The son of WWF-WWE Hall of Fame World Champion Wrestler Antonino Rocca, Tony Jr. learned excellence at a very young age. Influenced by the eclectic musical tastes from his parents, he began becoming a serious student of music with classical piano lessons at age 5 going through the high school years being able to play trumpet and other brass instruments. Being a native New Yorker gave Tony the opportunity to enjoy dance music from several contrasting levels.Inspired by the many diverse Latin themes of the neighborhoods as well as sneaking into the “club of clubs†during the late 70’s; Studio 54 didn’t hurt either. Early FM dance stations like 99X, Disco 92 and the ever so club DJ’s presentation solidified his wanting to become a dance music Mixmaster. The turntables just became a challenge and another “musical instrument†for him to master.Taking the plunge and starting to spin in 1976, and after years of neighborhood parties, he was ready to land his first pro gig at Manhattan’s Magique in 1984. Moving to the Underground and then as original resident at Club 4D starting in 1986, leading to part of the production team that brought to New York radio the “live†Saturday Night Dance Party broadcasted on Hot 103 FM starting in 1987, a truly ground breaking event for New York dance radio. From there Palladium, Octagon, 1018, Limelight, Stringfellows, Cat Club, Redzone, Merlins..etc, as well as continuing to play special live broadcast events for radio stations,Tony helped break many new artists such as Information Society, Taylor Dayne, Corina, Safire, Noel, Debbie Gibson, TKA, Judy Torres, Sweet Sensation, Marshall Jefferson, Adonis, Will to Power, Expose, Voice in Fashion, Secret Society, Stevie B, Tolga, etc, Following up the 1990’s and into the new millennium with places such at Metro 700, Miracles, Carbon, and Hush.Tony has been the celebrity DJ to spin New York City’s A-List celebrity parties for, Stevie Wonder, Downtown Julie Brown, Ashford & Simpson , Rebbie Jackson, Joe Franklin and even for Donald Trump’s gala birthday party at the Big Apple Circus.Tony was invited back to New York airwaves by legendary dance music Program Director Frankie Blue who calls Tony "..the best radio dance mix DJ New York has seen in the last 25 years". Tony’s weekly club influenced “MasterMix†Saturday Night Dance Mix (1AM-4AM) debuted on WNEW MIX 102.7FM on Labor Day Weekend 2004. His programming style compelled listeners to come back to the radio station each week to listen to Tony's huge 3 hour non-stop music sets with him soon becoming the #1 mix DJ at the radio station. Tony’s traditional and non-traditional outside the box mixing techniques mastering 4 turntables LIVE was true to what a DJ is supposed to do in front of a live audience...PERFORM ! ..and at the highest of levels. Giving the NYC radio listeners what they wanted and needed so desperately his show quickly elevated into the #1 spot on the dial and becoming the HIGHEST RATED radio dance mix show EVER in New York radio history with an averaged 44 market share as rated by Arbitron.
Fast forwarding, several innovative projects with his media company (RPM Entertainment Group Inc.) have keep Tony quite busy as of late…however always wanting to give something back to his audience, you can hear Tony spinning his vinyl on The Disco and Funk King Show hosted by Jay Mirable on www.MYWCWP.COM which airs every Sunday from 1pm – 4pm (EST). Check it out for the hottest and best mix around on the net.Finally, Tony will be heading back to spin his vinyl LIVE at the hottest NYC clubs and worldwide venues starting the tail end of 2008…â€It’s something that I always enjoyed and truly missedâ€, he says. Make sure to catch his performance at a venue in your area. It should be fun.Thanks for visiting...Njoy the Vibe!FOR BOOKINGS PLEASE EMAIL
[email protected]
