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.
“Juke In The Back” 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 1950s with huge pop hits like “C. C. Rider,” “Betty And Dupree,” “What Am I Livin’ For” and “Hang Up My Rock n’ Roll Shoes.” Willis’ career ended with him on top after his tragic death in 1958 at the age of 30. Chuck Willis is one of the many underrated 1950s R&B performers. Pop audiences only remember him for a handful of tunes, yet he was extremely popular on the R&B-side of the 1950s. Each week, the “Juke In The Back” with Matt The Cat brings the music and stories of this oft forgotten part of American Music.
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 smash “C. C. Rider,” but many are unfamiliar with the great records Chuck cut in the early 1950s. That’s a shame, because Willis was a rare talent in that he could sell a ballad as well if not better than his jump sides. He was also a fantastic songwriter, writing hits for Ruth Brown and The Clovers, just to name a few. Matt The Cat introduces you to the Okeh and Columbia sides of one of the greatest, this week on the “Juke In The Back.”
Willie Mabon scored 2 #1 R&B records with “I Don’t Know” and “I’m Mad” in 1952 and ’53 respectively. Having 2 #1s ensured that he would never be forgotten, BUT Matt The Cat believe that this piano playing, harp-blowin’ blues cat should be better remembered and respected. This week, the “Juke In The Back” takes a look at nearly all his recordings for Chess Records, covering his career from his first solo release on Parrot in ’52 to his post-Chess single on Federal in ’57. In-between, you find different variations on his smash hits along side some unique sounding compositions which remain interesting to listen to and dig on some 70 years later. So grab a pocket full of nickels for the ol’ Rock-Ola juke and dig the sounds from Willie Mabon as we spin ’em ’round on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”
Matt The Cat presents another highly underrated R&B vocal group from the 1950s: The Du-Droppers. They didn’t sound like the stereotypical “doo wop” groups of the era and they weren’t your standard rhythm group either. The Du-Droppers had a sound that was all their own. Their leader, JC Ginyard began his career in Gospel groups and you can really hear that influence on the Du-Droppers’ best material. The group’s first single for Bobby Robinson’s Red Robin label was a sequal record to the Dominoes’ smash, “Sixty Minute Man,” called “Can’t Do Sixty No More.” Once they signed with RCA Victor, they scored two of the biggest smashes of 1953. Dig the sound and get the story behind the Du-Droppers, this week on the “Juke In The Back,” the “soul that came BEFORE rock n’ roll.”
The Five Keys were undoubtedly one of the finest vocal groups of both the R&B and Rock n’ Roll eras. They didn’t score as many hits as say the Dominoes or the Clovers, but like The Orioles and The Ravens before them, they were highly influential to other vocal groups of the day. This week, in part 2 of our 2 part feature, we’ll focus on the 2nd half of the Five Keys’ career. They signed with Capitol Records at the end of 1954 and had a smash hit right out of the gate with “Ling Ting Tong,” which was also their first crossover into the pop market. More Keys’ classics followed with “Close Your Eyes,” “The Verdict,” “Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind,” “Wisdom Of A Fool” and many more. The Capitol Recordings still feature tenors Rudy West and Maryland Pierce, but the musical arrangements are much fuller, refined and pop oriented as was the material. As the ’50s progressed, The Five Keys stopped scoring R&B hits and began to only chart in the lower regions of the Pop Lists. By mid-1957, the hits had stopped and the group was falling a part, but up to that point, The Five Keys proved that they could sing in many styles and succeed in all. Matt The Cat digs up some very familiar and some unfamiliar Five Keys records as we close down our double feature on this fantastic vocal group, on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”
The Five Keys were undoubtedly one of the finest vocal groups of both the R&B and Rock n’ Roll eras. They didn’t score as many hits as say the Dominoes or the Clovers, but like The Orioles and The Ravens before them, they were highly influential to other vocal groups of the day. One of the “keys” to their unique sound was their use of Ripley Ingram as an “octave tenor.” He sang a half note above the rest and could move in and out and dance around the musical arrangements. Rudy West and his beautiful tenor were featured on many of the Keys’ ballads, including their 1951 R&B chart-topper, “The Glory Of Love.” Maryland Pierce was more of a blues shouter and Dickie Smith gave the group a solid R&B edge. Rafael Ingram sang baritone/tenor and Rudy’s brother, Bernie West, sang bass. In part 1, Matt The Cat focuses on The Five Keys’ early years on Aladdin Records, where they would only have one chart entry, “The Glory Of Love,” but have so many classic recordings. Next week in part 2, their hit-making years on Capitol Records will be featured. At Capitol, they would not only score 6 R&B hits, but also crossover for 4 Pop Chart entries. The Five Keys are lighting up the jukebox for the next 2 weeks, right here on the “Juke In The Back.”
