Who: New Orleans icon and legendary r&b performer, Antoine "Fats" Domino (b. 1928).
What: One of the most influential albums of early rock and r&b that pioneered the New Orleans sound (and influences it to this day). Drawing on Afro-Caribbean rhythms and New Orleans "Dixieland" jazz, this record consists of tight, rollicking songs led by Domino's mellow vocals and driving piano, accompanied by an energetic New Orleans brass band.
Where: New Orleans, LA.
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| New Orleans, 1950s. |
When: Sunday brunch (with a bloody mary!).
Why: This is quintessential New Orleans music—like the city itself, it is both laid-back and lively. It creates a truly unique sound: while it is rock, it is not rockabilly or guitar-based, and while it features a brass section, it is not improvisational jazz. This is a key piece of rock history that transcends the genre and still sounds fresh today.
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| Fats Domino (piano) and the Billy Diamond Orchestra at the Hideaway Club, New Orleans 1949. |
Microdose: "Blueberry Hill" is the biggest hit on the album, but "What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasing You)?" is the most exciting.
Additional Dose: In late 50s Jamaica, the mix of traditional mento folk music (as exemplified by Harry Belaftone's Calypso [1956]) with New Orleans r&b (as exemplified by Fats Domino) gave rise to ska (which later lead to reggae in the late 1960s). In this early song by Bob Marley & the Wailers (a pre-reggae ska from 1965), one can easily hear the blending of the two influences: the melody and vocal style of mento with the rhythm and instrumentation of the New Orleans sound.
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