How to Play Drums on Hound Dog by Elvis Presley with D.J. Fontana

Elvis' drummer, D.J. Fontana, along side Scotty Moore on lead guitar and Bill Black on bass, called themselves "The Blue Moon Boys". This band would perform and record the vast majority of Presley's hits of the 1950s including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Hound Dog", "Don't Be Cruel", and "Jailhouse Rock". The band toured extensively and performed on that new thing-a-ma-bob, called 'television.' Fontana was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[@rhythmista7707]

Literally, the first rock drummer on tv, ever...,

[@cut1986]

Really Cool. Not really that long ago. Legendary.

[@jgc4818]

RIP D.J. Fontana, you will be missed. An essential part of Elvis’ Greatest Work, who could forget the ‘machine gun’ drums in Hound Dog.

[@Sarasdad91]

Every Rock n Roll Drummer knows who this guy is. He was the inspiration to many of them. DJ Fontana. Officially TVs first Rock n Roll drummer. R.I.P. DJ.

[@drumwithjay7022]

I love the triplet imperfections! it literally gave me goose bumps when he played them! it's just "old school" charm that makes it so special!

[@ltcolumbo9708]

SO DAMN WONDERFUL Thank you Sir All, Scotty Moore Bill Black and DJ Fontana are legends

[@MrFchank]

Very awesome to hear this story. What a great thing to hear Fontana tell this!!

[@justdea5757]

Great video! So sad to hear of DJ's passing today! My deepest sympathy to the Fontana family. RIP DJ... you are a great legend in your own right!

[@jasonread5017]

This drummer makes it look easy a bit like the drummer from Stevie Ray Vaughan .They both play simple but what they play is very very sophisticated and intentional . You drummers out there = this is classy drumming .

[@cukuceral]

Just a dotted eighth note swing, it's not really that complicated. I found his diddles very interesting though.

[@jasonread5017]

@@cukuceral In deed but the feel is every thing .Nothing is simple I feel . It has to feel wright .

[@markblack1163]

Because it is a simple beat.

[@MikeNewland]

Yes indeed SRV's drummer could make a few notes sound like he'd played a lot from the musical impact. Genius.

[@ROCKINGMAN]

What a great guy, showing us and talking about some great times. God bless him.

[@robinbittel9420]

He’s one of my favorite people.

[@ROCKINGMAN]

@@robinbittel9420 I can understand that, no airs, just a down to earth very humble man.

[@Fakename70]

Remember, kids, before there was John, Paul, George and Ringo, there was Bill Black, Scotty Moore, Mr. D.J. Fontana, and their singer.

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

I attribute rock'n roll to Elvis. The Beatles came onto the scene as a boy band - way overrated.

[@Fakename70]

@@lt.frankdrebin3317 Surely everyone is entitled to an opinion. But, I’m thinking “Rock and Roll” started more with Chuck Berry than Elvis Presley. And, again, Elvis was nothing without his backing band.

[@mikepellegrini9381]

And there singer lol

[@mikepellegrini9381]

@@lt.frankdrebin3317 Beatles were great, Elvis was great

[@mikepellegrini9381]

@@Fakename70 Elvis could sing n play n was good,better with his band,,,,he was the magic and Scotty was great

[@goldenera4ever]

I love watching talented people showcase their craft. Another legend lost. RIP Mr. Fontana.

[@simonperry8569]

Been playing drums for 35 years and never been able to nail hound dog and get it to groove. After watching this, realised that trying to sync the bass drum with the bass guitar pattern was my mistake, instead of playing it straight. And just playing one hi-hat stroke on the first bar instead of the swing pattern is so simple but makes it groove. Sheer simplicity but utterly perfect. Love DJ Fontana. Check out his playing in the '68 comeback special. He's playing on a guitar case!

[@Monsterdrumma]

Simon Perry plus at least when I have had to cover this after the ain't no friend of mine roll I always came back in with two snare ups. DJ comes back in with what sounds like and almost rushed single snare hit which is very cool and slightly tricky. Great drummer!

[@kitbailey6054]

@@Monsterdrumma Back beat on snare pushes ahead and the bass drum lags, to my ears. How can that be so perfect for the song and style?!

[@HelloooThere]

Practice your paradiddles as a ragtime beat and then take out the accents to turn it into triplets (before “ you ain’t nit hung but a hand dog “ He didn’t say it here but that’s the secret. You’ll get it quickly.

[@prismblue8514]

An open letter to D.J. Fontana--- Dear Mr. D.J. Fontana, As a musician, I would like to say---- Thank you, sir. Prism Blue

[@graceeind]

DJ kept the beat for many of us for many years - RIP DJ.

