DJ J-Rocc was among the first Hip Hop DJs in Southern California when he began rocking parties in Huntington Beach back in 1985. The skills he developed and the crew he encouraged would g...
Russell Jewell played cornet in the 5th and 6th grade and took singing lessons in junior high school. He also performed in his church and grew up fully aware of the importance of a good s...
Keith Shocklee is a pioneering DJ who began performing at the local youth center on Long Island in 1974, only a year after Hip Hop was established. Keith gives credit to the radio disc jo...
Charles Kitch formed Sound Productions, Inc. in Irving, Texas in 1973. With the slogan, the "the Soundman's Connection," Charles has helped pioneer the pro audio industry from the early ...
Kool DJ Red Alert, from Harlem New York, grew up listening to the Caribbean music of his grandparents as well as his brother's record collection. He was greatly inspired the day he first ...
Dave Lopez grew up in East Los Angeles and witnessed the explosive evolution of the mobile DJ, beginning in the late 1970s. During high school, Dave was asked to provide the music for a d...
Robert Marsh came into the music retail business following a frustration of purchasing equipment as a DJ. He was inspired by the role the DJ brings to a party, a nightclub, or family gath...
Brian Marsh joined his brother, Robert, on the ground floor of his DJ retailing business. The two brothers sought to grow the store and provide the best customer service possible. Their a...
DJ Melo-D saw his first mobile DJ set up during a middle school dance and was more interested in the set up than the dance itself. He begged his parents for a turntable and would seek out...
DJ Qbert brought new energy to Hip-Hop as a DJ in the digital world of turntables. Keeping to the traditions of the pioneering DJs who influenced him, Qbert added new flare to the craft o...
DJ Quest thought he was going to be a rapper while his cousin would DJ but once he saw the turntable set up at home he was hooked and never looked back. Quest is a founding member of the ...
DJ Ralph M still remembers a Halloween party he attended in 1982, where he was first introduced to hip-hop and break dancing. He was fascinated by the turntable and his dream was to becom...
DJ Revolution can still remember the first time he heard Grand Master Flash’s 1981 album Adventures on the Wheels of Steel and being blown away that this music was created with existing s...
DJ Rhettmatic is an architect of the West Coast Hip Hop sound, jumping into the role of DJ in the very early days of its development. In 1983 he became a member of Double Platinum, a grou...
Mark Ronson accepted the Music for Life Award during the NAMM Show in January 2024. During the Industry Insights session with NAMM President/CEO John Mlynczak, Mark spoke of his musical i...
Bob See was the founder of See Factor, one of the pioneering and innovative pro-lighting and pro-sound services in the world. Bob’s influential career began when Bill Graham opened up a m...
DJ Sir Jinx’s uncle played an important role for him growing up and in inspiring his passion for music. His uncle possessed an eclectic record collection and a DJ equipment set up at his ...
Patrick Stansfield was the legendary stage manager who, along with Bill Graham of FM Productions, launched the modern music concert format by creating and popularizing the arena rock busi...
Jim Tremayne is the editor of DJ Times magazine, a gig he landed just over two years after the publication began. DJ Times is the brainchild of industry publisher Vinny Testa, who was loo...
Stephen Webber is a professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and helped create the Music Production/Engineering program. After working at Mid South Recording Studio in Nashvill...
Kurt Zentmaier fondly recalls the stories his father told him on how the family music store was established back in 1959. Rondo Music’s first location was right outside of New York City ...
