Dave Bartholomew was an important figure in music, notable for discovering talented stars such as Fats Domino and others, along with putting his stylistic imprint on the early sounds of rock and roll. The Big Easy native passed on June 23rd.
Bartholomew was born December 24, 198 in Edgard La., 39 miles west of New Orleans. As a young man, Peter Davis, who also taught Louis Armstrong, tutored him on the trumpet. As a teen Bartholomew played with many bands in and around New Orleans and even became an artist, but his biggest contributions came as an A&R and producer for Imperial Records.
After discovering Domino, Bartholomew’s knack for finding talent, producing and songwriting broke artists into the burgeoning teen Rock and Roll scene in the ‘50s, and he penned big hits for Domino, Chuck Berry and others. He was also instrumental in the jazz scene, most specifically Dixieland, and had his hand in the R&B and pop worlds too, putting his perfectionist touch on a number of records.
Bartholomew was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a non-performer, and continued to record and tour well into the late ‘90s.
Dave Bartholomew lived to be 100.
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