Wednesday, October 25, 2017

October 25 - The Birth And Dead of a Legend

Legendary artist Fats Domino has died age 89, according to local reports from New Orleans. The American singer, pianist and recording artist pioneered rock and roll and inspired countless artists, including Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Local TV station WWL-TV cited his daughter as the person to confirm his death, saying he died peacefully surrounded by family. 

“The Fat Man,” his 1949 first hit single, was one of the earliest examples of rock ‘n’ roll. He followed that success with “Ain’t It a Shame,” “Blueberry Hill,” “I’m Walkin” and dozens of other hits whose boogie-woogie piano style and rhythmic singing appealed to black and white listeners alike. 

“Domino shouted out ghetto-accented staccato accusations about sad separations ringing like cannonades across a country divided by segregation,” author Rick Coleman wrote in “Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock ‘n’ Roll” published in 2006.

Elvis Presley covered and performed his hits "Blueberry Hill", "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "One Night Of Sin".

Domino’s singles reached the top 40 on Billboard magazine’s pop charts three dozen times between 1952 and 1963. He ended up with about two dozen gold records, awarded for sales of at least a million copies, and more than 65 million recordings sold.

Birth Of A Legend


Due for release on December 14, 2017 from the Waxlove label is the LP "Elvis Presley: Birth Of A Legend: The Sun Singles 1955 - 1956".

Description:
This collection is where it all began, at 706 Union Ave in Memphis, Tennessee, otherwise known as Sam Phillips' legendary Sun Studios. Famously Elvis Presley walked in the door there in 1953 to record an acetate for his mother, Phillips took down his name for future reference/possible label signing and the rest, as they say, is history. This LP consists of 20 of the most legendary performances in rockabilly/country/rock and roll history. An absolutely essential collection and possibly the greatest recordings of the King's storied 20+ year career.

Il Re Del Rock 'n' Roll

Due for release on November 1, 2017 from the Audrey label is a vinyl re-issue of the original 1956 Italian EP "Il Re Del Rock 'n' Roll". This release is limited to 100 copies on orange/red marbled vinyl in shaped cover.

(Source:Blomberg / Variety / Elvis Club Berlin / Shiny Beast)