Cosimo's Studio

J&M Recording Studio named Rock and Roll Landmark It was here, in a small backroom at 840 N. Rampart St., that Cosimo Matassa engineered and produced some of rock ’n’ roll’s earliest hits. While the building houses a laundromat today, more than 60 years ago, it was an appliance store with a recording studio in the back. It was also the place where, in 1949, Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew recorded the song “The Fat Man," which many say gave birth to the rock and roll era. A few other J&M recordings, including Roy Brown’s “Good Rockin Tonight” and Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” have sometimes been called the first rock’n’roll record. More than one musician has made sly references to the corner. In Professor Longhair’s “Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” recorded in 1949 at J&M, Rampart and Dumaine is the place he’s going to stand “until he sees the Zulu Queen.” Matassa, now 84, opened the Rampart Street studio in 1945 after he dropped out of the chemistry program at Tulane University. Inside the legendary studio — which measured 15 feet by 16 feet with a control room that he said was “as big as my four fingers” — Matassa recorded a storied list of acts. They included Domino and his longtime collaborator, trumpeter and producer Dave Bartholomew, saxophonist and producer Harold Battiste, Ray Charles, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Roy Brown, Sam Cooke, Jerry Lee Lewis, Professor Longhair, Earl Palmer, Dr. John, James Booker, Guitar Slim, Smiley Lewis, Little Richard ,Lloyd Price and many others. During those years, his focus was on the music and recording, never on the business side. Like many of the musicians he recorded, he ended up with meager financial reward. Cosimo retired from the music business in the 1980s to manage the family's renowned food store Matassa's Market in the French Quarter. http://offbeat.com/2008/05/01/jm-studio-house-of-rock/

World's Greatest Unknown Guitarist

Danny Gatton was born in Washington, D.C. on September 4, 1945. He began his career playing in bands while still a teenager. He made his name as a performer in the Washington, DC, area during the late 1970s and 1980s, both as a solo performer and with his Redneck Jazz Explosion, in which he would trade licks with virtuoso pedal steel player Buddy Emmons. Gatton's playing combined musical styles such as jazz, blues and rockabilly in an innovative fashion, and he was known by some as "the Telemaster"

Dammy usually played a 1953 Fender Telecaster and Fender now manufactures a replica of his heavily customized instrument. His picking technique was a hybrid combination of pick and finger rolls based on Scruggs style banjo picking., He possessed a classical guitar left hand technique, thumb behind the neck, fretting with arched fingers.

His skills were most appreciated by his peers including his childhood idol Les Paul. However, he never achieved the commercial success that his talent deserved. His album 88 Elmira Street was up for a 1990 Grammy Award for the song "Elmira Street Boogie" in the category Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

On October 4, 1994, Gatton locked himself in his garage in Newburg, Maryland and shot himself. He left behind no explanation. In retrospect of his suicide, people around Danny have suggested that he may have gone in and out of depression for many years.

Steve Earle - Goodbye Guitar Town

Tennessee Blues
Sunset in my mirror
Pedal on the floor
Bound for New York City
and I won't be back no more
Won't be back no more, boss - won't see me around
Goodbye guitar town.

Goodbye guitar town acoustic version

Backbeat: Earl Palmer 1924-2008

Legendary New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer died Friday at his home in Banning, Calif., after a long illness. Often called the most-recorded drummer in music history, Mr. Palmer played in thousands of rock 'n' roll, jazz and pop music sessions, as well as on countless movie, television and commercial scores. It was his adaptation of the classic New Orlean's second-line parade rhythm that transformed rhythm and blues into rock and roll.
Earl developed his trademark "backbeat" in Cosimo Mastasa's J&M Studio in the French Quarter during the late 40's and early 50's . He played on Fat's Domino's first 1949 session's as well as the majority of Domino's successive hits, and on Little Richard's groundbreaking 1950's sessions including "Tutti Frutti", "Lucille" and "Long Tall Sally".
Palmer left New Orleans in 1957 and headed to Los Angeles where he became one of the most in demand session drummers in the industry. Phil Spector used him to build his legendary Wall of Sound in the 1960s on such songs as "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers and "River Deep, Mountain High" by Ike and Turner.
Earl Palmer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Wall of Fame in the year 2000.

