April 14, 1955: Fats Domino releases "Ain't That A Shame"

Although born and raised in New Orleans, Fats Domino’s first release had been his tribute to The Motorcity in 1949!!!

“Detroit City Blues” was the flip side of the single “The Fat Man” released on Imperial Records in 1949 (#2 on the R&B Chart)…

Over the next six years Fats would hit the R&B Chart thirteen times and the Hot 100 twice...

Check out the 1950 release of Fats doing EVERYNIGHT ABOUT THIS TIME

(#5 on the U.S. R&B Chart) and the 1952 release of GOIN’ HOME…

And the flip side,  ROCKIN” AND REELIN’

The single  hit #30 on the Hot 100 and #1 R&B…

Also among those pre-1955 recordings was the #10 R&B hit in 1954

YOU DONE ME WRONG…

But it was his 1955 release of “Ain’t That A Shame” that finally gave Fats national attention:

Previously popularized by Gene Autry and Glenn Miller, Domino's version finally crossed into the pop mainstream in July of 1955.

Of course Pat Boone characteristically hit #1 with a milder cover of the song that received wider radio airplay in a racially-segregated era.

“Ain’t That A Shame”--HITTING #10 ON THE Hot 100 and Number One on the R&B Charts--was the first in a string of 37 crossover hits for Domino during the next eight years…

Blueberry Hill, 1956

(Hot 100 #2 and #1 on R&B)

Check out Fats doing the tune on "The Legends" DVD...

Blue Monday (From 1956)

(#5 on Hot 100 and #1 on R&B Chart)

I'm Walkin', 1957

(#4 on Hot 100 and #1 on R&B Chart)

Whole Lotta Loving, 1958

(#6 on Hot 100 and #2 on R&B Chart)

NOTE:

The piano playing on the Beatles hit “Lady Madonna” was inspired by Fats Domino.  According to Paul McCartney,

"'Lady Madonna' was me sitting down at the piano trying to write a bluesy boogie-woogie thing ... It reminded me of Fats Domino for some reason, so I started singing a Fats Domino impression. It took my voice to a very odd place."

-- (The Beatles Bible. 2008)

Domino himself covered the song later in 1968 and it became a US Hot 100 hit (peaking at exactly #100)…

YOU GO, FAT MAN!!!

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