[@anaslifeandtimes9569]

I’ll tell ya a second hand story about Elvis. A guy i worked with was stationed in Texas in the Army. Drove the captains jeep. Went to town and on the way back came across a GI on foot, gave him a ride into the post. It was Elvis- Bob said he was a regular guy and thanked him for the ride into post.

[@dougsharp605]

I'm a carpenter and I worked with an old carpenter named Trevor Bauman... Told me the exact same story

[@dougsharp605]

Except that he was in Germany

[@patriciaoreilly8907]

Elvis Band & Backing Singers all made the Magnificent Sound With Elvis up front with his unbelievable voice a perfect partnership & Elvis knew that & loved his band as family. Appreciate the music & Memories.

[@adrianlyord3978]

You Made History with The King of Rock and Roll! RIP.

[@dynjarren8355]

Good Interview and that’s his real hair. Not a toupee. He played drums behind Elvis in the early days when he was wild on stage. They were the original rock quartet. Elvis on Vocals and acoustic guitar. Scotty Moore on Electric guitar, Bill Black on Upright Bass and DJ Fontana on drums. They started what became a revolution in music. RIP

[@timothyblackburn6801]

RIP to our Rock n Roll Legends.

[@hugobrussel4964]

A very big musician in the r & r history! That's all right D.J.

[@Bikewithlove]

I like how his triplets aren’t ‘perfect,’ and how his volume and rhythm ‘breathe.’ I also like and respect the way he’s not exerting any force, that it’s all in the wrist. I’d love to be in a room with him jamming on a guitar while kept a beat. It’s no wonder Elvis picked him - I bet Elvis felt like he won the lottery when he met DJ.

[@paulthompson6284]

Precisely how drumming ought to be done: smooth and effortless.

[@bradc32]

real soft bass drum too.lots to learn from with the old drummers

[@kellysmith8809]

Im a blues musician bass player I would kill to have a drummer like DJ.Fontana.

[@camillabarclay4049]

Wow this is great something real that we can touch his actual performance ☺️

[@samuellancaster3789]

DJ Fontaine you inspire me to play drums thank you very much now I've been doing it 40 some odd years rest in peace my friend

[@skiptrace1888]

Hats off to a great pathfinder for us to follow! Played during a time when simplicity was the goal and "bass drums made him nervous" Wow! Such a ground breaker in percusion! :-)))))

[@anta40]

Guess DJ was never interested in crafting drum solos? On the other side, jazz drummers like Louie Bellson made their double bass drums "sing"

[@phuzbrain]

One of the best... Like Ringo, DJ played the song.

[@Northeagle66]

" I don't like bass drum anyhow " LOL ... As simple as it is, this video is amazingly important to understand the history or rock and roll. Directly from the horse's mouth. RIP Mr Fontana.

[@stefanpaparo6729]

"Till Elvis came on"... he changed rock and roll in many ways

[@mvdh877]

RIP DJ Fontana...now Elvis and his band are together again and rock and roll in heaven

[@davidburkholder7360]

No they are not. But they are all alive.

[@mvdh877]

@@davidburkholder7360 all alive?? in your dreams i guess dj fontana is dead,,,,ronnie tutt is dead...scotty moore is dead.......

[@davidburkholder7360]

@@mvdh877 I think you mean their bodies. I meant where "they" go next. When YOU cross a street does the body move YOU or do YOU move the body. If YOU don't understand this then place your hand on a counter in front of YOU and try to move it without deciding. YOU are the prime mover unmoved and just because YOU may not understand this does not mean we are all in the dark. Good luck.

[@kazfleszar5899]

there will be something better than rock and roll in heaven, that will mean nothing to them.

[@jukesjointOG]

Ronnie Tutt as well... :(

[@nikolayyanev5222]

RIP DJ FONTANA Thank you for the great music

[@jimflys2]

Great! Now I understand much better early rock and country drumming and why songs don't sound right with a heavy kick drum in the mix. As a kid playing really old Hand tunes and Elvis tunes in a wedding band, it always seemed weird to play my bass drum much. Being a jazz guy from the beginning it was also a no, no to have too much kick except for accents. Now hearing the original guy talk about it, it makes so much sense. It was not just the mix being low, it was left out or feathered. I learn every day. So cool.

[@stevepethel6843]

Wow I love this D.J. Fontana and the honesty of his life.

[@bpivr]

Elvis brought the drummer out from behind the curtain...and that’s when Rock and Roll happened.

[@superduper3728]

Gene Krupa brought himself into the spotlight out from behind the curtain . That's when the audience woke up & payed attention to the drummer in all musical venues. Nice try though...

[@bpivr]

Wow. The interview didn't even mention Krupa being on the Louisiana Hayride tour. Thanks for the info!

