This week, we journey back 70 years as the "Juke In The Back" puts the ol' Rockola Jukebox front and center and we present part 2 of a 2 part feature on the biggest jukebox jivers from 1956. It was the first full year of Rock n' Roll Music crossing over from its Rhythm & Blues roots into mainstream Pop Culture. This was the year that Elvis broke through and scored massive hits on the Pop, R&B and Country Charts. We'll dig on the future King's biggest record of the year as well as monster crossover hits by Bill Doggett and Little Willie John. Matt The Cat also spins tunes by B.B. King, Gus Jinkins, Otis Rush and Muddy Waters, that were solely R&B hits. So grab a nickel, grab a dime and let's make some time with the top jukebox spinners from the second half of 1956 on this week's Jukebox Rhythm Review. 

It's part 3 of our 3 part series on record man, George Goldner. He is said to have had the "golden ear" for hit records and songwriter Jerry Leiber even complimented his talent for picking hit songs by saying that Goldner had, "the musical taste of a fourteen-year-old-girl." Born to Jewish immigrants in 1919, Goldner's first love was Latino dance music and he began his career by opening night clubs and starting Tico Records, a Latino label in 1948. By 1953, he was interested in Rhythm & Blues and began releasing records under the Rama subsidiary. In early 1954, he set up Gee Records and scored a huge hit in early '56 with The Teenagers, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." By mid-'57, due to his gambling debts, Goldner sold Tico, Rama and Gee to alleged mobster Morris Levy. This week, we will take a close look at Goldner's last R&B labels that he would run independently: Gone & End Records. Both new labels did well with Gone scoring hits with NY vocal group, the Dubs and Goldner-arranged instrumental "7-11 (Mambo No. 5)" by the Gone All Stars featuring Buddy Lucas on tenor sax. End soon followed with million-sellers from The Chantels, The Imperials and The Flamingos. Both labels proved that Goldner still had the magic ear for picking the music teenagers wanted to hear and buy, but eventually both labels would face the same fate as Goldner's early record companies. You'll get the full story of Gone and End Records and the finale of George Goldner on this week's "Juke In The Back." 

It's part 2 of our 3 part series on record man, George Goldner. He is said to have had the "golden ear" for hit records and songwriter Jerry Leiber even complimented his talent for picking hit songs by saying that Goldner had, "the musical taste of a fourteen-year-old-girl." Born to Jewish immigrants in 1919, Goldner's first love was Latino dance music and he began his career by opening night clubs and starting Tico Records, a Latino label in 1948. By 1953, he was interested in Rhythm & Blues and began releasing records under the Rama subsidiary. We featured Rama Records in part 1. This week, the "Juke In The Back" with Matt The Cat will take a close look at Goldner's second R&B label, Gee Records. It's been said that the label was named after the huge success of The Crows single, "Gee" on Rama Records, but it's more likely that he named the Gee label after himself. Gee was very vocal group focused and we'll hear seldom-played classic records from The Coins, The Five Crowns, The Valtones, The Debonaires and The Quintones. Goldner scored the biggest and most influential hit of his entire career on Gee with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" by The Teenagers featuring 14 year old Frankie Lymon. The late, great Herbie Cox of The Cleftones was in Goldner's office when the Teenagers auditioned as The Premiers and we'll hear Herbie recall that story as well as how the Cleftones came to sign with Goldner. Next week, we'll close the series with a spotlight on Gone and End Records, Goldner's last 2 labels under his stewardship. 

We begin a multi-part series on record man, George Goldner. He is said to have had the "golden ear" for hit records and songwriter Jerry Leiber even complimented his talent for picking hit songs by saying that Goldner had, "the musical taste of a fourteen-year-old-girl." Born to Jewish immigrants in 1919, Goldner's first love was Latino dance music and he began his career by opening night clubs and starting Tico Records, a Latino label in 1948. By 1953, he was interested in Rhythm & Blues and began releasing records under the Rama subsidiary. This week, we'll take a close look at Goldner's first R&B label, which helped put Rock n' Roll on the musical map with the 1953 smash, "Gee," by New York vocal group, The Crows. "Gee" crossed over to a very respectable #14 on the pop chart and just might be the first Rock n' Roll hit by a Rock n' Roll group. From there, Goldner signed The Wrens, The Valentines, The Joytones, The Heartbeats, The Harptones and other NY groups that are now considered vocal group royalty. His house band was led by the tenor great, Jimmy Wright, who put his sax stamp on all these classic records for Goldner's various labels. Next week in part 2, Matt The Cat will focus on Gee Records as we continue our look into the ground-breaking labels of George Goldner.  

The "Juke In The Back" once again puts our old Rockola Jukebox in the forefront as we spotlight the biggest Rhythm & Blues jukebox hits of 1946. This week, in part 2, we'll focus on the second half of the year, featuring three #1s from Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five. During 1946, Jordan held the top spot on the Race Record Chart for an incredible 35 weeks. The King Cole Trio scores one of their most memorable hits, "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," which tops the Pop Chart, but only makes it to #3 R&B. The Ink Spots continue to dominate, but like Nat "King" Cole, they're scoring bigger Pop Hits. Jay McShann tells us about his "Voodoo Woman Blues," while Roosevelt Sykes takes us down that "Sunny Road." T-Bone Walker, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup and Julia Lee make appearances as well as Bull Moose Jackson, who makes his first chart appearance in the middle of 1946 for Queen Records. Matt The Cat wraps up 1946 with movie and sports highlights and as always, the "story behind the story," on some of the greatest blues and rhythm records of all-time. 

Kick off the New Year, by looking back 80 years to 1946! The "Juke In The Back" once again puts our old Rockola Jukebox in the forefront as we spotlight the biggest Rhythm & Blues jukebox hits of 1946. In part 1, we'll focus on the first half of the year, featuring Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris' first hit as a solo artist and bandleader with Illinois Jacquet's group backing him up. Louis Jordan scores 2 #1s during the first half of the year, while Lionel Hampton holds to top spot for 16 non-consecutive weeks. The Ink Spots score the biggest record of the year with "The Gypsy," which actually sold more copies to Pop audiences and remained #1 on the Pop Chart for an impressive 13 weeks. Roy Milton, Billy Eckstine, The King Cole Trio and The Blues Woman all make appearance on this week's show. Next week, we'll dig in on the second half of the hugely musically significant year of 1946 on the Juke In The Back. 

Matt The Cat has dug up some more R&B Christmas treasures and added a few tunes about New Years for this weeks continuation of the Juke In The Back R&B Christmas Spectacular. The holiday juke is jumpin with cool tunes by Big John Greer, Champion Jack Dupree, Lowell Fulson, The Moonglows, Marvin & Johnny and many more. The range of topics is wide, from dancing Santas to lonely Christmases to making up with your baby on New Years Eve. Miss Rosie stops by with her New Year's resolution. So get hungry for some Christmas leftovers and plan to end the year on a high note with Matt The Cat on the Juke In The Back. 

Go ahead, grab a glass of 'nog, sit back and relax and dig on some great vintage Rhythm & Blues Christmas tunes. This entire Juke In The Back is loaded with fantabulous Christmas records from the late 1940s and 1950s. Its the yuletide soul that came before rock n roll. From the all-time classics by Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters and The Orioles to some rarer Christmas plattahs from Amos Milburn, JB Summers and The Five Keys. So get all lit up like a Christmas Tree and groove to the Cool Yule with Matt The Cat.  

Don Bowman and Dewey Terry never scored a national hit record, but together as the 1950s duo Don & Dewey, they remain one of R&B and early Rock n' Roll's best kept secrets. They grew up as friends in Pasadena, CA, joining fellow students at John Muir High School to form The Squires. In 1955, the group scored a local Los Angeles hit with "Sindy," which has since become a vocal group classic, but when no follow-up hits materialized, Don & Dewey were persuaded to go off on their own by local manager John Criner. After a few sides for local labels Spot and Shade tanked, Criner sold their contract off to Art Rupe, owner of the much larger Specialty Records in LA. Rupe and his A&R man, Bumps Blackwell worked with Don (who was now known as Don Harris) & Dewey, trying to turn their frantic brand of up-tempo jump blues into something, but it never really caught on. Don & Dewey remarkably wrote most of their own material, which was not a standard practice back in the '50s and though they couldn't score hits with their own recordings, other artists were able to. Dale and Grace took Don & Dewey's "I'm Leaving It All Up To You" to the top of the pop chart (#6 R&B) in '63 and the Righteous Brothers cracked the pop chart with their version of "Justine" in '65. The Olympics made a hit out of "Big Boy Pete" in '60, while The Premiers entered the top 20 with "Farmer John" in '64. This week, Matt The Cat reveals the story of one of early Rock's craziest duos as he loads the ol' Rockola Juke with their jumpin', jivin' sides on the Juke In The Back.

