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.
Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n’ Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the “Juke In The Back” present this 14 part, behemoth series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic’s existence: 1947-57. This week in part five, we’ll pick up in late 1952 and hear Ray Charles’ first release for Atlantic, “The Midnight Hour.” It didn’t chart, but it marks a very important time for both the singer, who would soon find his voice and style and begin racking up hits, and the label, who bought his contract from SwingTime Records and invested in his development. The Clovers continue to score huge records as we make our way into 1953. Along with more hits from Ruth Brown, we’ll also dig up a few one-off singles that have been lost to history from The Tilters, Eunice Davis and guitarist Chuck Norris. This program is highlighted by an excerpt from an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic’s co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.
Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n’ Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the “Juke In The Back” present this behemoth 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic’s existence: 1947-57. This week in part four, we’ll focus on 1952 and dig not only the hits Atlantic scored that year, but also on a few of the should-have-been-hits. The Clovers scored 2 more #1 records with “Fool, Fool, Fool,” their 2nd release and “Ting-A-Ling,” their 3rd and final career #1 record. Ruth Brown continued her hit streak as “5-10-15 Hours” topped the national charts and “Daddy Daddy” made it to #3. Big Joe Turner followed up “Chains Of Love,” his debut release for Atlantic with the massively successful “Chill Is On” and “Don’t You Cry.” We’ll also hear some gems from Odelle Turner and Lil Green that didn’t chart, but are equally as compelling as Atlantic’s hit material. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.
Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n’ Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the “Juke In The Back” present this behemoth, 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic’s existence: 1947-57. This week in part three, we’ll focus on 1951 and hear a few more stellar hits from bandleader Joe Morris and rising star Ruth Brown. Stick McGhee had his final charting record in ’51, but would still turn out some fantastic material for Atlantic and later, King Records. Also, two influential vocal groups make their debut this year for Atlantic: The Clovers and The Cardinals. The Clovers scored a #1 record right out of the gate with the first song ever written by Ahmet Ertegun with “Don’t You Know I Love You So” and Joe Turner releases his first single for the label. This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic’s co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.
Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n’ Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the “Juke In The Back” present this 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic’s existence: 1947-57. This week in part two, we’ll see how Atlantic continued its sporadic hit streak with a few charting instrumentals from saxophonist Frank “Floorshow” Culley as well as Professor Longhair’s debut record for the label. Ruth Brown, who had a pretty quiet start to 1950, ends the year with the biggest hit of her career and one of Atlantic’s best selling records of all-time. “Teardrops From My Eyes” hit #1 in early December and remained there for 11 weeks, carrying it deep into 1951. This was the beginning of Brown’s decade-long reign that earned Atlantic the nickname, “The House That Ruth Built.” This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic’s co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.
Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n’ Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the “Juke In The Back” present this behemoth 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic’s existence: 1947-57. This week in part one, we’ll look at Atlantic’s first recordings from 1947-49, which mostly feature Jazz and Jazz-inspired Rhythm & Blues. Joe Morris had a killer group, highlighted by future jazz legends Johnny Griffin, Elmo Hope, Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones. Tiny Grimes’ outfit rounded out Atlantic’s early instrumental offering, before “Stick” McGhee gave Atlantic its first hit record with his big #2 smash “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” in 1949. With the addition of Ruth Brown and her #4 hit, “So Long,” Atlantic was on its way in establishing itself as a Rhythm & Blues powerhouse. This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic’s co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.