[@ytubepuppy]

@WhoDarestheMAN gamer Oh Jeeeeez, I grew up in the 1950s and didn't know R&R wasn't popular until 1963. I'll bet Elvis with his 10 #1 songs in two years (1955 & 56), Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Danny & the Juniors, Del Shannon, The Marvelettes, The Shirelles, and several dozen other R&R pioneers that you've probably never heard of might disagree. BTW, nice collection of drummers on your profile picture. I've been playing since 1961. You might try some Joe Morello, Louie Bellson, Dave Weckl, Thomas Lang, and of course Buddy Rich to add a bit of variety. :-)

[@ytubepuppy]

@WhoDarestheMAN gamer FYI, my generation basically invented gaming. It was designed to keep the mental midgets occupied while we did important things.

[@carlosalbertogomez1391]

Wrong!!little richard did it first when started to say to the great earl palmer to go faster and make more noise

[@hollywoodjoe123]

GOD BLESS D.J. FONTANA FOREVER -

[@tomkirvin4571]

Wow! An original from whom we all learned.

[@keithkench9432]

Good old fashion no frills drumming, brilliant, full respect.

[@SNAKES29]

Rest in Peace DJ

[@ST-xg3gy]

Incredible history.

[@futureshock7425]

damn this was fascinating

[@dhaley8847]

I wish they would have let DJ use a drum on the 68 come back special! How do you have DJ Fontana right there on the stage and make him use a guitar case as a drum? that was crazy!

[@stevenkirby4471]

I've been a drummer for over 40 years (off and on). All I can say is, "I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy."

[@billwren5033]

wow!!! you must really suck then

[@Scottdrums]

@@billwren5033 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mohddalibinzali1165]

40 years on drums?..so how old are you now?

[@tennwilcox8663]

Thank you sir for sharing.

[@simonramsden8870]

The man.

[@scottkinsey4392]

Great stuff ! Thank you for loading this 🙏❤️

[@thomasfarmer1730]

All them old drummers had that ‘swing’ in their playing

[@michele2049]

D. J. Loved Elvis!

[@edspengeman6781]

Big part of history.

[@RobertHampton747]

He was the Drummer on my duet with Johnny PayCheck.

[@robsol123]

Legend

[@concepciongallo229]

Se van muriendo todos no abran musicos como de esa epoca dorada que tristeza siempre sern recordados ❤❤ELVIS PRESLEY FOREVER mas qué nadie ❤❤

[@MikeNewland]

First record I ever bought on 78! Used to play along with a sheet of tin as a cymbal although I had a snare my auntie bought me for £2.

[@captbss]

Great timing

[@WellseeTheend]

I met him at a studio in Nashville when the girl I was dating made a Christian cd. Dolly partons bass player played too.

[@raunovittaniemi4905]

You are like Ceasar....nostalgi . historia .....and trummisen till Elvis Presley. 👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️🇫🇮🇫🇮😎😎😎

[@herbertehrengruber20]

I, ve shake his and scottys hands in zürich many years ago .... Never forget...

[@coolbro6969]

so simple. what a god.

[@danielsan3681]

What a great guy! 🙂❤

[@MrSmitht04]

Anyone notice the way he hits the high hat. Ringo hits it the same way. Wonder if that’s where ringo got it from?

[@kennethjohnson6223]

Any particular reason didn't use the original sound track with Elvis singing instead of whomever is actually singing in the pre-recorded track that DJ is playing along with ? Maybe they could have removed percussion from original sound track so DJ could play along that way would have been perfect 😉

[@gavinhill6463]

Awesome & very interesting 👏👏

[@brianwarner308]

wow this guys is cool as a fan

[@Awesomediaeu]

Hats off 🙌

[@boinknook]

14:56 ride blends in sweet with that solo. I'm a hard rock heavy metal drummer. Many times during solos, I run to the ride too. I don't like going around the toms too much because the music is focusing on lead than the drummer. Many songs can be played Many ways. That's what's great about music.

[@jeffwilliam4367]

Elvis’ band was The Blue Moon Boys. D.J. was the staff drummer at the Hayride. There was no studio therefore no studio drummer.

[@antonyamont5503]

Rip🎶🎶🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@nikolayyanev5222]

Sizes of the drums?

[@bondo1955]

His hair was perfect 😄

[@gord2358]

How often do we find a drummer explaining his moves? Rarely if ever.

[@manoelteixeira4936]

Queiram ou não ele fez e faz parte da historia do rock n' roll, e muito mais da história de Elvis Presley. Não era exibicionista espalhafatoso como muitos que queriam os holofotes para si, etc. maneco - Porto Alegre-RS - Brasil.

[@demonshelby1311]

I met DJ when I was 11 at Hemsby

[@KLEARSKITHEKREEPER]

Awesome🕶✌

[@cooper864]

Genius

[@louistracy6964]

Wonderful he kept his hair.

[@NelsonMontana1234]

What's interesting is that he rushes that triplet lick and hits the bass drum on the "ah" of 4. Totally unintentional I'm sure. But it works.

