You know, in New Orleans, that’s what we do: a second line with big brass bands and getting everybody out in the street. I wasn’t, but they did a big second line for him. Every time I saw him, it was just a smile. You’d never know if he was ever going through anything bad or nothing like that. It was something to see he must have hurt himself doing it. He would stand up and hit the big grand piano with his stomach and move it all across the stage. I know everybody says Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee and all that, but Fats really was the pioneer. I met him when I was 20, and I was just in awe. The likes of Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and Elton John lent their support to the early rock pioneer.By Aaron Neville Fats was one of the main characters in my musical life. To raise money for repairs to Domino's home, friends and rock stars alike recorded a charity tribute album, Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. Katrina had also devastated Domino personally. A portion of the record sales went to New Orleans' Tipitina's Foundation, which helps local musicians in need. Domino quickly put the rumors of his demise to rest, releasing the album Alive and Kickin' in 2006. Many feared that he was dead, but the Coast Guard rescued Domino and his family on September 1. When the hurricane hit, Domino's Lower Ninth Ward home was badly flooded and the legendary musician lost virtually all of his possessions. Hurricane Katrina Scare and Recoveryĭespite being urged to leave New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina striking the city in 2005, Domino preferred to stay home with his wife, Rosemary, who was in poor health at the time. Domino was also presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987.

A quiet and private man, he occasionally performed at local concerts and at the famed New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival from time to time, but generally shunned publicity of all kinds.ĭomino was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, but refused to attend the ceremony likewise, he turned down an invitation to perform at the White House, though he accepted the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton in 1998.įour songs of Domino's have been named to the Grammy Hall of Fame for their significance in music history: “Blueberry Hill” in 1987, “Ain’t It A Shame” in 2002, “Walking to New Orleans' in 2011 and “The Fat Man” in 2016.

“There wouldn’t have been a Beatles without Fats Domino.” - John Lennonĭomino continued to tour for the next two decades, but after a health scare experienced during tour dates in Europe in 1995, he rarely left New Orleans, preferring to live comfortably at home with his wife, Rosemary, and eight children off the royalties from his earlier recordings. Still, Domino's songs and New Orleans sound would continue to influence a generation of rock 'n' rollers as well as the growing ska music genre in Jamaica. The pair recorded steadily until 1970, but only charted with one more single: 'Lady Madonna,' a cover of a Beatles song that, ironically, had been inspired by Domino's own musical style. The rhythm we play is from Dixieland - New Orleans.'ĭomino left ABC-Paramount in 1965 and returned to New Orleans to collaborate once again with Dave Bartholomew. Next thing I'd hear, I would either write it down or remember it good.' Domino believed the success of his music came from the rhythm: 'You got to keep a good beat. Sometimes I wasn't expecting to hear nothin', and my mind was very much on my music. I used to go around different places, hear people talk. 'I used to listen to people talk every day, things would happen in real life. Still, Domino continued to ride high on his success through the end of the decade, churning out more rocking hits like “Whole Lotta Loving' (1958), “I’m Ready' (1959) and “I Want to Walk You Home' (1959).ĭomino described his songwriting process as taking inspiration from everyday events: 'Something that happened to someone, that's how I write all my songs,' he explained. He cemented this popularity with appearances in two 1956 films, Shake, Rattle & Rock and The Girl Can't Help It, and his hit 'The Big Beat' was featured on Dick Clark's television show American Bandstand in 1957.ĭespite his enormous popularity among both White and Black fans, when touring the country in the 1950s, Domino and his band were often denied lodging and had to utilize segregated facilities, at times driving miles away from the venue. 2 on the pop charts, Domino's top charting record ever. In 1956, Domino had five Top 40 hits, including “My Blue Heaven” and his cover of Glenn Miller's 'Blueberry Hill,' which hit No.

Fats domino