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.”
https://www.jukeintheback.org
Episode #312 – Dinah Washington, Pt. 4 – 1951-53
Air Week: April 25-May 1, 2016
Dinah Washington, Pt. 4 – 1951-53
Dinah Washington was more than just the “Queen of The Jukeboxes,” “Queen Of The Blues” and any other prestigious but vacant title you could pin on her. Dinah was the real deal. As one of the best selling artists of the 20th Century, Dinah was no pop sensation or flash in the pan. She was a consummate artist, who developed a playful, yet serious style of phrasing all her own. This week, Matt The Cat continues to honor the great Dinah Washington with part 4 of our 5 part series. Part 4 picks up in the middle of 1951 and follows her Mercury Records releases through the end of 1953. During this time, Dinah scored 3 double-sided singles, beginning with her version of the tremendous hit “Wheel Of Fortune,” b/w “Tell Me Why” in ’52. Then she hit with the Blues standard “Trouble In Mind” b/w a new rendition of her own song, this time called “New Blowtop Blues.” Finally, after a year-long dry spell from the charts, she returns with “TV Is The Thing (This Year)” b/w “Fat Daddy.” Matt The Cat takes you through this often ignored, but no less riveting part of Dinah’s career on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”
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