FURTHER READING
Backbeat: Earl Palmer's Story
by Earl Palmer with Tony Scherman
The magnificent drummer details how he gave the beat to New Orleans R&B - and rock 'n' roll everywhere. Print and Kindle editions.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC 1999
Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock 'N' Roll
by Rick Coleman
Some 30 years in the making, Rick Coleman's award-winning, meticulous biography does full justice to the Fat Man's enormous legacy.
Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA 2006
The Brothers Neville
by Art, Aaron, Charles and Cyril Neville, with David Ritz
Interview excerpts with members of the New Orleans musical family who took New Orleans R&B into the funky soul era. An award winner.
Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA 2001
Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleans
by Ben Sandmel
An entertaining romp describing the rise and fall and resurrection of New Orleans' only No. 1 hit maker to record at the Cosimo studios.
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2012
Huey "Piano" Smith and the Rocking Pneumonia Blues
by John Wirt
A somewhat melancholy tale of Huey's mounting financial and personal issues that seems at odds with his always progressive, good-time New Orleans music.
Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, LA 2014
I Hear You Knockin': The Sound of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues
by Jeff Hannusch (aka Almost Slim)
An award winner, this indispensible volume concentrates on 1950s New Orleans R&B personalities, including a Cosimo Matassa chapter.
Swallow Publications, Ville Platte, LA 1985
New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Record Label Listings
by Ray Topping with a Foreword by John Broven
The late English discographer Ray Topping's first-ever attempt at a New Orleans label listing, which paved the way for The Cosimo Code.
Flyright Records, Bexhill-on-Sea, England 1978
Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers by John Broven
The award-winning story of the pioneering record men. Includes new interview with Cosimo Matassa. Print and Kindle editions.
University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL 2009
The Soul of New Orleans: A Legacy of Rhythm and Blues
by Jeff Hannusch
This largely overlooked follow-up to I Hear You Knockin' focuses more on the sixties and seventies Crescent City Soul Era, when The Cosimo Code was born.
Swallow Publications, Ville Platte, LA 2001
South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous
by John Broven
The music history of New Orleans' near neighbor from Cajun to Zydeco, Swamp Blues, Hillbilly and Swamp Pop. An updated eBook is on the way.
Pelican Books, Gretna, LA 1983
Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues
by Shane K. Bernard
The first history of Swamp Pop, highlighting such disparate influences as Fats Domino and Hank Williams on the music of the Cajun Prairie.
University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, MS 1996
Under a Hoodoo Moon: The Life of the Night Tripper
by Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) with Jack Rummel
Possibly New Orleans R&B's best propagandist, Dr. John tells his own no-holds-barred story in inevitable hip fashion. Great photo section!
St. Martin's Press, New York, NY 1994
Unfinished Blues: Memories of a New Orleans Music Man
by Harold Battiste Jr. with Karen Celestan
An insider's view of New Orleans R&B (and more) from the A.F.O. label's intellectual driving force and a favorite son of the city.
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2010
Up from the Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music since World War II by Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose and Tad Jones
New edition of 1986's behind-the-scenes cultural history of New Orleans through the R&B era to post-Hurricane Katrina.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009
Rhythm & Blues in New Orleans
by John Broven
The newly revised and expanded edition of the award-winning first-ever book on New Orleans R&B includes interviews with many participants, including Cosimo Matassa! Originally Blues Unlimited Books, England 1974; now Pelican Books, Gretna, LA 1978, 2016
INTERNET SOURCES
Wavelength
Thanks to Wavelength co-founder and current UNO Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies director Connie Atkinson, digitized issues of Wavelength New Orleans Music Magazine from 1980-1990 are now available online. "The magazine was dedicated to telling the life stories of the many unheralded New Orleans musicians who had influenced American popular music." Yeah, you rite!
45 CAT
What can you say about a site whose stated mission is 'to catalogue, review and discuss every 7" record ever pressed throughout the world'? Very cool concept indeed, and we here at The Cosimo Code are certainly pleased to do our part!
Deep Soul Heaven
One of the foremost authorities in the world on Southern and Deep Soul, John Ridley ('an Englishman of a certain age'), shares his incredible collection of obscure and hard-to-find 45s (many of which bear The Cosimo Code) with the rest of us. There is now audio available for over 3000 sides!
Funky 16 Corners
The deep-crated Larry Grogan knows his stuff, and has a special place in his heart for all things New Orleans. Among the very first 'audioblogs', it's still going strong today.
Greenville and Beyond
The website that asks 'Henry Reginald Hines, where did you go?' Hines, and his firm Lynn's Productions, were very much a part of the scene at Cosimo's Studio for years, but very little is known about him... detectives?
Home of the Groove
'Based on the premise that the true Home of the Groove... is the irreplaceable musical and cultural nexus, New Orleans', Dan Phillips has been sharing his extensive knowlege of the music with all of us online since 2004.
MONOLA
This incredible French language website, run by the ardent Serge Tillard, is dedicated to the music of New Orleans and Louisiana. His in-depth artist biographies and discographies of obscure and forgotten labels make this site "Indispensable"!
The Singing Bones
A New Orleans native who points out that "Seriously ya'll, 'Treme' and 'Glee' are not that far apart", Ana B presents an always interesting slant on her stunning 45 collection. The site has been on hiatus ever since Ana and her family were hit hard by Hurricane Isaac... we want you back, B!
Soul Detective
In addition to being the host website of The Cosimo Code, four of the eight current Soul Detective 'cases' involve Cosimo's Studio in one form or another. The site serves as the front door to whatever it is that red kelly has been up to lately... although we're not sure what he was thinking about, red's material currently appears in about nine different places on the web, from The A Side to The Soul Sauce Archives. Keep an eye on him here.
