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
This week, Matt The Cat begins a sporadic series on the music that influenced the R&B that we love so dearly. What better way to begin such a serie...

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


  • Added: Dec 05, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" presents the final part of a 4 part feature on the early musical career of the great, Ray Charles, which will cov...

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


  • Added: Nov 28, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" presents part 3 of a 4 part feature on the early musical career of the great, Ray Charles, which will cover 1948-...

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


  • Added: Nov 21, 2021
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" presents part 2 of a four part feature on the early musical career of the great, Ray Charles, which will cover 19...

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


  • Added: Nov 14, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" begins a four part feature on the early musical career of the great, Ray Charles, which will cover 1948-58. Part ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, WOUB, KTRT RADIO INC and more


  • Added: Nov 07, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" celebrates show #600 with a unique program designed to put the listener in a front row seat for a live rhythm rev...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, KTRT RADIO INC, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, WOUB and more


  • Added: Oct 31, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the ol' Rockola Jukebox is haunted by a strange spirit of rhythm & ghouls. Dig on some of your old favorites by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, L...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, WYAP, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Oct 24, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Dinah Washington was more than just the "Queen of The Jukeboxes," "Queen Of The Blues" and any other prestigious but vacant title you could pin on ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB and more


  • Added: Oct 17, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Dinah Washington was more than just the "Queen of The Jukeboxes," "Queen Of The Blues" and any other prestigious but vacant title you could pin on ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB and more


  • Added: Oct 10, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Dinah Washington was more than just the "Queen of The Jukeboxes," "Queen Of The Blues" and any other prestigious but vacant title you could pin on ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WYAP and more


  • Added: Oct 03, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Dinah Washington was more than just the "Queen of The Jukeboxes," "Queen Of The Blues" and any other prestigious but vacant title you could pin on ...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 26, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Dinah Washington was more than just the "Queen of The Jukeboxes," "Queen Of The Blues" and any other prestigious but vacant title you could pin on ...

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


  • Added: Sep 19, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Much has been said about Ike Turner's personal life, but not enough has been said about his musical legacy. This week's "Juke In The Back" looks at...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 12, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The Moonglows were one of the most innovative and important vocal groups to come out of the 1950s. This week, Matt The Cat presents part 2 of a 2 p...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WYAP and more


  • Added: Sep 05, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The Moonglows were one of the few groups to come out of the post World War II, pre-Elvis era, who were extremely talented and had the sales figures...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB and more


  • Added: Aug 29, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
On Part 2 of the "Juke In The Back"'s tribute to Sun Records' early R&B releases, Matt The Cat features Elvis' first, historic professional recordi...

Bought by KCSM, Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Aug 22, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week's "Juke In The Back" spotlights the most influential and important record label of all-time, Sun Records. In part 1 of this 2 part series...

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


  • Added: Aug 15, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Arthur Lee Maye did something that few had ever done. He concurrently had a career as a R&B singer, leading the LA-based group Arthur Lee Maye & Th...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WOUB and more


  • Added: Aug 08, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
On July 27 th, we lost the amazing, soaring tenor of The Harptones’ Willie Winfield. The Harptones never had a national hit record, yet they are ar...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WYAP and more


  • Added: Aug 01, 2021
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" takes a look at one of New York's greatest, but almost unheard of R&B vocal groups: The Diamonds. Matt The Cat also features...

Bought by Royalton Community Radio, WHRV, KIOS-FM Omaha Public Radio, WOUB, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Jul 25, 2021
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 7