The juke is jumpin' with records focusing on classic R&B songs about cars. The automobile is a "road tested" symbol of the American Dream. We have all this land and the car gives us the freedom to get from one place to another. We'll dig on some tunes about Cadillacs, Buicks, Mercurys and Model Ts. Chuck Berry, who made his early career on youth-oriented car songs will make a few appearances. Plus, musicologists Billy Vera and Steve Propes drop by the "Juke In The Back" to make their cases that the first rock n' roll song might have been about a car. So grab your keys and prepare to be taken for a ride on this week's "Juke In The Back" with Matt The Cat. 

The Swallows were one of the most underrated R&B vocal groups of the early 1950s. Hailing from Baltimore, they only scored 2 top 10 R&B hits during their 3 year stint with King Records, but collectors and aficionados know their catalog inside and out. The Swallows' original lead tenor, Eddie Rich, joins Matt The Cat on the "Juke In The Back" with his first-hand account of scoring a hit record, life on the road, segregation and playing with the top artists of the day. So dim the lights, turn up the juke and get ready for a full hour of some of the greatest vocal group harmonies you're ever going to hear. The Swallows, this week on your source for 1950s rhythm & blues, the "Juke In The Back." 

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, while he's still recording for LA's Modern Records. Spoon would score his last hit, "The Wind Is Blowin'" for that label in 1952. Then he jumps over to Federal Records, where A&R man Ralph Bass tries a few new things, like pairing Spoon with the R&B vocal group, The Lamplighters. Having no charting hits on Federal, Spoon signs with Checker Records in Chicago, where only 3 singles are issued. It becomes clear that blues shouters like Witherspoon are out of fashion with the new Rock n' Roll record buyers, so he takes a stab at a Rock n' Roll song, "My Girl Ivy" for Atco in '56, before reinventing himself as a jazz singer. All of these records must be heard in order to appreciate the depth of styles and influence on Rock n' Roll Music that Spoon had. Those records are spinning this week on the Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat. 

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. Originally from Arkansas, 'Spoon settled in Los Angeles after his time in the Merchant Marines during the war. He replaced fellow-shouter Walter Brown in Jay McShann's band and was featured on McShann's first single for the fledgling Philo Label in 1945. Witherspoon is best remembered for his 1949 chart-topper, "Ain't Nobody's Business," which was actually recorded at the end of '47 and released in mid-'48. That would prove to be his signature tune, even though he had strong chart success with "In The Evening," "No Rollin' Blues" and "Big Fine Girl" in late '49. The last 2 were recorded live at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena and really showcase the excitement of seeing 'Spoon perform live. His career spanned over 50 years and this week Matt The Cat looks at 'Spoon's early records from 1945-50 in part 1 of 2 on this talented and important figure in early Rhythm & Blues on the "Juke In The Back." 

New Orleans is not known for its R&B vocal groups. In a city where jazz, blues and zydeco thrive, one vocal group rose to the top: The Spiders. In two short years, the Spiders landed enduring hits like "I Didn't Want To Do It," "I'm Slippin' In" and "Witchcraft," led by brothers Chuck and Chick Carbo. They were produced by the legendary Dave Bartholomew and recorded at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studios with the cream of New Orleans' session musicians. When the hits stopped coming, Chuck Carbo left the group for a solo career, thus ending their time in the spotlight. Matt The Cat explores The Spiders' story on this week's "Juke In The Back." 

Matt The Cat experiences some paranormal rhythms coming out of his Juke In The Back as we celebrate the truly spooky, sinister and down-right crazy sounds of a vintage rhythm & blues Halloween. Eugene Fox meets the devil, The Hollywood Flames take us to Frankensteins Den and Bill Doggett throws a Monsters Party. Its a treat, not a trick to hear an alternate take of Screamin' Jay Hawkins 1956 classic, I Put A Spell On You, with EXTRA screaming and a killer sax solo payed by Sam The Man Taylor. So clear your voodoo calendar and dig the sounds from the outer bounds on this weeks Halloween edition of the Juke In The Back. 

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part fourteen, Matt The Cat focuses on Atlantic's first subsidiary label, Cat Records. Atlantic set Cat up to be their Rock n Roll label, but after only a year and a half and 18 single releases, they decided to dissolve it in favor of ATCO Records. During those 18 78s and 45s, Cat issued some smokin Rhythm & Blues, jivin vocal groups as well as a few pop and novelty records. Cat Records only enjoyed one national hit, Sh-Boom by The Chords, but what a spectacular hit it was. It topped out at #2 on the R&B chart and crossed-over to an impressive #5 Pop. R&B greats Floyd Dixon, Jimmy Lewis, Margie Day and songwriter Rose Marie McCoy all stopped by Cat for one or two releases AND the first Mickey & Sylvia record was issued on Cat in 1954. This is the final installment in our 14 part series on the history of Atlantic Records, so buckle in for another audio adventure with the "Juke In The Back."

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part thirteen, Matt The Cat focuses on Atlantic's most successful subsidiary label, ATCO Records. When Atlantic co-founder, Herb Abramson returned from his military duty in 1955, he found a very different company that had continued to grow without him. His partner, Ahmet Ertegun suggested starting a subsidiary that would be fully managed by Abramson and so ATCO was born. ATCO originally focused more on vocal groups than its parent company had. The first national hit for the label was by The Sensations, a Philly group that featured Yvonne Mills on lead. The Royal Jokers, The Pearls, The Castelles and The Ray-O-Vacs also released singles on ATCO, but by far the biggest vocal group on the label was The Coasters. They came over in a big deal that Atlantic struck with songwriter/producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Atlantic would buy Leiber/Stoller's Spark records and take on the two of them as staff songwriters/producers. Some of their signed artists were also included in the deal and that's what brought Carl Gardner and Bobby Nunn of the Robins over to Atlantic to form a new group called The Coasters. They scored ATCO's first #1 record with "Searchin'." So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth look at the history of ATCO Records on this week's "Juke In The Back."

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part twelve, we wrap up the focus on the parent label, Atlantic by looking at its major releases from the end of 1956 through 1957. Chuck Willis scores the biggest hit of his career with his rendition of the traditional tune, "C. C. Rider," a little over a year before his untimely death. LaVern Baker sails to the top of the chart as "Jim Dandy" crosses over into the Pop Chart, extending its mass appeal as Rock n' Roll becomes mainstream Pop Music. Atlantic takes advantage of Rock's mainstream appeal and begins to smooth out its rough R&B sound for a more poppy approach. Ray Charles continues to develop his sound, scoring more hits and even crossing over to Pop himself with his reinterpretation of Stephen Foster's whimsical look at slavery. The Bobbettes, Drifters and Penguins add some fantastic vocal group records to round out part twelve. Next week, we'll begin looking at Atlantic's successful subsidiary labels. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.  

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part eleven, we'll focus on 1956. It's the first year that Rock n' Roll was solidly placed in the mainstream of popular music. Atlantic began to soften and smooth out its rough R&B sound a bit during 1956 and onward, in order to appeal to the new Rock n' Roll audience. Joe Turner scored his only pop hit with "Corrine Corrina," which hit #41 Pop and #2 R&B and The Drifters continued to chart without Clyde McPhatter as "Ruby Baby" and "I Got To Get Myself A Woman" feature Johnny Moore handing the lead. Chuck Willis makes his Atlantic debut this year with "It's Too Late," while Ivory Joe Hunter scores his 4th and final #1 single as an Atlantic artist. His 3 previous chart-toppers were waxed for MGM and Pacific Records. Clyde McPhatter and Ray Charles also top the charts this year, while Ruth Brown has a very quiet 1956, chart-wise. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.  

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part nine, we'll focus on 1955, one of the biggest years in Atlantic's storied history. Ruth Brown, Joe Turner and LaVern Baker continue to score solid hits, but the real story of 1955 is Ray Charles. He has two #1 records this year with "I've Got A Woman," heard at the end of last week's program and "A Fool For You," which topped the charts in early August. Brotha Ray was knocked out of the top spot by Chuck Berry's "Maybellene." We'll also hear some important vocal group records from The Clovers, The Cardinals and The Regals. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part eight, we take a look at the last half of 1954, one of the biggest years in Atlantic's storied history. It was during the last six months of the year that Ruth Brown scored her 4th and 5th #1 records with "Oh What A Dream" and "Mambo Baby" respectively. "Mambo Baby" would end up being Brown's final #1, though she would still rack up hit records over the next 5 years. LaVern Baker and Ray Charles released career defining records at the very end of 1954 that would make an even greater impact in 1955, just as Rock n' Roll was beginning to enter the mainstream. We'll also dig on a killer New Orleans instrumental from Tommy Ridgley and Ivory Joe Hunter's first release for Atlantic. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.  

