Long before rock and roll had a name, Ernest McLean was defining its sound.
As one of the original guitarists in Dave Bartholomew’s band and a core musician in the Fats Domino Orchestra, he helped shape the rhythm that carried New Orleans to the world.
His artistry, humble, fluid, and deeply rooted in feeling, made him a cornerstone of the city’s golden musical era.

Early Years

Born and raised in New Orleans, Ernest McLean grew up surrounded by the syncopated pulse of brass bands and gospel choirs. By his teens, his natural gift for guitar made him a sought-after player in the city’s bustling music scene.
He joined the house band at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Recording Studio, where dozens of early rhythm & blues hits were made, unknowingly helping to lay the foundation of American rock.

A Founding Sound

From the late 1940s through the 1960s, Ernest recorded and toured with many of the greatest names in music:
Fats Domino, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, Shirley & Lee, and Dave Bartholomew.
His understated yet electrifying guitar style gave songs their heartbeat — the swing between rhythm and blues that would influence generations to come.

Listen closely to almost any Fats Domino record and you will hear that warm, steady guitar groove often belongs to Ernest McLean.

The Disneyland Years

In the 1960s, Ernest relocated to California, where he began a remarkable second act as a longtime performer at Disneyland’s New Orleans Square. For more than three decades, he brought the spirit of Louisiana to audiences from around the world by performing daily with the Royal Street Bachelors and mentoring young musicians who would carry that tradition forward.

Style & Influence

Ernest McLean’s music was characterized by discipline, intuition, and grace.
He didn’t chase the spotlight; instead, he let his instrument tell the story, smooth, soulful, and endlessly rhythmic.
His approach influenced countless artists who admired how his guitar could support a band while elevating every song it touched.

Family Legacy

As Tricia Diamond’s uncle, Ernest stands as a pillar of the family’s creative lineage (and he was also Billy Diamond's brother-in-law). Fun fact, they both can be heard playing on The Fat Man by Fats Domino. His career links New Orleans’s earliest rhythm & blues pioneers to today’s global appreciation of Creole culture and sound.

Through Treme Diamond, his music continues to inspire the fusion of heritage, artistry, and authenticity that defines the brand.

Selected Recordings

Fats Domino – Blueberry Hill, I’m Walkin’, Ain’t That a Shame

Little Richard – Tutti Frutti (sessions)

Shirley & Lee – Let the Good Times Roll

Lloyd Price – Lawdy Miss Clawdy

Dave Bartholomew – The Monkey Speaks His Mind

Honoring Ernest McLean

Treme Diamond proudly honors Ernest McLean as one of the unsung architects of American popular music, a man whose guitar spoke softly, but whose influence still reverberates through time.