1962

The difficulties facing the pioneering independent record companies are seen when Johnny Vincent's Ace label makes a distribution deal with Ewart Abner of Chicago's Vee-Jay Records. Vincent promptly scores a non-New Orleans recorded No. 7 pop hit with Jimmy Clanton's Venus In Blue Jeans. Fats Domino hit count for Imperial falls to five in the year.

New Orleans revels in its own dance craze with the Popeye, with good-selling records by Eddie Bo (Ric/Swan) and Ernie K-Doe (Minit).

Joe Banashak forms the Alon label with Allen Toussaint as producer. Other new local labels are Frisco (Connie La Rocca, Hal Atkins), JC (Joe Caronna), Nola (Ulis Gaines, Wardell Quezergue, Clinton Scott) and Rip (Rip Roberts). Ric and Ron's Joe Ruffino dies, bringing his labels to a halt.

Frisco's Danny White has a huge local hit with Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye but despite making the Bubbling Under charts the record can't break into the national spotlight.

Huey Meaux makes further profitable excursions to Cosimo's with the Barbara Lynn hits for Jamie; Meaux also records for his Eric, Princess and Som imprints. Other out-of-town labels include Drew, Lanor and Reno.

Cosimo Matassa forms the Dover label, distributed by London Records of New York, some four years before he set up the Dover distribution company. The label, with just a handful of releases, had little impact - unlike its successor.
- John Broven