shoes

Album:Stand for Myself

Yola is a British singer songwriter who is attempting to be a successful recording artist and avoid categorization because she can do many things. That's always going to be tough because radio station program directors like to take the easy route. Right now she's a bit of a cause celebre with music business insiders but I don't know how long that will last. She was born Yolanda Claire Quartey July 31, 1983 in Bristol, England. Her father left when she was two years old. Her mother tried to discourage her from pursuing music. Yola attended university in London and used student loans to stay afloat while making music. Of course that didn't last and she was homeless for six months until she had enough money to move back to Bristol. Yola toured with the DJ collective Bugs in the Attic and Massive Attack. And that led to studio work as a background singer. Yola formed the band Phantom Limb and they released a couple of albums. But she didn't like being part of a band. So she released a 2016 EP Orphan Offering as Yola Carter. After it was critically praised by the music press, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys signed her to his label Easy Eye Sound with Concord distribution. Yola's debut album Walk Through Fire was released. Auerbach produced the album in Nashville. They wrote all the songs together. The album did well in England and in the Adult Alternative market. She was nominated for four Grammys including Best New Artist. Yola's music was categorized as Roots or Americana and I don't think it's either of those things. Meanwhile, Yola played Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film Elvis. Then she released the 2021 album Stand for Myself. This was also written and produced by Yola and Auerbach. It was nominated for two Grammys, Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song for the single Diamond Studded Shoes. Is that how she wants to be categorized? Meanwhile, Yola made her Broadway debut in the 2024 musical Hadestown. For the 2025 EP My Way, the sound is more synth pop and R&B. It was produced by Rihannon Giddens formerly of The Carolina Chocolate Drops who has defied stereotypes for her whole career. The EP seems to be a one off. Maybe Yola learned something. Here's the video for Diamond Studded Shoes by Yola.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ahmad Jamal

Artist:Ahmad Jamal

Song:Poinciana

Album:Priceless Jazz

Here is another in my Jazz for Beginners series complete with an affordable comp CD and a live performance video clip. Pianist Ahmad Jamal was around for decades leading small groups. The high point of his career was when his 1958 single Poinciana was a top five hit. Obviously it was a surprise hit but it certainly kept him going for decades. He was born Frederick Russell Jones July 2, 1930 in Pittsburgh. He started playing at age three when his uncle challenged him to copy what he was playing on piano. He was classically trained by opera singer Mary Cardwell Dawson. He was playing in competitions at age 11. His jazz influences include Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams and Erroll Garner. He started playing in clubs at age 14. At the time, Jamal was compared to Art Tatum. Jamal started touring after graduating high school in 1948. He moved to Chicago in 1950 and converted to Islam and took the name Ahmad Jamal. Jamal first recorded with The Three Strings in 1951 for Columbia's Okeh label. The other members were Ray Crawford on guitar and Eddie Calhoun on bass. Bassist Israel Crosby joined in 1954 and remained with Jamal until 1962. The turning point for Jamal came when he signed with Chess's Argo label and released the 1956 album Count 'Em 88. For that album, Crawford was replaced by drummer Walter Perkins. And he was replaced by Vernal Fournier for the 1958 album Ahmad's Blues. They were the house band at Chicago's Pershing Hotel. Chess decided to record there in Jan. 1958 and Jamal selected the songs for the album At the Pershing: But Not for Me. All the songs on the album were standards including Poinciana. DownBeat criticized the album as "cocktail jazz". But remember it was recorded at a cocktail lounge. The unusual thing was when Chess released Poinciana as a single and it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was at a time when Billboard was transitioning from their old system that didn't include jazz. So Poinciana was the first jazz song to chart on Billboard's singles chart. Poinciana is a Cuban folk song about a tree. Tin Pan Alley songwriters Nat Simon and Buddy Bernier adapted it to English. Steve Lawrence charted with his 1952 recording of Poinciana. But plenty of jazz musicians recorded it and that's likely where Jamal heard it. This trio was very successful until Crosby died of a heart attack in 1962. That was the peak of Jamal's career. He recorded for Cadet, Impulse!, 20th Century, Atlantic, Verve, Telarc and smaller labels. Universal owns the Chess catalog so this is the comp you should get. Ahmad Jamal died from prostate cancer on Apr. 16, 2023 at age 92. Here's Ahmad Jamal with Yusef Lateef on flute and sax, Reginald Veal on bass, Herlin Riley on drums and Manolo Badrena on percussion performing Poinciana at the Olympia in Paris Nov. 2012. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Salsa Celtica

