GOIN' HOME WITH FATS DOMINO!

One of my brothers recently asked me if I knew whatever became of Rock and Roll Legend Fats Domino. I'm sure most, if not all of you remember the CNN Headline News reports that Fats was listed as missing and presumed dead in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in his home town of New Orleans. Thank God he survived and at 79, Fats is still performing. He has a modest home in the New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward' that was flooded both by Hurricane Rita and later Katrina. He lost substantially all of his personal possessions (although I was heartened to learn that Capitol Records replaced his many Gold Records that were stolen by looters). Nearly all of us who Blog were not even born when Fats helped usher in Rock music in the 1950's (see second photo from the top). His first "crossover" R&B hit was 1955's "Ain't That a Shame", followed by "Blueberry Hill", "Blue Monday" and "I'm Walkin'". Of the latter, I own a computer disc CD of the late Rick Nelson's concert filmed at the Universal Amphitheatre here in Los Angeles. Rick also struck Gold with "I'm Walkin' " and on the video, when he invites Fats Domino out on stage you can see the warmth these guys shared as tight friends. Rick would tragically lose his life just a few months later. In the 60's Fats, decided to retreat a bit. Today, he watches TV and cooking is his passion. He was among the first group of Legends inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. And yes, there is a new 30-track double CD entitled "Goin' Home" that was just released this week with Domino classics performed by fellow New Orleans buddies Allen Toussaint and Dr. John, plus his admirers including Norah Jones, Elton John, Tom Petty, and Randy Newman. There's not enough space in this Blog post to list all of Fat's hit records. But as the top photo reveals, Fats is as timeless as his music!