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part seven, we take a look at the first half of 1954, one of the biggest years in Atlantic's storied history. It was this year that Ray Charles scored his first hit for Atlantic with "It Should've Been Me." It was his first hit after a 2 year dry spell. The Clovers and Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters continued to rack up best-sellers while The Diamonds, Professor Longhair and Hal Paige should've had hits this year. Big Joe Turner took a somewhat risque jump blues called "Shake, Rattle & Roll" and turned it into an early Rock n' Roll anthem. At 43, Turner was the oldest Rock Idol. Next week, we'll look at the second half of Atlantic's great releases from 1954. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself. 

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part six, the entire program is immersed in 1953. The Clovers and Ruth Brown continue to rack up the hits, while Joe Turner enjoys the biggest hit of his career with "Honey Hush." Atlantic introduces two singers that had been around for a while: LaVern Baker and Clyde McPhatter. Baker had been making records since 1949 with Eddie Penigar, Maurice King and Todd Rhodes, under the names Little Miss Sharecropper and Bea Baker. McPhatter began recording with Billy Ward and the Dominoes in 1950 as their lead tenor and had already racked up several #1 records. Both singers became huge solo artists on Atlantic and their tenures began in '53. As always, Matt The Cat has thrown in some records that you don't hear much anymore from Carmen Taylor, Choker Campbell, The Diamonds and Tommy Ridgley. This program is highlighted by an excerpt from an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself. 

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this 14 part, behemoth series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part five, we'll pick up in late 1952 and hear Ray Charles' first release for Atlantic, "The Midnight Hour." It didn't chart, but it marks a very important time for both the singer, who would soon find his voice and style and begin racking up hits, and the label, who bought his contract from SwingTime Records and invested in his development. The Clovers continue to score huge records as we make our way into 1953. Along with more hits from Ruth Brown, we'll also dig up a few one-off singles that have been lost to history from The Tilters, Eunice Davis and guitarist Chuck Norris. This program is highlighted by an excerpt from an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part four, we'll focus on 1952 and dig not only the hits Atlantic scored that year, but also on a few of the should-have-been-hits. The Clovers scored 2 more #1 records with "Fool, Fool, Fool," their 2nd release and "Ting-A-Ling," their 3rd and final career #1 record. Ruth Brown continued her hit streak as "5-10-15 Hours" topped the national charts and "Daddy Daddy" made it to #3. Big Joe Turner followed up "Chains Of Love," his debut release for Atlantic with the massively successful "Chill Is On" and "Don't You Cry." We'll also hear some gems from Odelle Turner and Lil Green that didn't chart, but are equally as compelling as Atlantic's hit material. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part three, we'll focus on 1951 and hear a few more stellar hits from bandleader Joe Morris and rising star Ruth Brown. Stick McGhee had his final charting record in '51, but would still turn out some fantastic material for Atlantic and later, King Records. Also, two influential vocal groups make their debut this year for Atlantic: The Clovers and The Cardinals. The Clovers scored a #1 record right out of the gate with the first song ever written by Ahmet Ertegun with "Don't You Know I Love You So" and Joe Turner releases his first single for the label. This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part two, we'll see how Atlantic continued its sporadic hit streak with a few charting instrumentals from saxophonist Frank "Floorshow" Culley as well as Professor Longhair's debut record for the label. Ruth Brown, who had a pretty quiet start to 1950, ends the year with the biggest hit of her career and one of Atlantic's best selling records of all-time. "Teardrops From My Eyes" hit #1 in early December and remained there for 11 weeks, carrying it deep into 1951. This was the beginning of Brown's decade-long reign that earned Atlantic the nickname, "The House That Ruth Built." This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part one, we'll look at Atlantic's first recordings from 1947-49, which mostly feature Jazz and Jazz-inspired Rhythm & Blues. Joe Morris had a killer group, highlighted by future jazz legends Johnny Griffin, Elmo Hope, Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones. Tiny Grimes' outfit rounded out Atlantic's early instrumental offering, before "Stick" McGhee gave Atlantic its first hit record with his big #2 smash "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" in 1949. With the addition of Ruth Brown and her #4 hit, "So Long," Atlantic was on its way in establishing itself as a Rhythm & Blues powerhouse. This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

Varetta Dillard might be a footnote in R&B and Rock n' Roll history, having only scored 3 R&B charting records, but her body of recorded work speaks for itself. She was more than just a Ruth Brown impersonator, though she could sound a lot like her idol. Dillard was also part of pop culture, having waxed a tribute record to the recently deceased Johnny Ace ("Johnny Has Gone" in 1955) and making the top 10 with it. She scored 2 R&B shuffle hits with "Easy Easy Baby" in '52 and "Have Mercy, Mr. Percy" in '53. Both tunes are very catchy and are well-remembered today, but the other side of Varetta Dillard's story is one of unfulfillment. The bosses at Savoy Records, her first label where she scored her 3 hits, and RCA subsidiary Groove Records, believed that Dillard had the sound and talent to crossover to pop. Both labels really tried to get a pop hit out of her, but it just wasn't in the cards. This week, Matt The Cat loads up the ol' Rockola with Varetta Dillard's best remembered 78s from 1951-56 as we ponder one of R&B's nearly-forgotten chanteuses on the "Juke In The Back."

Tiny Bradshaw put in his time, spending 16 years of making music with various big bands, including his own, without ever scoring a national hit. But when things turned around for the drummer, pianist, composer and bandleader, his star began to rise. He scored a #2 R&B smash with "Well Of Well" in 1950, just as he was beginning his 9 year association with Cincinnati's King Records. This would be his biggest hit and best seller, but not his best remembered. That distinction would go to his composition, "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" from '51. Though his version didn't make the national lists, it did inspire covers from Johnny Burnette's Rock n' Roll Trio, The Yardbirds and Aerosmith, making it a rock n' roll classic. In all, Bradshaw scored 5 charting singles, but as Rock n' Roll came into fashion in the mid-'50s, Tiny Bradshaw suffered a stroke that sidelined him from crossing over. Then a second stroke ended his life in 1958 at the age of 53. Though he's not remembered much today beyond his jumpin' composition, "The Train Kept A-Rollin'," the "Juke In The Back" fills up the ol' Rockola with a stack of Tiny's prime shellac. Give a listen and cut a rug to a true originator.

Lloyd Price would become one of the great hit-makers of early Rock n Roll, but this is the story of the soul that came BEFORE Rock n Roll. Lloyd was just a kid when bandleader and talent scout, Dave Bartholomew brought him to Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studio in early 1952 to make a record of a tune he had heard Lloyd singing. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" hit #1 during the summer of '52, becoming an instant classic and contributing to the R&B foundation that would eventually lead to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Matt The Cat presents clips from a lengthy interview with Lloyd Price from 2005 so that Lloyd can tell his story in his own words. He discusses how "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" was recorded, why he was drafted and sent to Korea and how is cousin Larry Williams almost took his song "Just Because" away from him. Lloyd was an entrepreneur, a record executive, a boxing promoter, a professional bowler as well as a R&B legend and early Rock n' Roll icon. Hear his story and pay tribute to his life on this week's "Juke In The Back."

During the 1920s, Kansas City was the heart of Jazz and the epicenter of American Music. George E. Lee and His Novelty Singing Orchestra was one of the most popular bands in that town at that time. At the center of the band, playing piano and singing was Julia Lee, the sister of bandleader George E. Lee. Julia was a fantastic singer with a powerful voice. We begin this week's program, dedicated to Julia Lee, with one of her earliest records, "He's Tall, Dark And Handsome," which was issued in early 1930 and showcases her singing style. Remembered today for her double entendre songs of the 1940s, Julia Lee was much more than that. Matt The Cat takes you through her early years in the Kansas City scene and then her rise to fame recording for Capitol Records in LA. She scored two #1 R&B records with 1947's "Snatch and Grab It" and 1948's "King Size Papa." Each of those singles remained on the charts for over a half a year! She was so popular during the late 1940s that it's hard for us today to truly appreciate her widespread success. "King Size Papa" and "I Didn't Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song)," a tune probably about marijuana, actually crossed over into the Pop Chart! An amazing feat considering the slightly risque subject matter as well as the segregation of musical styles at the time. Showcasing the records and artists that time has somehow forgotten is exactly what the "Juke In The Back" is all about and this week is no exception as we highlight the wonderful career of Julia Lee. We lost her way too soon as she died at the age of 55 in 1958, but this week, her music lives again on the "Juke In The Back."

