The History of The R&B Jukebox, so far…

The history of The R&B Jukebox on KUVO starts in late 1997:

During this time, host Rolando Garcia had only been on the air as a substitute for about a year. Not long after, Rolando began to substitute on a regular basis for JC (Mama Kat) on Saturday nights.

At that time, the Saturday night line-up was:

🎵 All Blues (Brian Elliot, host) from 5-7 pm

🎵Beale Street Caravan (syndicated blues show) from 7-8 pm

🎵Mama Kat (mostly blues) from 8-10 pm

Mama Kat then moved to a Friday early-evening time slot, which later became Rockin’ in Rhythm! Carlos Lando said to Rolando “do more of that R&B thing you’re doing” and asked if he’d like to take over the Saturday 8-10 pm slot. That’s where it all started! Carlos wanted to turn the 2-hour slot into a full-fledged R&B show dedicated to featuring the music from the Golden Age of R&B. Then in 1998, The R&B Jukebox on KUVO was born!

On Saturday, January 21, from 6 to 8 pm we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The R&B Jukebox on KUVO! Join long-time hosts Easy Bill, Ricky Moseley, and R&B Jukebox originator Rolando Garcia!

Personal Story:
I’m often asked how/why I got into R&B. The answer is that as a 6-year-old in the early ’60s, I was listening to R&B, but didn’t know it. My then-14-year-old sister was playing early Beatles albums over and over. To me, the sound was infectious. I was listening to R&B through the Beatles! They covered quite a bit of R&B: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Arthur Alexander, and several Motown groups like the Shirelles, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Isley Brothers, and Barrett Strong among others. That was my initial entry into the “sound” of R&B. No wonder I was hooked! —Rolando Garcia

20-Year Anniversary Timeline:

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