Fats Domino was one of the most successful
of the founding fathers of rock and roll. Domino hailed from New Orleans and started his career as a New
Orleans R&B performer. He is forever remembered for the early rock and roll
hits, “Blueberry Hill,” “The Fat Man,” I Want to Walk You Home,” “Walking to
New Orleans,” “Ain’t it a Shame,” “Blue Monday,” and “I’m in Love Again.” The
man was one of the giants of the Fifties, scoring almost three times as many
hits as either Chuck Berry or Little Richard.
Domino was born Antoine Dominique Domino
Jr. in New Orleans ,
in 1928. After spending time in the Dave Bartholomew band as pianist, he made
his first recordings in 1950 with “The Fat Man” and “Detroit City Blues.” “The Fat Man” was an important recording in the development of what was
to become rock and roll. The song was co-written, as were most of Fats' big
hits, with trumpeter, Bartholomew. The song became a huge R&B hit, and it
is one of the most successful debut singles in pop music history.
By the time rock and roll emerged in the
mid-1950s, Domino was already an established R&B star, and his transition
to rock and roll was an easy one. In 1955, he scored his first hit on the pop
charts with “Ain’t it a Shame,” the song that introduced him to white audiences
and turned him into one of the first rock and roll stars.
Domino’s best recordings can be most easily found via
compilation. Among the best Domino compilations are “Rock and Rollin’ with Fats
Domino” (1956), “Fats Domino Swings 12, 000, 000 Records” (1958), “The
Fantastic Fats Domino-20 Original Hits” (1977), and “My Blue Heaven-The Best of
Fats Domino” (1990).
Photo by Heinrich Klaffs |