Ain’t that a shame
110-million selling rock ’n’ roll king Fats Domino dies
ROCK ’n’ roll’s founding father Fats Domino has died, aged 89.
The iconic American singer and pianist was renowned for hits including Blueberry Hill and Ain’t That A Shame.
He pioneered the genre and inspired countless stars, among them Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
Fats, real name Antoine Domino Jr, was the father of eight children whose first names all began with the letter A.
He died from natural causes on Tuesday, surrounded by his family in his native city of New Orleans.
Amid a host of tributes from fellow musicians, singer Harry Connick Jr tweeted: “RIP Fats Domino. You helped pave the way for New Orleans piano players. See you on top of that Blueberry Hill in the sky.”
Domino was born the youngest of eight siblings and showed great ability on the piano from an early age. As a teenager he invited to play club dates with The Solid Senders. The band’s leader Bill Diamond gave him the nickname that became his permanent identity – saying his technique reminded him of piano greats Fats Waller and Fats Pichon.
The young prodigy went on to develop a unique style of playing and singing that attracted millions of fans and led to world tours. His 1949 debut track The Fat Man is said by music historians to be the first rock ’n’ roll record. It attracted global attention, selling a million copies by 1953.
His career sales topped 110million records – more than any rocker of the Fifties except Elvis. Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the greatest ever recording artists placed him at No25.
It is said Paul Mccartney wrote The Beatles’ song Lady Madonna in emula- tion of Domino’s style. Late Beatle John Lennon cited Ain’t That A Shame as the first song he learned to play on guitar. In 1986 Fats was among the first stars inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and a year later won a lifetime achievement Grammy – but would not leave New Orleans to accept either award. That refusal grew yet more entrenched when Hurricane Katrina devastated the US city in 2005. Domino became a symbol of New Orleans’ battle against adversity – rejecting pleas to leave home, as his sick wife Rosemary could not move from bed. He was feared one of 1,836 victims killed by Katrina – but days later one of his daughters saw him being helped into a boat alongside his wife and another of his girls.