George Fatizzi started playing drums in the school band around 1974 and, by the age of 12 was playing his first real
drum kit. By 1980, he was playing hard rock (and some heavy metal) with a band called Tempest.
 Throughout most of the 80's, he was gigging with the
5-piece rock band, Teaser, doing rock covers as well as a lot of original material. When the group's original female lead
vocalist left the band, the remaining four members continued and almost landed a record deal with Atlantic Records with
one of their original songs, "Hot To The Touch."
In 1989, he joined Connie Numbers and Jeff Fahey in Daybreak, a popular wedding/lounge band which had been playing the
circuit since 1975. George's tenure with Daybreak lasted until the band's retirement on New Year's Eve 1995/96. Near the
end of 1995, George joined forces with Daybreak bassist Frank Casciaro (who is also the bassist for Hotrod) to form The
All Night Band. That band specialized in Motown and R&B (with some pop and rock as well.)
In 1998, George joined Nightlife with Johnny Dell full time for 6 months ending on New Years Day 1999. (Currently, George
still works with Johnny on a semi-regular basis.) In August of 1999, George joined Hotrod and the rest, as they say, is
history. Begun in 1996 by guitarist Barry Petrillo and keyboardist Eric Letterio, Hotrod is one of the Hudson Valley's
most popular bands. Their repertoire spans the latter half of the twentieth century, with styles as diverse as doo-wop and
classic rock. From "Sixteen Candles" to "Frankenstein" and a bit of everything in between, Hotrod has been making friends
and fans everywhere they play and that popularity is due in part to George's drumming and singing. In addition to his many
live performances around the Hudson Valley every year (upwards of 120 shows per year), George has done some studio work as
well. He has recorded with both Teaser and Hotrod, and has also done sessions with other local artists such as folk/country
artist George Maddaloni and local rock group Ivory Rose. As stated before, George still plays with Johnny Dell
(as a duo in The Usual Suspects and in a 4 or 5 piece configuration of the aforementioned NightLife) and in the trio
U Fat Bastard with Jimmy Heslin.
Luckily, George doesn't keep his drumming secrets to himself. He currently has a half dozen students and hopes to one day
take on more as time permits. As George says, "I'm teaching in a kind of unorthodox way that has to do more with feel
rather than a 'by the book' approach." If you ask George who his musical influences are, he'll give you a list as varied
as his own playing abilities. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Santana, Black Sabbath, The Police and others. He enjoys
listening to pop, rock, metal, R&B and progressive rock bands like Yes, Kansas and Rush. His favorite styles to play are
rock and blues. One only needs to hear George sing once to hear the influence that soul has had on his singing. Whether
he's singing a ballad or belting out a rocker, he always puts his heart and soul into every performance. Besides his many
musical pursuits, George enjoys radio-controlled cars and metal detecting for relaxation. George's pride and joy, his son
Vincent Anthony is (as George says) " a chip off the ole' block with his natural drumming ability already."
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