Fats first achieved success with his cover version of the Hank Ballard song "Tore Up" in 1962, which established him as an in-demand session and touring musician.

Born in McDade, Louisiana, a small community 40 miles from Shreveport, Blackston, the eldest of 13 children, was raised on a cotton farm by his grandparents.

[3] Intent on avoiding the lack of preparation from his first public performance, Blackston formed a band known as the Houserockers, and rehearsed for two years, mastering a repertoire of over 200 songs.

[5] Fats re-recorded the song with session musicians, and released the single, backed by his original composition "I Get So Tired", on Skylark Records.

Regardless of his commercial flops, Fats thrived as a guest musician for acts such as Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, Bobby Darin, Tina Turner, and Etta James, among others.