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The skinny on Fats? He’s in the Hall now. No, not that one. The one in Oakland.
Proof that Dallas’ blues scene still has some clout in the world: The late Dallas-based blues and R&B singer-songwriter Ferdinand “Fats” Washington was inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame in Oakland, Calif., this past weekend, 38 years after he died.
Washingon died at the age of 43 in 1970, but his songs lived on through recordings made by other artists, including Elvis Presley, BB King, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye. His widow, Betty Washington, still of Dallas, accepted the award in Oakland this past weekend on Fats’ behalf. — Pete Freedman
