RIP: Founding Father of Rock N’ Roll Fats Domino Dead at Age 89

The grandfather of rock n roll, Fats Domino, has passed away at the age of 89.  News broke recently that the rock n roll titan passed away on Tuesday due to natural causes, according to medical investigators.

From New Orleans, Domino was famous for his boogie-woogie piano and casual vocals. His early style of rhythm and blues slowly morphed into early rock n roll, and during his peak his song would compete against Elvis Presley’s on the charts. During the 50’s and early 60’s, Domino teamed up with producer Dave Bartholomew, and their run of songs helped establish New Orleans as a hub for early rock n roll.

His first hit, “Ain’t That a Shame,” was a crossover hit and thrusted Domino into the charts. His version of “Blueberry Hill,” put him at No. 2 at the Billboard charts. His fingerprint on rock n roll is undeniably. Legends ranging from Paul McCartney (who emulated the pianist’s work on “Lady Madonna,”) was a huge fan of Domino, doing a version of “Coquette” on his 1999 album Run Devil Run that closely emulated Domino’s ’58 recording. Randy Newman was hugely influenced by Domino’s sound, drawing heavily from New Orleans music.