FATS DOMINO

by sabina kamkin

Artwork: Sabina Kamkin

Joined Dec 2019
Published Books 1

Antoine Dominic Domino was born on February 26, 1928, in New Orleans. Known as Fats Domino, he was an American pianist and vocalist, one of the founders of rock and roll. The nickname “Fat Man” Domino received as a teenager, speaking in clubs in New Orleans. His debut single, The Fat Man, released in late 1949, had a circulation of over a million; here a kind of standard of fateful rhythm and blues was laid down, formed from the characteristic sound of Spanish, French, Cajun and Caribbean popular music of that period. Judging by the stage name, Fats, the musician was not very complex about his completeness. Moreover – he backed up his nickname with the first single, the so-called “The Fat Man” – “Fat Man”

Dozens of famous musicians sang the American pop song Blueberry Hill (“Blueberry Hill”). The most popular version belongs to Fats Domino, although ten years before her, the composition was already a hit.

The music was composed by Vincent Rose, director of Montmartre Orchestra. The words were written by Larry Stoke and Al Lewis.

In 1949, Blueberry Hill was performed by Louis Armstrong; Fats Domino sang Blueberry Hill in 1956, inspired by the version of Armstrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts1qTynO1zg

David Bartholomew was not enthusiastic about the idea of a musician to take up the song:
“Before that, they sang it a million times, and I was not really interested in Fats recording it.”
As time has shown, the producer was wrong. Thirty-seven Domino songs hit the American Top 40. But he achieved the greatest success with Blueberry Hill. She climbed to second on the Billboard and spent eleven weeks at the top of the R&B tracks.

Later, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Elton John and many other musicians sang Bluberry Hill.

In 2010, at a charity concert in St. Petersburg, Blueberry Hill was performed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Interesting Facts:
They say that Fats Domino could not find the official notes of the work in Los Angeles, so he wrote the lyrics of the song Blueberry Hill from the words of brother-in-law.
Fats did not manage to record a version that would completely suit him, so the sound engineer assembled a composition from fragments of several takes.
Ray Manzarek of The Doors told BBC Radio 2 that the bass part for Light My Fire was based on Blueberry Hill.
A spokesman for Putin said that VV learned the words of the song in English classes.
The Blueberry Hill Restaurant in St. Louis, where Chuck Berry often played, is named after the song.

In 1955, when the era of rock and roll began, Domino released his first big hit – “Ain’t That a Shame”, which was able to get not only to top the “black” chart of R’n’B, but also to get into “ white “pop chart (No. 10). True, this did not happen right away.
The first big success with Ain’t That a Shame was owned by Pat Boone. The singer was known for taking talented songs from black artists and “ennobling” them for a white audience. So this time he doubted whether it would be worth changing the name of the Domino song – “Isn’t that a shame” – to the less sharp “Isn’t it a shame”? However, the label convinced him that the original name would only attract the public. And I was not mistaken – the Boone version took 1st place in the pop charts, and after that the white audience noticed the original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfMlk1PwGU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVuI_cVNW4Y

John Lennon admitted that “Ain’t That a Shame” was the first song he learned to play the guitar. And in 1979, CHEAP TRICK recorded a new – more “heavy” version with an introductory guitar gash that hit the American TOP-40.

Fats Domino’s latest hit was Heartbreak Hill, released in 1964. After that, the Fats hit the US charts only twice – in 1968 with a cover of Lady Madonna by Lennon and McCartney and in 1981 with Whiskey Heaven.

This free e-book was created with

Create your own amazing e-book!
It's simple and free.

Start now