Fats Domino - I'm Walkin' - January 3, 1957

Recorded January 3, 1957 (Thursday)
(w&m: Antoine "Fats" Domino/Dave Bartholomew)

Fats 1st recording from his 38th session (IM-1232).
a-side of Imperial 5428 b/w "I'm In The Mood For Love"
45/78RPM release: February 1957
First album release: "Here Stands Fats Domino" on Imperial LP-9038
Released: March 1957


Cosimo Recording Studio, 523-525 Gov. Nicholls St., New Orleans, LA

Antoine Domino(v/p), Lee Allen(ts), Herbert Hardesty(tsSOLO), Walter "Papoose" Nelson(g), Frank Fields(b), Earl Palmer(d).
Producer/Arranger: Dave Bartholomew
Engineer: Cosimo Matassa


Sessioninfo:
On January 3 Domino recorded a session in Cosimo’s studio that included “I’m Walkin’,” a song that added fuel to his fire. Bartholomew challenged Earl Palmer to come up with a different beat. Following Domino’s unique two-beat piano, the drummer added his own parade rhythms. “Fats was a hell of a lot better musician than people give him credit for,” says Palmer. “He had a lot of original thoughts and they were all creative.” Palmer pumped a bass drum introduction that harked back a generation to the parade beat of Little Jim Mukes with the Eureka Brass Band. Then he started a steaming snare two-beat. Papoose Nelson played a scintillating guitar riff, with a tuba bass pattern accelerating to double-time. He also added a crucial sixth note. Frank Fields blended his bass between the guitar and Domino’s rumbling left hand.
Bartholomew wasn’t satisfied. He told Matassa he needed more bottom. “I can’t give it to you, I’m overloaded now,” replied the engineer.
“Well, take it from the top and give it to the bass,” Bartholomew demanded. “Just give me something to stand on!”
The musicians soon kicked off on an exhilarating second line parade rhythm with an extended solo by Herb Hardesty.
After the session, Bartholomew called a couple of kids from out on the street into the studio. He then rewound the tape and played “I’m Walkin’” for them. As if shot with a jolt of electricity, the kids immediately started dancing. “The only record I ever really felt that we had a big hit on was ‘I’m Walkin’,” says Bartholomew. “You put the clarinet in ‘I’m Walkin’’—‘Doomp-doomp- doomp deedly-deedly-dee’—and you got traditional jazz. You got Dixieland.”
(from: "Blue Monday And The Lost Dawn Of Rock 'n Roll" by Rick Coleman)

"I'm Walkin'" hit the Billboard R&B-charts on March 9, 1957 reaching POS. 1. It stayed there for 6 weeks.
It stayed on the charts for 16 weeks.
It made its debut on the Billboard POP-charts also on March 9, 1957 hitting the no. 4 spot.
It stayed on the charts for 25(!) weeks.
It was a real smash making it his third best song on the POP-charts (after Blueberry Hill and I'm In Love Again)
On the R&B-charts it was his fifth best (after Ain't It A Shame, Bluebbery Hill, I'm In Love Again and Blue Monday)

More chartinfo:
Cash Box: #5
UK: #19

This was ♫♫♫♫♫his 15th MILLIONSELLER♫♫♫♫

Fats was riding high. Fats wasnt just HOT, he was nuclear!
But there were some dark clouds ahead of  him. As it appears, this will mark a period of some lesser results on the charts (the quality of the songs still were high), because at Imperial they wanted a "whiter-sound" that would appeal more to the white audience.
After his next release, "Valley Of Tears" there were no more TOP10's in the POP-charts.
He had to wait almost 1,5 years before he returned to the TOP10 with "Whole Lotta Loving"
More of that later.

Ï'm Walking" was featured in the movie "The Big Beat" a 1957 musical/comedy-drama film directed by Will Cowan for Universal International Pictures
Also featured in the movie is the title song, "The Big Beat" with a dancing Fats!

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