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Historical records matching D.J. Fontana
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About D.J. Fontana
D.J. Fontana, the drummer who rose to the fame with Elvis, or helped make Elvis "The King", passed away, reported The Tennesseean. According to the journal Rolling Stone, D.J. Fontana, passed away peacefully on June 13th, 2018 at the age of 87.
In the list of the Rolling Stone magazine's article the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time, Fontana scored 13th place, thus passing drummers such as Ringo Starr (14th).
Writes the Rolling Stone: On hundreds (about 450) of early Elvis Presley recordings, Dominic Joseph "D.J." Fontana was the cutting edge of rock & roll drumming, making hillbilly music swing at a time when country and bluegrass groups were shunning drums altogether. He pioneered a litany of oft-imitated licks from the jumpy snare hits of "Blue Suede Shoes" to the waves of punchlines that made "Hound Dog" howl. "He had incredible technique and fast hands, so he could deploy those Buddy Rich press rolls whenever he wanted to. He played like a big-band drummer - full throttle," Levon Helm once said.
"Now Elvis had a real foundation, some architecture, and he made the most of it. D.J. set Elvis free."
Links
- “Longtime Elvis Presley drummer D.J. Fontana has died” By ADRIAN SAINZ AND HILLEL ITALIE, ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jun 14, 2018
- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yhy0Myc8qIA
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D.J. Fontana's Timeline
| 1931 |
March 15, 1931
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Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States
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| 2018 |
June 13, 2018
Age 87
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Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
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