Jingle Jangle Jungle Remembers Fats Domino

It’s Monday! That means it’s time for Monday’s Music Moves Me! This week we’re getting a free pass on the theme, so I thought I would fill the slot with a tribute to Mr. Fats Domino.  He passed away on October 24. He was 89 years old.


When I saw this in my trending news feed, I mentioned it to my cousin. She looked at me strangely as she did not know who he was. That, my friends, is the downgrade of society today. Such blasphemy! I even sang the opening line to Blueberry Hill, and she still didn’t know. I’m wondering if we are even related.

Antoine “Fats” Domino, Jr, was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Louisiana Creole French was his first language. His father, Antoine Domino,  was a well-known violinist.
Fats Domino learned to play the piano from his brother-in-law, the jazz guitarist Harrison Verrett while studying shipping management at his local community college.

In the summer of 1947, Billy Diamond, a New Orleans bandleader, accepted an invitation to hear the young pianist perform at a backyard barbecue. Domino played well enough that Diamond asked him to join his band, the Solid Senders, at the Hideaway Club, in New Orleans. Diamond nicknamed him "Fats" because Domino reminded him of the renowned pianists Fats Waller and Fats Pichon.

Fats Domino was one of the biggest stars of rock and roll in the 1950s and one of the first R&B artists to gain popularity with white audiences. His biographer Rick Coleman argues that Domino's records and tours with rock and roll shows in that decade, bringing together black and white youths in a shared appreciation of his music, was a factor in the breakdown of racial segregation in the United States.

Fats Domino was an important influence on the music of the 1960s and 1970s. Elvis Presley introduced Fats at one of his Las Vegas concerts by saying "this gentleman was a huge influence on me when I started out". Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney recorded Domino songs.

More prominently known for “Blueberry Hill”, he has had a few other hits. Here’s a compilation of his music for you to enjoy.



Thank you, Mr Domino, for sharing your great talent with us.  Another music legend gone.

You can find more information about Fats Domino here. Be honest now - was this the first time you had heard of Fats Domino, or am I an old lady?  Tell me about it in the comments.

Today’s post is part of the Monday’s Music Moves Me blog hop, hosted by X-Mas Dolly, and co-hosted by JAmerican Spice, Stacy Uncorked and Curious as a Cathy.  Be sure to stop by the hosts and visit the other participants.