Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll

White and black fans flocked to Fats Domino concerts, integrating many venues for the first time. Four riots took place in 1956. Saxophonist Herb Hardesty describes two concerts and says the riots weren't about race. This film excerpt includes Domino being interviewed about rock n' roll and it's possible influence on rioting. Domino says "music makes people happy. I know it makes me happy."

Joe Lauro, director of Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll, details the challenges of making a film about a living legend and a very private man. One hurdle was finding archival footage of Fats Domino's performances (which he did, in France). Lauro also had to win Domino's own interest and trust. Once he did, the "floodgates" opened, and Lauro could interview Domino's longtime bandmates.

See Fats Domino perform "I'm Ready," his hit from 1959, with the rock band The Byrds backing him in 1971. Their appearance was on the local television show "Turn-On, Barry Richards Rock and Soul" on WDCA-TV in Washington DC. This is an outtake from Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll.

Dave Bartholomew is one New Orleans' great musicians and learned trumpet from the same man who taught Louis Armstrong to play. Bartholomew played with the best bands in New Orleans before he began working with Fats Domino in 1949. The songwriter, bandleader, producer co-wrote and produced most of Fats Domino's hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. A film outtake.

One of the most popular rockers of the 1950s and early 60s, Fats Domino and his record sales were rivaled then only by Elvis Presley. With his boogie-woogie piano playing rooted in blues, rhythm & blues, and jazz, he became one of the inventors, along with Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, of rock ‘n’ roll, a revolutionary genre that united young black and white audiences.

In this clip from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, Fats Domino performs his version of "Blueberry Hill." Domino's recording of the song became an international hit, and exemplified his brand of New Orleans rhythm and blues morphed into rock and roll, which appealed to black and white audiences alike. Rest in peace to a true pioneer. Watch the full episode of Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll