Post by Admin on May 5, 2012 10:22:27 GMT -5
D.J. Fontana began playing the drums in Elvis Presley’s band in 1954 and was Elvis’ drummer for the first 14 years of the king’s career. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame, Fontana will play the Liberty Opry on the Square behind acclaimed Elvis tribute performer Donny Edwards.
The matinee concert, titled “An Afternoon with The King,” is scheduled begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 26. The Liberty Opry is located at 1816 Sam Houston St. in Liberty. Its website is www.libertyopry.com.
A Shreveport, La., native, Fontana has been no stranger to Texas because the so-called king of rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t.
“Ah, we worked Texas, boy, till we were blue in the face,” Fontana said. “Texas was a hot spot.”
Elvis’ ability to work the spectators is legendary. Elvis’ talent scaled to a higher plateau of performance, the unreachable star even to those who, with stunning precision, musically pay homage to him. Hence, contemporary audiences are somewhat different than the audiences of yesteryear.
“They’re a little bit quieter,” Fontana said. “He created all kinds of noises, all kinds of big productions. ... With Donny, we’re a small group, but the people like it. It’s fun. It’s fun doing Elvis, again.”
Fontana played about 460 cuts with Elvis on the RCA label. The percussionist has played with numerous headliners, indeed industry stars, spanning a range of musical styles. From Jerry Lee Lewis to Dolly Parton, and from Roy Orbison to the Beatles named Paul and Ringo, Fontana has played with dozens of greats.
Audiences have grown older as the unique sounds dip below the horizon in music’s rear view mirror. Nevertheless, that does not mean the audiences are old. Quite the contrary, judging by the demographics of Edwards and Fontana’s performances.
“The last couple of years,” Fontana said, “I’ve noticed, by just looking out from the stage, there’s a lot of kids showing up for these concerts. They want to see Elvis, I guess. So they come out and see Donny. I see a lot of young kids out there.
“It will be a good show. You will enjoy it, if you come to the show.”
Liberty Opry audiences don’t need to be sold on Edwards.
“We’ve performed there two times and sold out both shows,” promoter Steve Fountain said. “Donny does a really good job. He really likes performing.”
www.yourhoustonnews.com/dayton/news/elvis-tribute-concert-to-feature-king-s-real-drummer/article_16832953-09be-5467-ae1e-973ddbcd55be.html
The matinee concert, titled “An Afternoon with The King,” is scheduled begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 26. The Liberty Opry is located at 1816 Sam Houston St. in Liberty. Its website is www.libertyopry.com.
A Shreveport, La., native, Fontana has been no stranger to Texas because the so-called king of rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t.
“Ah, we worked Texas, boy, till we were blue in the face,” Fontana said. “Texas was a hot spot.”
Elvis’ ability to work the spectators is legendary. Elvis’ talent scaled to a higher plateau of performance, the unreachable star even to those who, with stunning precision, musically pay homage to him. Hence, contemporary audiences are somewhat different than the audiences of yesteryear.
“They’re a little bit quieter,” Fontana said. “He created all kinds of noises, all kinds of big productions. ... With Donny, we’re a small group, but the people like it. It’s fun. It’s fun doing Elvis, again.”
Fontana played about 460 cuts with Elvis on the RCA label. The percussionist has played with numerous headliners, indeed industry stars, spanning a range of musical styles. From Jerry Lee Lewis to Dolly Parton, and from Roy Orbison to the Beatles named Paul and Ringo, Fontana has played with dozens of greats.
Audiences have grown older as the unique sounds dip below the horizon in music’s rear view mirror. Nevertheless, that does not mean the audiences are old. Quite the contrary, judging by the demographics of Edwards and Fontana’s performances.
“The last couple of years,” Fontana said, “I’ve noticed, by just looking out from the stage, there’s a lot of kids showing up for these concerts. They want to see Elvis, I guess. So they come out and see Donny. I see a lot of young kids out there.
“It will be a good show. You will enjoy it, if you come to the show.”
Liberty Opry audiences don’t need to be sold on Edwards.
“We’ve performed there two times and sold out both shows,” promoter Steve Fountain said. “Donny does a really good job. He really likes performing.”
www.yourhoustonnews.com/dayton/news/elvis-tribute-concert-to-feature-king-s-real-drummer/article_16832953-09be-5467-ae1e-973ddbcd55be.html