Artist:Salsa Celtica

Song:El Sol de la Noche

Album:El Agua De La Vida

Salsa Celtica is a salsa band that happens to be from Scotland. Anyone expecting them to be a salsa version of Red Hot Chilli Pipers will be disappointed because they are a standard salsa band with occasional use of bagpipes and other Celtic instruments. Trumpeter Toby Shippey was playing Edinburgh clubs when he got the idea to form a salsa band. He visited Cuba to investigate further. When he returned, he formed Salsa Celtica and they self released a couple of albums. They toured England, Scotland and Ireland and also played the US folk festival circuit. For the 2003 album El Agua de La Vida, Salsa Celtica signed with the Celtic music label Greentrax with Compass handling US distribution. They do not record traditional salsa. Shippey writes most of the songs with co-writers. He wrote El Sol de la Noche with jazz pianist Roland Perrin who plays on the song. The album was produced by Jim Sutherland. The lead singer is Cuban Ricardo Fernandez Pompa. The other lead singer is Venezuelan Lino Rocha. This album is available on CD. Shippey has another band called Grupo Magnetico. They had a residency in Edinburgh and released an album in 2018. Salsa Celtica released an album last year. So they are still around but my guess is band membership is very fluid. Here's Salsa Celtica performing El Sol de la Noche at the Helsinki Festival Aug. 30, 2014. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lizzo

Artist:Lizzo

Song:Truth Hurts

Album:Cuz I Love You: Deluxe Edition

Melissa "Lizzo" Jefferson is a hip hop singer songwriter known for her heft. She's a big girl. Do I think that's a factor in her success? Oh, probably. At least she looks different because her music is not that distinctive. One thing is for sure. She knows how to use TikTok. The 2017 single Truth Hurts was her first #1 single. She was born Apr. 27, 1988 in Detroit. Her family moved to Houston when she was 11 years old. She trained as a classical flutist until she got into rap in high school. She was given the nickname Lizzo based on the Jay-Z song Izzo. She studied classical music at the University of Houston and played flute and sang for the jazz band Ellypseas. When that didn't go anywhere, Lizzo moved to Minneapolis and formed several bands including Lizzo & the Larva Ink, Chalice who released the 2012 album We Are the Chalice and Grrrl Prty. She self released the 2013 album Lizzobangers. That album got positive reviews and Lizzo toured to support it. Virgin re-released it in 2014. She appeared on an episode of Late Night with David Letterman. She released the 2015 album Big Grrrl Small World. After the music press also reviewed that album positively, she signed with producer Ricky Reed's new label Nice Life with Atlantic Records distribution. Reed had successfully produced Jason Derulo. So now she's getting somewhere. Lizzo released the 2016 EP Coconut Oil and the single Good as Hell reached #3 0n the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by Lizzo's acting debut in the 2019 film Hustlers. Next was the 2019 album Cuz I Love You and her first #1 hit Truth Hurts. That song wasn't on the album. It was released as a single and it appeared in the Netflix film Someone Great. That film was popular with teens and they spread the song virally on TikTok. Like most of the songs on Cuz I Love You, Lizzo wrote and produced with Reed and co-writers. It appears that Atlantic pulled the original album and the Deluxe Edition is the only version available. She scored another #1 hit with the 2022 single About That Time from the album Special. But the album didn't sell as well as Cuz I Love You. Lizzo's new album Bitch is being released today. We'll see how that goes. Things seem to go well when she posts stuff on TikTok. Here's the video for Truth Hurts by Lizzo. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Muni Long

