Dave Bartholomew
The New Orleans architect of rock and roll who crafted the raw, brassy sound behind Fats Domino's timeless hits.
1918–2019 (age 101)·American musician, producer, and composer·Birthday: December 24·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Dave Bartholomew was the master planner in the studio who helped translate the rhythmic pulse of New Orleans into a national language. A sharp-eared trumpeter and a disciplinarian bandleader, he formed a musical partnership with pianist Fats Domino that became one of the most prolific hit-making machines of the 1950s. Bartholomew's genius lay in his arrangements: he pared down big band swing into a driving, piano-and-horn-heavy groove that was both sophisticated and irresistibly danceable. At Cosimo Matassa's legendary J&M Music Shop, he produced and co-wrote classics like 'Ain't That a Shame,' 'Blue Monday,' and 'I'm Walkin',' songs that became foundational texts for rock and roll. Beyond Domino, his trumpet blasted on records by Lloyd Price and Smiley Lewis, and his songbook was covered by everyone from Elvis Presley to The Beatles. Bartholomew was less a frontman and more a cultural engineer, a businessman-musician who understood how to package the city's second-line rhythms for a mass audience, forever changing the sound of American popular music.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Dave was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2019Died at 101
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
Key Achievements
- Produced and co-wrote a string of massive hits for Fats Domino, including 'Ain't That a Shame' and 'Blue Monday.'
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 for his seminal work as a songwriter and producer.
- His song 'I Hear You Knocking' was a major hit for Smiley Lewis and later for Dave Edmunds.
- Led a highly respected and influential New Orleans-based big band and session orchestra for decades.
Did You Know?
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a bandsman in the 196th Army Ground Forces Band.
Beyond music, he was a successful businessman, owning a publishing company and investing in real estate.
He was a mentor and early employer of a young Allen Toussaint.
The famous rolling piano triplets on Fats Domino's 'The Fat Man' are credited to Bartholomew's arrangement.
“You got to have that backbeat, that second line, or it don't mean a thing.”
