Fats Domino sold 65 million records in the 1950s -- more than any rock and roll artist except Elvis Presley. His piano triplets were the sound of New Orleans: rolling, warm, impossibly infectious. Blueberry Hill. Ain't That a Shame. I'm Walkin'. Walking to New Orleans. He didn't tour much. He didn't chase the spotlight. He stayed in the Ninth Ward.

Antoine Domino Jr. was playing piano in New Orleans bars by his teens, and his first recording -- The Fat Man -- is widely considered one of the first rock and roll records. But Fats never called it that. He just called it rhythm and blues. The triplets rolled on, through the 50s and 60s, through the British Invasion that made his music sound old-fashioned to some and foundational to others.

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Fats refused to evacuate. The Coast Guard pulled him off his rooftop at age 77. His house was destroyed. His gold records were lost. Fats survived. The blue grand piano is now in the Louisiana State Museum. The music never went anywhere.

Fats Domino sold 65 million records -- more than anyone except Elvis. Katrina pulled him off his rooftop at 77. The piano never stopped. Blueberry Hill.