This man could take any song and make it his own. He must have loved walking… he had hits with I’m Walkin’, Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?, Walking To New Orleans, and this song I Want To Walk You Home. It was written by Fats Domino and produced by his long-time collaborator Dave Bartholomew. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 100 and #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts.
Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. was not flashy and wild like some of his 1950s peers such as Elvis, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The first I heard of Fats Domino was on “Happy Days” and the song Blueberry Hill. I was at a relative’s yard sale when I was a kid and was given his and Chuck Berry’s greatest hits. My Aunt never knew how much those two records would influence me.
Domino was the youngest of eight children in a musical family, he spoke Creole French before learning English. At age 7 his brother-in-law taught him how to play the piano. By the time he was 10, he was already performing as a singer and pianist.
Fat’s first hit in the Billboard 100 was the great “Aint That A Shame” in 1955 written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew which peaked at #16 and his last charting song was a cover of the Beatles’s “Lady Madonna”(great version) that peaked at #100 in 1968. He had 45 songs in the top 100 and 4 top 10 hits…many more top 10 hits in the R&B Charts.
He lived in New Orleans During Hurricane Katrina, he lost most of his possessions and he and his family were rescued by the Coast Guard. He unselfishly made many personal appearances to raise money for the hurricane relief. His house was hit hard and he lost his National Medal and gold records but George Bush gave him another medal to replace the lost one and the RIAA gave him replacement gold records.
To raise money for repairs for his own home, friends and fellow musicians recorded a tribute album, Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, featuring Robert Plant, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and more. He was living in New Orleans at the time of his death on October 24, 2017.
He was a huge influence on The Beatles, Elton John, Robert Plant, and Randy Newman. Elvis even called Fats “The King”…a well-deserved title.
I Want To Walk You Home
I want to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeI wants to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeYou look so good to me, oh-ooh-eeI wish I was the lucky guy who could walk you right on down the aisle
I love the way you walkI love to hear you talkI love the way you walkI love to hear you talkI’m not tryin’ to be smart, I’m not tryin’ to break your heartBut if I ask you for a date, will you tell me that I’m not too late
I want to hold your handPlease let me hold your handI want to hold your handPlease let me hold your handYou look so good to me, oo-ooee
I saw you walking all alone, that’s why I want to walk you home
So let me walk you homePlease let me walk you homeI want to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeYou look so good to me, oh-ooh-eeI saw you walking all alone, that’s why I want to walk you homeThat’s why I want to walk you home, that’s why I want to walk you homeThat’s why I want to walk you home
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Nice post 🌅🌅
One good thing about the pop charts in those days is that we were exposed to more types of music than we realized. Did I know about New Orleans piano players? No, but I heard them.
Thanks for not mentioning Pat Boone. Sorry I did. He was as white bread as they came and had a #1 hit with his rendition of “Ain’t That a Shame”. All I can say about that is ain’t that a shame? Did he bring more exposure to Fats? Did he share the wealth with him? Maybe.
Yea I try to stay away from Boone…. one thing my dad taught me was that Little Richard equals greatness…Pat Boone equaled boredom….I’ve told this story too many times but I’m proud to say my Dad got into a fight with Boone and supposedly won….when they were in high school….so I really embrace that legacy.
(‘Knock them cheesy smiling pearly bright white teeth out Paw! Sock ‘im in the throat! In the sweet name of music, hit ‘im again!)
Yep! I enjoy that story every single time I get a chance to tell it!
Some great music in there. He is among my favorites of the early, 1950s rock pioneers. I forgot he lived until so recently. New Orleans is supposed to be a good city to see by foot, so you may be right – maybe he liked walking a lot!
When I think of 1950s music he is the first one usually to come to mind. Happy Days helped that a lot as well with Blueberry Hill being played so much.
yeah, you’re probably right about that come to think of it
Fats has such a pleasant voice.
After all this time I never knew his real first name was Antoine.
I don’t think many people know it.
Great work Max! 😎❤️
One of many great songs as you say and certainly a lot of walking! Fats did publicly thank Pat Boone, he said he made a lot from the royalties. Personally I am not a fan of Boone’s music either!
Nope…me either.
I am glad he helped anyway.
Fantastic. Another one of those great love songs i dig. Throw on Fats and feel good. That’s what the doc prescribed.
You can’t go wrong with Fats…such a smooth voice.
That vocals at the end of the verses changes up the marching beat feel, a minor touch of brilliance IMHO.
That does change the dynamic of it quite a bit.
Fats Domino just makes me happy. The man had an amazing ability to deliver songs, which always puts me at ease.
And, yes, I completely agree that unlike Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis, Domino wasn’t flashy at all! Just to be clear, I love Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis, especially his early rock & roll period. But at the end of the day, it’s not about being flashy. It’s about how you deliver a song. There’s a reason Domino was so beloved among many other music artists.
Well put. He seems to sing with a smile.
That is a great sentence! The man makes me happy as well! I totally agree.
He did his thing and did it well!
It is hard to watch Fats and not smile. He was so good. He had so many great songs. His uptempo stuff just makes you happy. My Blue Heaven is one of my favorites from the Fat Man
He does just make you happy the more you listen. The guy has a certain IT that many didn’t.
Speaking of “Happy” songs …. make sure you catch tomorrow’s blog. I’ll look forward to your input
I’ll be there dude.
Sorry – Saturday’s blog
I gotcha dude! We are getting ready for a lot of snow! Well for us…3-6 inches for us…is lke over a foot to you guys lol.
Our snow is showing up, now.
Cool!
Good song. Did I ever tell you that Ken met Fats Domino as a kid, at the Washington Duke hotel? It made Ken mad that Fats was not allowed to stay in the Washington Duke but, could perform there.
No I don’t think you told me that…that is so cool! Well NOT cool that he couldn’t stay there but that ken met him.
Ken was raised in the original Washington Duke Hotel (5 star place…his father was a hotel manager). Ken met a lot of musicians & TV cowboy stars, popular in the late 40s, early 50s.
In the early 2000s, when I was living in Georgia, I bought the “Fats Domino’s Greatest Hits” CD at an improbable place, an auto parts store. I remember this song was part of that CD. Good memories, I miss America.
I live just north of Georgia in Tennessee… yea I know those kind of places you are talking about.