Backbeat: Earl Palmer's Storyby Earl Palmer with Tony Scherman
The magnificent drummer details how he gave the beat to New Orleans R&B - and rock 'n' roll everywhere. Print and Kindle editions.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC 1999
Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock 'N' Rollby Rick Coleman
Some 30 years in the making, Rick Coleman's award-winning, meticulous biography does full justice to the Fat Man's enormous legacy.
Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA 2006
The Brothers Nevilleby Art, Aaron, Charles and Cyril Neville, with David Ritz
Interview excerpts with members of the New Orleans musical family who took New Orleans R&B into the funky soul era. An award winner.
Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA 2001
Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleansby Ben Sandmel
An entertaining romp describing the rise and fall and resurrection of New Orleans' only No. 1 hit maker to record at the Cosimo studios.
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2012
Huey "Piano" Smith and the Rocking Pneumonia Bluesby John Wirt
A somewhat melancholy tale of Huey's mounting financial and personal issues that seems at odds with his always progressive, good-time New Orleans music.
Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, LA 2014
I Hear You Knockin': The Sound of New Orleans Rhythm and Bluesby Jeff Hannusch (aka Almost Slim)
An award winner, this indispensible volume concentrates on 1950s New Orleans R&B personalities, including a Cosimo Matassa chapter.
Swallow Publications, Ville Platte, LA 1985
New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Record Label Listingsby Ray Topping with a Foreword by John Broven
The late English discographer Ray Topping's first-ever attempt at a New Orleans label listing, which paved the way for The Cosimo Code.
Flyright Records, Bexhill-on-Sea, England 1978
Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers by John BrovenThe award-winning story of the pioneering record men. Includes new interview with Cosimo Matassa. Print and Kindle editions.
University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL 2009
The Soul of New Orleans: A Legacy of Rhythm and Bluesby Jeff Hannusch
This largely overlooked follow-up to I Hear You Knockin' focuses more on the sixties and seventies Crescent City Soul Era, when The Cosimo Code was born.
Swallow Publications, Ville Platte, LA 2001
South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayousby John Broven
The music history of New Orleans' near neighbor from Cajun to Zydeco, Swamp Blues, Hillbilly and Swamp Pop. An updated eBook is on the way.
Pelican Books, Gretna, LA 1983
Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Bluesby Shane K. Bernard
The first history of Swamp Pop, highlighting such disparate influences as Fats Domino and Hank Williams on the music of the Cajun Prairie.
University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, MS 1996
Under a Hoodoo Moon: The Life of the Night Tripperby Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) with Jack Rummel
Possibly New Orleans R&B's best propagandist, Dr. John tells his own no-holds-barred story in inevitable hip fashion. Great photo section!
St. Martin's Press, New York, NY 1994
Unfinished Blues: Memories of a New Orleans Music Manby Harold Battiste Jr. with Karen Celestan
An insider's view of New Orleans R&B (and more) from the A.F.O. label's intellectual driving force and a favorite son of the city.
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2010
Up from the Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music since World War II by Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose and Tad JonesNew edition of 1986's behind-the-scenes cultural history of New Orleans through the R&B era to post-Hurricane Katrina.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009
Rhythm & Blues in New Orleansby John Broven
The newly revised and expanded edition of the award-winning first-ever book on New Orleans R&B includes interviews with many participants, including Cosimo Matassa! Originally Blues Unlimited Books, England 1974; now Pelican Books, Gretna, LA 1978, 2016
INTERNET SOURCES
WavelengthThanks to Wavelength co-founder and current UNO Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies director Connie Atkinson, digitized issues of Wavelength New Orleans Music Magazine from 1980-1990 are now available online. "The magazine was dedicated to telling the life stories of the many unheralded New Orleans musicians who had influenced American popular music." Yeah, you rite!
45 CATWhat can you say about a site whose stated mission is 'to catalogue, review and discuss every 7" record ever pressed throughout the world'? Very cool concept indeed, and we here at The Cosimo Code are certainly pleased to do our part!
Deep Soul HeavenOne of the foremost authorities in the world on Southern and Deep Soul, John Ridley ('an Englishman of a certain age'), shares his incredible collection of obscure and hard-to-find 45s (many of which bear The Cosimo Code) with the rest of us. There is now audio available for over 3000 sides!
Funky 16 CornersThe deep-crated Larry Grogan knows his stuff, and has a special place in his heart for all things New Orleans. Among the very first 'audioblogs', it's still going strong today.
Greenville and BeyondThe website that asks 'Henry Reginald Hines, where did you go?' Hines, and his firm Lynn's Productions, were very much a part of the scene at Cosimo's Studio for years, but very little is known about him... detectives?
Home of the Groove'Based on the premise that the true Home of the Groove... is the irreplaceable musical and cultural nexus, New Orleans', Dan Phillips has been sharing his extensive knowlege of the music with all of us online since 2004.
MONOLAThis incredible French language website, run by the ardent Serge Tillard, is dedicated to the music of New Orleans and Louisiana. His in-depth artist biographies and discographies of obscure and forgotten labels make this site "Indispensable"!
The Singing BonesA New Orleans native who points out that "Seriously ya'll, 'Treme' and 'Glee' are not that far apart", Ana B presents an always interesting slant on her stunning 45 collection. The site has been on hiatus ever since Ana and her family were hit hard by Hurricane Isaac... we want you back, B!
Soul DetectiveIn addition to being the host website of The Cosimo Code, four of the eight current Soul Detective 'cases' involve Cosimo's Studio in one form or another. The site serves as the front door to whatever it is that red kelly has been up to lately... although we're not sure what he was thinking about, red's material currently appears in about nine different places on the web, from The A Side to The Soul Sauce Archives. Keep an eye on him here.