Artist:Muni Long

Song:Made for Me

Album:Revenge

R&B singer songwriter Muni Long released her debut album in 2009. She finally had success with a couple of top 20 pop hits including the 2023 single Made for Me. If she was in her 20s, I would say she has star potential. But she's 37 and I doubt that her label DefJam can be patient with her development. She was born Priscilla Renea Hamilton Sept. 14, 1988 in Gifford, FL which is a Vero Beach suburb. She was raised by her grandparents as her father was in the US Navy. She was in the church choir as a child. After she started posting videos on YouTube, She appeared on the MTV game show Say what? Karaoke!. Priscilla signed with Capitol Records in 2009 and the album Jukebox was released. Benny Blanco was one of the producers. After the album didn't sell, she left Capitol and started writing songs for others. Among the songs she co-wrote was the 2014 single Somethin' Bad for Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood which was nominated for a Grammy. Then she released the 2018 album Coloured on the indie label Thirty Tigers. When that went nowhere, Priscilla changed her name to Muni Long (pronounced "money long"). Then she started her own label and released a couple of EPs. She got a record deal with DefJam in 2022. She told Vogue that she created a "fashion identity" with a celebrity stylist. She released an album which was a re-release of her EPs. The single Hrs. and Hrs. was a top twenty hit. Then she released the 2024 album Revenge. The single Made for Me reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Muni wrote and produced with co-writers. Made for Me was written and produced by Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri and Jordan XL Orvosh. Christopher "Tricky" Stewart produced several songs. So she's working with big name producers. It remains to be seen where Muni Long goes from here. She was on tour for all of 2025. Now I would think she would record a new album. Even if Muni Long doesn't become a big star, she has potential as a songwriter and producer. The stardom window is closing. Here's the video for Made for Me by Muni Long.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Iain Matthews

Artist:Iain Matthews

Song:Shake It

Album:The Seattle Years 1978-1984

Iain Matthews is a British singer songwriter who started out in the 60s with the legendary British folk band Fairport Convention and attempted to cross over to pop in the 70s. He was mostly unsuccessful except when he scored a top 20 hit with the 1978 single Shake It. You may have seen it play over the opening credits for the 1980 film Little Darlings. Unfortunately, there is no soundtrack album for that film. He was born Ian Matthews MacDonald June 16, 1946 in Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, England. He changed his name to Ian Mathews in 1968 to avoid confusion with Ian McDonald of King Crimson. Matthews' family moved to Scunthorpe when he was 12 years old. Matthews left school at age 16 and worked as an apprentice sign painter while he played in local bands. He moved to London in 1965 and was in the surf rock band Pyramid. They released one single on Deram Records. In 1967, he was brought into Fairport Convention by bassist Ashley Hutchings. He appeared on a couple of albums. But Hutchings and producer Joe Boyd decided that he didn't fit in the band. He signed with UNI/Decca and released the 1970 album Matthews Southern Comfort. Fairport Convention veterans Richard Thompson, Ashley Hutchings and Simon Nicol played on the album. The veteran songwriting team of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley produced under the pseudonym of Steve Barlby. They managed Matthews. Mathews wanted to turn it into a band. Marc Ellington suggested Matthews check out the band Harsh Reality who were about to be dropped by Philips Records. The base of that band became Matthews Southern Comfort. They topped the British carts with their cover of Woodstock. But Matthews Southern Comfort only lasted a year as most of the band hated the country influenced sound. After recording a couple of solo albums, Matthews moved to Los Angeles to join the band Plainsong. They recorded one album for Elektra and split up. Matthews bounced around including working with former Monkee Michael Nesmith. But nothing clicked until the 1978 single Shake It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's from the 1978 album Stealin' Home. After failure first at Elektra then Columbia, he signed with producer Sandy Roberton's label Rockburgh Records. They were distributed in the US by the Canadian label Mushroom Records. Heart was on that label. Roberton produced the 1978 album Stealin' Home. Matthews wrote most of the songs. But Shake It was written by Terence Boylan and he recorded it on his 1977 album Terence Boylan. Matthews heard the song on the radio and got more info about it and recorded it. Former King Crimson saxophonist Mel Collins played the sax solo. Shake It also played over the opening credits of the 1980 film Little Darlings. But there was no soundtrack album as back in those days, film producers used songs without acquiring the rights to use it. That's why it took forever for some films to show up on home video. The producers had to replace some songs. You can get Shake It on this Varese comp. Since then Matthews has bounced all over the place. His memoir was published in 2019. He last released an album in 2017. Here Shake It by Iain Matthews as it appeared in the opening credits of the 1980 film Little Darlings.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Candy Flip

