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Juke In The Back

Jimmy Witherspoon, Pt. 2 - 1950-56 Jimmy Witherspoon is one of most influential blues shouters to emerge after WWII and yet he remains just a footnote in the evolution of Rhythm & Blues and Rock n" Roll. In part 1 of our 2 part feature on Spoon, we focused on his early recordings with Jay McShann"s band from 1945-50. During that time, Spoon recorded his signature tune, "Ain"t Nobody"s Business," which topped the R&B charts during the summer of 1949. This week in part 2, we pick it up in 1950,

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Juke In The Back: #756 - Halloween Rhythm & Blues -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/10/28

Halloween Rhythm & BluesThis week, the ol' Rockola Jukebox is haunted by a strange spirit of rhythm & ghouls. Where is Matt The Cat? We don't know, but the spirit tells us he will return next week. In his absence, the "Juke In The Back" still fulfills the weekly promise of delivering a solid hour of 1940s and '50s Rhythm & Blues, but with a Halloween theme this week. Dig on some of your old favorites by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, LaVern Baker and The Hollywood Flames, while also getting a good fright

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Juke In The Back: #752 - King Records, Pt. 7 - 1953 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/09/30

King Records, Pt. 7 - 1953This week, it's part 7 of a 10-part series on the great King Record Label, out of Cincinnati. Syd Nathan, who began putting out records under the King logo in 1943, developed King as a hillbilly music label. After seeing the sales potential in the Rhythm & Blues market, Nathan launched the Queen Records subsidiary in 1945, but folded it into King in 1947 and transferred his R&B acts over. King established itself in the R&B field with Bull Moose Jackson, Ivory Joe Hunter,

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Juke In The Back: #748 - King Records, Pt. 3 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/09/02

King Records, Pt. 3 - 1948-49This week, it's part 3 of a 10-part series on the great King Record Label, out of Cincinnati. Syd Nathan, who began putting out records under the King logo in 1943, developed King as a hillbilly music label. After a rough start, he relaunched King in 1944 with investment from his various family members. Nathan, seeing sales potential in the Rhythm & Blues market, launched the Queen Records subsidiary in 1945, but folded it into King in 1947 and transferred his R&B acts

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Juke In The Back: #747 - King Records, Pt. 2 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/08/26

King Records, Pt. 2 - 1947-48This week, it's part 2 of a 10-part series on the great King Record Label, out of Cincinnati. Syd Nathan, who began putting out records under the King logo in 1943, developed King as a hillbilly music label. After a rough start, he relaunched King in 1944 with investment from his various family members. As King began to make a dent in the hillbilly field, he recognized that it would be more cost effective to offer other musical genres to clients who were already buying

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Juke In The Back: #746 - King Records, Pt. 1 - Queen...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/08/19

King Records, Pt. 1 - Queen RecordsThis week, we begin a 10-part series on the great King Record Label, out of Cincinnati. Syd Nathan, who began putting out records under the King logo in 1943, developed King as a hillbilly music label. After a rough start, he relaunched King in 1944 with investment from his various family members. As King began to make a dent in the hillbilly field, he recognized that it would be more cost effective to offer other musical genres to clients who were already buying

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Juke In The Back: #744 - The Dominoes, Pt. 2 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/08/05

The Dominoes, Pt. 2 - 1952-54Billy Ward and his business partner Rose Ann Marks put together The Dominoes in mid-1950 and helped fuel the R&B vocal group scene that would eventually become one of the major building blocks for Rock n' Roll. Ward, who was born Robert Lloyd Williams, was a child prodigy and made a name for himself in the Black Churches of Philadelphia. After WWII, he attended Julliard in NYC and began a career as a vocal coach, arranger, singer and songwriter. He and Rose Ann Marks

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Juke In The Back: #743 - The Dominoes, Pt. 1 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/07/29

The Dominoes, Pt. 1 - 1950-52Billy Ward and his business partner Rose Ann Marks put together The Dominoes in mid-1950 and helped fuel the R&B vocal group scene that would eventually become one of the major building blocks for Rock n' Roll. Ward, who was born Robert Lloyd Williams, was a child prodigy and made a name for himself in the Black Churches of Philadelphia. After WWII, he attended Julliard in NYC and began a career as a vocal coach, arranger, singer and songwriter. He and Rose Ann Marks

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Juke In The Back: #742 - Clyde McPhatter: 1955-59 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/07/22

Clyde McPhatter: 1955-59Clyde McPhatter had one of the sweetest and most powerful tenor voices in all of Rhythm & Blues and early Rock n' Roll. His issue throughout his 22 year recording career, was getting the recognition he thought he deserved. After singing memorable leads on many hit records for Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Clyde left because Billy Ward wouldn't put his name on the records or pay him a fair share of the profits. Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records was ready to sign McPhatter and

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Juke In The Back: #741 - Clyde McPhatter & The...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/07/15

Clyde McPhatter & The DriftersThe Drifters would become the most successful vocal group in history, charting hit after hit for over 20 years, with no less than a dozen different lead singers. This week, the "Juke In The Back" spotlights The Drifters' first chapter with the great high tenor of Clyde McPhatter out front. The group was created by Atlantic Records in order to showcase McPhatter's beautiful and powerful voice after his 2 year stint with Billy Ward & The Dominos ended. McPhatter never

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Juke In The Back: #740 - Tommy Brown - July 8-14, 2024

Juke In The Back ·

2024/07/08

Tommy BrownTommy Brown is one of the unsung blues shouters of the Rhythm & Blues Era. His only two charting records were done with the Griffin Brothers on Dot Records in 1951. He'll always be remembered for the #1 smash, "Weepin' & Cryin'," but Brown had so many tremendous records under his own name that Matt The Cat just had to feature an entire "Juke In The Back" program on Tommy Brown. Raised in a small Georgia town, Brown took to performing at an early age and was soon headlining clubs in

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Juke In The Back: #739 - 4th of July R&B Picnic -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/07/01

4th of July R&B PicnicWhats more American than celebrating Americas birthday with some good ol red, white and Rhythm & Blues about THE Fourth of July staple: food? Dig in on an hour of classic R&B about hot dogs, cole slaw, potato salad, ribs and ice cream sung by Nat "King" Cole, Amos Milburn, Louis Jordan, the "5" Royales and many more. Matt The Cat invites you to groove to our R&B picnic and the soul that came before rock n roll on the Juke In The Back.

