Fats Domino
 He
was born Antoine Domino in New Orleans in February 1928, and since
his first professional appearance at the age of 14 at the
celebrated Hideaway Club in New Orleans in 1942, the work of Fats
Domino has been characterised and dominated by his pounding piano
style and his unique vocal technique (derived from the
Dixieland jazz for which New Orleans was famed).
By the age of 22, Fats had capitalised on his unique style to
make his vinyl debut - and first million-seller - with The
Fat Man, although according to informed sources, difficulties
in recording that single led to its unusual style; it was
never actually intended that his piano and voice should be so
dominant in the ensemble sound.
With the success of the single, Fats and his group (The Fats
Domino Band) toured extensively through America and gained
outstanding acclaim.
Throughout the 1950s he turned out a stream of classic rock
& roll hits including Blueberry Hill, Ain't That
A Shame, Poor Me, Please Leave Me and All
By Myself, which between 1954 and 1959 all sold between three
and five million copies.
Domino exemplified the postwar R&B of his home city: an
insistent rolling or staccato piano, infectious beat, good solid
horn section, and an appealing - usually jovial - vocal
part.
All of his records had the same magic. Some were more catchy
than others, and as he became more popular the beat became a
little heavier. Later a string section started appearing on his
records, too. But basically his whole recording career was one
long Mardi Gras mambo.
The 1960's saw Fats reduce his recording work load and go into
semi-retirement, although he was still an extremely popular
nightclub act. In 1963 he had a massive British and American hit
with Red Sails In The Sunset. It wasn't until 1967,
though, that he first visited Britain, when Brian Epstein brought
him over for some concerts in London.
 Despite
criticisms that he had lost some of his originality, by 1970 his
work had once again come to the fore, amid restated interest in
the origins of rock & roll. In 1972 he appeared in the movie Let
The Good Times Roll.
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
anywhere else.
Neither his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or
an invitation to perform at the White House could persuade him to
make an exception to this policy.
Fats' New Orleans home was devastated during Hurricane Katrina
in 2005 but both he and his family survived. He released a new
album, Alive and Kickin', in early 2006.
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