Artist:Candy Flip

Song:Strawberry Fields Forever

Album:Madstock...The Continuing Adventures of Bubblecar Fish

This 1990 cover of The Beatles classic Strawberry Fields Forever was a top five hit in England. It was the only hit single from the only album by the British duo Candy Flip. They are from Stoke-on-Trent, England and were part of the Madchester music scene of the late 80s. Danny Spencer and Ric Peet were already doing remixes when they decided to form a duo. At first, they called themselves Yin Yang then changed it to Candy Flip which is a drug reference. Other than Strawberry Fields Forever, all the songs on the 1991 album Madstock were written and produced either by Peet or Spencer and his brother Kelvin Andrews. Spencer is the singer. First Strawberry Fields Forever was a hit on the Madchester rave scene. Then it reached #3 on the British Singles chart and it was a hit across Europe. It got so big that Candy Flip had to sign with Atlantic Records to keep up with the demand. The main sample is the drum beat from James Brown's Funky Drummer. They released a few more singles from the album but none of them did well. So I guess Strawberry Fields Forever was a fluke hit. Madstock is available as a digital download. Peet and Spencer never recorded again as Candy Flip. Peet produced the bands The Charlatans and Six by Seven. Spencer formed the remix duo Sure Is Pure with his brother Kelvin Andrews and they did remixes of Sister Sledge's back catalog. Sometimes they work together. But this is the kind of music they make today. Candy Flip could have been famous. But I don't think Peet and Spencer wanted that. Here's the video for Strawberry Fields Forever by Candy Flip. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charlie Puth

Artist:Charlie Puth

Song:Attention

Album:Voicenotes

Posting videos on YouTube got singer songwriter Charlie Puth a record deal. The 2017 single Attention is one of his two big hits. Since then he hasn't had the same success. So it makes me wonder if Puth will have long term success or is just a flash in the pan. We'll see. He was born in the New York City suburb of Rumson, NJ on Dec. 2,1991. His mother is a teacher and his father is a real estate agent. His mother started teaching him piano at age four. He started studying jazz at age ten and participated in a summer youth jazz band at Count Basie's theater Cool School in Red Bank, NJ. While in high School. Puth attended Manhattan School of Music followed by Berklee in Boston where he majored in music production and engineering. Puth started his own YouTube channel in 2009. He self released a 2010 EP The Otto Tunes. At the time, he posted a lot of covers. One of those covers was of Adele's Someone Like You with Emily Luther. Ellen Degeneres liked it enough sign both to her label eleveneleven with Warner Bros. distribution. Puth appeared on Ellen's show a couple of times. But when it came time to record an album, eleveneleven disappeared. I think that happens a lot with vanity labels as it turns out to be more work than they thought. Puth returned to self releasing until in 2015, he signed with Artist Partner Group (APG) with Atlantic distribution. APG is owned by former Warners A&R exec Mike Caren. When Puth signed with APG, all his previous recordings were removed from iTunes. His debut single was Marvin Gaye in 2015. It featured Meghan Trainor who was hot at the time. It reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the British charts. Then the single See You Again by Wiz Khalifa featuring Puth topped the charts worldwide. Puth's 2016 album One Track Mind was certified 2XPlatinum. Attention was the first single from the 2017 album Voicenotes. It reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is his biggest US hit. Puth wrote and produced the album with Jacob Kasher and Richard Goransson. Both guys have produced other similar pop artists The album was certified Platinum. Puth's subsequent albums and singles haven't done as well. And as I said, it makes me wonder if he will have long term success. I think Puth was wondering too. He was recording an album in 2019. A couple of singles were released. Puth didn't like any of the songs so he scrapped the album. He may have a future as a producer as he wrote and produced the 2021 #1 hit Stay by Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber. He has been trying things to promote himself. But each subsequent album has decreased in sales. He also did the phony reality show The Charlie Puth Show on Roku in 2024. It looks like he is putting off the decision to continue as a recording artist or be a producer. We'll see what he does Here's the video for Attention by Charlie Puth. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Blitzen Trapper

