Q&A with director Joe Lauro!

From New Orleans to Blueberry Hill, the teaming of Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. and Dave Bartholomew is a legendary partnership that changed the course of mid-century music. Meeting at a Ninth Ward dive called The Hideaway, the two became songwriting partners, and under the banner of Imperial Records (where Bartholomew served as producer, arranger, and bandleader), they sold over 60 million records between 1949-62—a time when segregation dominated the airwaves. Director/archivist Joe Lauro, who’s helmed documentaries about The Supremes and The Four Tops, uses footage unearthed in the French National Archives of a 45-minute live performance as the basis for The Big Beat, a portrait of a collaboration that charts the influence of New Orleans R&B upon the nascent genre of rock and roll, and features candid interviews with its still-vibrant subjects. Spotlighting dynamic, uncut performances (including Bartholomew on trumpet), the film is a joyful celebration of two icons who helped pop music find its thrill.