- Fats —er, we mean Big-Boned— Domino
We're truly excited about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's latest American Music Masters series. Well, at least as excited as we can get about these sorta stuffy things.
After the past couple years' obvious and ho-hum tributes, this year's event will honor Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, the guy who produced and helped write most of Domino's big hits.
The five-day "Walking to New Orleans: The Music of Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew" will launch on November 8. Throughout the week, lectures, interviews, movies, and "other educational programs" (we hate when they say that) will fill folks in on why Domino and Bartholomew rock so hard.
The whole thing wraps up with a day-long conference at Case Western Reserve University and concert at the Palace Theatre on Saturday, November 13.
Domino and Batholomew are both still alive, but only Bartholomew will make it to town for the celebration. He'll join Lloyd Price, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, the Rebirth Brass Band, and Robert Parker onstage for the concert. (Yeah, we know, not exactly a stellar lineup there, but the Rock Hall is promising more artists soon. Fingers crossed ...)
The American Music Masters series is aimed more at scholarly rock fans that casual listeners of the music. The conferences usually go way deep into an artist's career, which should be a pretty cool thing with Domino. He and Bartholomew are responsible for some of the greatest rock & roll songs of all time, including "Ain't That a Shame" and "Blueberry Hill."
(If you don't own any of Domino's music, we suggest saving your cash for the excellent Walking to New Orleans box. It's one of our favorites.)
The Rock Hall will also open a temporary exhibit around the same time featuring Bartholomew's trumpet, handwritten music, and one of Domino’s XXL shirts (we're guessing on the size there, but if your name is "Fats," you're probably not wearing a medium).
Tickets to the tribute concert tickets go on sale September 15 at PlayhouseSquare's box office and at the Rock Hall's website. Or you could be old like Domino and Bartholomew and call 216-241-6000. Tickets range from $30 to $50.
You can read more about the event here. —Michael Gallucci
Follow us on Twitter: @clescenemusic
