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NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Fats Domino was one of the most popular rockers of the 1950s and early 60s. His achievements and record sales during that time were rivaled only by Elvis Presley. With his boogie-woogie piano playing rooted in blues, rhythm & blues, and jazz, he became one of the inventors, along with Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard of a revolutionary genre of music, rock 'n' roll.
In celebration of Fats Domino's 88th birthday, THIRTEEN's American Masters presents, Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll, premiering nationwide during Black History Month on Friday, February 26 at 10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). The one-hour documentary traces how Fats Domino's brand of New Orleans rhythm and blues morphed into rock and roll, appealing to black and white audiences alike. Actor Clarke Peters narrates.
Fats Domino was born Antoine Domino, Jr. on February 26, 1928. He was the last of eight Domino children and the only one of his siblings born in New Orleans. His journey from a poor childhood in the Lower Ninth Ward to a key figure in rock 'n' roll is told using vintage performances of Domino and his band interwoven with reminiscences of fellow architects of rock 'n' roll.
Among those interviewed are producer/songwriter/bandleader and longtime collaborator Dave Bartholomew, who co-wrote and produced most of Domino's hits; J&M studio owner, engineer and producer Cosimo Matassa, who was involved in creating rock 'n' roll recordings by Domino, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Lloyd Price and many others; and saxophonist Herb Hardesty, a mainstay of both Domino's and Bartholomew's bands.
As a child, Domino liked to tinker on the family piano. His life was changed forever when his sister married Harrison Verrett, a New Orleans musician (banjo player), who taught him how to play the piano and introduced him to the music scene. Domino wanted to play the piano so much that he quit school after fourth grade, and worked in a factory in order to perform in local nightclubs.
Among Domino's musical influences were boogie woogie piano players Meade Lux Lewis (Boogie...