"They call me the fat man
'Cause I weight two hundred pounds
All the girls they love me
'Cause I know my way around."
- The Fat Man, 1948
I met Fats Domino once as he was receiving an award at Tipitina's. I remember him being extremely kind and shy. He didn't like the spotlight, and you could tell it made him uncomfortable. By all accounts he was a homebody in his later years, and he rarely made public appearances. Maybe it's because of this humility and shyness that he did not receive the attention he deserved.
Whether you realize it or not, Fats is the foundation of nearly every song you've ever heard. Elvis himself even claimed Fats "the real king of Rock n' Roll." When the Beatles came to town in 1964, he didn't get to meet the Beatles, the Beatles got to meet him. He inspired countless artists and continues to do so. Oh yeah, and he sold more than 65 MILLION RECORDS. He is a legend.
As you all know, he passed away last week, so like we do in New Orleans, we threw him a party.
“Rest in peace Fats Domino, the great rock ’n’ roll pianist and singer who thrilled us in our early days in Liverpool. His hit records like ‘Ain’t That A Shame’, ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘I’m In Love Again’ and many others introduced us to the sounds of New Orleans rock ‘n’ roll. We were excited to meet Fats once in his home town of New Orleans. He was wearing a huge star spangled diamond encrusted watch which was our first encounter with bling! His voice, piano playing and musical style was a huge influence on us and his appearance in the film ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ was truly magnificent. As one of my favourite rock ‘n’ roll singers, I will remember him fondly and always think of him with that twinkle in his eye. I read that he had eight children. He himself was named Antoine. His kids were named Antoine III, Anatole, Andre, Antonio, Antoinette, Andrea, Anola and Adonica. Now that is pure Fats!”
- PAUL McCARTNEY, 10.26.17
The recording above is remarkable. Lady Madonna is one of my favorite Beatles' songs, and as it turns out, was a homage to Fats by Paul McCartney. So if you think about it, Fats covered a Beatles song that was a tribute to him. Almost sounds like a Fats original.
Hit play and enjoy the sendoff to a one-of-a-kind New Orleans original.
