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Juke In The Back

Oldies Music

At the end of the Second World War, economics forced the big bands to trim their once great size and thus, the Jump Blues combo was born. Between 1946-1954, rhythm and blues laid the tracks for what was to become Rock n’ Roll. So how come, 75 years later, this vibrant and influential music is still so unknown to so many? Matt The Cat is going to change that with the radio program, “Juke In The Back.” These were the records that you couldn’t hear on the jukebox in the front of the establishment. To hear all this great 1950s rhythm & blues, you had to go to “Juke In The Back.”

Location:

Washington , DC

Description:

At the end of the Second World War, economics forced the big bands to trim their once great size and thus, the Jump Blues combo was born. Between 1946-1954, rhythm and blues laid the tracks for what was to become Rock n’ Roll. So how come, 75 years later, this vibrant and influential music is still so unknown to so many? Matt The Cat is going to change that with the radio program, “Juke In The Back.” These were the records that you couldn’t hear on the jukebox in the front of the establishment. To hear all this great 1950s rhythm & blues, you had to go to “Juke In The Back.”

Language:

English


Episodes

Episode #683 – Rhythm & Booze: Bad, Bad Whiskey!

6/4/2023
Air Week: June 5-11, 2023 Rhythm & Booze: Bad, Bad Whiskey! The “Juke In The Back” once again raises a glass in our Rhythm & Booze series. This time, the entire program is dedicated to that Bad, Bad Whiskey. For some, whiskey ruined their happy home, but for others, a Half-Pint-A Whiskey set the stage […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #682 – Rhythm & Booze: Wine! Wine! Wine!

5/28/2023
Air Week: May 29-June 4, 2023 Rhythm & Booze: Wine! Wine! Wine! Raise you glasses as we toast Rhythm & Booze: Wine, Wine, Wine on this week’s “Juke In The Back.” The entire program features the greatest wine R&B drinking songs of the 1940s and ’50s. We’ll dig on some Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee, Cherry Wine, Alligator […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #681 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe

5/21/2023
Air Week: May 22-28, 2023 Sister Rosetta Tharpe The “Juke In The Back” is proud to salute Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the most important and influential musical figures of the 20th Century. Tharpe, who was born Rosetta Nubin, was popular immediately after her first Decca Recordings in 1938. She gained even more exposure while […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #680 – Story of the Signifying Monkey

5/14/2023
Air Week: May 15-21, 2023 The Story Of The Signifying Monkey This week, Matt The Cat loads the “Juke In The Back” with a musical history of the old African folktale about The Signifying Monkey. We’ll trace this tale’s journey to America on slave ships from Africa as it became threaded into African-American culture in […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #679 – Johnny Bragg

5/7/2023
Air Week: May 8-14, 2023 Johnny Bragg This week, Matt The Cat features the incredible story of Johnny Bragg. It’s one of the greatest stories in all of Rhythm & Blues and early Rock n’ Roll. At age 17, Johnny Bragg is sentenced to 594 years in prison on six counts of rape. He possesses […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #678 – Floyd Dixon

4/30/2023
Air Week: May 1-7, 2023 Floyd Dixon This week, “Juke In The Back” features another unsung hero of early Rhythm & Blues, Floyd Dixon. He’s often overlooked or labeled as a Charles Brown sound-alike, but Dixon was a prolific songwriter who made a great contribution to the R&B foundation of Rock n’ Roll. After meeting […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #677 – Fortune Records

4/23/2023
Air Week: April 24-30, 2023 Fortune Records Matt The Cat and the “Juke In The Back” feature Fortune Records, another small, independent record label that made a sizable contribution to Rhythm & Blues and early Rock n’ Roll. Fortune was a Detroit original, started in late 1946, it paved the way for future greatness. We’ll […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #676 – The Clovers, Pt. 3 – 1956-58

4/16/2023
Air Week: April 17-23, 2023 The Clovers, Pt. 3 – 1956-58 The Clovers were the most successful rhythm & blues vocal group from 1951 to 1955, racking up 16 top 10 R&B singles during that time-frame. Three of those singles went to #1. Though they didn’t have a huge career defining hit, like The Dominoes […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #675 – The Clovers, Pt. 2 – 1953-56

