The most popular exponent of the classic
New Orleans R&B sound,
Fats Domino sold more records than any other black
rock & roll star of the 1950s. His relaxed, lolling
boogie-woogie piano style and easygoing, warm vocals anchored a long series of national hits from the mid-'50s to the early '60s. Through it all, his basic approach rarely changed. He may not have been one of early rock's most charismatic, innovative, or threatening figures, but he was certainly one of its most consistent.
Domino's first single, "The Fat Man" (1949), is one of the dozens of tracks that have been consistently singled out as a candidate for the first
rock & roll record. As far as
Fats was concerned, he was just playing what he'd already been doing in New Orleans for years, and would continue to play and sing in pretty much the same fashion even after his music was dubbed "
rock & roll.
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The most popular exponent of the classic
New Orleans R&B sound,
Fats Domino sold more records than any other black
rock & roll star of the 1950s. His relaxed, lolling
boogie-woogie piano style and easygoing, warm vocals anchored a long series of national hits from the mid-'50s to the early '60s. Through it all, his basic approach rarely changed.
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He may not have been one of early rock's most charismatic, innovative, or threatening figures, but he was certainly one of its most consistent.
Domino's first single, "The Fat Man" (1949), is one of the dozens of tracks that have been consistently singled out as a candidate for the first
rock & roll record. As far as
Fats was concerned, he was just playing what he'd already been doing in New Orleans for years, and would continue to play and sing in pretty much the same fashion even after his music was dubbed "
rock & roll."
The record made number two on the
R&B charts, and sold a million copies. Just as important, it established a vital partnership between
Fats and Imperial A&R man
Dave Bartholomew.
Bartholomew, himself a trumpeter, would produce
Domino's big hits, co-writing many of them with
Fats. He would also usually employ New Orleans session greats like Alvin Tyler on sax and
Earl Palmer on drums -- musicians who were vital in establishing
New Orleans R&B as a distinct entity, playing on many other local recordings as well (including hits made in New Orleans by Georgia native
Little Richard).
Domino didn't cross over into the
pop charts in a big way until 1955, when "Ain't That a Shame" made the Top Ten.
Pat Boone's cover of the song stole some of
Fats' thunder, going all the way to number one (
Boone was also bowdlerizing
Little Richard's early singles for
pop hits during this time).
Domino's long-range prospects weren't damaged, however; between 1955 and 1963, he racked up an astonishing 35 Top 40 singles. "Blueberry Hill" (1956) was probably his best (and best-remembered) single; "Walking to New Orleans," "Whole Lotta Loving," "I'm Walking," "Blue Monday," and "I'm in Love Again" were also huge successes.
After
Fats left Imperial for ABC-Paramount in 1963, he would only enter the Top 40 one more time. The surprise was not that
Fats fell out of fashion, but that he'd maintained his popularity so long while the essentials of his style remained unchanged. This was during an era, remember, when most of
rock's biggest stars had their careers derailed by death or scandal, or were made to soften up their sound for mainstream consumption. Although an active performer in the ensuing decades, his career as an important artist was essentially over in the mid-'60s. He did stir up a bit of attention in 1968 when he covered
the Beatles' "Lady Madonna" single, which had been an obvious homage to
Fats' style. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
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