Air Week: April 27-May 3, 2026

Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angels in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by ’49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew’s help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part seven, focusing on Imperial’s R&B releases from the second half of 1955. Last week in the first part of 1955, Matt The Cat alluded to Fats Domino’s big crossover breakthrough and in June it happened when “Ain’t It A Shame” topped the R&B chart and crossed over to a whopping #10 on the Pop chart. It became the biggest selling R&B record of 1955 and along with Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” helped to usher in Rock n’ Roll. Though 1955 was a strong year for Fats, Dave Bartholomew, The Spiders and Imperial’s New Orleans roster, the Los Angeles vocal groups were also making a dent with The Barons and The Jewels having a few solid releases. Blues legend Roosevelt Sykes stops by Imperial for a quick few singles, while guitarist Jimmy Nolen gives us a glimpse of his future greatness. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part seven of the Imperial Records Story on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”

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1940s & â€50s Rhythm & Blues

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 couldnâ€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.

Air Week: April 20-26, 2026

Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angels in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by ’49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew’s help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part six, focusing on Imperial’s R&B releases from the first half of 1955. We’re splitting 1955 up into 2 parts to really focus on this pivotal year for Imperial and the world of music in general. Rhythm & Blues was really hitting the mainstream in ’55 and beginning to get its new name, Rock ‘n Roll. Before Fats Domino crossed over later in the year, he enjoyed a few million-sellers in early ’55 with “Thinking Of Your” and “Don’t You Know.” He’d soon score one of the first true Rock n’ Roll hits a few months later with “Ain’t It A Shame.” Dave Bartholomew kept busy producing Fats’ records as well as putting out great singles from relatively unknowns like Joan Scott, The Hawks and Billy Tate. The Spiders continued to score hits in ’55 and Pee Wee Crayton was releasing some solid sides that unfortunately missed the national R&B charts. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part six of the Imperial Records Story on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”

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Air Week: April 13-19, 2026

Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angels in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by ’49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew’s help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part five, focusing on Imperial’s R&B releases from 1954. Fats Domino is still Imperial’s biggest star, but he only scores 2 charting records in ’54, while a new vocal group out of New Orleans, The Spiders, rack up 3. Their debut single, “I Didn’t Want To Do It,” establishes them as the most successful vocal group on Imperial. Pee Wee Crayton joins the roster, filling out an already stacked list of blues greats that includes T-Bone Walker. We’ll hear 14 year old future great, James Booker as Little Booker making his debut on Imperial and some great vocal group records from Bobby Mitchell & The Toppers, The Hawks and The Bees. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part five of the Imperial Records Story on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”

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Air Week: April 6-12, 2026

Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angels in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by ’49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew’s help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part four, focusing on Imperial’s R&B releases from 1953. Fats Domino dominated the Imperial roster, racking up four charting singles in ’53, one going all the way to #2 nationally. Lew Chudd sent bluesman T-Bone Walker to New Orleans to work with bandleader and producer Dave Bartholomew and record at Cosimo Matassa’s famous J&M Recording Studio, while the “unsung hero” of this series, Lil’ Son Jackson continued recording in Fort Worth, TX. We’ll hear the debut singles from Bobby Mitchell & The Toppers as well as some rare sides from Lil’ Willie Gibson, “Boogie Bill” Webb and Rose Mitchell. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part four of the Imperial Records Story on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”

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Air Week: March 30-April 5, 2026

Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angels in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by ’49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew’s help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part three, focusing on the last half of 1951 and all of 1952. Due to a disagreement with Lew Chudd, Imperial was without Dave Bartholomew for most of this period, but Fats Domino kept crankin’ out the hits with producer and songwriter Al Young, including his first R&B #1, “Goin’ Home.” Lil’ Son Jackson, T-Bone Walker and Big Jay McNeely released some great records during this period and Smiley Lewis had his first charting record with “The Bells Are Ringing.” Bartholomew returned to the fold in April of ’52 and produced some scorchers from Fats, Tommy Ridgley and a beautiful, obscure single with Allen Matthews. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part three of the Imperial Records Story on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”

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Air Week: March 23-29, 2026

Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angels in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by ’49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew’s help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part two, focusing on the 78s released during the 2nd half of 1950 and into the first half of ’51. Fats, Smiley and Jewel are back, but with the departure of Bartholomew over an argument in late ’50, Imperial turns to more down-home blues recordings. We’ll dig on some stellar records from accomplished bluesmen: Country Jim, Smokey Hogg, Mercy Dee and Lil’ Son Jackson. The future Guitar Slim made his very first records for Imperial before topping the charts in ’54 for Specialty with “The Things That I Used To Do.” Child actor and future music producer H.B. Barnum made his musical debut on shellac with Chudd and Imperial in 1950 and blues icons T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner recorded some fine sides for the label as well. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part two of the Imperial Records Story on this week’s “Juke In The Back.”

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