This week, the Juke In The Back is proud to honour the late, great Johnny Otis. He was a true renaissance man. Otis was a singer, songwriter, drummer, bandleader, talent scout, record label owner and radio / TV show host and that's not everything he did. He was the son of Greek immigrants, growing up in a mostly Black section of Vallejo, CA during the 1920s and 30s. He not only absorbed Black Culture, he became a part of it, changing his last name to Otis in order to sound more black. He went from playing drums at the Club Alabam on Central Ave. in LA to opening his own Barrelhouse Club in Watts in 1947, creating a scene of his own. His first records were made just as the big bands were dying off and the jump combos were rising. Johnny Otis did not interpret rhythm and blues, Johnny Otis WAS rhythm & blues. From his first recordings for Leon Rene's Excelsior Label in 1945 to his commercial breakthrough in 1949-50 for Herman Lubinsky's Savoy Label to his great rock n roll success with "Willie And The Hand Jive" for Capitol in 1958, Johnny Otis did more than almost anyone to push Black Music into the mainstream, creating rock 'n roll. Juke In The Back highlights the early part of Otis amazing career from 1945-1958. It s not an overstatement to say that the music we enjoy today is here because of what Johnny Otis recorded, played and produced in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This Juke is truly The Johnny Otis Show.

Boogie Woogie has the natural ability to make you wanna tap your toes, shake your hips and just all around feel good! The blues style of Boogie Woogie piano features a strong left hand, playing repeated bass lines, leaving the right hand free to improvise around the keys. This produces an uptempo, rollicking feel with a solid groove that makes you want to get up and dance. Men such as Pete Johnson, Albert Ammon, Meade "Lux" Lewis and Fats Domino dominated the field, but some of the best Boogie Woogie you're ever going to hear was played by women. Hadda Brooks, Camille Howard, Dorothy Donegan and others not only held their own, but in many cases surpassed the men in their playing ability. Don't let the piano fool ya, Boogie Woogie can also be played on other instruments as Matt The Cat features a few guitar and saxophone boogies to round out the program. So get ready to groove with a smile as the "Juke In The Back" jumps with some Boogie Woogie Rhythm & Blues!

The Larks are one of the most influential and best sounding vocal groups of the early 1950s and yet, they are never remembered quite as well as many of their contemporaries. Last week in part 1 of our 2 part series, we showcased The Larks' early recordings from 1950-52, including their only 2 charting singles, "Eyesight To The Blind" and "Little Side Car." This week, as we pick it back up in 1952, the original Larks group disintegrates and members go off on their own. Allen Bunn leaves to pursue a solo career and will soon be know as Tarheel Slim. Bass singer David McNeil joins The Dominoes and Eugene Mumford joins the Golden Gate Quartet. In less than a year, Gene Mumford would return to secular music and form a few group out of members of the Golden Gate Quartet and beyond, calling it The Larks. This new Larks group bears little resemblance to the original, but they are loaded with talent. However, Bess Berman at Apollo Records was looking for more of a pop group, so the material the new Larks were presented with wasn't very strong and they failed to score any hits. Still the music is captivating and worth hearing as Matt The Cat presents The Larks, Pt. 2 - 1952-55 on this week's "Juke In The Back."

The Larks are one of the most influential and best sounding vocal groups of the early 1950s and yet, they are never remembered quite as well as many of their contemporaries. That might be because they only had 2 charting singles and neither record sold well after its initial release. But don't let the numbers fool you, the Larks were a top-notch group with outstanding leads provided by Eugene Mumford, Allen Bunn and David McNeil, who occasionally sang a solid bass lead. Matt The Cat presents part one of a two-parter on The Larks on this week's "Juke In The Back." This week, we'll focus on the group's gospel roots, their charting records and the very start of the original group falling apart. Along the way, they recorded "Eyesight To The Blind," "Little Side Car," "When I Leave These Prison Walls," "My Reverie" and many other standouts. You won't want to miss the tremendous music and eye-opening stories of one of R&B's greatest vocal groups.

Amos Milburn was the complete package. He could play boogie woogie piano with the best of 'em, having been influenced by the great Pete Johnson. He sang the smoky R&B ballad almost as well as his buddy Charles Brown and he could shout the blues alongside Roy Brown and Wynonie Harris. Milburn's delivery was indeed a hit with the public as his Aladdin Records releases spawned 4 #1 R&B records and a total of 16 charting singles (3 of them double-sided hits). This week in part 2 of our 2 part series, Matt The Cat spins Milburn's great Aladdin releases from 1950 to '56. During those years, he scored his 4th and final #1 R&B hit, "Bad, Bad Whiskey" and launched a string of drinking songs, which included "Thinking and Drinking," "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," "Let Me Go Home, Whiskey" and "Good, Good Whiskey." Milburn still rocked the jukeboxes with the hits, "Walking Blues," "Let's Rock A While," "Sax Shack Boogie" and "Tears, Tears, Tears," but by the end of 1953, the hits had stopped. The music was changing and Amos Milburn would be another casualty of the incoming Rock n' Roll movement. Here he was, one of the architects of the new music, but like so many others, he could not make the transition with the new, younger record-buyers. Heavy drinking, epilepsy and 2 strokes would shorten his life, but his legacy lives on. Don't miss the conclusion of Amos Milburn, this week on the "Juke In The Back."

Amos Milburn was the complete package. He could play boogie woogie piano with the best of 'em, having been influenced by the great Pete Johnson. He sang the smoky R&B ballad almost as well as his buddy Charles Brown and he could shout the blues alongside Roy Brown and Wynonie Harris. Milburn's delivery was indeed a hit with the public as his Aladdin Records releases spawned 4 #1 R&B records and a total of 16 charting singles (3 of them double-sided hits). However, he wasn't a star right out of the gate and had to spend 2 years building up his audience for his big 1948 breakthrough, "Chicken Shack Boogie." From there, the floodgates opened and Milburn enjoyed a few years of solid hit-making, before the crossover success of Rock n' Roll would snuff out sales. He is mostly remembered today for his drinkin' songs, but this week on part one of our two-part series on Amos Milburn, you won't hear any of those types of songs. His career began with the strong sound of boogie woogie and the smoky balladry inspired by Charles Brown and Nat "King" Cole. So lend an ear as Matt The Cat fills the "Juke In The Back" with Amos Milburn's early career from 1946-49 on this week's program.

This week, the "Juke In The Back" solutes the Unsung Ladies of R&B! We'll dig deep into a stack of shellac from some women you know, like Varetta Dillard, Ann Cole and The Cookies, as well as from some that you may not know, such as Gwen Johnson and Bonita Cole. Matt The Cat will also feature an audition tape by the seldom heard Olive Brown, which was never issued at the time. None of the chanteuses on this week's program have catalogs deep enough to be main features, so we've gathered them together so they can shine on their own program. Pick up on what these ladies are puttin' down on this week's "Juke In The Back" and the "soul that came before Rock n' Roll."

The "Juke In The Back" digs deep into New Orleans Rhythm & Blues this week to focus on Bobby Mitchell & The Toppers, one of the few vocal groups to come out of a city best known for its blues, jazz and cajun roots. The Spiders were the best known vocal group to come out of 1950s New Orleans, but Bobby Mitchell & The Toppers were probably more versatile in the sense that they could not only shout the blues, like Roy Brown or Wynonie Harris, but they could also harmonize like a top notch doo wop group. Bobby Mitchell is best remembered today as the cat who originally sang "I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday," two years before Fats Domino would cut it, but it was his "Try Rock n' Roll" from 1956 that would be his only charting hit (reaching #14 nationally). That song capitalized on the emerging rock n' roll craze and remains a record of its time. Bobby Mitchell and The Toppers were definitely a vocal group of their time, but they are well worth checking out as Matt The Cat gives them the spotlight treatment on this week's "Juke In The Back."

Producer Jerry Wexler called Etta James, "The greatest of all modern blues singers." That's great praise coming from a guy who worked with the greatest of the greats for 50 years. Etta had an amazing talent for mixing a bit of tenderness and heartbreak into her gritty, tough and soulful voice. She had a style all her own and she played by her own rules. Her success on record was equally matched by her personal failures off-mic, dealing with drug addiction, bad relationships and financial problems. On this week's "Juke In The Back," Matt The Cat looks at how this incredible legend got started, focusing on Etta's first recordings from 1954 to her great rise in 1960. Through these records, you'll hear that even in her early days, Etta's music had great depth and variety. We honor the late, great Etta James, this week on the "Juke In The Back."