Drummer World Web Site WikiPedia:Earl Palmer

Jerry Wexler 1917-2008

Jerry Wexler, died yesterday at the age of 91. He was one of the most influential record producers of the past 50 years. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integral in producing many of the most important names in R&B and soul music during it's defining years of the of the 50's and 60's, He
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

For more than 30 years Wexler was a partner in Atlantic Records, where he worked with a legendary list of artists, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Big Joe Turner, Professor Longhair, Solomon Burke and Wilson Pickett.

His work with Stax Records in Memphis produced hits for Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and Eddie Floyd while his sessions in the Alabama town of Muscle Shoals produced the worldwide number one, "When A Man Loves A Woman" by Percy Sledge. Some of Wexler’s greatest recordings came in 1967 when he combined Aretha Franklin with the session musicians from Muscle Shoals on such hits as "Natural Woman", "Respect" and "I Never Loved a Man".

Later in his career, Wexler was instrumental in signing Led Zeppelin to Atlantic, produced albums for Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana and aided the career of the Allman Brothers.

A few years ago Jerry Wexler burned a CD containing 20 songs he was most proud to be associated with:


1. Professor Longhair, "Tipitina" (1953)

2. Ray Charles, "I Got a Woman" (1954)

3. Big Joe Turner, "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954)

4. LaVern Baker, "Tweedlee Dee" (1954)

5. Champion Jack Dupree, "Junker's Blues" (1958)

6. The Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959)

7. Ray Charles, "What I'd Say" (1959)

8. Solomon Burke, "If You Need Me" (1963)

9. Booker T. & the MG's, "Green Onions" (1962)

10. Wilson Pickett, "In the Midnight Hour" (1965)

11. Aretha Franklin, "Respect" (1967)

12. Dusty Springfield, "Son of a Preacher Man" (1969)

13. Dr. John, "Iko Iko" (1972)

14. Doug Sahm, "(Is Anybody Going to) San Antone" (1973)

15. Willie Nelson, "Bloody Mary Morning" (1974)

16. The Sanford/Townsend Band, "Smoke From a Distant Fire" (1977)

17. James Booker, "Winin' Boy Blues" (1978)

18. Etta James, "Take It to the Limit" (1978)

19. Dire Straits, "Lady Writer" (1979)

20. Bob Dylan, "Gotta Serve Somebody" (1979)

Listen at Rolling Stone Magazine.com - Wex on Wax

Jerry Wexler Biography

Reckless Kelly CD release

Today marks the release of "Bulletproof", the new CD by country- rock band Reckless Kelly. It is the follow up to the live CD/DVD box set "Reckless Kelly Was Here" that was released in 2006. No strangers to the road (brothers Willy and Cody Braun grew up touring in their father's country band), they will begin an extensive tour throughout much of the US. The tour will begin tonight with a CD release party at Antone's in Austin Texas . On July 14 Reckless Kelly will make a rare New York City appearance at the Mercury Lounge.

Allen Toussaint

Allen Toussaint has returned to Joe's Pub for his "New Orleans Brunch" concerts. This one-man show highlights Toussaint's forty plus years as a songwriter, musician and producer. Born in New Orleans, Allen Toussaint began making music at age seven, inspired by piano legend Professor Longhair. He began his career as a session player for Fats Domino and Smiley Lewis among others. Preferring to remain in the background, he concentrated on writing and production with Sea-Saint studios, his own production and recording studio. His producing, arranging and writing credits include:
Working in the Coal Mine, by Lee Dorsey
Mother-in-Law, by Ernie K-Doe
Fortune Teller, by Benny Spellman
I Like It Like That, by Chris Kenner
Ooh Poo Pah Doo, by Jessie Hill
I Know, by Barbara George
Ruler of My Heart, by Irma Thomas
Right Place, Wrong Time, by Dr. John
What Do You Want the Girl to Do, by Boz Scaggs
Southern Nights, by Allen Toussaint


Allen Toussaint's two remaining shows at Joe's Pub are a rare chance to see and hear some music history and should not be missed. (Sunday, June 22 and Sunday July 13 showtime 12 noon). A portion of the proceeds go to hurricane Katrina relief.

