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.


711 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" spotlights two extremely underrated R&B pioneers this week: Titus Turner and saxophonist Buddy Lucas. Matt The Cat tells the...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Nov 27, 2011
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Many 1960s soul legends had their start in 1950s R&B and this week, the "Juke In The Back" takes a listen to Billy Stewart's early records. We'll a...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KPVL


  • Added: Nov 19, 2011
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 2
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 90.5 WSNC and KPVL


  • Added: Nov 13, 2011
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
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 serie...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KKRN, and KPVL


  • Added: Nov 06, 2011
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Lloyd Price joins Matt The Cat in the "Juke In The Back" this week to discuss his early career on Specialty Records and the recording of "Lawdy Mis...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Oct 30, 2011
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 1
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 singi...

Bought by KSRQ, 90.5 WSNC, KKRN, and KPVL


  • Added: Oct 23, 2011
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 4
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 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Oct 16, 2011
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" features the legendary Ray Charles 1953 rehearsal tapes. This is Ray at his most raw as he learns some new tunes that he wil...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Oct 08, 2011
  • Length: 59:02
  • Purchases: 2
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 smas...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Oct 02, 2011
  • Length: 59:02
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" features The Ravens, an R&B vocal group that set the stage for all the groups that would follow. With Jimmy Ricks' bass lea...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Sep 25, 2011
  • Length: 59:02
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" focuses on the great Howlin' Wolf's earliest recordings. Before he became a huge star on Chess Records in Chicago...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Sep 18, 2011
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
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 ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Sep 11, 2011
  • Length: 59:17
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke In The Back" looks at the very beginnings of one of early R&B's biggest groups, The Midnighters. Before "Work With Me Annie," they were ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Sep 04, 2011
  • Length: 59:16
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
Drop a nickel in the ol' Rockola Juke as Matt The Cat dedicates the entire hour to the great little Nashville R&B label, Excello Records. From The ...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KKRN


  • Added: Aug 28, 2011
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
The "Juke" continues its feature on Ivory Joe Hunter this week with part 2 of 2. This week's show looks at Hunter's successful run of hits from 195...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Aug 21, 2011
  • Length: 59:07
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Juke In The Back with Matt The Cat, Credit: Public Domain
This week, the "Juke In The Back" spotlights one of the most underrated hit-makers of the 1940s and '50s, Ivory Joe Hunter. Today, most people only...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KKRN, and KPVL


  • Added: Aug 14, 2011
  • Length: 59:03
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: The Juke In The Back With Matt The Cat
The "Juke In The Back" pays tribute to the great R&B vocalist, Lil Greenwood, who passed away on July 19, 2011. You'll hear her greatest early rec...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KPVL


  • Added: Aug 07, 2011
  • Length: 59:02
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: The Juke In The Back With Matt The Cat
The entire "Juke In The Back" this week features Motown's biggest acts, BEFORE there even was a Motown Records and before those acts were household...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KPVL, and WCPN


  • Added: Jul 31, 2011
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: The Juke In The Back With Matt The Cat
The "Juke In The Back" is jumpin' with a whole program dedicated to the short-lived 1950s record label started by songwriters Jerry Leiber & Mike S...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC and KPVL


  • Added: Jul 24, 2011
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: The Juke In The Back With Matt The Cat
The "Juke In The Back" with Matt The Cat features Billy "The Kid" Emerson, a talented R&B singer and songwriter who never had a hit record, but his...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, KPVL, and KKRN


  • Added: Jul 17, 2011
  • Length: 59:04
  • Purchases: 3