With so many wonderful vocal groups present during the 1950s, it took a few distinct ones to lead the pack and blaze the trail. The Heartbeats are always right up there with The Clovers, Harptones, Moonglows, Flamingos and the other leaders who carried the torch lit by the Orioles and Ravens during the late '40s. The Heartbeats began as the Hearts in 1953, but before making their first record in 1955, changed their name after a female group called The Hearts scored a big hit with "Lonely Nights." Their first record came out in mid-1955 on Network Records. Although it was not successful, it gave them something to interest Hull Records, a tiny startup looking to enter the vocal group scene. Their first few records for Hull got regional airplay and made the charts in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. It was "A Thousand Miles Away," their 4th Hull single that really took off nationally. Knowing the record would do better on a label with greater distribution and push, they jumped over to George Goldner's storied Rama Records and "A Thousand Miles Away" went top 5 R&B and #53 Pop. Now one of the biggest vocal groups in the country, they continued to release slightly more polished songs for Rama and Gee, before falling apart by the end of 1959. Matt The Cat presents The Heartbeats' story and their fantastic music on this week's "Juke In The Back."

Paul Gayten is one of the unsung heroes of rhythm & blues and one of the many architects of rock n' roll. This week, Matt The Cat spotlights Gayten's great contributions to music on the "Juke In The Back." Paul Gayten scored the first New Orleans' hit of the post World War II R&B era with "True (You Don't Love Me)" in 1947, thus kicking off a legacy of rhythm hit-making and influence from the Crescent City. His work with vocalists Annie Laurie and Chubby "Hip Shakin'" Newsome is legendary. As a songwriter, producer and talent scout for Chess Records, Gayten discovered and signed Clarence Henry and Bobby Charles and worked with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Gayten made great contributions to R&B and Rock n' Roll, but gets very little recognition these days. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" are out to change that with this week's heartfelt dedication to the late, great Paul Gayten.

"Juke In The Back" continues a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 8, Matt The Cat spends more time in 1956 as it was a very fruitful year for Chess. Paul Gayten was working full time for the company as a New Orleans talent scout and producer and he's the reason Clarence "Frog Man" Henry's "Ain't Got No Home" was issued on Chess' Argo subsidiary. That was a huge crossover hit in early 1957. The Blues was still strong at the end of '56 and into '57 with stellar releases from Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter. Leonard Chess continued to ramp up vocal group releases and scored more hits with the Moonglows, but also added Lee Andrews & The Hearts, The Ravens and the Pastels to the Chess roster. We wind down our special series on Chess with part 8 as R&B and Rock n' Roll start to become synonymous in 1957. Chess continued to release groundbreaking hit records well into the 1960s from Etta James, Buddy Guy, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Ahmad Jamal, Chuck Berry, Fontella Bass and their roster of classic Blues artists. Leonard and Phil sold Chess to GRT in early 1969, but the Chess magic can still be felt today and we hope you felt it during Matt The Cat's 8 part series on this influential label.

"Juke In The Back" continues a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 7, Matt The Cat finishes up 1955 with a few stragglers and kicks off 1956 with a bang! This was the year of Chuck Berry as he charted 4 singles (5 songs) and we present them in a special Chuck Berry Hits Collage to demonstrate his chart prowess. 1956 was also a solid year for Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf as each released career classics like "Trouble No More" (Muddy) and "Smoke Stack Lighning" (Wolf). We are introduced to future legends, Bobby Charles with "Later, Alligator," Billy Stewart with "Billy's Blues Pt. 2" and the Four Tops' "Could It Be You." The Moonglows continue to surge while the Flamingos finally score their first of many hits after years of trying on other Chicago Labels. So grab some nickels and get your fix of 1956 in part 7 of our series on Chess Records on this week's "Juke In The Back."

"Juke In The Back" continues a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 6, Matt The Cat takes a close look at all the significant Chess and Checker releases from 1955. Little Walter scores another R&B #1 and the biggest record of his career with "My Babe," while the Moonglows show that they have staying power when "Most Of All" makes the R&B top 5. Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf continue to turn out the finest Chicago blues, but change is in the air. On March 2, 1955, Ellas McDaniel lays down a hambone beat, calls himself Bo Diddley and the Rock n' Roll Revolution is on its way. Then this new music is cemented in July when Chess releases Chuck Berry's first record, "Maybellene" and in August it hits #1 and stays there through the fall. 1955 was a monumental year for Chess Records and the rest of the music world as Rhythm & Blues was beginning to really break into the mainstream. Matt The Cat gets hep to the new scene and spins the best of Chess and Checker from 1955 on this week's "Juke In The Back."

"Juke In The Back" continues a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 5, Matt The Cat takes a close look at all the significant Chess and Checker releases from 1954. Little Walter continues his hit streak with 4 more top 10 R&B single from "You're So Fine" in January to "Last Night" in December. However, the year belongs to Muddy Waters as he scores his biggest selling single with the Willie Dixon-penned "I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man." That would have been enough, but Muddy comes back strong with "Just Make Love To Me" and "I'm Ready." All three remain some of his most enduring tunes. Waters had always been a solid seller, but in 1954, he became the biggest artist on the Chess roster. That will change as Rock n' Roll hits the mainstream in the near future. Leonard Chess always had a soft-spot for signing established bluesmen and 1954 was no different as Lowell Fulson and Jimmy Witherspoon come to the label and continue to record great sides. Finally, in 1954, Chess signs a major vocal group when DJ Alan Freed brings them The Moonglows. Their first release hits #1 and spawns a #1 pop cover after numerous solid, but slow selling releases on their former label, Chance Records. 1954 was a monumental year in establishing Chess Records as a blues/R&B powerhouse and Matt The Cat brings all the fantabulous 78 RPM records straight to you, through the "Juke In The Back."

"Juke In The Back" continues a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 4, Matt The Cat takes a close look at all the significant Chess and Checker releases from 1953. Willie Mabon scored 2 #1 hits for Chess in '53 with "I Don't Know" and "I'm Mad," while Little Walter continued to rack up the hits for the Checker subsidiary with "Blues With A Feeling" and the double-sided hit, "Off The Wall" b/w "Tell Me Mama." Vocal groups begin to make a stronger showing in '53 with The Blue Jays and a charting record from The Coronets that features an interesting songwriting story. Leonard Chess loved recording blues artists that had already made a name for themselves, whether or not he had the right to do so and in '53, he released singles on Elmore James and the legendary Memphis Minnie. Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf continued to make stellar records for the label as Chess continued to grow in popularity and influence. Grab those nickels as the "Juke In The Back" presents part 4 of Chess Records.

"Juke In The Back" continues a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 3, Matt The Cat focuses on the important Chess releases from 1952. The year was front-heavy with releases that Leonard Chess bought off of Sam Phillips in Memphis. Phillips was getting close to starting his own label, Sun Records, but at this time, Chess was his best customer for recordings from his roster of talent in Memphis. It began with Phillips' early Ike Turner (Jackie Brenston), Howlin' Wolf and Roscoe Gordon recordings, but soon blossomed into stellar offerings from Harmonica Frank, Rufus Thomas and Doctor Ross. In April of '52, Chess launched its first subsidiary by introducing the Checker label. By the end of the year, Checker had its own star, Little Walter. Muddy's old blues harp player was now sitting on top of the R&B charts with "Juke," soon following up with "Sad Hours" b/w "Mean Old World." Chess Records was really rollin' in '52 and on part 3 of our series, the "Juke" brings it all to you!

"Juke In The Back" continues a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 2, Matt The Cat focuses on the important Chess releases from 1950 and '51. With Phil and Leonard together running the company, they would change Aristocrat Records to Chess in June, 1950. The brothers were short of cash to fund their fledgling label, but thanks to strong sellers from Gene Ammons, Al Hibbler and Jimmy Rogers, the label stayed afloat and scored its first R&B #1 with "Rocket 88." This Ike Turner session that the brothers issued as by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats was recorded by Sam Phillips down at the Memphis Recording Service and purchased by Chess. Chess had a nice deal going with Phillips before he started his own label, Sun Records, in early '52. They would also buy some demos and a contract with Howlin' Wolf, which would pay dividends over the next 15 years. We'll also hear the important releases from Muddy Waters during this time as we feature the 2nd part in our series on Chess Records on this week's "Juke In The Back."

