Legendary Artists Chuck Berry & Fats Domino Remembered in Touching Grammy Awards Musical Tribute
The 2018 Grammy Awards remembered the legendary Chuck Berry and Fats Domino during Sunday night’s live broadcast.
Berry died of natural causes at the age of 90 on March 18, 2017. Domino, who is best known as one of the fathers of rock and roll, died in October and was known as a pioneer in the genre. He was 89.
Jon Batiste, Gary Clark Jr. and Joe Saylor sang Berry’s “Maybelline” and Domino’s “Aint’ That A Shame” in remembrance of the two artists.
With a litany of hit singles such as “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Brown Eyed Handsome Man,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “School Days,” “Nadine” and “Rock and Roll Music,” Berry is credited with reshaping rhythm and blues into what we now recognize as rock and roll. His lyrics explored teen life and American commercialism, and his music fused exciting guitar solos with flair and showmanship.
Be sure to check out PEOPLE’s full Grammys coverage to get the latest news on music’s big night.
Berry’s confluence of eclectic styles drew fans of all backgrounds and even helped close a racial gap in music. Mixing the blues and R&B music popular with the African-American community, with the honkytonk “hillbilly” music popular with the white community, he created a new musical vocabulary with a unique crossover appeal.
Domino’s music helped bring what was then known as “race music” to the mainstream — predominantly white — culture. Throughout the next decade, he would mark an astonishing run of more than three dozen Top 40 hits. Selling more than 65 million singles, it was a commercial streak bested only by Elvis Presley.
Born Antoine Domino Jr. in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward on Feb. 26, 1928, the Creole French musician pioneered a boogie-woogie piano style that would become the bedrock of rock. “What they call rock ‘n’ roll is rhythm and blues,” he admitted in a 1956 profile. “And I’ve been playing it for 15 years in New Orleans.”
His records inspired generations of performers — most notably John Lennon, who said that Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” was the first song he ever learned how to play. Fellow Beatle Paul McCartney later wrote “Lady Madonna” as an affectionate tribute to Domino, and Presley once dubbed him “the real king of rock n roll.”
The 60th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by James Corden, were broadcast live on CBS from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
