D j fontana biography

After Fontana became a session musician in Nashville. Earlier this year D. Fontana was still on the road performing in Crowley, Louisiana where he talked about his time with The King. See these fascinating interviews with the great DJ Fontana. He first met Elvis in High School and went on to work for Elvis as a bodyguard until Red West is also a talented composer and actor who still appears in award-winning movies.

Donnie Sumner Remembers his friend Sherrill Nielsen: Gospel singer Sherrill Nielsen recently passed away after a courageous battle with lung cancer on Friday, December 10th, at the age of As a member of Voice, Nielsen remained with Elvis until the end and became a close friend. Go here to this touching interview where Donnie Sumner talks about his late friend Sherrill Nielsen.

Interviews, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork. WWE's Paul Dowling writes It is an interview well worth revisiting. Their style was recognised by a young Elvis who realised that they were the perfect backing group to match his own vocal style. They ended up working with Elvis until and performed on over half of his recorded material. Ray told us some delightful stories about his life and time spent with Elvis.

We are very happy to have the chance to republish this exclusive interview during this festive season. InterviewsSource: EIN. The interview is incredible for Vernon's honesty and openness as he discusses everything from Elvis' birth, his childhood, his girlfriends, and even his drug habits. The interview begins At that time there was almost nobody poorer than my wife Gladys and me.

But we were thrilled and excited when we learned that we were going to be parents. Interviews, Source;ElvisInfoNet. The Elvis Films Book Review. Book Review Elvis and Ginger:. Book Review Memphis Mafia Princess :. Bootleg Elvis Book Review. Did You Miss these Popular Interviews? Interview With Elvis author - : Gillian G. Interview with Elvis Photographer Dagmar:.

Linda and Sam Thompson in Australia:. Joseph A. David Stanley Vernon Presley Interview:. Sam Thompson, Elvis' bodyguard, Interview. Donnie Sumner Remembers his d j fontana biography Sherrill Nielsen:. Ernst Jorgensen interview about 'The Complete Masters' and more:. J Fontana Interview - Elvis Week special:. Red West Interview:- Elvis week special.

Linda Thompson - Interview Special:. Nick talks to EIN. Larry Geller. Mac Davis. Roger Semon. Ernst Jorgensen. Wayne Jackson Memphis Horns. Ernst Jorgensen Record Collector. Elvis Presley. He was just a night person. Then we were worn out, and he was ready to go. He probably slept until 10 p. But he worked hard when he worked. When he felt like playing, that was the end of it.

We went to Hollywood one time to do some soundtracks, and we went in at 9 or 10 in the morning. None of us is doing anything right. MD: How much of a perfectionist was Elvis? MD: So sometimes he showed you things on drums? MD: Did you see a lot of changes in recording? We could fix stuff, and if we wanted to overdub a tambourine we could. He wanted everything right on top of him.

He just got into overdubbing in the last few years. He hated to overdub.

D j fontana biography: In , he was

DJF: Somebody had made Elvis a leather case for his rhythm guitar, and it had a heck of a sound. It worked. I popped it with one hand and used a stick in my other hand. It was a big record and nobody could figure out that sound. You can play everything on one little snare drum or a guitar case if you have to. I had a stick and a brush.

But our feet stomping really was wiping everything out. MD: You were using calf- and goatskin heads on your drums. To me they had a better sound. That would pull the head tighter, because by the time the show was over, they might have dropped. MD: Did you eventually start using the plastic heads? They sound fake to me. I think they have a fatter sound, though.

My bass drum head was real cowhide. The hair was still on the head. That deadened that bass drum, naturally. It was a little bit thicker. So I put a timpani head, which was a skin head too, on the batter side to liven it up. MD: Did the microphone situation and such change radically in the studio? I think when you do that, you lose it.

What worked with him was spontaneous.

D j fontana biography: Fontana (doğum adıyla: Dominic

MD: I assume you never worked with click tracks. Whose idea was that? I wanted to cut up that day. Elvis wanted something on the front of it, so I just started playing that thing.

D j fontana biography: Dominic Joseph Fontana was an American

I just felt like it needed a button on the end of it just to close the door. Leave it. The problem back then was that it was mono. Leave it alone. MD: If he knew just what he wanted, how creative were you allowed to be? Anything we wanted to play was fine. Try something else. MD: Do you have any favorite tracks? I was playing a little hard on some of them.

As far as a favorite, no. We just kind of did them all alike.

D j fontana biography: D.J. Fontana was born on

They were a group out of Chicago and they were hot in Vegas at the time. They played that song, and since we only did one or two shows, we went by every night to listen to them. They were playing the arrangement we finally put on record. We had heard the song a long time before, though. Somebody had put it out on a subsidiary of the Mercury label, but it was done as a waltz.

Elvis listened to everything. He was into blues and listened to gospel and a lot of black artists — T-Bone Walker, Jr. I think he combined the gospel with the black music to get what he got. He could sing almost anything he took a notion to. He had that much talent. Then he even got into listening to Caruso. He listened to everything.

I went to his house one night and he had a jukebox on the patio by the pool. Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps. He had a good band and a lot of good songs, but they were always getting themselves into trouble. They were doing all kinds of things, and if I was with them, they would blame me for doing those things too. It would look bad for him, so we were pretty neat, really.

We wore jackets and bow ties, and we were never loud like the press said. There was one night when we took the bed out of the room and put it in the other room. Black passed away in Despite the official dissolution of the group, Fontana and Elvis continued to perform and record together throughout the s, sometimes alongside Moore. DJ propelled the greatest singer and the best songs He did it year after year, classic after classic.

In a world of one-trick ponies and flash-in-the-pan 'rock stars,' D. Fontana authored an illustrated book in titled "D. Although the band had officially broken up, Fontana, Moore, and Elvis still regularly played and recorded together throughout the s. Stan Lynch said of Fontana: "Armed with accuracy, power, swing, dynamics, great time and — the biggest compliment of all — simplicity whenever it was best, D.

He did it year after year, record after classic record. In a world of one trick ponies and lucky "Rock Stars," D. I learned the d j fontana biography of simplicity at the Hayride. I heard Scotty and Bill and Elvis one night and knew that I couldn't mess up that sound. That's why I always play what I feel. If that won't work, I just won't do it again.

I think the simple approach comes from my hearing so much big band music. I mixed it with rockabilly. InFontana published a book in pictorial form, titled D. Fontana Remembers Elvisdetailing his years playing with Elvis. Fontana's Life and Times weekly phonecasting debuted on July 3, Fontana was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame on January 14,and on April 4, also inhe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein the "sidemen" category.

Fontana was played by Ed Begley Jr. Fontana died in his sleep on June 13,in Nashville at the age of Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history.