Several years ago, our marketing director discovered that he lived only a couple of blocks away (just outside of Nashville) from legendary Elvis Presley drummer, D.J. Fontana. He arranged a visit with him at his home and said that it was like walking into a rock and roll museum. It was full of fascinating photos and artifacts, but none as striking as D.J.'s original 1953 Gretsch drum set that he purchased from Herb Brochstein Music in Houston, TX.
The kit features a 20-inch bass drum with a front head made from unborn calf skin, a 12-inch hanging tom, a 14-inch floor tom and a matching snare. The set was finished in a beautiful copper-colored lacquer and is still in amazing condition.
D.J. tells the story behind the kit and it goes like this:
Back in 1955, Elvis and the band was on tour at and DJ's kit had simply fallen apart during the previous night's gig and he was desperate for a new drum set. D.J. particularly liked this set because is was small and could easily fit either inside or on top of the car as they toured the country.
But this was drum shop owner Herb Brochstein's personal kit, so he was reluctant to sell it. The band negotiated with him for what seemed like hours and finally Herb agreed to sell them the set for $400. D.J. recalled that at that time, $400 was a lot of money for a drum set and there was no way way he could afford it.
That's when the King stepped in. He knew how badly D.J. needed the drums and he told Herb to pack them up and he would pay for them. Elvis laid the cash down on the counter and made one of most legendary drum set purchases of all time.
D.J. used that Gretsch drum set for the next 14 years on the road and in the studio with Elvis and recorded over 450 songs with it. He also appeared with the set in countless movie and television appearances.
More evidence that Gretsch truly is The Great American Drum Set.