D. J. Fontana
Encyclopedia
Dominic Joseph Fontana is an American
musician best known as the drummer
for Elvis Presley
for 14 years. 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 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) and 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
. After 1958,Black never played with the band again. Bill Black
died in 1965.
In 1983 he published a book in pictorial form titled "D. J. Fontana Remembers Elvis" about his years playing with Presley.
Fontana's Life and Times weekly phonecasting debuted on July 3, 2007.
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.
mini-series Elvis (2005).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician best known as the drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
for 14 years. He played on over 460 RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
cuts with Elvis.
Nicknamed "D. J.", he was employed by the Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
to be an in-house drummer on its Saturday night radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcast. In October 1954 he was hired to play drums for Presley that marked the beginning of a fifteen year relationship. He performed on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
known as the '68 Comeback Special.
Fontana, joined a band (originally assembled by Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
without a drummer) consisting of Scotty Moore
Scotty Moore
Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
(lead guitar), Bill Black
Bill Black
William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
(bass) and 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
Heartbreak Hotel
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American rock and roll musician Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. His first number-one pop record, "Heartbreak Hotel" topped Billboards Top 100 chart, became his first...
", "Hound Dog
Hound Dog (song)
"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952. Other early versions illustrate the differences among blues, country, and rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The 1956 remake by Elvis Presley is the best-known...
", "Don't Be Cruel
Don't Be Cruel
-Legacy:"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961. It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969.Many...
", and "Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock (song)
"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, 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)
That's All Right (Mama)
"That's All Right" is the name of the first single released by Elvis Presley, written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup. Elvis' version was recorded on 5 July 1954, and released on 19 July 1954 with "Blue Moon of Kentucky" as the B-side...
with Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. After 1958,Black never played with the band again. Bill Black
Bill Black
William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
died in 1965.
In 1983 he published a book in pictorial form titled "D. J. Fontana Remembers Elvis" about his years playing with Presley.
Fontana's Life and Times weekly phonecasting debuted on July 3, 2007.
Fontana's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
. 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
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in the sidemen category.
Appearances
- May 14, 2011 - 3:00 PM - Fontana played drums at the Hippodrome Performing Arts Center in Baltimore Maryland during the Elvis tribute show 'Heart of the King'
- January 7, 2007 - 7:00 PM - Fontana played drums in honor of Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's birthday at the Cleveland Square Play House in Cuyahoga County in Cleveland Ohio. - October 25, 2008 - 5:00 PM - Fontana played drums for the first time in Quebec CityQuebec CityQuebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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 CityQuebec CityQuebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. He have also made several tours in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with The Cadillac band and Swedish famous singer Svenne HedlundSvenne HedlundSven Ove "Svenne" Hedlund, born 1 March 1945, Solna, is Swedish pop singer.Svenne Hedlund sang in the Swedish bands Clifftones and Hep Stars in the 1960s...
.D.J. made regular appearances at The Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Jackson, TennesseeJackson, TennesseeJackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
where he played with such artists as Paul BurlisonPaul BurlisonPaul Burlison was an American pioneer rockabilly guitarist and a founding member of The Rock and Roll Trio. Burlison was born in Brownsville, Tennessee, where he was exposed to music at an early age. After a stint in the United States Military, Burlison teamed up with Johnny and Dorsey Burnette...
, 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.
Portrayals
Fontana has been portrayed by Ed Begley Jr. in the film Elvis (1979). And by Eric William Pierson in the CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
mini-series Elvis (2005).
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
External links
- "We're Talkin' Elvis" - +1 (650) 523-6817
- D. J. Fontana TCB website
- Interview with D. J. Fontana
- D. J. Fontana Phonecasting Channel
- Rockabilly Hall of Fame
- http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/DJ_Fontana.html