Cosimo Matassa was born in New Orleans in 1926. In 1944 he began studying chemistry at Tulane University, but left after completing five semesters. In 1945, at just 18 years old, he opened the J&M Recording Studio in the back of his family’s shop on Rampart Street in the French Quarter. By 1955, he had expanded into a larger facility—the Cosimo Recording Studio on Gov. Nichols Street, also in the French Quarter.

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As both engineer and studio owner, Matassa played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of 1950s and 1960s R&B, rock, and soul. Working closely with producers Dave Bartholomew and Allen Toussaint, he engineered countless influential records, including Fats Domino’s “The Fat Man” (often cited as a contender for the first true rock-and-roll record), Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti,” and recordings by Ray Charles, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John, Smiley Lewis, Bobby Mitchell, Tommy Ridgley, the Spiders, and many others. His studios became synonymous with what came to be known as the New Orleans sound—a blend of strong drums, driving guitar and bass, rolling piano, light horns, and a commanding vocal lead. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Matassa also managed notable New Orleans rock-and-roll singer Jimmy Clanton.

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Matassa retired from the music industry in the 1980s and returned to running his family’s grocery, Matassa’s Market, in the French Quarter.

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In December 1999, J&M Recording Studio was designated a historic landmark. Matassa himself received numerous honors: induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in October 2007, a Grammy Trustees Award the same year, and recognition from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which named J&M Recording Studio a Historic Rock and Roll Landmark in 2010. In 2012, Matassa was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, followed by induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.