Fats Domino

Antoine Dominique Domino Jr., known as Fats Domino, was the most commercially successful of the New Orleans R&B artists and one of the founding figures of rock and roll. His boogie-woogie-inflected piano style, genial vocals, and the brilliant production of Dave Bartholomew produced a string of hits ('The Fat Man,' 'Ain't That a Shame,' 'Blueberry Hill,' 'I'm Walkin',' 'Blue Monday') that sold over 65 million records and helped define the New Orleans sound. His piano style was rooted in the blues and boogie-woogie traditions, and 'The Fat Man' (1949) is one of the candidates for the first rock and roll record. He was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.