Artist: Fats Domino
Album: This Is Fats
Year: 1956
This album surprised me in a way. For some reason I was expecting Fats Domino to be a jazz pianist (I think I got him confused with Fats Waller), so I was surprised to learn in listening to this album that it's most definitely what most people would've considered rock-and-roll at the time, or some kind of rhythm-and-blues/rock hybrid. Some research indicates that many consider Domino's 1949 single "The Fat Man" to be the first rock-and-roll recording. Have a listen for yourself:
At any rate, This Is Fats is a nice little early piano-based rock album that exemplifies the backbeat in full force. The standout is the rollicking "Blueberry Hill," which is no doubt a classic of its time. Nothing else in this collection quite stands up to that one. "Poor Me" might be the second-best track here, but mainly because it's the one that apes "Blueberry Hill" most closely. "Honey Chile" is another standout. A malt shop classic, no doubt.
It's cool to see how rock developed out of all these different strands. On one hand, you have artists like Elvis who are approaching the genre from the country perspective, and on the other you have African-American performers like Fats Domino coming at it from the blues angle. And you even have ol' swingmen like Louis Prima incorporating elements of rock into their sound. I encourage you to listen to Prima's "Jump, Jive, An' Wail" and follow it up by listening to Domino's "You Done Me Wrong." Quite similar tunes.
I wouldn't call This Is Fats an essential album, but I can see how this music was pivotal as a bridge from the jazz/blues era into rock.
Rating: Worth a listen
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