Ernie K-Doe - Reaping What I Sow (Instant 3264)

Reaping What I Sow

On the way back from Memphis on the Road Trip last August, John Broven invited me to take part in a discography project he had been working on for a few years with John Ridley and a couple of other major UK record collectors. The project, he said, involved New Orleans music, in particular the music cut by Cosimo Matassa at his studio on Governor Nicholls Street. I am, as you know, a big fan of that music, and was fascinated by what he had to say. I immediately agreed to come on board.

The project had to do with deciphering the numbers that Cosimo had begun (in October of 1960) stamping on virtually every 45 he cut, mastered or pressed at the studio, numbers we were soon referring to as 'The Cosimo Code'. Broven and Company had identified hundreds of these 45s by the time I got there, with more being found every day. My job was to ready the project for the internet, so we could open it up to the public.

As I got further into it, I began to appreciate the sheer magnificence of this music we were talking about. Again and again, I would be blown away by some obscure record I had never heard. This jaw-dropping B-side we have here today being a case in point. I mean, everybody knows about the wild and crazy side of the self-styled R&B Emperor of New Orleans, but this deeply emotional one comes as a bit of a surprise, and offers a glimpse into another side of K-Doe that we may have overlooked. Written by the Emperor himself, it was the last record he cut for Instant before heading off to Houston and signing with Don Robey. Check out that great guitar, and those ethereal background vocals... just hypnotic stuff.

It was records like this one that convinced me of the importance of the project, and fired me up to get the job done. And so, after many months spent working behind the scenes, I am proud to announce that there is a new website in town: cosimocode.com



Come on over and Join the Team!