This Week's Highlights

Cats n' Kittens,

There's a lot of stuff happening this week on The Night Prowl Show. Here is a brief look at what's coming up, but there will certainly be surprises that aren't listed here.

-MTC

BLUESDAY TUESDAY:

The late Chuck Willis, "King of the Stroll" is born on this day in 1928.
Slim Harpo dies of a heart attack while recording in London in 1970.

WEST COAST WEDNESDAY:

Don Everly of the Everly Brothers is 69 today.

Friday:

The Day The Music Died! The Night Prowl will feature Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valans and The Big Bopper on the 47th anniversary of their tragic deaths.

HARLEM: Week of 1/30/06

"Clyde McPhatter's high tenor takes off like a guided missile. It soars higher and higher until it hits its target...dead center and explodes...blowin' you mind"
-Matt The Cat
CLYDE McPHATTER

Clyde McPhatter should be remembered as one of the most influential of the early '50s R&B singers. His sweet, angelic tenor was first put to gospel singing, but in 1950, it turned to secular music when Clyde joined Billy Ward & The Dominoes. After scoring numerous hits with The Dominoes, McPhatter left to form his OWN group, The Drifters. Depression, alcoholism and the changing sound of R&B would eventually ruin his career and his life, but this week HARLEM remembers one of the true great, CLYDE McPHATTER.

HARLEM airs on the 50s on 5:
Monday 1/30 @ 1pm over NYC
Tuesday 1/31 @ 9pm PST - midnight EST
Friday 2/3 @ 6pm EST
Sunday 2/5 @ 11am over Boston

Night Prowl Haps

Cats & Kittens,
So much going on this week, that I wanted to letcha know what I was planning over the next couple of nights.

Monday
Sam Cooke was born YESTERDAY in 1931.
Ron Holden died YESTERDAY in Mexico in 1977.
Eugene Church is born on this day in 1938.
Richard Berry dies on this day in 1997.

Bluesday Tuesday
Aaron Neville is 65 today.
Jack Scott is 70 today.

West Coast Wednesday
Etta James (Miss Peaches) is 68 today & she's from the West Coast, so today is Etta James West Coast Wednesday. I love it when features come together so well like this.

HARLEM: Week of 1/23/06

Hey Everybody, did ya hear the news?
Cleanhead's coming to town
To shout some BLUES!!

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson

Even though most people don't know his name, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson certainly left his mark on jump blues from the late 1940s through the 1980s. He was signed to King Records during their heyday, along with fellow blues shouters Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris and Roy Brown. This week, Matt The Cat pays Cleanhead the respect he so deserves on the 50s on 5's HARLEM.

HARLEM airs on XM5:
Monday 1/23 @ 1pm EST
Tuesday 1/24 @ midnight over LA and 9pm over NYC
Friday 1/27 @ 6pm EST
Sunday 1/29 @ 11am over Boston

Classic DJ Night

The Greatest DJs of All Time!













Alan Freed died on this day in 1965 and Wolfman Jack was born tomorrow, the 21st of January back in 1939. Tonight, The Night Prowl honors these two great DJs as well as some of the others (Dick Biondi, Hunter Hancock, Jack Carney, Jumpin' George and many others).

After the whole payola scandal had blown over in 1960, Freed could no longer work in New York State. He headed for the West Coast and landed a job on KDAY in LA. Tonight, I'll present an exclusive aircheck of Freed on the air in LA from 1961 that has seldom been heard.

Plus, the Friday Night Cat Fight returns at 10pm EST / 7pm PST. We need your vote, so don't miss it.

Have a great weekend and keep on prowlin'.

-MTC

Wilson Pickett RIP

Wilson "The Wicked" Pickett RIP

Today we lost one of the greatest soul singers of the 1960s. Pickett's career began with The Falcons in 1962 with "I Found A Love", a song that made the R&B top 10, while stalling at #75 on the pop lists. He was signed to Atlantic Records and in 1965 made musical history with the release of "In The Midnight Hour". His career never stalled until the early '70s when he left Atlantic for RCA.

Wilson Pickett died today of a heart attack at the age of 64.

We will remember some of Pickett's early great records tonight on the Night Prowl Show.

-MTC

Phil & Carl: Country Cross-Over Thursday

Country Cross-Over Thursday

Today is Phil Everly's 67th birthday and the 8th anniversary of the passing of rockabilly legend Carl Perkins. To honor these two titans of the country cross-over, I'm happy to bring back one of the Night Prowl Show's most popular features: Country Cross-Over Thursday! We'll have Web Pierce, Bobby Bare, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves, Wanda Jackson, The Collins Kids Johnny Horton and so many more. Call in your favorite country cross-over songs, tonight on the Night Prowl Show.

Request-O-Matic Hotline 1-866-267-0346

HARLEM: Week of 1/16/05

Author Peter Guralnick Joins Matt The Cat

Sam Cooke
The Man Who Invented Soul!

This week, Harlem takes an in-depth look at the life and music of the "sultan of soul", Sam Cooke. Author Peter Guralnick, who's new book is called Dream Boogie: The Triumph Of Sam Cooke joins Matt The Cat for the story behind the story on this true soul legend. We'll look at Cooke's gospel beginnings with the Soul Stirrers through his pop breakthrough in the mid-1950s.

Harlem Airs On The 50s on 5:
Monday 1/16 @ 1pm EST
Tuesday 1/17 @ 9pm PST and midnight EST
Friday 1/20 @ 6pm EST
Sunday 1/22 @ 11am EST

Instrumental Thursday

Instumental Thursday

For the first time EVER, the Thursday feature goes to tunes that don't need lyrics to get their message across. Request your all time favorite instrumental from the 50s and early 60s, whether it's Big Jay McNeely, The Ventures, Johnny & The Hurricanes, B. Bumble, The Rebels or the Wailers.

Request-O-Matic 7-11pm EST 1-866-267-0346

Bluesday Tuesday

Hey hep cats and crazy kittens, it's BLUESDAY TUESDAY and I'm ready to lay down those groovy R&B and blues sounds to get y'all ready for Harlem, tonight at 9pm PST and midnight EST. Harlem features Jackie Wilson this week.

Today, Ronnie Hawkins turns 71, so we'll do a little something special for the original "HAWK".

HARLEM: Week of 1/9/06

Mr. Excitement
rocks
HARLEM
In the 1950s JACKIE WILSON had it all. His looks, his moves and his incredible voice shook the nation and helped to usher in the dawn of rock n' roll. Where do you think Elvis got all those pelvic gyrations? He got 'em from JACKIE, man. Hear Jackie Wilson's earth shaking beginnings as lead vocalist for the Dominoes through to his 1957 breakthrough and beyond. Look up "soul" in your dictionaries and sure enough you'll find a picture of Jackie Wilson (and Bobby Bennett), because he was there when it all began and so was HARLEM on the 50s on 5.

Catch Harlem 5 times weekly on the 50s on 5:
Monday 1/9 @ 1pm over Brooklyn, NY
Tuesday 1/10 @ 9pm over LA & midnight over Medford, MA
Friday 1/13 @ 6pm over Baltimore, MD
Sunday 1/15 @ 11am over Harlem, NY

Sun Records Rockabilly Thursday

Sun Records Rockabilly Thursday!

Today, legendary Sun Records founder Sam Phillips would have been 83. We honor Sam Phillips and all the great rockabillly records that came off Sun with a special edition of Rockabilly Thursday.

Also, the late Wilbert Harrison would have been 77 today.