Cosimo Matassa was born in the US in 1926, a single generation after a vigilante mob stormed the parish prison to lynch and shoot eleven Italians prisoners to death.  The mob violence was a message to the rising political power of the newly immigrated Italian community; “ge... Read more

by Nita Ketner, WWOZ Show Host In 2004, New Orleans music legends Cosimo Matassa, Earl Palmer, Dr John, and Deacon John appeared at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland. I was lucky enough to be there, and was able to report on the events for satchmo.com.   For anyon... Read more

WWOZ has been celebrating the life of Cosimo Matassa, legendary studio owner and recording engineer, since receiving word of his passing yesterday afternoon at age 88. He is survived by his three sons, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Matassa was one of t... Read more

Memorial services for legendary New Orleans recording engineer and studio owner Cosimo Matassa will be held on Tuesday, September 16, with visitation from 8:30a until 3p at Metairie Funeral Home. A private service will follow. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to his family... Read more

In HBO's Treme, singer-songwriter Steve Earle played a street singer named Harley Watt ("Me, if I'd never gotten a record deal", says Earle). He also wrote and performed "This City", the song that closed the show's first season. He performs it live at KEXP in the video belo... Read more

We're proud to share this, the first effort of WWOZ's brand-spanking new video production unit: Lazy Lester sounding great at 81, doing "They Call Me Lazy" backed by the Lil' Buck Sinegal Band, recorded at the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette, LA on August 15. Props to videograph... Read more

Postmodern Jukebox, the outfit that gave us the jazz-style cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine", is back with a cover of a contemporay pop hit: Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass", featuring the talented Kate Davis, who sings and plays upright bass.     For comparison purpose... Read more

Irma Thomas, backed by the Professionals, visited the Seattle studios of KPLU in October 2010, where did this killer version of Bill Withers' "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh". She also covered the song on the 2005 multi-artist Southern soul compilation I Believe to My Sou... Read more