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Juke In The Back: #738 - Rudy Toombs: R&B Songwriter...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/06/24

Rudy Toombs: R&B SongwriterThis week, The "Juke In The Back" features the songs of one of R&B's greatest songwriters: Rudy Toombs. This underrated cat wrote some of the most fabulous drinking songs of all-time for Amos Milburn, The Clovers, The Five Keys and a young Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Beyond drinking songs, Toombs wrote some mega-hits for Ruth Brown, Varetta Dillard and Little Willie John, just to name a few. Matt The Cat gives you the story behind the story of one of early rock n' roll's

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Juke In The Back: #736 - Memphis Slim - June 10-16, 2024

Juke In The Back ·

2024/06/10

Memphis SlimMemphis Slim dubbed himself the "Ambassador Of The Blues" and for good reason. He spread the gospel of America's music around the world during his almost 50 year career. This week, Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" take a look at Slim's prodigious contribution to the genre. He began recording as Pete Chatman (his real name is John Chatman) in 1940 and by the end of the year was already known as Memphis Slim, a name given to him by a producer at Bluebird Records. His prolific

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Juke In The Back: #734 - The Midnighters, Pt. 2 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/05/27

The Midnighters, Pt. 2 - 1954-56This week, the "Juke In The Back" continues a 3 show look at The Midnighters, one of early R&B's most successful groups. Before they topped the R&B charts with "Work With Me Annie" in 1954, The Midnighters were known as The Royals, a rough and ready group from the east side of Detroit. Charles Sutton, the Royal's first great lead singer, shaped their early recordings (1952-53) in the style of The Orioles' leader Sonny Til. As 1954 begins, Charles Sutton is out as

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Juke In The Back: #733 - The Midnighters, Pt. 1 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/05/20

The Midnighters, Pt. 1 - 1952-54 (The Royals)This week, the "Juke In The Back" begins a 3 show look at The Midnighters, one of early R&B's most successful groups. Before they topped the R&B charts with "Work With Me Annie" in 1954, The Midnighters were known as The Royals, a rough and ready group from the east side of Detroit. Charles Sutton, the Royal's first great lead singer, shaped their early recordings (1952-53) in the style of The Orioles' leader Sonny Til. That influence resulted in the

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Juke In The Back: #730 - Elmore James: 1951-55 -...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/04/29

Elmore James: 1951-55Elmore James never tried to have crossover success. He was a bluesman through and through; an ambassador of the Mississippi Delta Blues with a modern, 1950s electric twist. Elmore's blues was as pure as his ambitions when starting out as a sideman for now legendary blues harpist Sonny Boy Williamson II. James played on several Williamson sessions held in 1951 at Trumpet Records in Jackson, MS, until he was coaxed into playing the Robert Johnson tune, "Dust My Broom" in August

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Juke In The Back: #728 - Groove Records - April...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/04/15

Groove RecordsIn late 1953, RCA Victor launched a new subsidiary to focus on the Rhythm & Blues market, called Groove Records. They intended for Groove to compete with the independent labels like Chess, Atlantic and Vee-Jay that were dominating the genre. RCA treated Groove as an indie by setting up its own record distribution network, like an indie, ignoring the mighty distribution arm of RCA Victor. That might have been the label's downfall. Groove ended up scoring only one major hit in its

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Juke In The Back: #727 - Lil Greenwood - April 8-14,...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/04/08

Lil GreenwoodThis week, the "Juke In The Back" pays tribute to a very dynamic, soulful and often passed over R&B female vocalist: Lil Greenwood. Today, Lil Greenwood is best remembered as a vocalist for Duke Ellington during the late '50s and early '60s, but it's her R&B recordings from 1950-1954 that are the real standouts. She recorded for the Modern, Specialty and Federal labels and often had vocal groups like The Four Jacks and The Lamplighters backing her up. Hear Lil's story and some of her

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Juke In The Back: #726 - Percy Mayfield - April 1-7,...

Juke In The Back ·

2024/04/01

Percy Mayfield: 1949-60Some songwriters and singers just know how to tap into deepest regions of sadness, passion and truth. Such is the musical prowess of Percy Mayfield, the "Poet Laureate Of The Blues." Mayfield was born in rural Louisiana in 1920 and found he had a knack for writing poetry early on in life. By high school, he was putting his poems to music and finding local encouragement. By the early 1940s, he was settled in Los Angeles doing odd jobs, trying to make it as a songwriter and a

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Juke In The Back: #725 - Guitar Slim - March 25-31, 2024

Juke In The Back ·

2024/03/25

Guitar SlimEddie Jones grew up in Hollandale, MS, pickin' cotton and dreaming of a better life when ambition and musical talent plucked him from his situation, christened him Guitar Slim and made him a star. After moving to New Orleans and befriending Huey "Piano" Smith, the two became a sensation at the hep Tiajuana Club, landing them a deal with Imperial Records. The two singles released by the label failed to chart and they were dropped, but then serendipitously found themselves in Nashville

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