The 76-year-old musician, beloved for his boogie-woogie piano style and such hits as "Ain't That a Shame" and "Blueberry Hill," told his manager Al Embry on Monday that he planned to "ride out" Hurricane Katrina at his home in New Orleans, the Fox News.com Web site said.
Fox News columnist Roger Friedman said the Nashville, Tennessee-based Embry last spoke to Domino on Monday afternoon, the day Katrina slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast and that the musician has not been heard from since.
Embry could not immediately be reached for comment.
But Los Angeles-based comedian Harry Shearer, who has strong ties to New Orleans, told Reuters that he heard unconfirmed reports from friends that Domino had made it to the New Orleans Superdome, where more than 23,000 people have taken refuge.
Friedman also reported that another Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee from New Orleans, singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint, 66, was among refugees at the Superdome.
― George the Animal Steele, Thursday, 1 September 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)
Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, and A. Doe not yet accounted for in New Orleans area
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 1 September 2005 21:37 (twenty years ago)
He's 83 years old today. It's kind of amazing that he's still alive--his first singles pre-date rock 'n' roll. He almost doesn't have his own thread on ILM: there's this, another Katrina thread he shares with two other people, and Wie heeft Fats Domino gezien?, which baffles me (i.e., I didn't know there were ILM threads in other languages...if so, no big deal, it's just a thread in another language; I'm not sure if the whole thing's a put-on, though). Not that I'd be the person to start one; I have a few albums, including Legendary Masters, and like all his hits, but I don't have anything of interest to say about him. I do find it amazing that he's still out there, though, and how relatively forgotten he is in terms of his place in musical history.
― clemenza, Saturday, 26 February 2011 15:17 (fourteen years ago)
the Wie Heeft Fats Domino gezien is also a Katrina thread, so i'd say not even a real Fats music thread. i only have 2 different greatest hits albums, one on lp and one on cd. (the lp version is slightly better)
in that dutch Subjectivisten thread i also expressed amazement that the guy was still alive :) later on the thread derails into what chord Bush is playing on a photoshop picture.
― Ludo, Saturday, 26 February 2011 15:44 (fourteen years ago)
Happy birthday Fats
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 26 February 2011 19:08 (fourteen years ago)
Happy Birthday! I got my dad the Walking To New Orleans box for x-mas a few years ago. Very solid collection.
One highlight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCytoAXQGUY
One of the sweetest songs about old age, and honestly, aside from Fats, I think only Jonathan Richman could get away with a song like it.
― Your cousin, Marvin Cobain (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 26 February 2011 19:43 (fourteen years ago)
that's v nice, when is it from?
I assumed that Fats was long dead too, surprising that he was even around for Katrina. So happy birthday, and good work being alive!
― Antoine Bugleboy (Merdeyeux), Saturday, 26 February 2011 19:51 (fourteen years ago)
I think like 59-61 or so. Later Imperial era.
― Your cousin, Marvin Cobain (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 26 February 2011 19:59 (fourteen years ago)
Fats Domino alive and well!!! God bless him. My mom is a big fan. I like his music, it makes me feel like I'm in a different time.
― Funye West! (u s steel), Saturday, 26 February 2011 20:02 (fourteen years ago)
Love his playing -- and he is interesting. Just listening to a couple of singles and its like one hand is playing jazz and the other is playing with a blues feel. This all translates into rock n'roll but its almost like you can see the wheels of what made r n'r. Its not ever visceral.
― xyzzzz__, Friday, 1 April 2011 18:50 (fourteen years ago)
A good friend of mine gave me a 4 CD box a number of years ago, and at the time I thought "Do I need THIS many Fats Domino songs?"
I was so wrong, he had so many great songs. I've seen him a couple times at Jazzfest in New Orleans, and the wall to wall hit parade he performs is truly astounding. Sometimes I wish a Rick Rubin or Jack White could get a decent modern day recording out of him before he passes, but then I realize I would probably be disappointed by such a thing.
― Hardcore Bangage (Dan Peterson), Sunday, 3 April 2011 12:40 (fourteen years ago)
please don't wish jack white or rick rubin on fats domino.
― scott seward, Sunday, 3 April 2011 15:09 (fourteen years ago)
Yeah, I hear ya. I just couldn't think of other "late career rejuvenators" of the top of my head. Sure as hell not Daniel Lanois. Maybe Dr. John could do it like the last Bobby Charles record.
― Hardcore Bangage (Dan Peterson), Monday, 4 April 2011 13:55 (fourteen years ago)
He's not still in the Superdome, I hope...
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Monday, 4 April 2011 13:56 (fourteen years ago)
daptone records people wouldn't be so bad...
― scott seward, Monday, 4 April 2011 13:57 (fourteen years ago)
Daptone would be a fabulous idea. I'm just happy Rounder Records got to Johnny Adams and Chuck Carbo and a bunch of those folks, you know? I listen to those latter day recordings a bunch.
― Hardcore Bangage (Dan Peterson), Monday, 4 April 2011 13:58 (fourteen years ago)
I don't think he fits into the This Artist Is Serious mode that both those cats favor - one thing about Fats & I think one reason he doesn't get as much play as others on music discussion boards etc is that he's a clever, quietly playful artist, not given to big statements of any kind; I think of him really as kind of an artist's artist. (Randy Newman loves him to pieces and encores with "Blue Monday" sometimes.) But that said scott I'm calling posing on you hating on Jack W's treatment of his idols - dude has solid studio technique & ideas, an artist could do a lot worse than to let Jack White produce imo
― five gone cats from Boston (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Monday, 4 April 2011 14:03 (fourteen years ago)
Would rather have Jack White produce Fats Domino than I would T-Bone Burnette.
― Anti-mist K-Lo (Phil D.), Monday, 4 April 2011 14:05 (fourteen years ago)
when i saw wanda on letterman it looked like someone had thrown a bag over her head and kidnapped her and put her on t.v. and she would have been much more comfortable at home in her sweats watching idol. and plus i just kinda don't like the dude. and i don't like watching him perform. if he just produced stuff and kept his goofy mug out of things i probably wouldn't mind. and the rubin treatment is just deadly boring to me and it kills music somehow. its corpse rock. but not in a good way. and making johnny cash cover a NIN song is simply unforgiveable. props for reign in blood though.
― scott seward, Monday, 4 April 2011 14:10 (fourteen years ago)
^^^ this, and Aerosmith otm as well. I don't want a "serious artist" statement from Fats, just a rollicking, well-produced modern record. Like, I listen to this latter-day career recording a ton:
http://pixhost.info/avaxhome/2007-09-17/mardi_gras.jpg
― Hardcore Bangage (Dan Peterson), Monday, 4 April 2011 14:14 (fourteen years ago)
"This" meaning Phil, sorry.