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, 75 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.”
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Episode #691 – The Orioles
Air Week: July 31-August 6, 2023
The OriolesThis 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.”
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