78 RPM FATS DOMINO FIRST RECORD IMPERIAL 5058 FAT MAN DETROIT CITY BLUES 1949
$
182
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Description
Up for auction is a 1949 New Orleans r&b / rock & roll 78 rpm recorded by Antoine Fats Domino on Imperial 5058.
The sides are: Detroit City Blues / The Fat Man.
Fats Domino v, p / Dave Bartholomew t / Joe Harris as / Herb Hardesty, Clarence Hall ts / Alvin 'Red' Tyler bar / Ernest McLean g / Frank Fields b / Earl Palmer d.
Recorded in new Orleans on December 10, 1949.
From Wikipedia…
"The Fat Man" is a rhythm and blues song co-written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew and recorded by Fats Domino. It is considered to be one of the first rock and roll records.
The song was recorded for Imperial Records in Cosimo Matassa's J&M studio on Rampart Street in New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday, December 10, 1949. Imperial's Lew Chudd had previously asked Dave Bartholomew to show him some locally popular talent, and was most impressed with Fats Domino, then playing at a working class dive in the 9th Ward of New Orleans.
Domino sang and played piano, along with Earl Palmer on drums, Frank Fields on string bass, Ernest McLean on guitar, and sax players Herbert Hardesty, Clarence Hall, Joe Harris, and Alvin "Red" Tyler.
The tune is a variation on the traditional New Orleans tune "Junker's Blues", as written by Drive'em Down, which also provided the melody for Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," and Professor Longhair's "Tipitina." "The Fat Man" features Domino's piano with a distinct back beat that dominates both the lead and the rhythm section. Earl Palmer said it was the first time a drummer played nothing but back beat for recording, which he said he derived from a Dixieland "out chorus." Domino also scats a pair of choruses in a distinctive wah-wah falsetto, creating a variation on the lead similar to a muted Dixieland trumpet.
They call, they call me the fat man
´Cause I weigh 200 pounds:
All the girls they love me
´Cause I know my way around
The lyrics refer to watching Creole women at the intersection of Rampart Street and Canal Street, which at the time were the business centers of the city's African American and Caucasian population, respectively.
The record saw limited release a few weeks later, and was a local hit in New Orleans for Christmas 1949. It was Domino's debut single, the B-Side being "Detroit City Blues". Imperial advertising claimed it sold 10,000 copies in New Orleans in 10 days, and the record became a national hit in late January 1950.
Below are the tracks recorded with NO filtering or noise reduction.
Detroit City Blues needs 4.5+ grams to play smoothly as the stylus will twitch side to side at the start with lighter pressure. The above sound file was played with 5 grams.
You can also hear the same sides with minor noise reduction here.
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Grading System:
- NM = near new condition
- E = barely played, extremely close to near new condition
- VG = played, but not abused condition, should play very well, may have light scratches, scuffs
- G = well played, but should play pretty well, will have deeper scratches, scuff; may have some background noise, scratches, scuffs, wear
- P = well used, pretty bad condition, lots of background noise
Grades G+ with decent shine remaining. Detroit City Blues needs 4.5+ grams to play smoothly as the stylus will twitch side to side at the start with lighter pressure. The above sound file was played with 5 grams. Has light scratches & scuffs. (Please use the Full Screen & Zoom features on the pictures to get a more accurate depiction of the playing surfaces). Photos have not been photoshopped (contrasted or enhanced) other than cropping out the wax & spindle hole in the main picture. A nice player.
This record will be very securely packaged for shipment. Please let me know if you would like your records insured.
I try my best to describe and grade these as accurately as possible...I will gladly accept returns if you are not satisfied.
Good luck!
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