Domino enjoyed a parade of successes through the early 1960s, including “Be My Guest” and “I’m Ready.” Another hit, “I’m Walkin,’” became the debut single for Ricky Nelson. In 1955, he broke into the white pop charts with “Ain’t it a Shame,” covered blandly by Pat Boone as “Ain’t That a Shame” and rocked out decades later under that title by Cheap Trick and others. “All the girls, they love me, ‘cause I know my way around.” “They call me the Fat Man, because I weigh 200 pounds,” he sang. He recorded his first song, “The Fat Man,” in the back of a tiny French Quarter recording studio. In 1949, Domino was playing at the Hideaway Club for $3 a week when he was signed by Imperial record company. He quit school at age 14, and worked days in a factory while playing and singing in local juke joints at night. Fats Waller and Albert Ammons were early influences. As a youth, he taught himself popular piano styles - ragtime, blues and boogie-woogie - after his cousin left an old upright in the house. 26, 1928, to a family that grew to include nine children. The son of a violin player, Antoine Domino Jr. You don’t get more New Orleans than that.” “He’s warm, fun-loving, spiritual, creative and humble. “Fats embodies everything good about New Orleans,” his friend David Lind said in a 2008 interview. After losing their home and almost all their belongings to the floods, his wife of more than 50 years, Rosemary, died in April 2008.ĭomino moved to the New Orleans suburb of Harvey after the storm but would often visit his publishing house, an extension of his old home in the Lower 9th Ward, inspiring many with his determination to stay in the city he loved. That performance was a highlight during several rough years. Fans cheered - and some cried - as Domino played “I’m Walkin’,” ”Ain’t It a Shame,” ”Shake, Rattle and Roll,” ”Blueberry Hill” and a host of other hits. Scheduled to perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2006, he simply tipped his hat to thousands of cheering fans.īut in May 2007, he was back, performing at Tipitina’s music club in New Orleans. Many wondered if he would ever return to the stage. It turned out that he and his family were rescued by boat from his home, where he lost three pianos and dozens of gold and platinum records, along with other memorabilia. The preservation board noted that Domino insisted on performing the song despite his producer’s doubts, adding that Domino’s “New Orleans roots are evident in the Creole inflected cadences that add richness and depth to the performance.”ĭomino became a global star but stayed true to his hometown, where his fate was initially unknown after Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. One of his show-stopping stunts was playing the piano while standing, throwing his body against it with the beat of the music and bumping the grand piano across the stage.ĭomino’s 1956 version of “Blueberry Hill” was selected for the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry of historic sound recordings worthy of preservation. His dynamic performance style and warm vocals drew crowds for five decades. He was one of the first 10 honorees named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Rolling Stone Record Guide likened him to Benjamin Franklin, the beloved old man of a revolutionary movement. But Domino sold more than 110 million records, with hits including “Blueberry Hill,” ”Ain’t That a Shame” - originally titled “Ain’t It A Shame”- and other standards of rock ‘n’ roll. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a haircut as flat as an album cover. Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, coroner’s office, said Domino died of natural causes early Tuesday. Fats Domino, the amiable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honouring the traditions of the Crescent City, has died.
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