Another one. Maybe the hardest. I'm sorry.
Local media is reporting that Cosimo Matassa has passed away. Times-Pic. WWL.
If you have ever heard a rock and roll record, ever jumped to a rockin' rhythm and blues platter, you owe Cos. He gave it to you. From a tiny back room in his family's store, he produced the greatest stream of rockin' sockin' records ever to rumble a juke box, starting with America's first, "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Roy Brown, following through a seemingly endless parade of hits by Ernie K-Doe, Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Little Richard.
In coming days, you will hear and read a lot about Cos, the records he made and the influence they had on generations of Americans. Much better writers than I will tell you just what this man did for American culture.
I would like to tell you, briefly, what a wonderful man he was. Always kind, ever-ready with a joke. Cynical as hell ("New Orleans has the greatest music scene; it'd be great if we had a music business") but always helpful and encouraging to anyone who loved making records. It was the joy of his life, and he purely delighted in seeing others share in it.
And as proud as he was of all that he'd accomplished in the studio, he was equally as proud as a businessman, running the French Quarter grocery store that bears his family's name until illness forced him to hand the reins over to others.
Cosimo was a kind, generous friend who spread joy and laughter everywhere he went and, through his amazing work, brought it around the world to nearly every person on the planet. His passing leaves a hole ain't nobody gonna fill.
Thank you so much for being here, you old so and so. But why, oh why do you have to go?