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
Pianist Paul Gayten is one of the true unsung heroes of R&B and rock n' roll, but he is often overlooked in the history of the genre. Matt The Cat...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, KPVL, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Jun 03, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Few African Americans accomplished so much (songwriter, revered singer, entrepreneur) during the 1950s as the legendary Sam Cooke. This week, Matt...

Bought by KCSM, WJAB, 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, KPVL and more


  • Added: May 27, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This is the third and final part of "Juke In The Back"'s tribute to Specialty Records. This week, host Matt The Cat looks at Specialty's hit-making...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KPVL, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: May 20, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" is jumpin' with records all hailing from the Specialty Label out of LA on part 2 of The Specialty Records Story. ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KPVL, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: May 11, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" is full of old records from one of the greatest record labels of all-time, Specialty Records. Art Rupe started th...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KPVL, 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station, and KAWC / Border Radio - KOFA


  • Added: May 07, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
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. I...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Apr 29, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" features one of the great big talents of early R&B, Little Willie John. From interviews with people who knew Wil...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Apr 22, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" honors one of the greatest blues shouters of all-time, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. Matt The Cat covers Vinson's ear...

Bought by KMUW, 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, KPVL, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Apr 15, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • 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. Matt The Cat collects ALL of Baker's earl...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Apr 08, 2012
  • Length: 59:04
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Matt The Cat is joined by the greatest of all the West Coast Sax Honkers, Big Jay McNeely. You'll hear Big Jay tell his story in his own words as ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Apr 01, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" is loaded this week with records by one of R&B's greatest and most underrated bandleaders, Lucky Millinder. He worked with v...

Bought by KMUW, 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Mar 25, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, Matt The Cat looks at Chuck Berry's very first year of recording, featuring everything he recorded between May, 1955 and April, 1956. Y...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station, and KPVL


  • Added: Mar 18, 2012
  • Length: 59:02
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Eddie Rich, the original lead tenor of The Swallows, one of the greatest and most underrated R&B vocal groups of the 1950s joins Matt The Cat for a...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KPVL, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Mar 11, 2012
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
"Juke" completes its 2 part special on the great Chuck Willis. This week, in part 2, we focus on Chuck's amazing crossover success in the late 1950...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, KPVL, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Mar 04, 2012
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 4
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 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Feb 26, 2012
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the jukebox is in the spotlight as the "Juke In The Back" features part 2 of a part series on the biggest R&B jukebox hits of 1952!

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station, and KPVL


  • Added: Feb 19, 2012
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the jukebox is in the spotlight as we feature part one of a two part series on the top R&B jukebox hits of 1952.

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Feb 12, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Drop a nickel in the ol' Rockola Juke to hear one of the best selling and most influential bluesmen and guitarists of all-time, T-Bone Walker. This...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station, and KPVL


  • Added: Feb 05, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Etta James was one of the grittiest and most influential R&B singer of all-time. We lost her on January 20th at the age of 73. This week, Matt Th...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WRNC-LP, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Jan 29, 2012
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Johnny Otis was one of the most important figures in rhythm & blues and contributed greatly to the birth of rock n' roll. He passed away on Tuesda...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KPVL, KKRN, and 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station


  • Added: Jan 21, 2012
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 4