🎹 10 Things to Know About Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Domino

Author: Paul Merkley, PhD, Musicologist
Published by: Seniors Junction
Date: May 16, 2025

Jazz and rhythm and blues (R&B) are cornerstones of American music, and two names stand tall in their legacies: Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Domino. Though they emerged in different eras, both artists shaped the sound of modern music and left indelible marks on history.

Here are 10 essential facts to understand their contributions.

🎼 1. Jelly Roll Morton’s Early Life

Born around 1890 to Creole parents in a French-speaking New Orleans neighborhood, Morton grew up surrounded by music. His father was a bricklayer and a trombonist, and young Jelly Roll absorbed the vibrant sounds of the city.

📖 2. Morton Couldn’t Read Music—At First

Like many jazz pioneers, Morton began by playing by ear. He only learned to read music later, proving that raw talent and innovation often come before formal training.

🗣️ 3. The Birth of Jazz and Self-Promotion

As jazz grew in popularity, so did the competition. Morton boldly claimed to have invented jazz in 1902, though many credit Buddy Bolden, a cornet player, with forming the first named jazz band. Morton’s self-promotion was part of surviving in a crowded musical field.

🎵 4. One of the First Published Jazz Pieces

Morton’s "Jelly Roll Blues", published in 1915, stands among the first sheet music publications of a jazz composition—a key moment in the formal recognition of the genre.

⚰️ 5. "Dead Man Blues" and the Jazz Funeral Style

Morton’s “Dead Man Blues” captures the mood of a New Orleans funeral procession—somber on the way to the grave and celebratory on the return. This unique local tradition influenced jazz’s expressive emotional range.

🥁 6. The Red Hot Peppers

Morton recorded extensively with his band, the Red Hot Peppers, who brought his compositions to life in cities like Chicago, where jazz was evolving into new styles.

🎹 7. Piano Rolls of Morton’s Playing

Some of Morton’s earliest performances were preserved as piano rolls—a fascinating early recording method that captured the exact timing of each keystroke.

🎤 8. Fats Domino’s R&B Roots

Fats Domino, born in 1928 to a Creole family in New Orleans, became one of the great figures in rhythm and blues (R&B). His piano-driven sound echoed the jazz influences of his hometown.

🎶 9. “The Fat Man”: A Rock and Roll Milestone

Domino’s 1949 hit, “The Fat Man,” is often cited as one of the first rock and roll songs. It fused R&B rhythm with a boogie-woogie beat, laying the groundwork for future generations.

🌍 10. Influencing Elvis and The Beatles

Domino’s impact went far beyond R&B. Both Elvis Presley and The Beatles cited Fats Domino as a major influence on their musical styles, connecting New Orleans’ sound with the global rock movement.

💬 Final Thoughts

From Jelly Roll Morton’s early jazz compositions to Fats Domino’s rock and roll breakthrough, both musicians played crucial roles in shaping the American musical landscape. Their legacies live on in the sounds we still hear today.

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🧑‍🎓 About the Author

Paul Merkley, PhD, is a retired professor of musicology, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a Harvard PhD. He shares his passion for music history with seniors and lifelong learners through Seniors Junction.