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
The "Juke In The Back" presents Part 4 of our mammoth, 6 part series, featuring the most important musical figure of the 1940s, Louis Jordan. He wa...

Bought by WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, and KMXT


  • Added: Aug 18, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" presents Part 3 of a mammoth, multi-part series, featuring the most important musical figure of the 1940s, Louis Jordan. He ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Aug 11, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" presents Part 2 of a mammoth, multi-part series, featuring the most important musical figure of the 1940s, Louis Jordan. Thi...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Aug 04, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" begins a mammoth, multi-part series, featuring the most important musical figure of the 1940s, Louis Jordan. Part 1 features...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KTRT RADIO INC, KMXT, WHRV, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jul 28, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Elvis Presley's early music was a blend of Hillbilly, Country, Gospel and R&B. This week's "Juke In The Back" explored the enormous debt Elvis owed...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jul 21, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
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 KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, WOUB, KMXT, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jul 14, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
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 WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB, and KMXT


  • Added: Jul 07, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
What’s more American than celebrating America’s birthday with some good ol’ red, white and Rhythm & Blues about THE Fourth of July staple: food? Di...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KVNF, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jun 30, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
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, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jun 23, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
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, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jun 16, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
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, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jun 09, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
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, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jun 02, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
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, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: May 26, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
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, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: May 19, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
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, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: May 12, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
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, KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: May 05, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The West Coast is often ignored as a post World War II Rhythm & Blues hot spot, but some mighty fine R&B artists, groups and labels called LA home....

Bought by KMXT, Royalton Community Radio, KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, WOUB and more


  • Added: Apr 28, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" is proud to salute Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the most important and influential musical figures of the 20th Century. Mat...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KTRT RADIO INC, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Apr 21, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, "Juke In The Back" features The Griffin Brothers, one of the unsung Rhythm & Blues groups from the early 1950s. The Griffin Brothers wer...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Apr 14, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, "Juke In The Back" features another unsung hero of early Rhythm & Blues, Floyd Dixon. He's often overlooked or labeled as a Charles Brow...

Bought by KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: Apr 07, 2019
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6