Fats Domino: The Fat Man

A happy 83rd birthday to Antoine Dominique Domino, otherwise known as Fats, born on this day in 1928.

A native of Louisiana, Domino’s family spoke French, but most of them were also equally conversant in a second language: music. Domino dropped out of school at 14 to work a day job, but at night he played music in the clubs.

Domino did rock and roll before it was called that — the link above to The Fat Man was released in 1950. When the craze hit, Domino was a natural with his piano playing, personality and voice, right down to the wah, wah, wahs. He sold more records than any other African-American artist in the 50s — though Pat Boone reached No. 1 with a cover of Domino’s Ain’t That Shame (Fats’ version was No. 10).

Domino had plenty more hits built primarily around two themes: walking and/or blue — Blueberry Hill, I’m Walkin’, Blue Monday, I Want to Walk You Home, Walking to New Orleans.

When the decade changed so did Domino’s fortunes — he never achieved that level of popularity again. His influence didn’t wane, though: the Beatles were fans, and both Paul McCartney and John Lennon covered Domino songs. McCartney said he wrote Lady Madonna in Domino’s style. 

Domino remained popular in concert but in the 80s he ceased traveling, preferring to stay home in New Orleans, where he made annual appearances at the city’s blues festival.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Domino was out of touch for an extended time, and rumors of his death circulated. A sign was spray-painted on his home: “RIP Fats: You will be missed.” Though the reports were exaggerated — Domino had been rescued — he did lose much to Katrina. 

From Domino’s The Fat Man:

 They call, they call me the fat man
‘Cause I weigh 200 pounds
All the girls love me
“Cause I know my way around

Big Bopper: Chantilly Lace

On the anniversary of the day the music died in a 1959 plane crash on a field in Iowa. Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, en route to perform in Moorehead, Minn. the next night, died in the crash.

Waylon Jennings, one of Buddy Holly’s Crickets, and Tommy Allsup, did not. Jennings gave up his seat on the plane to the Big Bopper, who was ill and uncomfortable on the tour bus. When Holly found out, he said to Jennings, “I hope your old bus freezes up,” to which Jennings innocently responded: “I hope your plane crashes.” It stayed with Jennings for years.

Allsup, Holly’s guitarist, flipped a coin for a seat with Valens, born Richie Valenzuela. Valens won; years later Allsup opened a bar called “The Heads Up Saloon” in honor of the flip that saved his life.

The show went on the next day in Moorehead. Bobby Vee, 15, debuted and became a star. The music hadn’t really died, although it was sadder. In 1963 Vee released an album in honor of Holly called I Remember Buddy Holly. In the liner notes, Vee said: “‘For some time now, I have wanted to make an album in tribute to Buddy, but I wasn’t sure it was the proper thing to do . . . I have made many records, but I have never forgotten Buddy Holly and his influence on my singing style and my career.”

Buddy Holly’s wife, who was pregnant, suffered a miscarriage the next day. Holly was 22 when he died, Valens 17. The pilot of the plane, Roger Peterson, was just 21.

The Big Bopper, born Jiles Perry Richardson, was the oldest of the group. He was 28, and like Holly, his wife was pregnant, too — his son was born less than three months after the Big Bopper died (his daughter was 4 when he died). He had been a DJ in Texas — once broadcasting six straight days – after studying law and enlisting in the army. He called himself the Big Bopper after a dance called “the Bop,” and his own 240 pounds. He started writing and performing, and Chantilly Lace became a big hit in 1958.

More on the day the music died