Cosimo Matassa
Of Italian ancestry, Matassa ran a New Orleans juke-box company and a record store, J&M Amusement Services in the early '40s. In 1945 he opened a small recording studio behind the shop. For the next 20 years, Cosimo's studios were the focus of recording activity in the city. Among the first to produce at Cosimo's was Dave Bartholomew who recorded Roy Brown for De Luxe and Tommy Ridgley for Imperial. In 1949, Bartholomew began recording Fats Domino at the studio, and in 1952, he recorded Lloyd Price. There were other hits from J&M by Shirley & Lee. By the mid-50s, a studio band had emerged to accompany the growing number of singers working there. Led by saxophonists Red Tyler and Lee Allen, its members included Earl Palmer (drums) and Frank Fields (bass). In 1956, the studio moved to larger premises and was renamed Cosimo's. Soon afterwards, Little Richard made some of his most famous recordings there. During this time, Matassa had been engineer and studio owner but in 1957 he moved into management with white pop singer Jimmy Clanton. Two years later he started his own, shortlived, label Rex. Among its roster of artists was Mickey Gilley, Earl King, Jerry McCain and Mac Rebennack ( Dr. John). Matassa returned to his recording work on hits like Barbara Lynn's You'll Lose A Good Thing (1962) until 1966 when he set up Dover Records, an ambitious distribution company for local New Orleans labels. There were big successes with Robert Parker (Barefootin') and Aaron Neville (Tell It Like It Is) but by 1968 Dover too had become bankrupt. Afterwards, Matassa remained a part-owner of the Jazz City Studios in New Orleans, as well as working at Sea-Saint studios and forming the Jefferson Jazz company with Marshall Sehorn.