"Juke In The Back" begins a behemoth, multi-part series on Chess Records. The Chicago record label, founded by 2 Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, proved to be one of the most influential and important labels in not only Blues, but also Rhythm & Blues and its contribution to the birth of Rock n' Roll. Chess was the musical home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Moonglows, The Flamingos and countless other giants of 20th Century music. In part 1, Matt The Cat introduces Leonard and Phil and their foray into the entertainment business, beginning with liquor clubs, nightclubs and eventually a record company. Leonard got a deep education of African-American culture while growing up, living and working on Chicago South Side. The jukebox in his liquor joint was jammed with the down-home Delta Blues that newly-arrived transplants from the South were craving. This set the stage for Leonard's involvement with the fledgling Aristocrat Record Label. He originally bought into the label to help with distribution and promotion, but as the Blues became more popular, his involvement with the label grew. During the Aristocrat days, local talent from The 5 Blazes, Tom Archia and Andrew Tibbs was beginning to sell outside of Chicago. Tibbs' song "Bilbo Is Dead" became a minor hit and was banned in parts of the South for its sarcastic tone towards recently deceased segregationist Senator Bilbo. Muddy Waters had only recently begun recording for the label, but in late 1948, he scored a national hit with "Feel Like Going Home" b/w "I Can't Be Satisfied." By the end of '49, Leonard had bought out the other partners and brought in his brother Phil to help. Soon, Aristocrat would get a name-change to Chess and the brothers would be off and running. This week in part 1, we'll look at where it all began on the Aristocrat of Records.

Let's journey back 70 years and put the ol' Rockola Jukebox back in the spotlight as we present part 2 of a 2 part feature on the biggest R&B jukebox records of 1955. It was a year of many firsts. 1955 was the first full year of Rhythm & Blues records consistently crossing over into the Pop Chart. Matt The Cat will point out just how popular some of these records were in the Pop Market. 1955 was also the debut year for Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Etta James. Fats Domino had 6 charting singles this year, 3 of which topped the R&B chart. 1955 was the year of "Blackboard Jungle"'s tremendous success in helping to deliver Rock n' Roll music to the mainstream through the popularity of its theme song, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock." In Part 2, we'll spin the last R&B chart-topper to NOT cross over into the Pop Chart as well as a healthy dose of vocal group records gaining jukebox spins. Smiley Lews, The Clovers and The Drifters, with a new lead singer, continued to score hits and make 1955 a year to remember. Part 2 covers the jukebox hits from July through December.

Lets journey back 70 years and put the ol' Rockola Jukebox back in the spotlight as we present part 1 of a 2 part feature on the biggest R&B jukebox records of 1955. It was a year of many firsts. 1955 was the first full year of Rhythm & Blues records consistently crossing over into the Pop Chart. Matt The Cat will point out just how popular some of these records were in the Pop Market. 1955 was also the debut year for Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Etta James. It was the last year for Johnny Ace, who scored the biggest hit of his career, posthumously. 1955 was the year of "Blackboard Jungle"'s tremendous success in helping to deliver Rock n' Roll music to the mainstream through the popularity of its theme song, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock." In Part 1, we'll look at just how big a record "Unchained Melody" was, with 2 versions topping the R&B Chart and crossing over to the Pop Top 10. Little Walter, Ray Charles and Ruth Brown continued to score hits and make 1955 a year to remember. Part 1 covers the jukebox hits from January to June and Part 2 will focus on July through December.

Christmas, like you've never heard it before. This year, the "Juke In The Back" cordially invites you to join us at Rosie's Juke Joint for an intimate Christmas Celebration. Miss Rosie, Bobby The Bobcat and of course, Matt The Cat will be there to make your yuletide bright and present an hour of Christmas tunes that have never been spun before on a "Juke In The Back" holiday program. B.B. King, Gatemouth Brown and Jimmy McCracklin will make sure you have plenty of Christmas Blues, while The Larks, The Soul Stirrers and Pilgrim Travelers provide glorious vocal group harmonies on some obscure Christmas tunes. Jesse Belvin sings about Christmas love while Johnny Moore stops by WITHOUT Charles Brown for a change. Now that's something you don't hear every Christmas. So freshen up your ears with a solid batch of hep, cool and groovy holiday records as you join Rosie's Juke Joint for a jumpin' Christmas Party!

There were so many important figures in post WWII Rhythm & Blues that helped build what would become Rock n' Roll. Today's popular culture has left so many musical pioneers behind and this week the "Juke In The Back" features Joe Liggins, one such pioneer who's been largely forgotten. Liggins scored one of the biggest hits of all-time when his "The Honeydripper" hit #1 on the R&B Chart for 18 staggering weeks in 1945. Singer/songwriter and music historian, Billy Vera drops by the "Juke" to tell us how "The Honeydripper" became such an enormous hit. Liggins scored 10 solid hits for Leon Rene's Exclusive Records before moving to Art Rupe's Specialty Records in 1950. At Specialty, Liggins had the biggest R&B hit of 1950 when "Pink Champagne went to #1 for 13 weeks and ended up selling more copies than "The Honeydripper." It looked like Joe Liggins' career couldn't be stopped, but soon Rock n' Roll, the music he helped create, pushed him and his contemporaries aside to make way for the youth movement. Last week, we spotlighted Joes younger brother Jimmy and this week, "Juke In The Back" is proud to honor one of the great musical pioneers of the last century as Matt The Cat plays every chart hit from the fantastic Joe Liggins.

Jimmy Liggins didn't have the chart success or popularity of his older brother Joe Liggins, but he did have a killer band, a raw sound and quite possibly the "first rock n' roll record." Both brothers traveled to California from their native Oklahoma in order to make it in the music business. Jimmy started out as a professional boxer before hanging up the gloves in order to drive his older brother around after the success of Joe's "The Honeydripper" in 1945. By the end of '46, Jimmy told Joe that he was cuttin' out on his own to form his own band and make his own records. He hit the charts with his 2nd single "Teardrop Blues" in 1948. Its flipside was "Cadillac Boogie," which was Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston's inspiration for "Rocket 88." Jimmy Liggins only scored four R&B chart hits during his career, but he cut a trove of groovy plattahs worth hearing. He is definitely one of R&B's unsung heroes. Get Jimmy Liggins' story and all the great music that comes with it on this week's "Juke In The Back" with Matt The Cat.

Bandleader, pianist, composer and sometimes vocalist Buddy Johnson and his chanteuse sister Ella are in the spotlight on this week's "Juke In The Back." Johnson was a superstar and one of the hottest live acts of the 1940s in the Black Community, but he barely made a dent with White audiences, though a few of his records actually did cross over into the Pop Chart. Raised in South Carolina, Buddy moved to New York when he was 23 and began touring the world with the Cotton Club Revue. A professed lover of Classical Music, Buddy found his bread n' butter was playing Big Band Swing and Jump Blues to audiences coast to coast. His touring band was widely popular after WWII, when most large ensembles had paired down to smaller combos. Buddy Johnson always put entertaining the people first and he changed with the times, keeping his style fresh and relevant. He scored numerous R&B hits with "Let's Beat Out Some Love," "When My Man Comes Home," "That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch," "(Gotta Go) Upside Your Head" and many more. His sister Ella Johnson was the featured vocalist on many of Buddy's biggest hits, but he also discovered a young Arthur Prysock, who would go on to greater fame after leaving Johnson. Buddy Johnson wrote some of the era's most endearing tunes, including "Fine Brown Frame," "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball" and "Since I Feel For You," which is now a jazz standard. Matt The Cat loads the ol' Rockola Juke with Buddy Johnson's biggest Decca and Mercury sides, spanning 18 years on this week's "Juke In The Back."

Last week, the "Juke In The Back" featured every recording made by the innovative BO DIDDLEY during the year 1955. This week, the Juke picks it up in early 1956 and showcases BO DIDDLEY's influential and diverse releases through 1959. He remained mostly off the R&B Charts during this period. That's inexplicable, since many of the singles issued by Checker Records became R&B, Rock n' Roll and Blues standards. Many Blues greats have recorded and interpreted Bo's "Before You Accuse Me (Take A Look At Yourself)" and countless garage bands have taken a crack at "Who Do You Love." Matt The Cat also highlights the previously unreleased original recording of "Love Is Strange," recorded almost a whole year before Mickey & Silvia made it a #1 R&B smash. Why didn't Checker ever issue Bo's original? We close the program with Bo Diddley returning to the R&B and Pop Charts in 1959 with the doo wop ballad, "I'm Sorry," the Latin-tinged "I'm Crackin' Up" and the signifying "Say Man," which would become BO DIDDLEY's biggest selling record. Don't miss BO DIDDLEY: 1956-59 on this week's "Juke In The Back."

This week's "Juke In The Back" takes a look at the breakthrough year of one of rock n' roll's true architects and innovators, Bo Diddley. His first recording session was held at Chess Records in Chicago on March 2nd and 3rd, 1955, where he laid down 4 original tunes. One of those songs, "I'm A Man," would inspire blues great Muddy Waters' "Manish Boy," while the other, "Bo Diddley," would be the igniting spark for rock n' roll. Diddley was a complicated and compelling artist, who's talents go way beyond his signature "hambone" rhythm, his vibrato guitar and his crazy lyrics. Bo's spirit is the spirit of rebellion, the true ingredient for rock music. It all began in 1955 and this week's "Juke In The Back" will explore those roots. This is part 1 of a 2 part special on the great Bo Diddley.

