Dave Bartholomew: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dead at 100

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and New Orleans music great Dave Bartholomew, who wrote, produced and arranged hits by Fats DominoLloyd PriceFrankie Ford and many of the city’s other R&B stars of the ’50s and ’60, died Sunday at the age of 100.

An influential  producer, arranger, composer, trumpet player and bandleader who worked mainly behind the scenes, Mr. Bartholomew was best known for the hits he produced for and wrote with Fats Domino, including “Ain’t That a Shame” (originally released under the name “Ain’t It a Shame”) and “Blue Monday.”

Under Mr. Bartholomew’s direction, Mr. Domino placed 65 singles on the Billboard pop chart from 1955 to 1964. Among rock ’n’ roll singers, only Elvis Presley had more during that period.

Mr. Bartholomew’s musical reach extended well beyond his collaborations with Mr. Domino. He also produced and arranged signature hits by Lloyd Price (“Lawdy Miss Clawdy”), Shirley and Lee (“Let the Good Times Roll”) and Smiley Lewis (“I Hear You Knocking”). “My Ding-a-Ling,” Chuck Berry’s only No. 1 pop single, was an adaptation of “Little Girl Sing Ding-a-Ling,” a recording Mr. Bartholomew made under his own name in 1952. Elton John, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Hank Williams Jr. and Cheap Trick, among many others, have recorded material associated with Mr. Bartholomew.