Born in Louisiana with Louisiana Creole his first language, Domino was a rock-and-roll pioneer pianist and songwriter who sold over 65 million records, including eleven Top 10 hits between 1955 and 1960 (Biography). His style brought traditional rhythm and blues - the kind he said he'd just been listening to all his life - to rock-and-roll (Fensterstock), and his 1950 song "The Fat Man" may be the first rock=and-roll record [Coleman]. In 1986 Domino became one of the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Little Richard
(1932-2020)
One of the earliest and most dynamic rock-and-roll pioneers and with the most electrifying style, guitar-playing, and voice of the 1950s, he was nicknamed “The Innovator, the Originator, and the Architect of Rock and Roll.” He was known for frenetic piano playing and singing, a throbbing backbeat, and flamboyant showmanship on stage (“Little Richard”). He went on to inspire and be covered by Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, and the Beatles. The Beatles learned to play guitar by watching Little Richard play on movie screens. Fans would rush up onto the stage when he played, the first known time that happened in popular music history. Over the years, he also played and recorded gospel and other evangelical music (Winner).
