NEW ORLEANS (CelebrityAccess) Dave Bartholomew, 100, a giant of New Orleans music and a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, died in a suburban New Orleans hospital today, according to eldest son Dave Bartholomew Jr.
Bartholomew co-wrote and produced classics with Fats Domino like “Aint That a Shame,” “I’m Walkin'” and “Let The Four Winds Blow.” Hew is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“His body simply broke down,” his son told the Associated Press. “Daddy was 100 years and six months old. It was just that time.”
Bartholomew, a trumpet player and bandleader, befriended Domino in the late 1940s and collaborated with him on dozens of hits. “Ain’t That A Shame” and “I’m Walkin'” became Domino’s biggest hits and helped him sell 60 million records.
“Actually, we never sat down to write anything. He and I just played,” Bartholomew told The Times-Picayune in 2010. “I remember one time on ‘I’m in Love Again,’ we went outside and somebody said, ‘Don’t let the dog bite you.’ So we come back and put that in the song.”
Bartholomew also produced the Lloyd Price hit “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and wrote the novelty song “My Ding-a-Ling” that became Chuck Berry’s first No. 1 hit. The Bartholomew-Earl King song “I Hear You Knocking” became a major hit for Dave Edmunds in the early 1970s.
Bartholomew became New Orleans’ top producer and arranger at Imperial Records, which included acts like Domino, Frankie Ford, Chris Kenner and Huey “Piano” Smith. His son Don Bartholomew currently works with Lil Wayne and other hip-hop artists.
