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"(rock and roll) the same rhythm and blues we've been playing in New Orleans for years."
-- Fats Domino |
Considered to be one of the founders of rock and roll, Fats Domino had been performing and recording in New Orleans long before he emerged as a rock and roll star. In his case, rather than bursting on the scene like Elvis or Jerry Lee, the white majority audience more or less stumbled across him. His first record success had come on the R & B chart in 1953 with “the Fat Man” -- thus Antoine Domino got his nickname. He crossed over to the pop charts in 1955 when Pat Boone covered “Aint It a Shame.” Fats would take the song to #6. When asked what rock and roll is, Domino would describe it as “the same rhythm and blues we’ve been playing in New Orleans for years.” At the end of 1956, Fats recorded his biggest hit, “Blueberry Hill.” Its popularity would stretch over to 1957 -- it spent three weeks at #2, Domino was attracted to the song when he heard a Louis Armstrong recording. In 1957 there were four Fats Domino Songs in the top 10: “Blue Monday” (#5), “I’m Walkin’” (#4), the two sided hit, “It’s You I Love” (#6) and “Valley of Tears” (#8). Just about the opposite of Jerry Lee Lewis’ piano style, Fats Domino’s success was based on an easy rhythm, and a toned down, less threatening boogie woogie piano. Much of his success was in collaboration with co-writer and producer Dave Bartholemew. Domino was one of the most consistent performers of the Elvis Era, second only to Elvis in number of gold records. Fats Domino would be one of the original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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