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01/11/2018

BEST OF 2018: Reggie Houston: Coffeeshop Conversations #131: Life in Fats Domino's band

By TOM D'ANTONI // Reggie Houston was in Fats Domino's band for twenty years. This is his first interview after Fats' death.

We've been posting the best of OMN in 2018. It was difficult picking the best Coffeeshop Conversations of 2018, but it's not often we get a chance at oral history. Fats Domino died in October 2017, but it wasn't until after the first of 2018 that Reggie Houston, a member of Fats' band for 20 years, was able to talk to us about it.

It was memorable.

At World Cup Coffee and Tea for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation.

When Fats Domino died at the end of October, I first heard about it from New Orleans’ Reggie Houston, now a Portlander but for twenty years, the baritone sax player in Fats’ band.

It hit him hard. It still does. I waited a few months before I finally asked a couple of weeks ago if he was ready to talk about it. He said yes. What follows is an extended episode but which barely touches on the life of Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew and Reggie’s time in the band, but it’s an oral history that’ll knock you out.

What was life on the road like? Who was the enigma of Fats Domino? Who was the real king of Rock N Roll? And on and on.

A heartfelt thanks to Reggie Houston for sharing all of this with us.

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