Juke In The Back With Matt The Cat

Series produced by Matt "The Cat" Baldassarri

Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Image by: Public Domain 
Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat 

Matt The Cat presents the soul that came before rock n' roll: 1950s rhythm and blues. Each week, this underrated and rollicking music plays on that old Rockola Jukebox in the back.

If you wanted to hear rhythm & blues during the 1950s, you couldn't get it from the juke box in the front. No, no! In order to hear that glorious, down and dirty R&B, you had to go to the low-lit, spit-shined "Juke In The Back." These songs are the building blocks of rock n' roll. These are the records that inspired Elvis and single-handedly led to the rock n' roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Big Joe Turner, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Wynonie Harris, LaVern Baker, Roy Brown, Joe Liggins, Professor Longhair and many more take center stage on The Juke In The Back. Matt The Cat hosted a similar program on XM Satellite Radio called "Harlem" and now he brings this great music and information to PRX.


694 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Willie Mae Thornton was a trailblazer, who in making her own rules paved the way for other groundbreaking female artists like Janis Joplin and Mado...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KJZX-Austin, WOUB, WUTC and more


  • Added: Nov 05, 2023
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" spotlights the "Prince of Primitive Cool," Rosco Gordon. His mostly self-penned tunes, feature his unique blend o...

Bought by KTRT RADIO INC, Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WOUB, WHRV and more


  • Added: Oct 29, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Halloween has always been a frightfully good time of the year for the "Juke In The Back." This year, Matt The Cat, along with Miss Rosie and Bobby ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio and more


  • Added: Oct 22, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" looks at how one of R&B's greatest voices, LaVern Baker, got her start. It's part two of a two part feature on th...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KCSM, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB and more


  • Added: Oct 15, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, th "Juke In The Back" looks at how one of R&B's greatest voices, LaVern Baker, got her start. It's part one of a two part feature on the...

Bought by KCSM, Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KJZX-Austin, WOUB and more


  • Added: Oct 08, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, for the 700th episode of "Juke In The Back," Matt The Cat digs deep into the racks n' stacks o' shellac to bring you a solid hour on tha...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KJZX-Austin, WOUB, WUTC and more


  • Added: Oct 01, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" salutes one of R&B's greatest unsung labels, Red Robin Records. Bobby Robinson started Robin Records in 1952. It ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KJZX-Austin, WOUB, WUTC and more


  • Added: Sep 24, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
"Juke In The Back" completes its 2 part special on the great Chuck Willis. This week, in part 2, we focus on Chuck's amazing crossover success in t...

Bought by KCSM, Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 17, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 10
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke" features part 1 of a 2 part special on the great and much underrated Chuck Willis. Most cats n' chicks know Chuck's 1957 smas...

Bought by KCSM, Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 10, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Willie Mabon scored 2 #1 R&B records with "I Don't Know" and "I'm Mad" in 1952 and '53 respectively. Having 2 #1s ensured that he would never be fo...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 03, 2023
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Matt The Cat presents another highly underrated vocal group from the 1950s: The Du-Droppers as part of a full hour of 1940s and '50s rhythm & blues...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB, WUTC and more


  • Added: Aug 27, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The Five Keys were undoubtedly one of the finest vocal groups of both the R&B and Rock n' Roll eras. This week, in part 2 of our 2 part feature, we...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB, WUTC and more


  • Added: Aug 20, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The Five Keys were undoubtedly one of the finest vocal groups of both the R&B and Rock n' Roll eras. In part 1, Matt The Cat focuses on The Five Ke...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KSRQ, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio and more


  • Added: Aug 13, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 10
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week's "Juke In The Back" highlights the short, but important career of Faye Adams. DJ Alan Freed called her "The little gal with the big voic...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB, WUTC and more


  • Added: Aug 06, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" features the most important and influential vocal group of the post World War II era, The Orioles. Baltimore's finest singin...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB, WUTC and more


  • Added: Jul 30, 2023
  • Length: 59:46
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Nashville truly earned its nickname as "Music City" during the 1950s as it was not only the home of Country Music, but also a hotbed for a thriving...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, WUTC and more


  • Added: Jul 23, 2023
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, we continue our salute to the great blues shouter, Big Joe Turner with part 2 of 2. The show opens in 1951, with Turner's first recordin...

Bought by KCSM, Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KJZX-Austin, KKRN and more


  • Added: Jul 16, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 11
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" is loaded with nothing but the great recordings of Big Joe Turner, the "Boss Of The Blues." The show also feature...

Bought by KCSM, Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WOUB and more


  • Added: Jul 09, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
We throw the word "influential" around a lot on the Juke In The Back, but very few groups can actually claim to have started a sub-genre based on t...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KJZX-Austin, WHRV, WUTC, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio and more


  • Added: Jul 02, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The Juke In The Back jumps into summer by spotlighting THE summertime holiday, the 4th of July. We're diggin' the 4th in song, ranging from songs a...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KSRQ, KJZX-Austin, North Country Public Radio, WHRV and more


  • Added: Jun 25, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 10