The "Juke In The Back" features another highly underrated R&B vocal group from the 1950s: The Checkers. They never scored a national hit, but they're one of the finest examples of polished 1950s R&B and their story deserves to be shared. The Checkers were formed after tenor Charlie White and bass Bill Brown split from Bill Ward & His Dominoes. They had some regional success with "House With No Windows," an uptempo version of "White Cliffs Of Dover" and "Don't Stop Dan," the sequel to "Sixty Minute Man." Matt The Cat digs through a mess of King Records 78s to bring you the best and most influential sides that this great R&B vocal group has to offer on this week's "Juke In The Back."

This 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 off of seldom heard records by Mad Man Jones, The Sly Fox and Chuck Berry. Plus, a rare 1937 test pressing from Victoria Spivey makes its "Juke" debut with "Witchcraft Blues." Also, Bobby The Bobcat returns with another spooky Halloween tale from his incredible imagination. So hang on to your souls as the haunted jukebox presents Spooky Halloween Rhythm & Blues.

This week, it's part 10 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. At the end of 1950, King launched a new R&B subsidiary called Federal Records. Nathan chose Ralph Bass to head up this new venture. Bass had already proven himself a great talent scout, first with Black & White Records in the mid-'40s and then with Savoy Records. Bass kicked off 1954 with a smash, "WorK With Me Annie" by The Midnighters, who were formally known as the Royals. "Annie" spent 7 weeks at #1 and sparked a myriad of sequels and answer records. One of those sequels, "Annie Had A Baby," also by The Midnighters spent 2 weeks at #1, later in the year. This week, in part 10 of our behemoth series on King Records, we'll feature the biggest and best releases from King's subsidiary label from 1954-56. The Federal catalog is plentiful with vocal group releases during this time and we'll hear some of the finest and rarest from The Platters, The Lamplighters, The Tune Blenders, The Californians and The Sheiks. Plus, James Brown and the Famous Flames get their start at the beginning of 1956 AND we'll hear early R&B records from a future comedian and a future Broadway performer. Matt The Cat is full of surprises and the "Juke In The Back" is loaded with Federal 78s as we present the final part of our 10 part series on King Records.

This week, it's part 9 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. At the end of 1950, King launched a new R&B subsidiary called Federal Records. Nathan chose Ralph Bass to head up this new venture. Bass had already proven himself a great talent scout, first with Black & White Records in the mid-'40s and then with Savoy Records. Earlier in 1950, under Bass' watch, Savoy scored 3 #1 records with the Johnny Otis Orchestra. Federal's first R&B release, "Do Something For Me" by a new group from New York called the Dominoes, immediately made the national top 10. Federal was off and running with more hits from the Dominoes, including the biggest R&B record of 1951 ("Sixty Minute Man") and 1952 ("Have Mercy Baby"). Another vocal group on Federal at the time was The Royals. Though their early output were mostly chart sleepers, in 1953 with Hank Ballard on vocals, their "Get It" made the national top 10 and set the stage for what was coming. Soon, the Royals would become the Midnighters and "Work With Me Annie" would be the top R&B single in America. Matt The Cat digs up the essential Federal Records releases from 1951-54 in part 1 of 2 on this week's "Juke In The Back."

This week, it's part 8 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, Wynonie Harris and Lonnie Johnson all scoring enormous hit records. This week in part 8, we take a look at King's spectacular releases during 1954-56. The first 2 years were a dry time for hit records at King, but in 1956, the label came roaring back with major hits from Little Willie John and Bill Doggett, who scored his first hit since 1945. "Honk Tonk" was the biggest R&B record of the year and it reestablished Doggett, who would have several more hits on King extending to 1959. Vocal Groups were big during this time as Rock n' Roll was being born and King was there with The Checkers, The Ink Spots, The Admirals, The Dominoes and The "5" Royales. This will be the final part of the series on King. Next week, in part 9, we'll take a look at King's highly successful R&B subsidiary label, Federal Records. Matt The Cat makes sure you don't miss a beat on this week's "Juke In The Back."

This 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, Wynonie Harris and Lonnie Johnson all scoring enormous hit records. This week in part 7, we take a look at King's spectacular releases during 1953. Though Wynonie Harris stopped having national hits back in '52, he still has some strong releases in '53. Annisteen Allen, who had been with King since 1945 finally has a hit under her own name with an answer record to the "5" Royales' "Baby Don't Do It" called "Baby, I'm Doing It" and there are plenty of beautiful vocal group records released on King this year. Matt The Cat's got 'em all and he's loading those jumpin' and swooning sides into this week's "Juke In The Back."

This week, it's part 6 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, Wynonie Harris and Lonnie Johnson all scoring enormous hit records. This week in part 6, we take a look at King's spectacular releases during 1952. The great Sonny Thompson has his final 2 career charting singles in '52 and Bill Doggett begins his long stint with King, though he wouldn't have a hit until '56. Even though Todd Rhodes didn't have a hit this year, he is all over this week's "Juke" with a risque number, "Rocket 69" with Connie Allen on lead and "Trying" with LaVern Baker on lead. Rhodes also backs up Wynonie Harris on "Keep on Churnin'" and Moose Jackson on "Big Ten Inch Record." We'll also dig on 2 tunes that would become much bigger hits for other artists later; The Swallows' version of "I Only Have Eyes For You" and Dave Bartholomew's original "My Ding-A-Ling." Matt The Cat's got 'em all and he's loading those blue label King Records into this week's "Juke In The Back."

This week, it's part 5 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, Wynonie Harris and Lonnie Johnson all scoring enormous hit records. This week in part 5, we take a look at King's spectacular releases during 1951. Wynonie Harris scores his last 2 career charting records, while fellow blues shouter Tiny Bradshaw continued his hit streak. Earl Bostic scores a #1 record with "Flamingo," a tune made popular ten years earlier by Duke Ellington. Bull Moose Jackson becomes Moose Jackson and Sonny Thompson starts scoring hits for King. In 1951, King Records continued selling millions of records and this week, Matt The Cat stocks the "Juke In The Back" with the best of them.

This week, it's part 4 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 over. King established itself in the R&B field with Bull Moose Jackson, Ivory Joe Hunter, Wynonie Harris and Lonnie Johnson all scoring enormous hit records. This week in part 4, we take a look at King's spectacular releases at the end of 1949 through '50. Bull Moose Jackson racks up another hit record with a big #2 charter, "Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me," which originally hit #1 for hillbilly singer Wayne Raney. In early 1950, Ivory Joe Hunter had already moved on to MGM Records, but King continued to release singles by him and "I Quit My Pretty Mama" hit big for the label in the wake of his #1 for MGM, "I Almost Lost My Mind." Wynonie Harris continued to rack up hits for King in 1950 and Sonny Thompson and Tiny Bradshaw both made their King Records debuts that year. Matt The Cat's got the ol' Rockola Juke full of those records, plus a few surprises, so get ready to groove on part 4 of King Records on this week's "Juke In The Back."

This 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 over. King established itself in the R&B field with Bull Moose Jackson, Ivory Joe Hunter, Wynonie Harris and Lonnie Johnson all scoring enormous hit records. This week in part 3, we take a look at King's spectacular releases at the end of 1948 and through most of '49. Wynonie Harris would score his biggest hit in '49 with the multi-week chart-topper "All She Wants To Do Is Rock," while both Lonnie Johnson and Ivory Joe Hunter would have records stall at #2 on the chart. Bull Moose Jackson continues to score hits while King finds major success with a few instrumentals by Joe Thomas and Todd Rhodes. So get ready to groove as we continue our salute to King Records in part 3 on this week's "Juke In The Back."

This 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 the hillbilly music from him. Not wanting to confuse King's intention to be a hillbilly label, Nathan launched a rhythm & blues subsidiary that he named Queen Records. By 1947, King had fully established itself as a hillbilly label, so Nathan felt it was time to take on the R&B market and so he folded the Queen label into King and moved many of the R&B artist over to the parent label. King kicked off 1948 with a #1 smash with Bull Moose Jackson's, "I Love You, Yes I Do." Jackson would score a 2nd #1 later in the year with "i Can't Go On With Out You." Wynonie Harris also put up big numbers in 1948 with the chart-topper, "Good Rockin' Tonight" and Ivory Joe Hunter scored several top 10 records for King that year. The King roster was full of veteran artists from jazzer Todd Rhodes to bluesman Lonnie Johnson, who's version of "Tomorrow Night" also topped the charts for King. So get your hands on some nickels as we salute King Records with part 2: 1947-48.

