Air Week: December 4-10, 2023 T-Bone Walker Drop a nickel in the ol’ Rockola Juke to hear one of the best selling and most influential bluesmen and guitarists of all-time, T-Bone Walker. This week’s show looks at how T-Bone’s immense guitar talent developed from his first recordings in the early 1940s to his breakthrough after […]

Air Week: November 27-December 3, 2023 Earl Lewis & The Channels The “Juke In The Back” is proud to feature The Channels, one of New York City’s finest and most influential vocal groups of the mid-1950s. At only 15 years, Earl Lewis fronted the group who recorded one of Doo Wop’s most classic tunes, the […]

Air Week: November 20-26, 2023 Van “Piano Man” Walls Harry Vann began playing piano in Beulah’s Church in Charleston, WV around the age of 10, but thanks to hearing Jay McShann records on the radio, he was bitten by the blues bug while in his teens. After settling in Columbus, Ohio in the late-1940s, Vann […]

Air Week: November 13-19, 2023 Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson This week, the “Juke In The Back” honors one of the greatest blues shouters of all-time, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson.  He burst on the scene in 1944 with a cover of the Joe Turner classic, “Cherry Red Blues” as the vocalist for the Cootie Williams Orchestra.  He remained […]

Air Week: November 6-12, 2023 Big Mama Thornton Willie Mae Thornton was a trailblazer, who in making her own rules paved the way for other groundbreaking female artists like Janis Joplin and Madonna. Known as “Big Mama,” Thornton scored her only hit record in early 1953 when “Hound Dog” topped the national Rhythm & Blues […]

Air Week: October 30-November 5, 2023 Rosco Gordon This week, the “Juke In The Back” spotlights the “Prince of Primitive Cool,” Rosco Gordon. His mostly self-penned tunes, feature his unique blend of mid-tempo shuffle with a slightly behind-the-beat rolling barrelhouse piano line. He was a master at making his recordings sound rough, but there was […]

Air Week: October 23-39, 2023 Spooky Halloween Rhythm & Blues Halloween has always been a frightfully good time of the year for the “Juke In The Back.” This year, Matt The Cat, along with Miss Rosie and Bobby The Bobcat bring you a cauldron of ghoulishly spooky tunes from the 1940s and ’50s. The program […]

Air Week: October 16-22, 2023 Lavern Baker, Pt. 2 – 1954-56 This week, the “Juke In The Back” looks at how one of R&B’s greatest voices, LaVern Baker, got her start. It’s part two of a two part feature on the early career of LaVern Baker. In part two, we’ll dig on Baker’s prime recording […]

Air Week: October 9-15, 2023 Lavern Baker, Pt. 1 – 1949-54 This week, the “Juke In The Back” looks at how one of R&B’s greatest voices, Lavern Baker, got her start. It’s part one of a two part feature on the early career of Lavern Baker. In part one, we’ll dig on Baker’s first recordings […]

Air Week: October 2-8, 2023 Open The Door, Richard! This week, for the 700th episode of “Juke In The Back,” Matt The Cat digs deep into the racks n’ stacks o’ shellac to bring you a solid hour on that catch phrase craze and cultural phenomenon, “Open The Door, Richard!” In early 1947, you couldn’t […]

Air Week: September 25-October 1, 2023 Red Robin Records This week, the “Juke In The Back” salutes one of R&B’s greatest unsung labels, Red Robin Records. Bobby Robinson started Robin Records in 1952 as a way to expand the business in his Harlem record store, Bobby Record Shop. He was a natural-born entrepreneur with a […]

Air Week: September 18-24, 2023 Chuck Willis, Pt. 2 – 1954-58 “Juke In The Back” completes its 2 part special on the great Chuck Willis.  This week, in part 2, we focus on Chuck’s amazing crossover success in the late 1950s with huge pop hits like “C. C. Rider,” “Betty And Dupree,” “What Am I […]

