Air Week: July 25-31, 2022 Little Esther Esther Mae Jones is one of the First Ladies of R&B, yet her 1950s output under the name Little Esther is sadly overlooked. Little Esther was discovered by bandleader Johnny Otis in 1949, when she was only 14 years old. Otis immediately added her to his musical ensemble. […]

Air Week: July 18-24, 2022 John Lee Hooker: 1949-51 John Lee Hooker was one of the most influential and important musicians of the 20th Century. He single-handedly invented his own electric guitar boogie sound, which he let loose on the world with his first single, “Boogie Chillen'” in 1948. By early 1949, it was a […]

Air Week: July 11-17, 2022 The Cadillacs The Cadillacs began their journey in 1953 as The Carnations and when they changed their name they helped usher in a new era of automobile names for R&B vocal groups. Lead tenor Earl “Speedo” Carroll and bass singer Bobby Phillips forged a friendship that would carry on from […]

Air Week: July 4-10, 2022 Larry Darnell Next to the Johnny Otis Orchestra, no R&B act was bigger in 1950 than Larry Darnell. The Columbus, OH native scored the first #1 rhythm record of 1950 with “For You My Love,” which remained at the top of the chart for 8 weeks! As a member of […]

Air Week: June 27-July 3, 2022 4th of July: R&B Food Songs What’s more American than celebrating America’s birthday with some good ol’ red, white and Rhythm & Blues about THE Fourth of July staple: food? Dig in on an hour of classic R&B about hot dogs, cole slaw, potato salad, ribs and ice cream […]

Air Week: June 20-26, 2022 Leiber & Stoller’s Spark Records The “Juke In The Back” is proud to present one of the premiere, short-lived R&B record labels of the 1950s. Started by songwriters Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller after they were stiffed on royalty payments for Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog,” Spark records only lasted […]

Air Week: June 13-19, 2022 Jimmy Coe The “Juke In The Back” is proud to feature Jimmy Coe, a great 1950s saxophonist, bandleader and session man that is often ignored today. Coe came up in the 1940s playing in renown bands including the Jay McShann (at the same time as Charlie Parker) and the Tiny […]

Air Week: June 6-12, 2022 Howlin’ Wolf: The Early Years 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, Wolf was a local celebrity in Memphis, recording with Sam Phillips (before Phillips started Sun Records).  Matt The Cat spins Wolf’s […]

Air Week: May 30-June 5, 2022 Mambo / Vita Records The Juke In The Back is jumpin’ this week with records from the Vita Label and its direct predecessor, Mambo Records. In 1955, record producer Mike Gradney got together with Larry Mead, who owned a record pressing plant in Pasadena, CA to form Mambo Records. […]

Air Week: May 23-29, 2022 Billy “The Kid” Emerson 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 songs were covered by the likes of Elvis Presley and Billy Riley.  Originally from Tarpon Springs, FL, Billy Emerson […]