BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Full Name: Dominic Joseph Fontana
Born March 15th, 1931, Shreveport, Louisiana
Died: 13th June 1918
Description: Drummer, USA
Known For: Fontana has been portrayed by Ed Begley Jr. in the film Elvis (1979).
Instruments: Drums
Music Styles: Rock
Location: United States of America
CONTACT DETAILS
Web Site: DJ Fontana :: Official Website
Other Links: See below:
YOUTUBE VIDEO
BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
D. J. Fontana
Dominic Joseph Fontana (born March 15, 1931, Shreveport, Louisiana, United States) is an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. He played on over 460 RCA cuts with Elvis.
He played on over 460 RCA cuts with Elvis.
Nicknamed “D. J.”, he was employed by the Louisiana Hayride to be an in-house drummer on its Saturday night radio broadcast.
In October of 1954 he was hired to play drums for Presley that marked the beginning of a fifteen year relationship.
He performed on the NBC television special known as the ’68 Comeback Special.
Fontana, joined a band (originally assembled by Sam Phillips without a drummer) consisting of:
Scotty Moore (lead guitar)
Bill Black (bass)
Elvis Presley (rhythm guitar)
Calling themselves “The Blue Moon Boys”.
The band became the band that would perform and record the vast majority of the Elvis Presley hits of the 50’s (some also including piano and backing vocals from the Jordanaires) including “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Hound Dog”, “Don’t Be Cruel”, and “Jailhouse Rock”.
The band also toured extensively and performed on several television appearances including The Ed Sullivan Show through 1956 and 1957.
The band officially broke up in 1958 although Fontana and Elvis still played and recorded together regularly throughout the 1960s.
Moore would sometimes join them. Moore and Fontana have also performed together, including a 2002 recording of “That’s All Right (Mama) with Paul McCartney. Black did not play with the band after 1958.
In 1983 he published a book in pictorial form titled “D. J. Fontana Remembers Elvis” about his years playing with Presley.
Fontana’s pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Cleveland on January 14, 2009.
On April 4, 2009, Fontana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the sidemen category.
Appearances
May 14, 2011, 3 p.m. – Fontana played drums at the Hippodrome Performing Arts Center in Baltimore Maryland during the Elvis tribute show ‘Heart of the King’
January 7, 2007, 7 p.m. – Fontana played drums in honor of Elvis Presley’s birthday at the Cleveland Square Play House in Cuyahoga County in Cleveland, Ohio.
October 25, 2008, 5 p.m. – Fontana played drums for the first time in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, with Carl Brandon and the Remember Elvis Band, at the Centre Jacques Duval, in front of an audience of 400 spectators. It was also the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. He have also made several tours in Sweden with the Cadillac band. D.J. made regular appearances at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Jackson, Tennessee, where he played with such artists as Paul Burlison, the Evolutionary Tree Incident and led, along with W.S. Holland, the largest gathering of drummers at one time ever assembled together to simultaneously play a song.
Recordings
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One, 2x Platinum
Blue Suede Shoes/Tutti Frutti, Gold
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You/My Baby Left Me, Platinum
Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel 4X Platinum
Love Me Tender/Any Way You Want Me, 3X Platinum
Too Much/Playing for Keeps, Platinum
All Shook Up/That’s When Your Heartaches Begin, 2X Platinum
(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear/Loving You, 2x Platinum
Jailhouse Rock/Treat Me Nice, 2X Platinum
Don’t/I Beg of You, Platinum
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck/Doncha’ Think It’s Time, Platinum
Hard Headed Woman/Don’t Ask Me Why, Platinum
I Got Stung/One Night, Platinum
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I/I Need Your Love Tonight, Platinum
A Big Hunk o’ Love/My Wish Came True, Gold
Stuck on You/Fame and Fortune, Platinum
It’s Now or Never/A Mess of Blues, Platinum
Are You Lonesome Tonight/I Gotta Know, 2X Platinum
Surrender/Lonely Man, Platinum
I Feel So Bad/Wild in the Country, Gold
(Marie’s the Name) His Latest Flame/Little Sister, Gold
Can’t Help Falling in Love/Rock-a-Hula Baby, Platinum
Good Luck Charm/Anything That’s Part of You, Platinum
She’s Not You/Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello, Gold
Return to Sender/Where Do You Come From, Platinum
One Broken Heart For Sale/They Remind Me Too Much of You, Gold
(You’re the) Devil in Disguise/Please Don’t Drag That String Around, Gold
Bossa Nova Baby/Witchcraft, Gold
Kissin’ Cousins/It Hurts Me, Gold
Viva Las Vegas/What’d I Say, Gold
Ain’t That Loving You, Baby/Ask Me, Gold
Crying in the Chapel/I Believe in the Man in the Sky, Platinum
I’m Yours/Long Lonely Highway, Gold
Puppet on a String/Wooden Heart, Gold
Blue Christmas/Santa Claus Is Back in Town, Platinum
Tell Me Why/ Blue River, Gold
Frankie and Johnny/Please Don’t Stop Loving Me, Gold
Links:
DJ Fontana :: Official Website
D.J. Fontana | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Interview with D.J. Fontana : Elvis Articles : : ‘For Elvis Fans Only …
D J Fontana – Rockabilly Hall of Fame
D.J. Fontana | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | AllMusic
Elvis Presley’s legendary drummer, DJ Fontana, 87, died 13th June 1918 peacefully in his sleep last night, following a glittering career alongside “The King”. Fontana was instrumental in Elvis’s success and played on a number of his hits from 1954 to 1968. Fontana was the last surviving band member of The King’s band, ‘The Blue Moon Boys’. He was inducted into the ‘Rockabilly Hall of Fame’ and the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ in 2009.