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Dave bartholomew performs at new orleans
Dave bartholomew performs at new orleans
Photo Credit: David Redfern/Redferns

Dave Bartholomew, New Orleans Music Legend and Rock N' Roll Pioneer, Dead at 100

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The trailblazing musician was a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

New Orleans music legend Dave Bartholomew has died at the age of 100. The artist reportedly died Sunday in a suburban New Orleans hospital, his eldest son Dave Bartholomew Jr. told The Associated Press.

“His body simply broke down. Daddy was 100 years and six months old. It was just that time,” his son said.

The musician, composer, and Rock n' Roll pioneer collaborated with Fats Domino and co-wrote and produced such classics as "Ain't That a Shame," ''I'm Walkin," “Blue Monday,” and "Let the Four Winds Blow."

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A trumpeter and band leader, Bartholomew fused Mardi Gras parade rhythms, jump blues, big-band jazz, and Tin Pan Alley pop, to create a signature sound that transfused across rock ’n’ roll.

Under Bartholomew’s direction, Domino placed 65 singles on the Billboard pop chart from 1955 to 1964. The only other rock ’n’ roll singer who has more during that period was Elvis Presley.

He also produced and arranged hits by Lloyd Price (“Lawdy Miss Clawdy”), Shirley and Lee (“Let the Good Times Roll”) and Smiley Lewis (“I Hear You Knocking”). Chuck Berry’s only No. 1 pop single, “My Ding-a-Ling,” was an adaptation of Bartholomew 's 1952 song, “Little Girl Sing Ding-a-Ling."

Elton John, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Hank Williams Jr., Cheap Trick, and more have recorded material associated with Bartholomew.

The trailblazing musician was a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, eight children, and 25 grandchildren.