Antoine “Fats” Domino was such an unassuming and delicate man, he turned the traditional instance of somebody who let his document gross sales communicate for him.
Not solely was he one of many hallowed circle of artists who have been current on the start of rock’n’roll, however his virtually distinctive capability to straddle the rhythm and blues and pop markets from 1955 onwards helped him to staggering success as a recording artist and performer. To honor his birthday on February 26, 1928, and his passing on October 24, 2017, we have a good time his profession with the very best Fat Domino songs.
It’s very important to recall that this totem of New Orleans music and tradition was a star lengthy earlier than rock’n’roll ever had that identify. The story begins in 1950 when, simply earlier than his 22nd birthday, Domino made his debut on the Billboard R&B bestsellers with the primary of his numerous gold-selling hits on Imperial, “The Fat Man.”
For the subsequent 5 years, he was an virtually fixed presence on that chart, disadvantaged of pop success by the strict segregation of the markets of the day. Ten extra R&B hits accrued, any of which might rank among the many greatest Fat Domino songs. They included the 1952 No. 1 “Going’ Home” and 1953’s “Going To The River” and “Please Don’t Leave Me.”
1955 was the 12 months that modified Fat’ life, as rock’n’roll arrived and Domino turned a central a part of its rise. “Ain’t That A Shame” (initially “Ain’t It A Shame”), written together with his soul mate and fellow Crescent Metropolis large Dave Bartholomew, was the irresistible catalyst, not solely topping the R&B listings for an superior 11 weeks however reaching the pop Prime 10, at the same time as Pat Boone’s white-bread cowl stole a lot of that market.
Then the flood gates opened, as Domino constructed on his core viewers to change into one of the crucial acquainted and reassuring figures within the charts, on stage and even on the massive display screen. He appeared within the rock’n’roll-fuelled 1956 films Shake, Rattle & Rock and The Lady Can’t Assist It, as additional large hits flew in. The R&B No.1s “All By Myself” and “Poor Me” didn’t cross over, however “I’m In Love Again” did, backed by his distinctive revival of the Nineteen Twenties favourite “My Blue Heaven.”
He completed his memorable 1956 with maybe top-of-the-line Fat Domino songs of all time. “Blueberry Hill” was one other remake, having been a giant quantity for Glenn Miller in 1940. Fat’ model, with the unforgettable piano intro and element that knowledgeable all of his recordings, gave him one other 11-week R&B reign, went No.2 pop and later entered each the Grammy and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. Even by 1970, it had bought some 11 million copies.
Bartholomew’s “Blue Monday,” from one other film automobile, The Lady Can’t Assist It, was one other solid-gold smash, as was “I’m Walkin’” and the rest of the Fifties introduced many extra singles that added to profession gross sales conservatively estimated at 65 million. They included his ultimate R&B No. 1, “I Want To Walk You Home,” and the charming “Walkin To New Orleans,” the Bobby Charles track that celebrated Fat’ beloved house city.
His final Prime 10 R&B document got here with “Let The Four Winds Blow” in 1961, by which period Domino’s chart supremacy was being challenged by many newcomers and his model started to sound dated – even when the British artists who would quickly be staging a transatlantic coup all paid tribute to his affect. However Fat continued to thrill audiences all over the place with as much as 200 exhibits a 12 months.
Certainly, Paul McCartney himself mentioned that the model of The Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” with its dominant piano determine, was fully impressed by the nice entertainer. So it’s solely proper that this record of the very best Fat Domino songs concludes together with his personal model of that track, which modestly turned his chart farewell in 1968. The legacy of among the most joyful music ever recorded will all the time be felt.
Hearken to better of Fat Domino on Apple Music and Spotify.
