![]() He quit school at age 14, and worked days in a factory while playing and singing in local juke joints at night. As a youth, he taught himself popular piano styles - ragtime, blues and boogie-woogie. The son of a violin player, Antoine Domino Jr. ![]() You don’t get more New Orleans than that.” “He’s warm, fun-loving, spiritual, creative and humble. “Fats embodies everything good about New Orleans,” his friend David Lind said in a 2008 interview. After losing their home and almost all their belongings to the floods, his wife of more than 50 years, Rosemary, died in April 2008.ĭomino moved to the New Orleans suburb of Harvey after the storm but often visited his publishing house, an extension of his old home in the Lower 9th Ward, inspiring many with his determination to stay in the city he loved. That performance was a highlight during several rough years. Fans cheered - and some cried - as Domino played “I’m Walkin’,” ″Ain’t That a Shame,” ″Shake, Rattle and Roll,” ″Blueberry Hill” and a host of other hits. Many wondered if he would ever return to the stage.īut in May 2007, he was back, performing at Tipitina’s music club in New Orleans. It turned out that he and his family were rescued by boat from his home, where he lost three pianos and dozens of gold and platinum records, along with other memorabilia. His 1956 version of “Blueberry Hill” was selected for the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry of historic sound recordings worthy of preservation.ĭomino became a global star but stayed true to his hometown, where his fate was initially unknown after Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. One of his show-stopping stunts was playing the piano while standing, throwing his body against it with the beat of the music and bumping the grand piano across the stage. “He was one of the greatest entertainers that I’ve ever known.”ĭomino’s dynamic performance style and warm vocals drew crowds for five decades. Little Richard, another founding father of rock ‘n’ roll, said in a phone interview, “He was one of my greatest inspirations. He said only two people from New Orleans have changed the music of the world: jazz legend Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino. “I can’t wrap my arms around him being gone,” said Quint Davis, producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and a decades-long friend of Domino. “Fats Domino added to New Orleans’ standing in the world, and what people know and appreciate about New Orleans.” “On behalf of the people of New Orleans, I am eternally grateful for his life and legacy,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a news release Wednesday morning. “Fats is the godfather of rock and roll,” Harris said. “We’ve lowered the flag and we’re playing his music all day,” said Greg Harris, CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rolling Stone Record Guide likened him to Benjamin Franklin, the beloved old man of a revolutionary movement. He was one of the first 10 honorees named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But Domino sold more than 110 million records, with hits including “Blueberry Hill,” ″Ain’t That a Shame” - originally titled “Ain’t It A Shame”- and other standards of rock ‘n’ roll. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a haircut as flat as an album cover. Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, coroner’s office, said Domino died of natural causes early Tuesday. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Fats Domino, the amiable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honoring the traditions of the Crescent City, has died. En esta foto de 1956, el cantante, compositor y pianista Fats Domino.
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