This 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 the hillbilly music from him. Not wanting to confuse King's intention to be a hillbilly label, Nathan launched a rhythm & blues subsidiary that he named Queen Records. Nathan admitted that he did not have an ear for R&B, so he bought at least one third of the Queen releases from other producers, most notably, African American producer Mayo Williams. Queen only scored one national R&B hit during its 2 years of existence, Bull Moose Jackson's "I Know Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well" in 1946. By mid-1947, Syd Nathan felt that King had properly established itself as a hillbilly label and now he was comfortable going after other genres with King. There was no need for Queen Records any longer, so he closed the subsidiary and moved many of Queen's artists over to King. Now King would take on the R&B market and prove super successful at it. Matt The Cat digs up Queen's finest releases this week as we feature part 1 of King Records. So drop a nickel in for Bull Moose and let's go!

Billy 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 wrote songs together and then formed a male vocal group to sing them. Last week in part 2, Ward put together an almost entirely new set of Dominoes as second tenor Charlie White, bass singer Bill Brown and lead tenor Clyde McPhatter all left the group due to Ward's harsh policies and low wages. Ward was prepared as he had Jackie Wilson waiting in the wings. Wilson sang some stellar leads and returned the group to the charts with "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" and the #2 smash cover of "Rags To Riches" in '53. It was short-lived as the group wouldn't chart again until 1956 and by then, it was on the Pop Chart only with "St. Therese Of The Roses." We'll hear that one this week in part 3 as Matt The Cat looks at the final chapter of the Dominoes' fantastic run. Billy Ward always wanted a pop group and he finally got his wish in 1956-57. The Dominoes were playing the notable venues of Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, but in early 1957, Jackie Wilson was fired for getting into a fight with Billy Ward. He was replaced by the Larks former lead, Gene Mumford. It was his powerful singing and the new pop arrangements of "Star Dust and "Deep Purple" that took the Dominoes back to the charts, but their days were numbered. Part 3 will look at Billy Ward and His Dominoes releases for the Federal, King, Jubilee, Decca and Liberty record labels and cover the years 1954 to 1957, highlighting only the important releases from this period. Come along for the ride as we close up our 3 part feature on The Dominoes, this week on "Juke In The Back."

Billy 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 wrote songs together and then formed a male vocal group to sing them. Last week in part 1, The Dominoes scored 2 #1 smashes. "Sixty Minute Man" held the top spot for 14 weeks during the summer of '51, while "Have Mercy Baby" topped the R&B Chart for 10 weeks over the summer of '52. The fantabulous Clyde McPhatter's high tenor was all over their early recordings along with Bill Brown's bass tones. But by February of 1952, Brown and tenor Charlie White had left the group, due to being fed up with Billy Ward's rules and a lack of higher wages. They formed The Checkers as the Dominoes rolled on with more key leads from Clyde. This week in part 2, we'll hear the end of the Clyde McPhatter era with the Dominoes and begin a new era with Jackie Wilson out front and a whole new bunch of guys behind him. They charted with "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" and the #2 cover of "Rags To Riches," which would prove to be the group's final chart entry until 1957. Billy Ward would even take some leads with "My Baby's 3-D" being the best of them. Matt The Cat digs deep into the Dominoes' catalog as every release from 1952 and '53 is featured on this week's "Juke In The Back."

Clyde 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 give him his own group, The Drifters. That worked out well as now Clyde had top billing and a couple #1 records with the Drifters under his belt. In mid-1955, The Drifters' manager, George Treadwell, convinced Clyde to go out on his own. His solo career began very successfully as he scored 11 charting records, including 3 #1s in the next 4 years with Atlantic Records. However, the 1960s proved a tough time for Clyde as he felt many of his fans had abandoned him. This week, Matt The Cat focuses on Clyde McPhatter's Atlantic solo sides from 1955-1959. Clyde was a singer who's style changed as musical styles progressed during the 1950s, but he never lost his Gospel roots. Dig on Clyde's greatest solo sides on this week's "Juke In The Back."

The 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 got the money or the recognition that he deserved from Billy Ward and after learning of his departure from the group, Atlantic co-founder Ahmet Ertegun was eager to sign him to Atlantic. It was a smart decision as McPhatter's new group, The Drifters, scored a #1 R&B record right off the bat with "Money Honey" in 1953. They would score another #1 a year later with "Honey Love" as well as five other charting hits before McPhatter left the group in 1955 for a solo career. The Drifters would continue to have huge chart success as would McPhatter, but this week, Matt The Cat focuses on The Drifters' genesis.

Tommy 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 Atlanta. In 1950, he got a contract with Savoy Records and recorded his first record, "Atlanta Boogie." After his 2 hits with the Griffin Brothers in '51, Brown jumped around, working with all-star bands and recording for United, Pearl, King and Imperial. This week, Matt The Cat shines a light on Brown's fantastic career, so come along for the ride and bring your your V-8, baby!

Whats 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.

This 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 greatest cleffers. It's Rudy Toombs' best songs, this week on the "Juke In The Back."

This week, the "Juke" is jumpin' with the honey jumper himself, Oscar McLollie. Born Oscar Lollie, this Louisiana boy went from serving in the military during World War II to servin' up jump blues in Los Angeles Clubs. Mercury Records hired him as one of their West Coast A&R scouts in the early '50s and he made his first single for the label. Record mogul Leon Rene and his son, Googie Rene wrote tunes for the newly christened McLollie and they scored a regional smash with "The Honey Jump." That record sold well enough for them to see dollar signs and they sold McLollie's contract to the Bihari Brothers at Modern Records, who quickly re-recorded "The Honey Jump" and had an even bigger hit with it. McLollie and the Renes continued to collaborate and several other regional hits followed with "All The Oil In Texas," "Lolly Pop," "Hey Lolly Lolly" and his biggest solo hit, "Convicted." By 1958, McLollie was back on the Rene's Class Label, scoring his only national hit record, "Hey Girl - Hey Boy," a duet with Jeanette Baker. Though he never saw mainstream success, McLollie recorded some great early Rock n' Roll and Matt The Cat is filling the ol' Rockola Jukebox with his jumpin' tunes on this week's "Juke In The Back."

Memphis 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 career really took off after WWII, when he cut some incredible sides for Miracle Records, a little Chicago independent label. He scored a #1 R&B hit in 1948 with "Messin' Around," which is seldom heard or celebrated today. He would enter the R&B lists four more times during the late 1940s and twice in the early '50s for the Premium and United Labels. Even though the US Senate honored Memphis Slim in the early '70s with an "Ambassador of Good Will" title, he is hardly recognized today for his important contribution to Blues, Rhythm & Blues and early Rock n' Roll. Get the story behind the story of Memphis Slim on this week's "Juke In The Back."

This 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. In part 3, the "Annie" songs take the spotlight as we build off the Midnighters' "Annie" trilogy to the flood of answer records and sequel songs that emerged in "Work With Me Annie"'s wake. Most of the hit "Annie" follow-ups were done by The Midnighters themselves, like "Annie Had A Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie," but there were some notable "Annie" songs by The El Dorados, Linda Hayes, Danny Taylor and of course the "Henry" songs by a very young Etta James. It may sound odd now, but from 1954-56, the R&B juke boxes were jumpin' to songs about "Annie," "Henry" and their crazy situations. Matt The Cat puts this R&B fad front and center as we close up our 3 week look at the impact of The Midnighters on Rhythm & Blues and early Rock n' Roll.

This 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 lead singer and Hank Ballard (real name John Kendricks) is in. Ballard had been with the group since '52 and he now takes the Royals into a more gospel/blues direction. Syd Nathan, head of King/Federal Records changes their name to The Midnighters and they score one of the biggest records of the year with "Work With Me Annie." This week, we'll focus on the Midnighters prime R&B period of 1954-56. They had non-Annie hits "Sexy Ways" and "It's Love Baby (24 Hours A Day)," but the Annie's sequels dominated. We won't be spinning any of the Annie sequels during this program as next week will be the "Annie" installment, but what you will hear are some fantastic Rhythm & Blues presented by one of the finest groups of the era. Grab some nickels, because "Juke" will be jumpin' with Detroit's own Midnighters.

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 recording of some amazing vocal group records, including the immortal "Moonrise" from 1952. Matt The Cat explores the Royals great early sides, their lineup changes (Hank Ballard joined in 1953) and their legal battles. In part 2, we'll fill the "Juke In The Back" with The Midnights prime, non-Annie records and then in part 3, it's an Annie bonanza of answer records, prequels and sequels. So grab your nickel and get ready to jump, jive and wail!