The "Juke In The Back" focuses on the " soul that came before rock n' roll," the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.
The Five Keys were undoubtedly one of the finest vocal groups of both the R&B and Rock n' Roll eras. They didn't score as many hits as say the Dominoes or the Clovers, but like The Orioles and The Ravens before them, they were highly influential to other vocal groups of the day.
One of the "keys" to their unique sound was their use of Ripley Ingram as an "octave tenor." He sang a half note above the rest and could move in and out and dance around the musical arrangements.
Rudy West and his beautiful tenor were featured on many of the Keys' ballads, including their 1951 R&B chart-topper, "The Glory Of Love."
Maryland Pierce was more of a blues shouter and Dickie Smith gave the group a solid R&B edge. Rafael Ingram sang baritone/tenor and Rudy's brother, Bernie West, sang bass.
In part 1, Matt The Cat focuses on The Five Keys' early years on Aladdin Records, where they would only have one chart entry, "The Glory Of Love," but have so many classic recordings.
Next week in part 2, their hit-making years on Capitol Records will be featured. At Capitol, they would not only score 6 R&B hits, but also crossover for 4 Pop Chart entries.
The Five Keys are lighting up the jukebox for the next 2 weeks, right here on the "Juke In The Back."
Join Matt the Cat for "Juke in the Back", tomorrow morning at 04:00 AM Eastern, with an encore presentation, Sunday afternoon at 03:00 PM Eastern, after part 4 of "The Radio London Story" and before "The Song Remembers When" with Melissa Ricobono on Mushroom FM, the home of the fun guys, making four decades of magic mushroom memories!
And be sure to check out the complete Mushroom FM schedule at https://mushroomfm.com/schedule.
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