Artist:Blitzen Trapper

Song:Sci-Fi  Kid

Album:Wild Mountain Nation

Blitzen Trapper is an indie band that became successful as an album and touring band after the 2007 album Wild Mountain Nation was favorably reviewed by the music press. Their music is a mix of several styles most notably the 70s country rock of New Riders of the Purple Sage and progressive rock. They record for their own label and have used several distributors. Blitzen Trapper is from Portland, OR. led by Eric Earley. He is lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. At first the band was called Garmonbozia which is a Twin Peaks reference. They weren't going to be able to call themselves that for copyright reasons so the name was changed to Blitzen Trapper. The other original members were Erik Menteer and Marty Marquis on guitar, Drew Loughery on keyboards, Michael Van Pelt on bass and Brian Adrian Koch on drums. Early and Koch are the only original members still in Blitzen Trapper. They recorded as Garmonbozia from 2000-03 and changed their name to Blitzen Trapper which is a reference to Earley's seventh grade girlfriend. They started their own label. Their first couple of albums had more country influences. For the 2007 album Wild Mountain Nation, Earley signed with the major indie label Sub Pop and he decided to go with a more mainstream sound. The album got a rave review from Pitchfork. And Rolling Stone called Blitzen Trapper "the best Grateful Dead knockoff in forever". Earley wrote and produced the album. The album is available as a digital download. They recorded four albums for Sub Pop followed by albums for Vagrant and Yep Roc. All three are major indie labels. Blitzen Trapper released their latest album in 2024. I suppose Blitzen Trapper could sign with a major label if they wanted. But that might backfire with their current fanbase. Blitzen Trapper is not on tour but they are playing a few shows in August. Here's Blitzen Trapper performing Sci-Fi Kid at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco Feb. 28,2008. 

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-50 Cent

Artist:50 Cent f/Olivia

Song:Candy Shop

Album:Best of 50 Cent

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson was a very successful rapper 20 years ago . The 2005 single Candy Shop was one of his three #1 hits. Like many rappers, his career stalled. His most recent album was released in 2014. He's been concentrating on film and TV production. The STARZ TV series Power has been very successful. Jackson was born July 6, 1975 in Queens, NY. His mother died when he was eight years old. So he was raised by his grandparents. Jackson started boxing as a teen. And he also sold drugs. He was arrested in 1994 for selling cocaine to an undercover police officer and went to prison where he earned his GED. Jackson did not use cocaine. Selling it was easy money unless he got caught. He claims that the name 50 Cent is a metaphor for change. It's the name given to an 80s Brooklyn robber. In 1996, he started rapping in a friend's basement. He was introduced to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was starting his own label. Jay taught him how to make records but Irv Gotti of DefJam thought he sounded too much like Jay-Z. The production group Trackmasters signed Jackson to Columbia. His debut single How to Rob appeared on the soundtrack of the 1999 film In Too Deep. Nas asked him to appear on his tour. Just as he was starting to get somewhere, he was shot several times outside his grandmother's house. Jackson recovered but the alleged attacker was killed three weeks later. Columbia dropped Jackson but signed him to a publishing deal. He became popular on the mixtape circuit. That led him to Eminem and Dr. Dre and a record deal with Interscope. The 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin' was certified 9XPlatinum and the 2003 single 21 Questions topped the charts. This was followed by the 2005 album The Massacre. That was certified 6XPlatinum and the single Candy Shop topped the charts. Scott Storch of The Roots was the main producer. He produced several songs including Candy Shop. Eminem and Dr. Dre also produced a couple of tracks each. The singer is Olivia Longott who was a member of the rap supergroup G-Unit led by Jackson. Her own career went nowhere. The song is influenced by Middle Eastern music and samples The Salsoul Orchestra's Love Break. Those two albums were Jackson's peak. Sales decreased and Jackson last released an album in 2014. He still releases singles. But he hasn't charted since 2012. You can get all his hits on this budget comp. My problem with 50 Cent is the same problem I have with other rappers. All his music sounds the same. Listeners get tired of it. Jackson wisely got into other ventures. The most notable of these is G-Unit Film & Television. The STARZ series Power and the various spinoffs have been successful. And his new series BMF has also been successful. He also produces films. I suppose he can still make records but he doesn't need to. Here's the video for Candy Shop by 50 Cent featuring Olivia.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rosalind Russell