Varetta Dillard might be a footnote in R&B and Rock n’ Roll history, having only scored 3 R&B charting records, but her body of recorded work speaks for itself. She was more than just a Ruth Brown impersonator, though she could sound a lot like her idol. Dillard was also part of pop culture, having waxed a tribute record to the recently deceased Johnny Ace (“Johnny Has Gone” in 1955) and making the top 10 with it. She scored 2 R&B shuffle hits with “Easy Easy Baby” in ’52 and “Have Mercy, Mr. Percy” in ’53. Both tunes are very catchy and are well-remembered today, but the other side of Varetta Dillard’s story is one of unfulfillment. The bosses at Savoy Records, her first label where she scored her 3 hits, and RCA subsidiary Groove Records, believed that Dillard had the sound and talent to crossover to pop. Both labels really tried to get a pop hit out of her, but it just wasn’t in the cards. This week, Matt The Cat loads up the ol’ Rockola with Varetta Dillard’s best remembered 78s from 1951-56 as we ponder one of R&B’s nearly-forgotten chanteuses on the “Juke In The Back.”
Lloyd Price would become one of the great hit-makers of early Rock n’ Roll, but this is the story of the “soul that came BEFORE Rock n’ Roll.” Lloyd was just a kid when bandleader and talent scout, Dave Bartholomew brought him to Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studio in early 1952 to make a record of a tune he had heard Lloyd singing. “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” hit #1 during the summer of ’52, becoming an instant classic and contributing to the R&B foundation that would eventually lead to the birth of Rock n’ Roll. Matt The Cat presents clips from a lengthy interview with Lloyd Price from 2005 so that Lloyd can tell his story in his own words. He discusses how “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” was recorded, why he was drafted and sent to Korea and how is cousin Larry Williams almost took his song “Just Because” away from him. Lloyd was an entrepreneur, a record executive, a boxing promoter, a professional bowler as well as a R&B legend and early Rock n’ Roll icon. Hear his story and pay tribute to his life on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”
During the 1920s, Kansas City was the heart of Jazz and the epicenter of American Music. George E. Lee and His Novelty Singing Orchestra was one of the most popular bands in that town at that time. At the center of the band, playing piano and singing was Julia Lee, the sister of bandleader George E. Lee. Julia was a fantastic singer with a powerful voice. We begin this week’s program, dedicated to Julia Lee, with one of her earliest records, “He’s Tall, Dark And Handsome,” which was issued in early 1930 and showcases her singing style. Remembered today for her double entendre songs of the 1940s, Julia Lee was much more than that. Matt The Cat takes you through her early years in the Kansas City scene and then her rise to fame recording for Capitol Records in LA. She scored two #1 R&B records with 1947’s “Snatch and Grab It” and 1948’s “King Size Papa.” Each of those singles remained on the charts for over a half a year! She was so popular during the late 1940s that it’s hard for us today to truly appreciate her widespread success. “King Size Papa” and “I Didn’t Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song),” a tune probably about marijuana, actually crossed over into the Pop Chart! An amazing feat considering the slightly risque subject matter as well as the segregation of musical styles at the time. Showcasing the records and artists that time has somehow forgotten is exactly what the “Juke In The Back” is all about and this week is no exception as we highlight the wonderful career of Julia Lee. We lost her way too soon as she died at the age of 55 in 1958, but this week, her music lives again on the “Juke In The Back.”
At the end of the Second World War, economics forced the big bands to trim their once great size and thus, the Jump Blues combo was born. Between 1946-1954, rhythm and blues laid the tracks for what was to become Rock n’ Roll. So how come, 70 years later, this vibrant and influential music is still so unknown to so many?
Matt The Cat is going to change that with the radio program, “Juke In The Back.†These were the records that you couldn’t hear on the jukebox in the front of the establishment. To hear all this great 1950s rhythm & blues, you had to go to Juke In The Back.
At the end of the Second World War, economics forced the big bands to trim their once great size and thus, the Jump Blues combo was born. Between 1946-1954, rhythm and blues laid the tracks for what was to become Rock n’ Roll. So how come, 70 years later, this vibrant and influential music is still so unknown to so many?
Matt The Cat is going to change that with the radio program, “Juke In The Back.” These were the records that you couldn’t hear on the jukebox in the front of the establishment. To hear all this great 1950s rhythm & blues, you had to go to “Juke In The Back.”
