R.I.P. Fats Domino!

[PeterC]

Another Legend gone!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41753839

[bailbath]

What a great artist with a fantastic legacy. He was pretty unique as well.
RIP Fat man

[Richard Harvey]

I think that's quite enough fifties legends gone for this year, thanks. Let's wish Jerry many more years rockin' and Richard many more years preachin'!

[Rocky]

My all-time favorite singer/entertainer dead at 89. He died at 3:30 a.m. this morning NOLA time. I first began buying his records in 1955 and have them all. I have most of his TV shows and many live concerts on DVD discs. In the 90s I would phone him on his birthday. He would talk for an hour. Disc sales topped 110 million. His music brought joy. Just last week I added 53 new tour dates to my biography on him FATS DOMINO: BIG BEAT BLUES. The book first came out in 2006 and has been a constant seller.

[wolfgangguhl]

His death does not come as a surprise. He, too, was very sick with Alzheimer's.

He was the first artist I ever saw in concert and will be remembered as a true giant in his field.

My parents would probably agree with Paul. He was their favourite artist as well.

[MarkusR]

Sad to hear that another from the Golden Age of Music is gone.
To me he seemed to be a very nice warm hearted man.
Mostly I respect him to stop going on stage and making a fool of himself.
I saw him 1992 live in Essen and recordet the show completely - a very good show with talented musicians.

Here is an extract of the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld3e4kihgJ0

Rest in peace, Antoine.

[wolfgangguhl]

I see it differently, he semi-retired far too early.

But it was choice, he loved his privacy. I can understand that.

[Dirk B.]

It's a black year for all rock'n'roll fans! I've seen Fats twice - and both times he was fabulous. His concert in Paderborn 1983 was the first concert I've ever seen. What a loss!

[Rocky]

Fats semi-retired in 1990, and fully retired in 1995, after his final tour in Europe and UK. He did the right thing at age 67. No one likes to witness an entertainer in old age being wheeled in a wheelchair unto a stage, or one who can't tune a guitar or remember words to their songs. Elvis Presley died at 42, Ricky Nelson at 45, Conway Twitty at 59. I like to remember them as they were in their prime. Many times in the last 20 years Richard proclaimed his final tour, only to go on to age 80. Jerry Lee, stooped, walking with a cane, and singing mainly songs that were not his biggest hits, playing short shows. Yeah, I know, some fans think he is still great. Take a close look...he's an old man, not the rockin' cat of the past. No, far as I'm concerned ... Fats did it right. He traveled all over the world, ended up with over 8 million dollars, did it all and knew when to quit. Sold 110 million discs, more than Chuck, Richard and Buddy Holly put together, and was on the R&B and pop charts fifteen years from 1950-1964. More hits than any artist next to Elvis Presley. ROCK ON!

[jarireinikka]

I bet Ricky Nelson wouldn´t have died in many years if the plane hasn´t crashed.That guy was really cool & rockin at the time of his death,can´t put him there amongst the others you mentioned.

[wolfgangguhl]

Fats semi-retired in 1990, and fully retired in 1995, after his final tour in Europe and UK. He did the right thing at age 67. No one likes to witness an entertainer in old age being wheeled in a wheelchair unto a stage, or one who can't tune a guitar or remember words to their songs. Elvis Presley died at 42, Ricky Nelson at 45, Conway Twitty at 59. I like to remember them as they were in their prime. Many times in the last 20 years Richard proclaimed his final tour, only to go on to age 80. Jerry Lee, stooped, walking with a cane, and singing mainly songs that were not his biggest hits, playing short shows. Yeah, I know, some fans think he is still great. Take a close look...he's an old man, not the rockin' cat of the past. No, far as I'm concerned ... Fats did it right. He traveled all over the world, ended up with over 8 million dollars, did it all and knew when to quit. Sold 110 million discs, more than Chuck, Richard and Buddy Holly put together, and was on the R&B and pop charts fifteen years from 1950-1964. More hits than any artist next to Elvis Presley. ROCK ON!

He still put out records after 1995 and played the occassional show. They were all great.

Some people are happy just to see a legend that they maybe have never seen before. As Chuck Berry put it: "You're all here not to see the show I put on tonight, but to remember the guy I once was."

[scottdoran1]

Old man or not it makes no difference to me, i go for the atmosphere, the friends and the fans - I can not think of anywhere in Manchester where i live that you can just walk into on a friday or a saturday night and get the same atmosphere you would get at a Jerry Lee Lewis concert, i am more than happy to travel 3,334 miles to New York for a 37 minute show, hes a legend a one of a kind and when he's gone there will never ever be another.

[PeterC]

...hes a legend a one of a kind and when he's gone there will never ever be another.

You obviously never saw Fats Domino live!

Actually, neither did I!

As I've been telling people for 20 years, this is my biggest regret in life. I have seen lots of videos, heard lots of audios, and read lots of reviews though... and while he perhaps lacked the unpredictability of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, there's no doubt that those 3 have done far more bad shows than Fats Domino ever did in his long career.

If you've never seen it, check out Fats' performance from New Orleans in 2001:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoVezV4 ... Dg3S39EQD9

He was 73 years old at the time, yet still sang and played like he did on the records. You certainly couldn't have said the same about Jerry Lee Lewis when he was 73 back in 2008 - 2009.

[wolfgangguhl]

Old man or not it makes no difference to me, i go for the atmosphere, the friends and the fans - I can not think of anywhere in Manchester where i live that you can just walk into on a friday or a saturday night and get the same atmosphere you would get at a Jerry Lee Lewis concert, i am more than happy to travel 3,334 miles to New York for a 37 minute show, hes a legend a one of a kind and when he's gone there will never ever be another.

Scotty, I totally agree!

[wolfgangguhl]

...hes a legend a one of a kind and when he's gone there will never ever be another.

You obviously never saw Fats Domino live!

Actually, neither did I!

As I've been telling people for 20 years, this is my biggest regret in life. I have seen lots of videos, heard lots of audios, and read lots of reviews though... and while he perhaps lacked the unpredictability of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, there's no doubt that those 3 have done far more bad shows than Fats Domino ever did in his long career.

If you've never seen it, check out Fats' performance from New Orleans in 2001:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoVezV4 ... Dg3S39EQD9

He was 73 years old at the time, yet still sang and played like he did on the records. You certainly couldn't have said the same about Jerry Lee Lewis when he was 73 back in 2008 - 2009.

Fats never played the same show twice either, constantly changing the set list and improvising quite a bit. But he was predictable in that (unlike Jerry, Chuck and Richard) he would never play a bad show. Jerry, Chuck and Richard could mess up a show completely, then the next night play the best show you will ever have heard. And I like(d) that about them. It kept things exciting.