5. Fats Domino - This is Fats

I remember being given a CD by my Dad when I was 5 or 6 years old. It was called Blues Brother, Soul Sister. My Dad had bought it thinking it was something else (a very similar incident to him later buying a Ministry of Sound CD thinking that it would be classical music. It was called Chillout Anthems!). Anyway, to the point - this CD was my very first taste of blues, sould, R&B, and just a little bit of funk, and I like to think that it set the ball rolling in a 20-something-year love affair with these styles of music. There was a song by Fats Domino called Blueberry Hill, and I spent hours playing it over and over again, attempting to learn how to play it on the piano. I still can't, but I have very fond memories of that time.

This is Fats is the definitive Fats Domino CD. He was one of the first big stars of rock 'n' roll, and his music had a distinctive sound based on a rhythmic piano style influenced by boogie-woogie.

Tracks worth singling out - Blueberry Hill, Honey Chile, Reelin' and a Rockin', and The Fat Man's Hop.