Twenty-eight years ago, on the 15th of December 1995, it was released. It won the award for “Single of the Year” at the 1996 New Zealand Music Awards. In 2002, it was named as the 71st-greatest one-hit wonder of all time on a VH1 countdown hosted by William Shatner (better known as Captain James T. Kirk). It topped the singles charts in New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Canada and Ireland. It became the anthem of the English 1997 FA Women’s Cup Final-winning Millwall Lionesses soccer team.
“How Bizarre” by “OMC” (Otara Millionaires Club) became one of the most successful New Zealand songs ever recorded.
Doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll great Dion DiMucci has released a brand new song called “An American Hero.” Dion’s biggest and best known hits include “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer,” both from 1961. He scored a number 1 on the RadiJohan Top 10 in 2020 with “song For Sam Cooke” which featured Paul simon. Dion repeated the feat in 2022 when he topped our chart with “Dancing Girl” which featured Mark Knopfler.
Dion’s latest release is a duet which features veteran country star Carlene Carter (daughter of June Carter-Cash). Dion said in a press release:
“Basically, it’s a song about the ordinary person being a hero and championing the cause of the people around them. You don’t have to look at cable news or online and don’t look to politicians to save you. Look into your own heart and be a hero to the ten people you affect in your life the most. Patriotism really isn’t about politics; we’re all Americans, so values and character are what matter most.”
“An American Hero,” by Dion with Carlene Carter, is new this week on RadiJohan.
The Strumbellas are back with a catchy new single. The Canadian rock band formed in 2008 and received many positive reviews for their self-titled EP released in 2009.
The band first came to our attention at RadiJohan in 2016 with “Spirits,” the first single from their third album Hope, which topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Since then they have been regulars on RadiJohan’s playlist.
Now a multi-platinum and an internationally renowned band The Strumbellas have announced their next album, Part Time Believer will be released in February 2024. The new album’s first single is out now.
“Hold Me” by The Strumbellas is new this week on RadiJohan.
They sing, they make music and they’re making a name for themselves. “The Castellows” are a country band from Southwest Georgia that consists of sisters Ellie, Powell and Lily. They love great instrumentals, three part harmonies, and singing about their home and all things country. The three sisters grew up on a cattle farm in Georgetown and, because they were home-schooled, had plenty of time to learn to play different instruments. Before officially declaring themselves a band, the sisters got their start performing at events around their hometown and in church. With their new rise to fame on social media, their music is now reaching far beyond the confines of Georgetown. What sets them apart from other female groups is their close-knit sisterly bond. “As sisters, our relationship goes beyond just being best friends.”
If you ask “The Castellows” how they accumulated 1 million Instagram followers, they’ll say they have no idea. They didn’t even plan to be a band and move to Nashville until March this year. Now they call Nashville home.
“The Castellows” are new this week on RadiJohan with Hurricane.
Katelyn and Derek Dryes are a husband-and-wife duo known as “The Dryes.” Music is what brought them together. Before they became a duo they each pursued solo careers. They gained many new fans and followers since launching their career in 2018, especially when they made their USA TV debut in season 22 of “The Voice” last year.
The Duo recently released their five-track EP, “Raisin’ Beers & Hallelujahs” which includes “Take Me Out.” Featuring a hard hitting electric guitar and a catchy pop country melody, the song has been described by “The Dryes” as “a call to get out in the sticks, away from the noise, to center yourself in the dirt.”
Take Me Out by “The Dryes” is new this week on RadiJohan.
In my search for new music for RadiJohan I’m sometimes amazed at how hard it is to find good music in keeping with, what I would consider the golden age of music from, say, 1960 – 1990. Considering how much uhm ……ah ….err ….. well honestly, utter crap gets promoted and played on radio (and TV), there is a lot of decent music that “flies under the radar” because it does not get much, if any, promotion or airplay. The music is there but finding it isn’t easy. I like to think we feature a fair amount of examples. After all, the carefully selected new music on RadiJohan does generally not reflect what’s big on the charts.
“Bite The Bullet” released their new album “Rocky Road” back in April but, even though I’m continually searching for new music, I didn’t stumble across it until recently.
Bite The Bullet formed in 1986. They released a widely acclaimed (at the time) self-titled debut album in 1989, before going into hiatus for about thirty years after their record company folded, and a tour supporting “ELO” fell through.
A few years ago the band reformed after “Rock Candy Records” re-issued the debut album. Since then they released two new albums, “Black and White” in 2021 and “End of the Line” in 2022. Whereas some speculated that the title “End of the Line” suggested a second death, we now we have a third, “Rocky Road.” The band’s music has been described as melodic rock in the genre of Mr. Mister, Toto, Foreigner and Asia, with British rock guitar overtones. The single “Rock Road” has perhaps more of a Doobie Brothers feel.
It took a while to find it, but Bite The Bullet’s single “Rock Road” is new this week on RadiJohan.