Taking the route from DJ to renowned musician did not just begin in the 80s with aspiring Rap stars, but started decades ago. Ferdinand "Fats" Washington was a pioneer in the 1950s and '60s Blues and R&B genres and transitioned smoothly from DJ to award winning songwriter.
As a radio disc jockey and newspaper columnist in Louisiana in the late 1940s and '50s, Fats developed his craft and his ability to combine words in ways that spoke to the heart and soul. In 1954 Fats transitioned his writing to songs and penned his first hit "Pledging My Love" with Don Robey. "Pledging My Love" is a BMI award winner recorded by Elvis Presley, Emmy Lou Harris, David Allen Coe, Johnny Ace, Kitty Wells, Delbert McClinton and Aaron Neville to name a few. The song is featured in the blockbuster films "Back To The Future," "Color Of Money," and "Christine."
Fats wrote more than 150 songs prior to his death at the age of 43 in 1970. Many of the songs co-written with Blues legend Lowell Fulson (a/k/a Fulsom) were recorded and released by Fulson in the 1960s on the Kent label and have been re-released in recent years by Ace Records. Fulsons Chess recordings from 1954-1963 were re-released by MCA in 1997.
"I'll Be Home," co-written with Stan Lewis, is also a BMI award winner. The song found fame with recordings by Pat Boone, the Flamingos and the Platters in the '50s and continues to be re-released on greatest hits albums by these classic artists.
Writing and recording from Muscle Shoals to Shreveport and Los Angeles to Dallas, Fats also counts cuts by B.B. King, Freddy Fender, Dianna Ross & Marvin Gaye, Johnnie Johnson, Little Joe Blue and Wanda Jackson to his name.
Fats songs have a timeless quality and continue to be discovered by new artists. Additional hits include "Black Nights" (featured in the "Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood"), "Get Off My Back Woman," "Talkin Woman," "Waitin On You," and "No More."
If you are interested in recording a Fats song for an album, please contact The Harry Fox Agency. If you would like a synchronization license to include a Fats song in your next film/TV project, contact Spirit Music Group: www.spiritmusicgroup.com
Hi
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Peace
Phil - UK
