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.


698 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
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 ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, Royalton Community Radio, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jan 08, 2017
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week's "Juke In The Back" features every record Bo Diddley recorded during his debut year of 1955. You'll hear where it all began with one of ...

Bought by WHRV, WRNC-LP, KSRQ, WOUB, and Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting


  • Added: Jan 01, 2017
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Matt The Cat has dug up some more R&B Christmas treasures and added a few tunes about New Years for this week’s continuation of the “Juke In The Ba...

Bought by KMXT, KTRT RADIO INC, 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: Dec 25, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The entire "Juke In The Back" is loaded with the greatest R&B Christmas records from the late 1940s and 1950s. It's the yuletide soul that came bef...

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


  • Added: Dec 18, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Clyde McPhatter had one of the sweetest and most powerful tenor voices in all of Rhythm & Blues and early Rock n' Roll. This week, Matt The Cat foc...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, WRNC-LP, Royalton Community Radio, WOUB and more


  • Added: Dec 11, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
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...

Bought by WRNC-LP, 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, Royalton Community Radio, WOUB and more


  • Added: Dec 04, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
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'...

Bought by WRNC-LP, WHRV, Royalton Community Radio, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 27, 2016
  • Length: 59:02
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" spotlights a true blues legend, Lowell Fulson. From his 1948 breakthrough, "Three O'Clock Blues" to his 1954 legendary smash...

Bought by KMUW, 90.5 WSNC, WOUB, WRNC-LP, WHRV and more


  • Added: Nov 20, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" is jumpin' this week with a salute to the lighter side of classic 1950s rhythm and blues. These “novelty” R&B tunes come fro...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WOUB, WHRV, and KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 13, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
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 ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, WOUB and more


  • Added: Nov 06, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
In late 1953, RCA Victor launched a new subsidiary to focus on the Rhythm & Blues market, called Groove Records. It's hard to imagine, but Piano Re...

Bought by WRNC-LP, 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 31, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Matt The Cat celebrates Halloween with the scariest, spookiest and most sinister vintage rhythm & blues records ever made! It's the disembodied "so...

Bought by KTRT RADIO INC, KKWE Niijii Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, 90.5 WSNC, WHRV and more


  • Added: Oct 23, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" explores the rhythm and blues phenomenon of the "Annie" song. This is the giant wave of sequel songs and answer r...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, KSRQ, Royalton Community Radio, and WOUB


  • Added: Oct 16, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
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 ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, Royalton Community Radio, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 09, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week's "Juke In The Back" digs deep into a group that is usually only remembered for one, incredibly influential tune, "Sh-Boom." The Chords c...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, Royalton Community Radio, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 02, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 5
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 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, Royalton Community Radio, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Sep 25, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 5
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 Royalton Community Radio, 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Sep 18, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" is loaded with records by the 1950s R&B vocal group, The Crickets. They only recorded from late 1952 to 1954, but man did th...

Bought by WRNC-LP, 90.5 WSNC, Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 11, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" pays tribute to the great R&B vocalist, Lil Greenwood. You'll hear her greatest early recordings from 1950-1954, before she ...

Bought by WHRV, Royalton Community Radio, WRNC-LP, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Sep 04, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Matt The Cat & The "Juke In The Back" feature a look at one of most significant little record labels in history: Trumpet Records. Based in Jackson,...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, 90.5 WSNC, WHRV, WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Aug 28, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 5