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Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino (born
February 26, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana), is a classic R&B and rock
and roll singer, songwriter and pianist. He was the best-selling
African-American singer of the 1950s and early 1960s. Domino is also a
pianist with an individualistic bluesy style showing stride and
boogie-woogie influences. His congenial personality and rich accent have
added to his appeal.
****
Biography
His career began with "The Fat Man" (1949,
Imperial Records), credited by some as being the first rock and roll
record, featuring a rolling piano and Domino doing wah-wah vocalizing.
The record, a reworking of "Junker's Blues" by Champion Jack Dupree, was
a massive hit, selling over a million copies and peaking at #2 on the
Billboard R&B Charts. To date Domino has sold in excess of 110 million
records.
Domino then released a series of hit songs
with producer and co-writer Dave Bartholomew, saxophonist Alvin "Red"
Tyler and drummer Earl Palmer. Other notable and long-standing musicians
in Domino's band were saxophonists Reggie Houston, Lee Allen, and Fred
Kemp who was also Domino's trusted bandleader. Domino finally crossed
into the pop mainstream with "Ain't That a Shame" (1955) which hit the
Top Ten, though Pat Boone characteristically hit #1 with a cover of the
song. Domino released an unprecedented series of 35 Top 40 singles,
including "Whole Lotta Loving", "Blue Monday", and a funky version of
the old ballad "Blueberry Hill".
After he moved to ABC-Paramount in 1963,
the bottom fell out of Domino's recording career although he continued
as a popular live act. Though he remained active for decades, he only
had one more Top 40 hit in 1968, a cover of the Beatles song "Lady
Madonna," originally written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney to
emulate Domino's style.
In the 1980s, Domino decided he would no
longer leave New Orleans, having a comfortable income from royalties and
a dislike for touring, and claiming he could not get any food that he
liked anyplace else. His induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
and an invitation to perform at the White House failed to get Domino to
make an exception to this policy. He lives in a mansion in a
predominantly working-class Lower 9th Ward neighborhood, where he is a
familiar sight in his bright pink Cadillac. He makes yearly appearances
at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and other local events, with
performances demonstrating his undiminished talents.
When Hurricane Katrina was approaching New
Orleans in August 2005, Domino chose to stay at home with his family,
due to his wife's poor health. His house was located in New Orleans’
Lower 9th Ward, an area that was heavily flooded. On September 1, Al
Embry, his agent, announced that he had not heard from Domino since
before the hurricane had struck. Later that day, CNN reported that he
was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. His daughter, Gospel singer
Karen Domino White, identified him from a photo shown on CNN. The Domino
family was then taken to a Baton Rouge shelter, after which they were
picked up by and stayed in the apartment of JaMarcus Russell, the
starting quarterback of the Louisiana State University football team.
The Washington Post has reported that on Friday, September 2, the
Dominos left Russell's apartment. He returned to his home on Saturday,
October 15. Apparently his house was looted in his absence: of his 21
Gold Records only three were still there. As of January, 2006, work to
gut and repair Domino's Lower 9th Ward home and office has begun.
Business
His career has been produced and managed
since the 1980s by multimedia entertainment purveyor and music producer
Robert G. Vernon. During Vernon's tenure, Domino's earnings have
increased 500%.
Since 1995, Vernon and Domino have been
partners (with many other companies, such as Dick Clark Productions) in
the Bobkat Music Trust. Bobkat Music is an entertainment group that
manages the careers (some posthumous) of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley,
Paul Shaffer (keyboardist), Jerry Lee Lewis, Randy Pringle (writer), and
others. Bobkat Music is the official holder of rights (of record) to
"Fats Domino and Friends" (most watched special in Cinemax history,
winner of the ACE Award for "Cinemax Sessions"), not to mention the
award-winning Fats Domino TV commercial for Popeye's Chicken, and is
headquartered in the San Francisco East Bay area.
Trivia
The singer Chubby Checker's stage name was
a play on Fats Domino. Another play is the name of the gospel music
group Fetz Domino, which means in mixed German and Latin Groove for the
Lord.
In the popular 1970s sitcom "Happy Days",
set in the 1950s, lead character Richie Cunningham, played by Ron
Howard, would often sing "I found my thrill..." (the first line of
Domino's "Blueberry Hill") in reference to pretty girls he dated or
wanted to date.
****
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URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fats_Domino
Date Article Copied:
January 23, 2006
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