Fountain's clarinet work was noted for his sweet fluid tone. He recorded over 100 LPs and CDs under his own name, some in the Dixieland style, many others essentially instrumental pop records with only peripheral relevance to any type of jazz. A talent scout for Lawrence Welk, who saw Fountain performing at the Pier 600 brought him to the attention of the famous “champagne and bubbles” conductor and Fountain soon became well known for his many solos on Welk's ABC television show, The Lawrence Welk Show. In 1997 critic Doug Ramsey of Jazz Times magazine included Fountain on a list of underrated musicians, writing: "His ear for harmony and mastery of time are among the best-kept secrets in jazz because all these years he has chosen to stick with the repertoire and sidemen that make him comfortable.