Antoine Fats Domino

You have to just stop and raise your hands to the sky and wonder what’s going on? A few weeks ago we lost Tom Petty and now it’s personal, someone from home. Many thought Katrina got to him at his home in the lower ninth ward, but he is rescued… thank God he didn’t go down in that way.

My mother passed on to me her love of Fats Domino. She still has the original vinyl records she used to play when I was growing up; his music constantly in the air like a musical score. I would carefully lift up the needle on the arm of the phonograph so I could play the previous song again, hoping my mother wouldn’t notice. Though she always knew but didn’t say anything at times as she wanted to hear the song again too.

His music was like a train running at high speed throughout the city… from the Pontchartrain, on to the Quarters making its way down river as it surrenders to the currents in the gulf stream. You couldn’t help but tap your foot to this new music called rock & roll, which to Fats is just rhythm & blues on a little speed.

Just about anyone who has ever played music owes a debt to Fats Domino. The rest of us in our own simple way can show respect to a man who all he ever wanted was to make people happy with his music.

Thanks for the music Fats and to the city we both love.

©jc2017-9