This week’s “Juke In The Back” highlights the short, but important career of Faye Adams. DJ Alan Freed called her “The little gal with the big voice” and she scored an impressive 3 #1 R&B hits in just a little over a year (1953-54). Surprisingly, she only had one more hit, before leaving secular music for her first love, Gospel Music. Born Fanny Tuell, Adams got her stage name from bandleader Joe Morris, who hired her after his former female vocalist, Laurie Tate, left to raise a family. Morris’ record label, Atlantic Records was not terribly impressed with the 2 released singles featuring Adams on lead, so they declined to release the new Morris composition, “Shake A Hand.” Morris took Adams over to New York’s Herald Records and right out of the gate, “Shake A Hand” topped the charts for a whopping 10 weeks. Two more #1s followed (“I’ll Be True” and “Hurts Me To My Heart”), before the hits began to fade. Adams had one more hit single in 1957 for Imperial. By the early ’60s, she had left secular music all together and hasn’t been heard from since. Faye Adams’ Herald and Imperial Records output is impressive and is featured throughout this week’s “Juke In The Back” with Matt The Cat.
This week, the “Juke In The Back” spotlights the most influential rhythm & blues vocal group of all-time. The Orioles hailed from Baltimore and featured lead vocals by Sonny Til, one of the most talented, dynamic and recognizable voices in history. Their first record, “It’s Too Soon To Know” from 1948 ignited a new vocal movement that would develop into doo wop in the rock n’ roll era. Til enjoyed tremendous success until he was vocally dethroned in the early 1950s by Clyde McPhatter and the new school of R&B vocal groups. Matt The Cat shares an interview with the late Diz Russell, who became an Oriole in the mid-1950s. Russell knew Sonny Til personally and provides some prospective on these historic and influential recordings as the “Juke” focuses on the golden era of Orioles. Their biggest hit, “Crying In The Chapel” would also prove to be the group’s undoing. Fly high with the “high flying Orioles” as we celebrate R&B vocal groups in their purest form on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”
Nashville truly earned its nickname as “Music City” during the 1950s as it was not only the home of Country Music, but also a hotbed for a thriving Rhythm & Blues Scene. Vocalist Christine Kittrell is a great example of how wonderful and vibrant that R&B scene was. She was born and raised in Nashville, getting her musical education from singing at her local Baptist Church. Once she hooked up with Louis Brooks’ band during the mid-1940s, her star began to rise. Songwriter, arranger, producer and talent scout for Tennessee Records, Ted Jarrett signed her in 1951 and soon many markets throughout the South were hip to Kittrell’s blues shoutin’ style and Jarrett’s top-notch arrangements. Her 2nd single, “Sittin’ Here Drinkin’,” gained her airplay around the South and holds up today as her best known record. She would re-record it for Republic Records, which is the label that Tennessee changed its name to in 1953 and again for Vee-Jay Records in the early 60s. She was friends with Little Richard, who had roots in the Nashville scene and he even stopped by for a recording session with Kittrell in 1954. Matt The Cat will dig up those jumpin’ sides, along with a few smooth ballads and all that was in-between from this queen of the Nashville R&B scene. It’s Christine Kittrell’s Tennessee and Republic releases on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”
This week, we continue our salute to the great blues shouter, Big Joe Turner with part 2 of 2. The show opens in 1951, with Turner’s first recording session for his new label, Atlantic and continues through to his cross-over pop success in 1956. This is the most successful stretch in Joe Turner’s long recording career. He would score 19 R&B hits during the 1950s and only 1 of them would ever touch the pop top 50. Matt The Cat talks to the late Ahmet Ertegun about signing Turner to Atlantic and James Austin talks to the late Joe Turner about signing with that great label. Joe Turner’s records almost single-handedly invented rock n’ roll, so don’t miss this great tribute to one of America’s true blues treasures.
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.”
