Today, February 26th, is Fats Domino’s birthday. Born 86 years ago as Antoine Domino, Jr., Fats is a R&B and Rock & Roll musician and pianist with several popular hits during the span of his career. I became acquainted with him and his music at a very young age.
I thank my dad for exposing me to many different music genres. At the time, I was so musically immature that it took me a minute to distinguish between Fats Domino and Fats Waller. But as I developed my musical acumen, I developed an appreciation for both.
Fats Domino was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana’s Ninth Ward, and he identifies as African American and French Creole. Some of his more popular songs are Blueberry Hill, Goin’ Home, and ‘Aint That a Shame.
Fats always maintained residence in New Orleans throughout his career and after his retirement, and he was impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He nearly perished when the storm hit him, and he had to be rescued, airlifted out by Coast Guard helicopter. He lost his home and everything in it, including all of his instruments, and all of his gold and platinum records and awards, all of which are irreplaceable. But he survived unharmed, and that was most important to him and his family. His popularity was so great that many celebrities and fans alike came out to support him, in recognition for his decades of great music.
The Tipitina’s Foundation, a non-profit organization out of New Orleans, sponsored a tribute album in Domino’s honor titled, Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, which is available via Amazon.com and iTunes download. The two-disc CD features some music icons, such as John Lennon, B.B. King, Lenny Kravitz, Norah Jones, Corrine Bailey Rae, and Elton John, along with many others.
Happy Birthday Fats.