Artist:Rosalind Russell f/Jacqueline McKeever

Song:Ohio

Album:Wonderful Town: CBS TV Cast

Rosalind Russell was a movie star best known for the 1940 film His Girl Friday and the 1959 film Auntie Mame. Then she came to Broadway and won a Tony for the 1953 musical Wonderful Town. She was born June 4, 1907 in Waterbury, CT. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a teacher. Her parents thought she was going to be a teacher. She didn't tell them of her plans to be an actress. Rosalind studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. After graduating, she acted in summer stock and joined a repertory company in Boston. When she moved to Los Angeles in the early 30s, she signed with Universal. But she didn't like it there and signed with MGM in 1934. Her breakthrough role was the 1939 film The Women followed by the 1940 film His Girl Friday. That's her best known film. It helped that she traded barbs with Cary Grant. The success of that film got her much better roles. She was Oscar nominated for the films My Sister Eileen (1942), Sister Kenny (1946) and Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) but she never won one. She was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1973. Rosalind decided to take a break from Hollywood to appear in the 1953 musical Wonderful Town. This was based on the 1940 play My Sister Eileen and of course Rosalind appeared in the 1942 film version. It's about two sisters living in a Greenwich Village basement apartment looking for success. The songs were written by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein. Rosalind won a Best Actress Tony and it also won Best Musical. The show was very successful and it ran for over a year. Edie Adams was Rosalind's co-star on Broadway. When CBS produced Wonderful Town for TV in 1956, Edie Adams was replaced by Jacqueline McKeever. Jacqueline was Tony nominated for the 1958 musical Oh, Captain!. It looks like she retired from acting in 1959. The album for this TV version is available on CD. The original cast album from the 1953 version is available as a budget CD. Rosalind got her final Oscar nomination for the 1959 film Auntie Mame. Rosalind continued to appear in films, most notably the 1966 film The Trouble with Angels. Her final film was the 1971 film Mrs. Polifax-Spy. After her retirement, Rosalind did charity work for arthritis research. She died of breast cancer on Nov. 28, 1976 at age 69. Here's Rosalind Russell and Jacqueline McKeever performing Ohio from the 1958 CBS TV telecast of Wonderful Town.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lonette McKee

 

Artist:Lonette McKee f/Gretha Boston and Michel Bell

Song:Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man

Album:Show Boat: World Premiere Cast Recording

I have been a Lonette McKee fan since I found her 1978 album Words and Music in a used record store in Toronto. She wrote and produced everything. Plus she is a fantastic singer and is drop dead gorgeous. But when her records didn't sell, she turned to acting and she has done that ever since. She has only released three albums. You may have seen her in the films Sparkle (1976), The Cotton Club (1984), Brewster's Millions (1985), 'Round Midnight (1986) and three Spike Lee films; Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992) and He Got Game (1998). She recorded her third album for Lee's record label. Lonette has also had success on Broadway as Julie in the 1994 production of Show Boat. Of course Show Boat was based on Edna Ferber's book with music by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical was first produced in 1927 and there have been many revivals. There have also been a couple of films. This particular revival is interesting because it was produced by Toronto based narcissist Garth Drabinsky. The kicker was that he brought in Broadway veteran Hal Prince to direct. I'm sure that's why it moved to Broadway. The actors in this video were in both versions including Lonette McKee, Michel Bell and Gretha Boston. Show Boat ran for over two years on Broadway. Lonette was nominated for a Tony. She also played Billie Holiday in the musical Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. In recent years, she has toured with her one woman show. I just think she had the talent to be a big singing star. But she took advantage of her acting opportunities. Here's Lonette McKee with Michel Bell Gretha Boston performing Can't Help Lovin Dat Man on PBS Great Performances Mar. 7, 1995.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lindsey Buckingham

Artist:Lindsay Buckingham

Song:Trouble

Album:Solo Anthology:The Best of Lindsey Buckingham

Of course Lindsey Buckingham is best known as a long time member of Fleetwood Mac. He does record solo occasionally and he scored a top ten hit with the 1981 single Trouble. But other than that, he hasn't been successful as a solo artist. He was born Oct. 3, 1949 in Palo Alto, CA. His father was a football star at San Jose State College and ran a coffee plant. Buckingham and his two brothers swam competitively and Gregory Buckingham won a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Buckingham is self taught on guitar and he doesn't read music. He played along to folk music records as a teen. He was in the band Fritz in high school. He met Stevie Nicks when she was hired as a backup singer. Their romantic relationship began after both left Fritz. After they recorded demos, they signed with Polydor Records and released the 1973 album Buckingham Nicks. Richard Dashut was the recording engineer and he went on to produce Fleetwood Mac for two decades. Polydor dropped Buckingham Nicks  when the album didn't sell. Buckingham toured with Don Everly's backing band. In 1974, Mick Fleetwood was looking to record at Sound City in Los Angeles. When he heard the song Frozen Love from Buckingham Nicks, he asked about the guitarist. Buckingham Nicks were recording demos at Sound City. After Bob Welch left Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood offered that slot to Buckingham. Buckingham told Fleetwood that he and Stevie Nicks are a team and he didn't want to work without her. So Fleetwood hired both of them and the rest is history. So we all know how successful Fleetwood Mac was. But during the recording of the 1977 album Rumours, Buckingham and Nicks split up. For the 1979 album Tusk, Fleetwood allowed Buckingham to work on the album at home. When the album wasn't as successful as previous albums, Buckingham released the 1981 album Law and Order. The single Trouble reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Buckingham wrote all the songs, produced with Richard Dashut and played all the instruments. On Trouble, George Hawkins of Loggins & Messina played bass and Mick Fleetwood played drums. The problem was despite the hit single, the album got mixed reviews and didn't sell well. So Buckingham returned to Fleetwood Mac. Law and Order is not available. But you can get Trouble along with the song Holiday Road from the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation on this budget comp that was first released on 3CDs and reduced to one. 3CDs is a little excessive. Over the years, Buckingham would leave Fleetwood Mac, go solo and then return when his solo albums didn't sell. Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac for good in 2018. He recorded and toured with The Killers and released his most recent album in 2021. He had open heart surgery in 2019 so he is currently off the road. But he is working on a new album. Here's the video for Trouble by Lindsey Buckingham. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Noah Haidu