[@MrRufusRToyota]

That was nice of Carl Perkins to loan DJ his toupee.

[@hotwheels1838]

Easy simple drumming 😁

[@ronerinsandvikmusic]

If it hadnt been fir DJ I probably never would have learned to play drums

[@sbskking]

13:31

[@subatomic10]

Never thought I'd hear a drummer who says they dont like and cant stand Bass Drums

[@wandalastevensherboyfirend2244]

If only he Was shill alive I would use him as my drummer too If Elvis my darling had then I can use him In my v BAND 1955 and 2019 But I was to late he died I'm so sad

[@glbwoodsbum2567]

What did he call the hi hat?? About 8:26

[@StringedGuitar17]

sock pedal (early type of hi hat)

[@glbwoodsbum2567]

@@StringedGuitar17 Thanks!!!

[@sayandutta9893]

"The basss drum got on my nerves" the 1st major ock drummer ever. ......OH HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

[@adriancaprara]

Best part "I can't stand bass drums"

[@mlongpre100]

great head of hair for his age !

[@jeffisdrums]

🐐

[@campbellmarty36]

Hate to believe how he HATED the bass kick!!! Unreal how styles and opinions change!!!

[@brubinn1]

Respect dj…is that elvis?

[@michaelhalstead7532]

A drummer with no base drum come on . It's a very important part

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

Back on the Hi Hat ?

[@victorricardoperaltagomez394]

the bisoñé de gato band ¡¡

[@CaliforniaBushman]

Notice how the old timers played lightly. Because they played in bare bones clubs with linoleum floors with no sound proofing. So they had to play the room. Also their favorite drummers we're guys like Louis Belson, Buddy Rich. Jazz drummers who knew dynamics. Could play very, very softly, to very, very loudly. They looked at drumming as an Art Form. Not a sport. Like the drummers today playing one dynamic level with blast beats wearing a football/baseball jersey like their a part time linebacker for the NY Giants.

[@paulchamberlain3359]

Never caught a ribbet ain't never caught a ribbet ain't no friend of mine

[@antonmaclean8418]

👍

[@paulchamberlain3359]

Kind of Elvis to do that for his drummer

[@urwholefamilydied]

skip to 13:30 for the actual "how to"... watch the whole 15 minutes if you want a long interview.

[@paulthompson6284]

Interesting video 😎👍

[@deborahbeech3715]

My dad was in the Korean war with DJ. My dad said he was a "regular" guy. They stayed in touch and would meet up at army reunions. My mother got a picture of my dad and DJ at Graceland back in the day when you had camera film developed. My mom made copies, mailed them to DJ and he autographed them for my daughters, all Elvis fans and mailed them back. Pretty cool,I think

[@nicholasevennett8231]

Awesome

[@jimdep6542]

VERY cool ! Those are some pictures to stay in your family. What a keep-sake.

[@caseywebb410]

Just in case anyone else came here for the "How to Play" portion, described in the title, it doesn't start until the 11:21 mark.

[@joe6096]

When you really think about the pioneers of rock n roll, these guys came from just regular old towns and regular families. They weren't rich, they weren't "highly educated", and they certainly did not set out to create anything specific or to revolutionize the world. They were just regular guys who liked music and came together putting what they'd learned and liked from the old big band and country/western and rhythm and blues music they grew up on in the 1930s and 40s. They really had no idea they were starting something huge, something revolutionary, something historic. Just a couple of good old boys jamming away on music they felt good playing and liked playing. Just having fun. For all that rock n roll has become over the years, over-dramatic artists and big business and pressure to create the greatest song ever written, with so many artists hooked on drugs and alcohol, it's beginnings were pretty honest, humble and simple, and DJ Fontana was part of it.

[@davidg1612]

Some of the greatest modern music milestones weren't designed to happen. They just happened naturally, mostly due to experimental aspirations.

[@ltcolumbo9708]

Well documented. It is that I believe also. I just wished Elvis had stood up for his band against Col Tom Parker. Disappointed actually when you realize Elvis took care of strangers and acquaintances with financial aid. Scott and Bill and DJ just asked for a raise? Jesus... they deserve it

[@mrbouncelol]

Nice sentiments, but Elvis was a manufactured artist and died from drugs and alcohol, so not the right place to make a point

[@joe6096]

@@mrbouncelol He did not drink, so that proves you have no idea what you are talking about. GFY.

[@Ticonderous1]

What a freaking awesomely cool guy ...may you rest in peace brother .. and be jamming with The King wherever you are now ..

[@nikolayyanev9148]

DJ FONTANA is good guy but.... Yeah Elvis Presley (the karaoke singer) is the "King" but Chuck Berry is the Godfather

[@genebrenner855]

The original Elvis' "Hound Dog" recording still sounds revolutionary today.