Dominic Joseph Fontana was born March 15th , 1931 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Best known as Elvis’ drummer, he played on over 460 RCA cuts with Elvis during 14 years of service.
D.J. was employed by the Louisiana Hayride to be an in-house drummer on its Saturday night broadcast. He always played behind a curtain as in those days drums were considered a musical sacrilege to country music fans.
October 16th, 1954, he was hired to play drums for Elvis. He joined a band (originally assembled by Sam Phillips) consisting of Scotty Moore (Lead Guitar), Bill Black (Bass), and Elvis, calling themselves "The Blue Moon Boys".
The band became the one that would perform and record the vast majority of the Elvis hits of the 50's. They also toured extensively and performed on several television appearances during this period.
D.J last performance with Elvis was on the NBC T.V Special known as the '68 Comeback Special.
In 1983 he published a book titled "D.J. Fontana Remembers Elvis" about his years. with Elvis.
D.J. Fontana is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
I met DJ back in 2002 at the Collingwood Elvis Festival in Ontario, Canada and had the chance to have a little chat with him. It did’nt take long to realize that the man is a gentleman, taking the time to listen and talk with the fans.