4/9/2023
Air Week: April 10-16, 2023 The Clovers, Pt. 2 – 1953-56 The Clovers were the most successful rhythm & blues vocal group from 1951 to 1955, racking up 16 top 10 R&B singles during that time-frame. Three of those singles went to #1. Though they didn’t have a huge career defining hit, like The Dominoes […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #674 – The Clovers, Pt. 1 – 1950-53

4/2/2023
Air Week: April 3-9, 2023 The Clovers, Pt. 1 – 1950-53 The Clovers were the most successful rhythm & blues vocal group from 1951 to 1955, racking up 16 top 10 R&B singles during that time-frame. There of those singles went to #1. Though they didn’t have a huge career defining hit, like The Dominoes […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #673 – DOOTONE Records

3/26/2023
Air Week: March 27-April 2, 2023 DooTone Records Matt The Cat takes a look at another Black-owned, independent, LA-based record label that contributed greatly to the birth of Rock n’ Roll and the popularity of R&B Vocal Groups during the 1950s. This week, the “Juke In The Back” puts Dootsie Williams’ little label, DooTone Records […]

Duration:00:59:01

Episode #672 – The Lutchers: Nellie & Joe

3/19/2023
Air Week: March 20-26, 2023 The Lutchers: Nellie & Joe The “Juke In The Back” is proud to feature The Lutchers, a brother and sister who’s separate works helped define early Rhythm & Blues. Older sister, Nellie Lutcher, the piano playing vocalist, scored more hits and made much more of a national impact than her […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #671 – Huey “Piano” Smith: 1934-2023

3/12/2023
Air Week: March 13-19, 2023 Huey “Piano” Smith1934-2023 Unfortunately, Huey Smith is another “hard luck” story of R&B and early Rock n’ Roll. He was a talented boogie woogie pianist and as a session player, he contributed to some great New Orleans gems by Earl King, Smiley Lewis, Little Richard and Guitar Slim. As a […]

Duration:00:58:59

Episode #670 – Camille Howard “Boogie Woogie Chanteuse”

3/5/2023
Air Week: March 6-12, 2023 Camille Howard “Boogie Woogie Chanteuse” The pre-Rock n’ Roll era is full of unsung performers who’s style directly impacted those who came after. This week’s “Juke In The Back” spotlight on Camille Howard is one such example. Her boogie woogie piano style was inventive, fluid and pure joy. It left […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #669 – Roy Milton

2/26/2023
Air Week: February 27-March 5, 2023 Roy Milton The “Juke In The Back” is proud to shine the spotlight on one of the granddads of Rock n’ Roll, Roy Milton. His group, The Solid Senders, was composed of top-notch musicians, including Camille Howard, who was one of the greatest boogie woogie pianists of all-time. Milton, […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #668 – Billy Wright

2/19/2023
Air Week: February 20-26, 2023 Billy Wright: Prince of the Blues He was flamboyant, over-the-top and often called the “Prince of the Blues,” but Billy Wright was also an incredible, influential vocalist and an integral part in propelling Rhythm & Blues into the mainstream. Though he wouldn’t be able to transition to Rock n’ Roll, […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #667 – The Treniers

2/12/2023
Air Week: February 13-19, 2023 The Treniers There were so many influential Rhythm & Blues artists who had a great impact on the development of Rock n’ Roll, but were never able to profit from the new genre they helped to create. The Treniers were just one such group. Their core were the twins Cliff […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #666 – Hadda Brooks

2/5/2023
Air Week: February 6-12, 2023 Hadda Brooks Hadda Brooks is one of the most talented boogie woogie musicians of all-time, yet her name doesn’t come up nearly as often as Pete Johnson, Champion Jack Dupree or Professor Longhair. That’s a shame! This week, the “Juke In The Back” sets the record straight with a heavy […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #665 – Smiley Lewis

1/29/2023
Air Week: January 30-February 5, 2023 Smiley Lewis There are so many forgotten legends along Rhythm & Blues’ evolutionary highway. This week, the “Juke In The Back” looks at the great Smiley Lewis, another influential force out of New Orleans that time has chosen to forget. Lewis was born Overton Lemons, but took the name […]

Duration:00:59:00

Episode #664 – Swing Time Records

1/22/2023
Air Week: January 23-29, 2023 Swing Time Records In the fall of 1949, Down Beat Records owner Jack Lauderdale had a problem. DownBeat Magazine was threatening to sue him over the use of the name. Unsure of a new name, Lauderdale decide to use Swing as a placeholder along with Swing Beat Records before finally […]

Duration:00:59:00