Artist:Noah Haidu

Song:Slipstream

Album:Slipstream

Jazz pianist Noah Haidu has played New York clubs for more than a decade. Slipstream was his 2011 debut album. He was born July 28, 1972 in Charlottesville, VA. He took piano lessons as a child but got into jazz as a teen. He moved to Los Angeles where he studied jazz piano and composition and went to clubs. Haidu studied with Kenny Barron at Rutgers University. Haidu moved to New York City and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at New School University and a Master of Music Degree at The State University of New York. He started out in the band Native Soul. After recording two albums with them, he got a record deal with the jazz label Posi-Tone and released the 2011 album Slipstream. Haidu wrote all the songs. Haidu also produced the album. Musicians are Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Jon Irabagon on soprano sax, Chris Haney on bass and Willie Johns III on drums. This album is available on CD. Haidu recorded two albums for Posi-Tone followed by four albums for Sunnyside. His latest album Standards III was released on his own label in 2025. Haidu is finishing a West Coast tour. As I said, he plays New York clubs but also tours internationally. Here's Noah Haidu performing Slipstream with Alejandro Ariel de la Portilla and Steve Johns on drums performing Slipstream at Smalls Jazz Club in New York City. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Art Brut

Artist:Art Brut

Song:Emily Kane

Album:Top of the Pops

Art Brut is a British band that have been around since 2003. The 2005 single Emily Kane is probably their best known song though they've never had a big hit. Art Brut is a conventional rock band except for lead singer Eddie Argos speech singing delivery and cheeky lyrics. Argos was born Kevin Macklin Oct. 25, 1979 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Argos was still in school when he formed his first band The Art Goblins in the 90s. After they split up, Argos moved to London in 2001 looking to form a new band. He met Chris Chinchilla at a party. He already knew guitarist Ian Catskilkin. The rest of the band was Freddy Feedback on bass and Mikey Breyer on drums. The band name Art Brut was inspired by a French museum that Argos visited. They started playing gigs and recorded a demo. Rough Trade released one of the demos as a single but decided not to sign art Brut. Then Fierce Panda released a single. It did well enough that they agreed to release the 2005 album Bang Bang Rock & Roll. The album was produced by John Fortis and Howard Gray. Argos wrote all the songs. The single Emily Kane reached #41 on the British Singles chart. It is Art Brut's highest charting single. They toured but Chinchilla left during the tour. He was replaced by Jasper Future of Argos' former band The Art Goblins. You can get Emily Kane on this 2CD comp. For the 2007 album It's a Bit Complicated, Art Brut signed with EMI's Mute label. It was released in the US by EMI's Downtown label. They toured the US and appeared on Conan and Jimmy Kimmel. But EMI was in the process of being sold. So Art Brut didn't get the necessary promotion and they left the label. Art Brut signed with the indie label Cooking Vinyl. They released two albums which were produced by Frank Black. Then Breyer and Future left the band and were replaced by Stephen Gilchrist and Toby MacFarlane. And that's how it's gone for Art Brut. They have released five albums on four different labels. And it's hard to get anywhere when they are bouncing around like that. Art Brut still tours. But they last released an album in 2018. But they are worth checking out. Here's the video for Emily Kane by Art Brut.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billie Eilish

