Elvis Presley's drummer for 14 years, DJ Fontana, jams with Fredericton Presley impersonator

A5

BY KRIS MCDAVID
Canadaeast News Service

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FREDERICTON - A downtown music shop got an added dose of shake, rattle, and roll over the weekend.

A number of Elvis Presley fans and curious passersby crammed into Tony's Music Box on Queen Street, Fredericton on Saturday morning to get up-close and personal with a true legend of rockabilly.

And even though the vocalist with the thick sideburns and bright blue unitard happened to be local Elvis impersonator Mike Bravener, the suave looking gentleman on drums was the real story.

DJ Fontana, Presley's personal drummer from 1954-68, was hammering away on drums while Bravener belted out classics such as Jailhouse Rock, That's Alright (Mama), and Blue Suede Shoes during the impromptu show.

The 77-year-old Louisiana native along with Bravener's band stopped in the capital on their way to a performance in Miramichi.

"It's always fun, and I'm still having a great time," said Fontana.

On Friday, Fontana played a show at Saint John's Imperial Theatre -- a re-creation of Presley's 1968 NBC Comeback Special.

Fontana said he looks back fondly on the days when he, Presley, and the rest of the band shook the core of American music and culture.

"It seems like it was yesterday," he said. "Looking back at all of the old films and clips, we were so young then but, man was it ever fun."

Politicians and parents cringed at Presley's dance moves and provocative lyrics during most of the 1950s.

"When you cut records, you never know what's going to happen. It's a chance you take," he said.

But after dozens of chart-topping singles and more than 500 million albums sold, Presley cemented his legacy as a global cultural phenomenon.

"He (Presley) got lucky; he had a lot of press behind him and RCA was behind him 100 per cent so that helped him out a lot," said Fontana. "He was a good looking guy, had a lot of charisma, always had girls on his side, and he could sing. He also happened to be the nicest guy in the world."

Brian Younker, an employee at Tony's Music Box, said that having Fontana perform was an honour.

"Obviously it's something that people can enjoy on a Saturday morning, so it's a real pleasure," he said.

"Elvis revolutionized music and pop music in particular, so whenever you have a chance to come into contact with people like Fontana, who was attached to that sort of history, as time goes on, it's important to do so."

Fredericton resident and Elvis fan Matthew White said Presley's appeal was so widespread because of his "everyman" persona.

He said getting to meet a legend such as Fontana -- the man behind the beats on many of Presley's tunes -- takes him back to a time when music was simplistic.

"I think because of where Elvis came from and how he came up, it really was a rags-to-riches kind of story," he said.

"He was a free-thinker, a changer, he thought outside the box and people who do that change things, and they're few and far between these days but when they come along, you remember them."

A tip jar was passed around during the performance, with all proceeds going to the Children's Wish Foundation.