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Remembering Fats Domino, #botd in 1928 (1928-2017) – Sheet Music.
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Who was Fats Domino?
Antoine Caliste Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records.
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Born in New Orleans to a French Creole family, Fats Domino signed to Imperial Records in 1949. His first single “The Fat Man” is cited by some historians as the first rock and roll single and the first to sell more than 1 million copies.
Fats Domino continued to work with the song’s co-writer Dave Bartholomew, contributing his distinctive rolling piano style to Lloyd Price’s “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” (1952) and scoring a string of mainstream hits beginning with “Ain’t That a Shame” (1955). Between 1955 and 1960, he had eleven Top 10 US pop hits. By 1955, five of his records had sold more than a million copies, being certified gold.
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Domino was shy and modest by nature but made a significant contribution to the rock and roll genre. Elvis Presley declared Domino a “huge influence on me when I started out” and when they first met in 1959, described him as “the real king of rock ‘n’ roll”. The Beatles were also heavily influenced by Fats Domino.
He married Rosemary Hall, his wife of 60 years and this union produced eight children. His music career began in 1949. He partnered with Dave Bartholomew, a bandleader and talented trumpet player, who produced and co-wrote his first record, “The Fat Man” in 1949. It was the first Rock and Roll record to ever sell over 1 million copies, soaring to No. 2 on the R&B charts.
Billy Diamond, his road manager, referred to him as “Fats” because the name was a symbol of importance and would be considered to be a classic. This was just the beginning of a host of hits to follow. They Incinclude “Blueberry Hill”, “I’m Walking”, “Ain’t That A Shame” and “I’m Walking To New Orleans”, just to name a few.
In 1986, Fats Domino received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On November 5, 1998, at The White House, he was awarded The National Medal of Arts from then President Bill Clinton. These are some of the countless awards he has been honored to receive over the years.
Four of Domino’s records were named to the Grammy Hall of Fame for their significance: “Blueberry Hill”, “Ain’t That a Shame”, “Walking to New Orleans” and “The Fat Man”. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its first group of inductees in 1986. The Associated Press estimates that during his career, Fats Domino sold more than 110 million records”.
His career spanned for five decdecades,ich produced over 25 gold singles and sold over 65 million records. In spite of his success and many accolades, he was always a very humble man with a smile that lit up a room, and the love of his fanfanss immeasurable, and they undoubtedly loved him back. They will forever be in his heart and soul.
Chronology
- Antoine “Fats” Domino was born 1928.
- Domino’s music career began in 1949.
- He partnered with Dave Bartholomew, a bandleader and talented trumpet player, who produced and co-wrote his first record, “The Fat Man” in 1949.
- Domino’s debut album, “Carry On Rockin’ “was released in November 1955 and was reissued as “Rock and Rollin’ with Fats Domino” in 1956.
- He had 37 Top 40 singles.
- Domino performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in November of 1956.
- His 1956 recording of “Blueberry Hill”, a 1940 song by Vincent Rose, Al Lewis and Larry Stock (which had previously been recorded by Gene Autry, Louis Armstrong and others), reached number 2 in the Top 40 and was number 1 on the R&B chart for 11 weeks. It was his biggest hit.
- Imperial Records was sold in early 1963, and Domino left the label.
- Domino moved to ABC-Paramount Records in 1963.
- Domino continued to record steadily until about 1970, leaving ABC-Paramount in mid-1965 and recording for Mercury, Dave Bartholomew’s small Broadmoor label (reuniting with Bartholomew along the way), and Reprise. His final Top 100 chart single was on Reprise, a cover of the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna”, which peaked at number 100 in 1968.
- In 1986, Fats Domino received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- On November 5, 1998, at The White House, he was awarded The National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton.
- In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 25 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”
- On January 12, 2007, Domino was honored with OffBeat magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Best of the Beat Awards, held at the House of Blues in New Orleans. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin declared the day “Fats Domino Day in New Orleans” and presented him with a signed declaration.
- Domino returned to stage on May 19, 2007, at Tipitina’s at New Orleans, performing to a full house.
- In October 2012, Domino was featured in season three of the television series Treme, playing himself.
- On October 24, 2017 Fats Domino passed away in New Orleans at the age of 89.
Influence and legacy
Fats Domino – Blueberry Hill (From “Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll”).
Fats Domino is captured here performing the all-time classic rock and roll song “Blueberry Hill”.
I found my thrill
On Blueberry Hill
On Blueberry Hill
When I found you
The moon stood still
On Blueberry Hill
And lingered until
My dream came true
The wind in the willow played
Love’s sweet melody
But all of those vows we made
Were never to be
Though we’re apart
You’re part of me still
For you were my thrill
On Blueberry Hill
The wind in the willow played
Love’s sweet melody
But all of those vows we made
Were never to be
Though we’re apart
You’re part of me still
For you were my thrill
On Blueberry Hill