Explores the factors — musical and cultural — that led to the birth of American rock 'n' roll music in the early 1950s. Covers in detail the genres, styles and people that converged to create this new music.
Fats Domino
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O Big Bang da Música: A gênesis do Rock 'n' Roll
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A tale of three cities: New Orleans
New Orleans is the city of jazz
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Professor David CarlsonExecutive Director of the Center for Media Innovation + Research and Cox/Palm Beach Post Professor of New Media Journalism
College of Journalism & Communication: Center for Media Innovation
Before we talk about any New Orleans R&B or rock and
roll musicians, this guy deserves mention because almost
all the songs we will hear now were recorded at his studio.
His name is Cosimo Matassa, and he isn't a music mogul,
he's not a label owner or a songwriter, just a studio owner.
But he came to be known as the man behind the New Orleans sound because so
many historic New Orleans artists recorded at his J&M Recording Studio and
later at the Cosimo Studio.
Now he was responsible for developing what became known as the New Orleans sound,
and that was strong drums, heavy guitar and bass, heavy piano,
a light touch with the horns, and a strong vocal lead.
The point here is that it's not just musicians, but
those behind the scenes figures.
They're also important in the history of this music.
Now here's the first big rock and roll star from New Orleans.
That would be Fats Domino.
Now Fats was the biggest star from New Orleans in the history of rock and
roll, before it was called rock and roll.
He developed a nationwide following in the 1950s and
he put rhythm and blues on the map of rock and roll.
Little Richard came later.
Now Domino's sound grew out of the jump blues we heard a few lessons ago.
He's the only artist to have a series of hits in the rhythm and
blues genre and then continue with hits in rock and roll.
He was 17 when he made this record we're about to hear, called The Fat Man.
And it shows him to be a remarkably accomplished pianist and
a very confident vocalist, especially for somebody who was 17 years old.
[MUSIC]
Now here's the most interesting and
important information about The Fat Man, as he was affectionately called.
Not Little Richard, not Chuck Berry, not Ray Charles,
not Buddy Holly, but Fats Domino was the second best-selling rock and
roll artist in the 1950s behind Elvis.
Now that's according to Rolling Stone.
That's significant for several reasons, but
many would say it's most significant because he was black.
He was very successful in crossing over to the white audience in the 1950s,
and that wasn't something that was very easy to do.
Now another signature song by Fats Domino called Ain't That a Shame.
[MUSIC]
Now that song was covered many, many times including by Pat Boone.
Some people would say the evil Pat Boone, which I'll explain a little later.
His version went to number one.
[MUSIC]
And that was also covered by Cheap Trick.
[MUSIC]
And it was even covered by John Lennon and Paul McCartney,
both of them being huge Fats Domino fans.
Now along with Fats Domino, there's another name you might want to remember.
His creative partner, in terms of songwriting,
was a guy named Dave Bartholomew, and
Bartholomew wrote almost all of Domino's hit songs along with Fats.
He's also a performer and has been active in many genres including jazz and
Dixieland, but he's probably best known as the songwriting partner of Fats Domino.
So he is another key behind the scenes figure we should remember.
Now let's listen to one of Dave Bartholomew's biggest compositions,
first recorded by him and later by Chuck Berry.
Now we'll come back to Chuck Berry's version when we get to Chuck Berry, but
there's a funny story about this song, not about the lyrics, which are funny,
but the fact is, this is the only number one song ever by Chuck Berry.
[MUSIC]
Okay, let's listen to some more classic songs by Fats Domino.
Here's I'm in Love Again from 1956.
[MUSIC]
Now Fats Domino's songs were generally less explicit about love and
sex than those of many of his contemporaries.
They were more innocent, so to speak, and
that made Fats more acceptable to the white audience.
Fats was not a guy that white dads worried about their daughters being with.
He looked friendly, sincere, and clean cut.
And his strong Louisiana accent also added a charm and novelty to his sound.
Now, Blueberry Hill was the cover of a song that had been recorded by
Louis Armstrong and several others, but Fats' version sold five million copies.
[MUSIC]
The key member of Dave Bartholomew's band was a drummer, a guy named Earl Palmer.
And Earl Palmer is fascinating because he is credited with inventing
the signature beat of rock and roll, what's called the backbeat.
And he first played that on Fats' song, The Fat Man, the one we heard first.
Now the backbeat, what's different about it is that it's played on the two and
the four beats of the measure, instead of on the one and
three of a four beat measure.
He later joined the famous group of session musicians in
Los Angeles called the Wrecking Crew, and we'll talk about them later.
Blue Monday was featured also in the movie called The Girl Can't Help It,
and it was a huge crossover hit.