Air Week: September 11-17, 2023 Chuck Willis, Pt. 1 – 1951-54 This week, the “Juke” features part 1 of a 2 part special on the great and much underrated Chuck Willis.  Most cats n’ chicks know Chuck’s 1957 smash “C. C. Rider,” but many are unfamiliar with the great records Chuck cut in the early […]

Air Week: September 4-10, 2023 Willie Mabon Willie Mabon scored 2 #1 R&B records with “I Don’t Know” and “I’m Mad” in 1952 and ’53 respectively. Having 2 #1s ensured that he would never be forgotten, BUT Matt The Cat believe that this piano playing, harp-blowin’ blues cat should be better remembered and respected. This […]

Air Week: August 28-September 3, 2023 The Du-Droppers Matt The Cat presents another highly underrated R&B vocal group from the 1950s: The Du-Droppers. They didn’t sound like the stereotypical “doo wop” groups of the era and they weren’t your standard rhythm group either. The Du-Droppers had a sound that was all their own. Their leader, […]

Air Week: August 21-27, 2023 Five Keys, Pt. 2 – 1954-57 The Five Keys were undoubtedly one of the finest vocal groups of both the R&B and Rock n’ Roll eras. They didn’t score as many hits as say the Dominoes or the Clovers, but like The Orioles and The Ravens before them, they were […]

Air Week: August 14-20, 2023 Five Keys, Pt. 1 – 1951-54 The Five Keys were undoubtedly one of the finest vocal groups of both the R&B and Rock n’ Roll eras. They didn’t score as many hits as say the Dominoes or the Clovers, but like The Orioles and The Ravens before them, they were […]

Air Week: August 7-13, 2023 Faye Adams This week’s “Juke In The Back” highlights the short, but important career of Faye Adams. DJ Alan Freed called her “The little gal with the big voice” and she scored an impressive 3 #1 R&B hits in just a little over a year (1953-54). Surprisingly, she only had […]

Air Week: July 31-August 6, 2023 The Orioles This week, the “Juke In The Back” spotlights the most influential rhythm & blues vocal group of all-time. The Orioles hailed from Baltimore and featured lead vocals by Sonny Til, one of the most talented, dynamic and recognizable voices in history. Their first record, “It’s Too Soon […]

Air Week: July 24-30, 2023 Christine Kittrell Nashville truly earned its nickname as “Music City” during the 1950s as it was not only the home of Country Music, but also a hotbed for a thriving Rhythm & Blues Scene. Vocalist Christine Kittrell is a great example of how wonderful and vibrant that R&B scene was. […]

Air Week: July 17-23, 2023 Big Joe Turner, Pt. 2 – 1951-56 This week, we continue our salute to the great blues shouter, Big Joe Turner with part 2 of 2. The show opens in 1951, with Turner’s first recording session for his new label, Atlantic and continues through to his cross-over pop success in […]

Air Week: July 10-16, 2023 Big Joe Turner, Pt. 1 – 1938-50 This week, the “Juke In The Back” is loaded with nothing but the great recordings of Big Joe Turner, the “Boss Of The Blues.” Part one covers Joe Turner’s early years from his Kansas City beginnings to his big breakthrough in NYC at […]

Air Week: July 3-9, 2023 Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers We throw the word “influential” around a lot on the Juke In The Back, but very few groups can actually claim to have started a sub-genre based on their lead singer. The Teenagers Feat. Frankie Lymon were the first of the “kiddie” lead groups to […]

Air Week: June 26-July 2, 2023 4th of July: Summer, Food, Travel & Baseball Songs The Juke In The Back jumps into summer by spotlighting THE summertime holiday, the 4th of July. We’re diggin’ the 4th in song, ranging from songs about summertime by Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry and The Basin Street Boys to songs […]

Air Week: June 19-25, 2023 Rhythm & Booze: Looped! We continue our unsober series of vintage Rhythm & Blues drinking songs this week with Rhythm & Booze: Looped! In the past, Matt The Cat has focused on different types of libations and the places where you can consume said libations. This week, we’ll delve into […]