Dave Bartholomew

We heard him knockin’ so we let him in… Dave Bartholomew amassed over 4,000 songwriting credits over his 100 years on Earth, being a key figure in rhythm ‘n’ blues’ transformation into rock ‘n roll. A New Orleans native, he brought the city’s jazz and brass beats to the opening years of rock ‘n’ roll, and formed a fruitful partnership with a local bar musician by the name of Fats Domino. The songs Bartholomew wrote for Domino became standards and covered by every musician around for decades to come: “I’m Walkin'”, “I Hear You Knockin'”, “My Ding-a-Ling”, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”. When Pat Boone came to cover “Ain’t That A Shame”, he wanted to change the title to “Isn’t That A Shame” to make it more appealing for white audiences. 

Bartholomew stepped back from songwriting in the mid-1960s to return to performing, something he continued to do until his mid-80s. He outlived his old writing partner Domino by nearly two years.

Dave Bartholomew
December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019
Died aged 100 (three picks)