Rock Legend Fats Domino Dies At Age 89

The Washington Post reports:



Antoine “Fats” Domino, the jovial New Orleans entertainer whose bluesy singing and boogie-woogie piano style helped launch rock-and-roll in the 1950s with such rollicking songs as “Blueberry Hill,” “Ain’t That a Shame” and “I’m Walkin’,” died Oct. 24. He was 89.

Among the early rockers, Mr. Domino was rivaled only by Elvis Presley in record sales. He dominated Billboard magazine’s pop and rhythm-and-blues charts from 1955 to 1963.

Moreover, Mr. Domino’s signature piano triplets — three notes for every beat — became the basis of rock and pop ballads for the next three decades, including such diverse recordings as the Beatles’ “Oh, Darling,” Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine” and even Percy Faith’s “Theme From ‘A Summer Place.’”