Artist:Billie Eilish

Song:Bad Guy

Album:When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?: Deluxe Edition

Singer songwriter Billie Eilish broke through in a big way with the 2019 album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and the single Bad Guy. She had success on Spotify before she signed with Interscope. Her music is popular because she was 18 years old in 2019 and teenage girls are her audience. When they get tired of her, someone else will take her place. That's how the music business works these days. She was born Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell Dec. 18, 2001 in Los Angeles. Her older brother Finneas O'Connell produces and co-writes her music. Their parents are actors but not famous. They encouraged both kids to get into music. Billie started writing songs as a preteen. She was interested in acting but she didn't like auditioning. Then Billie started working on songs with Finneas. He already had a band. They posted the songs on SoundCloud. The recording of the song Ocean Eyes was for her dance class. Finneas' manager Danny Rukasin liked the song and thought she could have success with Finneas' help. Rukasin got Billie a deal with Apple who hired Platoon who specialized in packaging singers before they sign with a major label. The video for Ocean Eyes was posted on YouTube. Darkroom owner Justin Lubliner got Billie a record deal with Interscope. They re-released the singles followed by an EP of remixes. This was followed by several singles. What, no album? Well, Interscope is known to be reluctant to release an album by a young female artist until they are sure it will be a smash hit. So they set things up with Spotify to make Billie a sure thing. There were a total of eleven singles. Some were released on the 2017 EP Don't Smile at. Me. These songs didn't chart but they did great on Spotify. At the time, streaming services were not part of Billboard's metrics. That has since changed. Billie went on tour and Interscope released more singles. By the time the album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was released in 2019, it was a big Spotify powered feeding frenzy. Bad Guy was Billie's first #1 hit and the album was certified 4XPlatinum. The whole thing is too contrived for me but I'm sure Interscope was very happy. The album is available on CD in a Deluxe Edition with two bonus tracks. Billie has since released two albums and the 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft was certified 2XPlatinum. Look, Interscope doesn't care about Billie's long term success. They want it now. I'm sure Billie and her brother are very happy now. But what happens when sales inevitably decrease? Remember Lana Del Rey and her rise and fall? The same thing will probably happen to Billie Eilish. It's disposable music that ultimately feeds corporate beasts like Interscope. Here's the video for Bad Guy by Billie Eilish.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Platters

Artist:The Platters

Song:Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Album:All-Time Gteatest Hits

The Platters were the most successful R&B vocal group of the 50s. They bridged the gap between Tin Pan Alley and 50s pop music. They scored four #1 hit singles and the 1958 single Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was their biggest hit and one of the most memorable records of the era. The Platters were formed in 1952 in Los Angeles by Federal Records A&R man Ralph Bass. The original group members were Alex Hodge, his brother Gaynel Hodge, Curtis Williams, Joe Jefferson and Cornell Gunter. Gunter and Jefferson were soon replaced by Tony Williams and Herb Reed. Reed had just been discharged from the US Army. Williams was lead singer. Reed was a member of The Platters for their entire run. Reed was at the Hodge household trying to come up with a group name when Mrs. Hodge came in with a plate of cookies. There were some 78rpm records on the table and she said "They look just like platters" and Reed chose that name. After a couple of unsuccessful singles on Federal, Bass asked his songwriter friend Buck Ram for help. He brought in female singer Zola Taylor and Paul Robi replaced Alex Hodge. Then Ram got them a record deal with Mercury. He also managed The Penguins who scored a top ten hit with the single Earth Angel. Mercury wanted them and Ram agreed to it if Mercury also took The Platters. The Penguins never had another hit. Only You was a Ram song that was already unsuccessfully recorded. Williams convinced Ram to record a new version and it was a top ten hit in 1955. This was followed by The Platters' first #1 hit The Great Pretender. And The Platters appeared in the film Rock Around the Clock. Their next #1 single was My Prayer in 1958. My Prayer was interesting because Ram didn't write it. It was a French song with English lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. And that led to The Platters' recording of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for the 1933 Broadway musical Roberta. Maybe you have seen the 1935 film Roberta when Irene Dunne sang it. But The Platters' 1958 single Smoke Gets in Your Eyes not only topped the charts but it was their biggest hit and signature song. It was also their final #1 hit. You can get all their hits on this comp. Beware of knockoff versions. These are the original recordings. This version of The Platters lasted until 1960. Then Mercury dropped them in 1962. A version of The Platters continued to tour and occasionally record. But they never had the same success that they had in the 50s. Here's The Platters performing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes on the Mar. 1, 1958 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show.