Fats Domino: Rock and roll legend, dies aged 89

The American rock and roll artist, best known for his songs “Ain’t That a Shame” and “Blueberry Hill”, has died, according to an official from the New Orleans coroner’s office.

Fats Domino, whose real name was Antoine Domino Jr, was one of the first rhythm and blues artists to gain popularity with a white audience.
His music was most prolific during the 1950s, with a string of number ones, starting from many refer to as his first ever rock and roll record, “the Fat Man”.

Selling over 65 million records throughout his career, Domino outsold every 1950s rock and roll act, except Elvis Presley.

Presley referred to Fats Domino as “the real king of rock n roll”, and Paul McCartney reportedly wrote the Beatles song, Lady Madonna, in emulation of his style.

in 1986, Domino was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but by his later life Domino would no longer leave his Louisiana hometown - not even to accept the award.

New Orleans-born musician and actor Harry Connick Jr is among those who have paid tribute to Domino on Twitter, saying he had "helped pave the way for New Orleans piano players".

RIP fats domino... you helped pave the way for new orleans piano players... see you on top of that blueberry hill in the sky ❤️🙏🏼❤️

— Harry Connick Jr (@HarryConnickJR) October 25, 2017

"There wouldn't have been a Beatles without Fats Domino"https://t.co/JsvVG1a2x3

— John Lennon (@johnlennon) October 25, 2017

Antoine "Fats" Domino Jr was born in New Orleans on 26 Feb 1928, the son of a violinist. His parents were of Creole origin, and French Creole was spoken in the family.

He was musically inclined from an early age and learned piano from his brother in law, the jazz banjo player, Harrison Verrett.

He was given his nickname by bandleader Bill Diamond for whom he was playing piano in honky-tonks as a teenager. He said the youngster's technique reminded him of two other great piano players, Fats Waller and Fats Pichon.

Fats Domino performing in 1999 (Photo: NPS)

Domino left school at the age of 14 to work in a bedspring factory by day, and play in bars by night. He was soon accompanying such New Orleans luminaries as Professor Longhair and Amos Milburn.

In the mid-1940s, he joined trumpeter Dave Bartholomew's band, and the two co-wrote Domino's first hit The Fat Man. Suddenly, the New Orleans sound became popular nationwide.

In an interview with the BBC in 1973, Domino spoke about his early life.

He said: "I was 17 when I made my first record in 1949. I never thought about being professional. I used to work in a lumberyard and that's where I first heard a number on a jukebox and I liked it. It was a piano number. It was called 'Swanee River Boogie' by Albert Ammonds."

Despite both musical heavyweights coming from New Orleans, Fats Domino said he only met Louis Armstrong twice in his life.

"I liked the way he was singing 'Blueberry Hill'. See, a lot of people think I wrote 'Blueberry Hill' but I didn't.

"That number was wrote in 1927 and I recorded that song in 1957. We just put a different background and I just sing it the way it would fit me and it came out great for me."