First heatwave of 2008 expected

The first major heatwave for the northeastern United States is due to arrive this weekend with temperatures in the upper 90's. Keep things cool by turning up the volume on this video clip from "The Iceman" Albert Collins.



Buy Albert Collins' music

Diddley-itous

Diddley-itous is defined as the "compulsive need to hear music infused with the Bo Diddley beat." Bo wrote and recorded "Mona" as the B-side of "Hey Bo Diddley" on Checker records in 1957. In 1965 it was covered by the Rolling Stones on their third US release "Rolling Stones Now".

I say hey, Mona
Oh, Mona
I say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Mona
Oh, Mona
I tell you Mona what I wanna do
I'll build a house next door to you
Can I see you sometimes?
We can blow kisses through the blinds
Yeah can I out come out on the front
And listen to my heart go bumpety bump
I need you baby that's no lie
Without your love I'd surely die


VIDEO: When the Bo Diddley Beat reached Europe in 1964......

Bo Diddley 1928-2008

Bo Diddley whose "Bo Diddley Beat" influenced musicians from Buddy Holly to the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen, has died at the age of 79 of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida.

Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates. He had his name changed to Ellas McDaniels when he was adoptedbut took his stage name from a one-stringed Deep South instrument, the Diddley Bow.

In a career spanning more than fifty years, Diddley's R&B compositions became standards of Rock and Roll;"Who Do You Love," "Bo Diddley," "Bo Diddley's a Gunslinger," "Before You Accuse Me," "I'm a Man " "Pretty Thing " and "Mona" .

He cranked them out his rectangular guitar, setting many of them to the rumba-like rhythm of his "Bo Diddley beat". He and his contemporaries Chuck Berry and Little Richard where among a pioneering group of black recording artists who crossed the American racial divide with music that was emulated by white performers. He found fame in the mid-1950s with his signature song "Bo Diddley" with its tremolo guitar, maracas and unique beat. Although Diddley recorded relatively few hits, his importance in the early years of rock and roll was acknowledged by his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 .

Diddley frequently complained about not being paid royalties during his peak years, telling the New York Times, "Have I been ripped off? ... You bet I've been ripped off."

Shindig: May 26, 1965

Most of the British invasion bands of the early 1960's were borrowing from the music of american blues, R&B and country artists (even the Beatles had covered Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Buck Owens, the Isley Brothers). But it was the Rolling Stones that acknowledged their musical influences and helped revive interest in the blues artists that they emulated.
On May 26, 1965, the Rolling Stones took it one step further by including 55 year old Howlin' Wolf in their appearance on "Shindig", a network television music show. The result was television history, when the greatest blues singer of all set the record straight about where it all came from. The Wolf's finger wagging, hip shaking, harmonica wailing performance must have sent shockwaves and maybe even fear throughtout the vast bland television wasteland that existed in 1965.
Sam Phillips, who had discovered Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, always considered Wolf to be his greatest discovery. Although Howlin' Wolf lived until 1976, he never made another television appearance. (The full clip can be found on the DVD "The Howlin' Wolf Story: The Secret History of Rock & Roll.")

Depression

May 2008 marks the last issue of the alt.country magazine "No Depression", a victim of falling print media advertising revenue and an uncertain recording industry in general . Founded in 1995 by Peter Blackstock of Austin Texas and Grant Alden of Seattle Washington, it has been an invaluable source of information pertaining to the world of american roots music- music your not likely to hear on the radio. Taking it's name from the title of an uncle Tupelo album (itself named for a 1930's Carter Family song) the magazine has highlighted artists such as Son Volt, Wilco, The Bottle Rockets, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Ralph Stanley, Steve Earle, Alejandro Escovedo, Drive-By Truckers and many more. Hopefully the No Depression website will continue and there is talk of a semi annual publication. I'm going where there's no depression, To the lovely land that's free from care I'll leave this world of toil and trouble, My home's in Heaven, I'm going there
No Depression website: https://www.nodepression.com/
Listen to the Original Carter Family No Depression (In Heaven)