By Eileen Fleming
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-925795.mp3
New Orleans, La. – Outside a Laundromat across from Louis Armstrong Park is the latest spot to be commemorated for its place in music history. It's the former home of J and M Studios. The building was once home to Fats Domino, Little Richard, Dave Bartholomew, Professor Longhair and many others. It was owned and operated by Cosimo Matassa, who attended the ceremony with Bartholomew. When people asked about Fats Domino, and what set him apart, Bartholomew said this:
"Ain't nobody in the world can play like Fats, because he's really instrumental in being 100 percent with the audience. Not that he's showing off, because it's in his heart. That's what makes Fats Domino so different from anybody else. What he do, he means it."
Today's ceremony kicks off the annual Ponderosa Stomp sessions in New Orleans to celebrate American music. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2010 American Music Masters Series will be honoring Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew in November at the hall in Cleveland.
For WWNO, I'm Eileen Fleming