Your show Juke in the Back is a fun tour of post-war rhythm and blues. Tell us a bit about how you fell in love with this music and how you decided to do a show focused on that era.
This era of music, sandwiched between to the end of the big band era after World War II and the birth of Rock n’ Roll in the mid-50s has interested me for a long time. As I was growing up and maturing musically, I kept discovering another artist or record that excited me, and it seemed to be more often than not from this era. I would hear “Good Rockin’ Tonight” and find out that it was Wynonie “Mr. Blues” Harris shoutin’ those blues and then discover another tune by him, like “Bloodshot Eyes” or “Lovin’ Machine.” They just kept getting better.
Of course, I always knew of Ray Charles, but I first thought that his hit-making debuted with “Hit the Road Jack” in ‘61, until I discovered his entire Atlantic Catalog (1952-59) and after that, his first recordings for Down Beat and SwingTime. WOW! The music just seemed to get deeper and more interesting to me. It was a fascinating world that wasn’t overplayed on the radio, so it was up to me to dig the music up and spread the word.
How does the music on the "juke in the back" differ from the tunes in the front of the house?
I use that analogy of the "juke in the back" vs. the juke in the front of the establishment to basically show that like most everything else in Jim Crow-era America, there was a separation of styles based mostly on race. Occasionally the music crossed over from Rhythm & Blues to Pop and from Pop to Rhythm & Blues. In the 1940s, Louis Jordan was the biggest selling artist to the African American Community, but he also had hits and influence on the White music-buying public. The same could be said for Nat King Cole and Billy Eckstine. At the same time, the Black Community was buying records by Bing Crosby, Ella Mae Morse and Kay Starr.
As Rhythm & Blues took off in the late 1940s, the crossovers began to occur more often with the Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man” making the Pop top 20 in 1951 and “Gee” by the Crows becoming a huge cross-over hit in 1953. But for the most part, Black Music remained underground as far as White Audiences were concerned and that’s the “Juke in the Back.” It’s not upfront and on display like the White Music on the front jukebox. You have to look for it, but once you find it, that’s the spot you’ll return to.
Listeners to your show pick up on a lot of different American musical influences: jazz, blues, big band, and early rock and roll. Why do those songs have such enduring appeal?
I think pure and simple, it’s the authenticity of the music. It sounds real and alive like someone is personally trying to make you dance, laugh, cry or just relate. It’s music that truly comes from the soul and is played by real people who lose time once in a while or strike a slightly out of tune note. It’s not perfect and there are no computers involved. I love how you can hear the space between the instruments, because practically nothing is closely mic-ed. It gives you the impression of being in the same room as the performers. Modern music usually doesn’t have that, unless they set out to create that feel. Back then, that’s just the way it was.
I’ve always been drawn to that “sound.” Mostly, all the styles that you mention are dance music and by definition are there to make you feel good. Jazz, Big Band and early Rock n’ Roll were the dance music of their day. Jazz developed into something more cerebral, thanks to Be Bop, and The Blues can be dance music as well as just being music that is relatable to nearly everyone. All these genres are very universal and accessible, and I think that’s their enduring appeal.
Who are your favorite artists from the Juke era?
Oh man, I really do love most of what I play. My favorites will always be Wynonie Harris, Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles, Lavern Baker, Professor Longhair, Pee Wee Crayton, The Cardinals, The Clovers, The Cadillacs, Elmore James, T-Bone Walker, Howlin’ Wolf, Dinah Washington and I could go on and on.
“Matt The Cat” is a catchy name. How did you end up taking that pseudonym?
When I got my first radio show, I was 13 years old in the 7th grade. We had a high school radio station and 7th graders weren’t allowed on it. However, the general manager had just lost an oldies music show on Friday Nights that was very popular, and he needed someone to keep it going. I was into older music and had a small but diverse record collection and the desire to play that kind of music. He agreed to let me take over the show. The night before my first broadcast (which I still have on tape, by the way), I thought, “man, I need a name. Wolfman Jack had a name, and I need some catchy radio moniker like that.” So, I rhymed with Matt and came up with “cat.” It worked, because I have a soft spot for cats AND “cat” is what a hep person was called back in the day, so it was puurr-fect!
But it wasn’t Matt The Cat. I tried that out, but it was too short, so I needed another word in there. I thought that Matt “The Swingin’ Cat” was the name and it stuck. Well, it stuck through high school and college radio, until I got the gig with XM Satellite Radio. I moved down to Washington, D.C. and when I went in for my first day on the new job, my program director informed me that my new radio name was Matt The Cat. That took a little while to get used to. I put up a little bit of protest, but they had already had jingles made with my new name and so that was that.
At this point, I’m more known as Matt The Cat and so that’s how it’ll stay. I had no idea at the time that back in the ‘80s there was another Matt The Cat, who was very famous on WMMS in Cleveland. For years, some people thought I might be him, but I can tell you fo’ sho’ that I’m my own Matt The Cat.
Which features on Juke In The Back are the most fun to produce and present?
I enjoy all the shows I produce, and I always learn a lot as each program takes hours and hours of deep research. I cross-reference many sources to make sure that I’m presenting information as accurately as I possibly can.
I have to say that when I put together shows on musical sub-genres and record labels, those are the most fun. They usually contain the most variety and it affords me a chance to tell lots of different stories about a diverse group of musicians. The latest 14-part series on Atlantic Records was a great opportunity to explore the greatest independent label of its day and to try and do it justice. I have a few more label histories in the works now, but don’t ask me which ones, because I’ll never tell.
Someday 70+ years from now, an enterprising host will have a throwback show dedicated to early 21st century music. In your opinion, which current artists will stand the test of time like those you feature on Juke in the Back?
I think it’s important to keep in mind that when this R&B music was being made, no one - especially not the artists involved - thought that it would still be around in 70-80 years. Much of it was put out just to get jukebox plays and make people dance. Then the concept of the “record collector” was born out of the 1950s and people started to look back on this music and the music of all eras. But plenty of the music of the 1940s and ‘50s is not remembered today.
I think that when someone looks back on the music of the early 21st Century, they’ll see the music that defined this period in history. Much of it is Pop Music, but I think some of the dance music styles will endure, along with some of the hip hop. As time goes on, the big Pop acts will probably fade in favor of those pushing the boundaries a little, like St. Vincent. I like what Jon Batiste is doing and hope he represents this current era.
When you are not producing Juke in the Back, what else do you do in your spare time?
I’m kind of a one-note guy. When not producing the show, you’ll find me listening to music of all genres. As an audiophile, I love sound and I find it very relaxing to put a record on, sit in the “sweet spot” to take in the entire sound image and get lost in it. Very often, I’ll get lost in a hard bop record from Art Blakey, Lee Morgan or Charles Mingus and emerge on the other side, as if I’ve been lost in a dream for the past 5-8 minutes. I’ve also played the drums for most of my life.
Outside of music, my family and I own and run a little B&B up in Salem, Massachusetts and that takes up a lot of time as my wife and I handle all the work ourselves. Recently, I have rediscovered biking after teaching my son to ride a bike and that has opened me up to leaving the house and my record room.
Thanks for the great conversation, Matt! Be sure to catch Juke in the Back every Saturday at 4:00 PM on WESM 91.3 FM and WSDL 90.7 FM.