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Fats Domino

Fats Domino is a classic R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.

Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1928. He first attracted national attention with "The Fat Man" in 1949 on Imperial Records. This song has been credited by some as being the first rock and roll record, featuring a rolling piano and Domino doing "wah-wah" vocalizing over a fat back beat.

Domino then released a series of hit songs with producer and co-writer Dave Bartholomew, saxophonists Herbert Hardesty and Alvin "Red" Tyler and drummer Earl Palmer. Domino finally crossed into the pop mainstream with "Ain't That a Shame" (1955), which hit the Top Ten. Domino would eventually release 37 Top 40 singles, "Whole Lotta Loving" and "Blue Monday" among them.

His 1956 uptempo version of the 1940 Vincent Rose, Al Lewis & Larry Stock song, "Blueberry Hill" reached #2 in the Top 40, was #1 on the R&B charts for 11 weeks, and was his biggest hit. "Blueberry Hill" sold more than 5 million copies worldwide in 1956-57. The song had earlier been recorded by Gene Autry, and Louis Armstrong among many others.

Fats Domino had a stream of hits until 1963, continued recording until 1970, and finally retired from the circuit in 1980 with a steady income from royalties.

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