Actually, it was a cover.
Dave Bartholomew wrote it originally for Smiley Lewis in 1954.
Now Fats left Imperial Records and
signed a new deal with Paramount Records in the early 1960s.
Despite a lack of chart success,
he continued to record steadily until about 1970.
[MUSIC]
And you may have noticed that Domino's style becomes a little more mainstream
as time goes by, and no longer do we hear those high pitched whoops and
so on that we heard in The Fat Man all the way back in 1950.
Here's another of his big hits, this one's from 1960.
This is right after he left Imperial.
It's called Walkin' to New Orleans.
[MUSIC]
And we talked about the Beatles fascination with Fats Domino.
The Beatles influenced everyone,
but they also were influenced by a lot of American artists as well.
Fats was one of those main inspirations.
This very song, Lady Madonna, was inspired by Fats Domino.
And if you listen, Paul McCartney does a great Fats impression on Lady Madonna.
[MUSIC]
Well, the irony of the Beatles doing a song in homage to Fats
was not lost on Fats.
And Fats returned the favor, covering that song the same year,
1968, and also ironically it became the last chart appearance by Fats Domino.
[MUSIC]
Fats continued to play around the New Orleans area, but
we hadn't heard much about him in a long time until Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
He was encouraged to evacuate, but
he chose to stay home with his family because his wife was in poor health.
Now his house was in an area that was heavily flooded, and Fats and
his family were not heard from after the hurricane struck.
No one was home when rescuers got there.
And as you can see from this picture of Domino's house, he was presumed dead.
Then CNN reported that he and his wife were safe, making a happy ending.
Now the house was pretty badly damaged, so he relocated to this nice little black and
yellow house, which now serves as an office since his home has been rebuilt.
We have a news report from that time.
Let's take a look at that.
>> Finally this evening,
nearly six months have passed since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.
The city is slowly coming back.
Today the Krewe of Iris held its Mardi Gras parade,
undaunted by the threatening weather.
Also undaunted is music great Fats Domino,
who's given an exclusive interview to our Byron Pitts.
>> He's one of New Orleans' greatest treasures.
Rhythm and blues legend Fats Domino was nearly lost
when Hurricane Katrina made landfall.
His Ninth Ward home flooded to the roof, the reclusive singer was missing.
Family and friends alike feared this man who had been the musical heartbeat of
the Big Easy for a half century might have perished.
>> You were at home when Katrina hit?
>> Yeah, I was sleeping.
>> You were sleeping.
He was rescued by boat and taken to the Superdome,
eventually evacuated to Baton Rouge.
He and his wife now live in neighboring Algiers, temporarily.
[MUSIC]
Fats Domino is indeed alive and kicking,
a fitting title to his brand new album, his first in nearly two decades.
>> I think it's a pretty good record myself.
>> You think it's pretty good?
>> I think so.
>> He released it exclusively through the Tipitina's Foundation,
a charitable arm of the legendary nightclub of the same name,
to benefit one of New Orleans' greatest natural resources, it's musicians.
>> This is his way, I think,
of giving something back to the community that he cherishes so much.
>> Nicknamed for his sound more than his size,
Fats Domino made his first hit in 1949, more would follow, his beat was big,
his smile was broad, All he ever needed was a piano and an audience.
>> Can I hear a little something?
>> No. >> No?
>> [LAUGH]
[MUSIC]
He sold more than 65 million records, performed around the world, but
nearly all the mementos of that brilliant career were washed away by Katrina.
Were you able to save anything from your house?
The grand pianos?
The black and white grand pianos?
Any of your albums?
Those kind of things. >> No, all them gone.
We didn't know.
All of it's gone.
>> Mm-hm.
>> How does that hit you?
This wonderful work of yours,
the wonderful moments from your life, to have lost all that?
>> I ain't missing nothing.
You know, just one of them thing happen, I guess.
I'm able to give something else if I want to, I think.
>> Yes, sir.
Just material, sir. >> I'm sorry it happened to me and
everybody else.
>> Do you think you'll ever be able to move back there?
>> I hope so, I like it down there.
[MUSIC]
>> Like so many here, New Orleans isn't simply his home, it's his heart.
Now I understand you have a big event this weekend, a birthday this weekend.
Is that right?
>> Yeah, I'll be 27.
[LAUGH] >> Actually,
Fats Domino turns 78 tomorrow, like his beloved city.
He's alive and kicking.
Byron Pitts, CBS News, New Orleans.
[MUSIC]
>> And that's the CBS Evening News.
>> And finally, as a consumer note about Fats Domino.
This tribute album with some of the songs we heard covered by various artists
came out in 2007, it's a great record.
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