Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 15 June 2018
Longtime Elvis Presley drummer D.J. Fontana has died

By ADRIAN SAINZ me funny — even back
HILLEL ITALIE then. You know he kinda
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — D.J. wanted to get away for
Fontana, the drummer who a while. I think he should
helped launch rock 'n' roll have retired for about 7 or
as Elvis Presley's sideman, 8 years, and then come
has died at 87, his wife said back — you know. And
Thursday. then he might still be with
Karen Fontana told The us."
Associated Press that her Fontana also played
husband died in his sleep in on Starr's solo album
Nashville Wednesday night. "Beaucoups of Blues," and
She said he had been worked with country artist
suffering complications Webb Pierce and rockabilly
from breaking his hip in star Gene Vincent among
2016. others. More recently, he
"He was loved by everybody and Moore were joined by
all over the world. He Helm, Keith Richards and
treated everybody like other guests for the 1997
everybody was his friend," Presley tribute album "All
she said. the King's Men."
Fontana rose from strip joints In 2000, he played on Paul
in his native Shreveport, McCartney's cover of an
Louisiana to the heights of early Presley hit, "That's All
musical history as Presley's Right."
first and longtime drummer. Born in 1931, Dominic
They met on the Louisiana Joseph Fontana began
Hayride, a popular and In this Oct. 16, 2004 file photo, longtime Elvis Presley drummer D.J. Fontana performs at the 50th playing drums as a teen in
anniversary celebration concert of Elvis Presley's first performance at the Louisiana Hayride in
influential radio and TV Sherveport, La. his high school marching
country music program Associated Press band and would also jam
based in Shreveport. with his cousin while listening
Fontana, the staff drummer, had been recording and brought in after Elvis mixed it with rockabilly." to big band recordings.
asked to join his group touring since the summer turned up at the Memphis, Fontana was there for By his early 20s he was
for a session broadcast in with guitarist Scotty Moore Tennessee-based label's Presley's extraordinary first performing at strip joints
October 1954. and bassist Bill Black, the studio. wave of success, from and spending enough time
A regional act at the time, musicians Sun Records "The Blue Moon Boys," as such hit singles as "Hound around the Hayride that he
the 19-year-old Presley founder Sam Phillips they called themselves, Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" was hired fulltime, although
had been playing a blend to his increasingly frenzied at first he was asked to play
of blues, pop and country live shows and hip-shaking behind a curtain because
that was unique at the appearances on "The Ed drums were scorned by
time; but it was missing Sullivan Show" and other TV country audiences.
something crucial. programs. Presley's Sun Records
"Elvis and Scotty and Bill He played on many of contract was purchased by
were making good music, the soundtracks — and RCA Victor late in 1955 and
but it wasn't rock n' roll until was occasionally seen on he became a sensation
D.J. put the backbeat into camera — for Presley's around the country, and
it," the Band's Levon Helm movies in the '50s and '60s. beyond.
told The Associated Press in He was on the "comeback" During an interview with
2004. Christmas TV special of 1968 Elvis Australia, Fontana
Elvis returned often to that featured Presley and recalled a 1957 show at a
the Hayride, and in 1955 fellow musicians jamming Canadian football stadium,
Fontana became a on a tiny stage before when Presley did his best to
permanent member of the a studio audience, with honor the owners' wishes
group, working with Presley Fontana keeping time on to keep the crowd off the
through much of the 1960s. a guitar case. Widely cited grass and away from the
Influenced by such big for reviving Presley's career, stage. "So Elvis came on,
band drummers as Buddy the comeback show was did a few songs, and said:
Rich and Gene Krupa, his first live performance 'We'd like for you to get
Fontana was admired by in years and the last time back in your seats.' Which
Helm, Ringo Starr, Max Moore and Fontana they did, very orderly. Until
Weinberg and many worked with Elvis, who died the last song, and here
others for his power, speed in 1977. they come again," Fontana
and steadiness, which he "Elvis would always want explained. "Elvis left the
honed during his time with to go back and talk about stage, and here we were
the Hayride. the early days when there with 20,000 people! The
"I heard Scotty and Bill and were four of us in a car, stage turned over, but we
Elvis one night and knew Me, Scotty, Bill and Himself," finally got all the equipment
that I couldn't mess up that Fontana later told the fan in the car, which was right
sound," Fontana later said. site Elvis Australia. behind the stage. The car
"I think the simple approach "And he told me one day, was surrounded by kids,
comes from my hearing he said 'You know, I wish I and they were shaking the
so much big band music. I wasn't Elvis.' And that struck car."q