So much music history is owed to the late rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Fats Domino. Plenty of artists who’ve been crowned royalty in recent decades would not have existed without Antoine Dominique Domino Jr.’s influence, which continues to hover over younger generations. Including Los Angeles’ Mara Connor who has released a wistful cover of his hit “Ain’t That A Shame” in honor of his 93rd birthday.
“Fats Domino basically invented rock and roll,” Connor said in a statement. “‘Ain’t That A Shame’ was the first song John Lennon learned to play, George Harrison said ‘I’m In Love Again’ was the first rock ‘n’ roll song he ever heard, and Elvis called Fats the ‘real king of rock ‘n’ roll’ but somehow Fats gets left off of a lot of lists featuring many artists that he inspired.” The cover is also a tribute to her late grandfather James Connor, a Fats Domino fan who “told stories of seeing Fats play on a houseboat in New Orleans during Mardi Gras in 1959.”
In contrast to the original, Connor’s rendition is eerie and more subdued. Where the original sounds like a targeted diss at a scorned heartbreaker, Connor’s feels like sitting through an old lover’s funeral. The reason for the stark—but brilliant—difference is Connor’s inspiration from iconically spooky filmmaker David Lynch—the buzzy synth solo sounds straight off the Twins Peaks soundtrack.
Hear her cover and the original below.
