About Me
I bought my first first records when I was 9 from a store called Top Cat records on Pratt Street in
Baltimore where I grew up. I bought five 45s. The only song I remember getting was King Kong
by the Jimmy Caster Bunch.Years later I went to my first block party on Cordella Ave in Pimlico. It was 1981, and I think it was the first time I ever saw a DJ play live. I liked seeing everyone dance and having a good time. Women were everywhere, it seemed then. That summer, songs like "Count Coolout," Denroy Morgan's "I'll Do Anything for You," and Kraftwerk's "Numbers" were just a few of songs that were being played. But seeing the DJ doing his thing, and watching how people reacted to his selections and skillz are my earliest memories of wanting to spin.A year later, I learned how to mix through a cat named Rodney Dorsey (my sister's boyfriend at the time). Rodney had two turntables, but no mixer. So Rodney used his receiver. His receiver consisted of push buttons, so I learned that summer through Rodney how bring in records on cue through push buttons. I was also doing what a lot of broke aspiring DJ's were doing.....pause-button mixing through songs I taped on the radio.That winter Keith Magwood moved into the neighborhood. We played baseball a lot and through playing we found out that we had a mutual admiration of music and mixing. I think Keith had a few records, but Keith didn't have as many as me at the time . Eventually he hustled two turntables and a mixer. I started hanging over Keith's practicing and learning how to mix. Starting out, we were both novices skill-wise. Keith caught on pretty fast since he had the equipment, but eventually I caught on too. For the next two years, I would go over to Keith's place, bringing my records to practice.I was also taking guitar lessons in junior high. To this day, I don't know why I took guitar lessons, because then I didn't like the guitar. But it became the only "A" I got other than gym. I didn't own a guitar, so I couldn't practice (didn't want to). After three years I got tired of it. I got tired of playing nothing but folk songs. If my teachers had been more diverse in their selection of songs,
I might be playing the guitar today. I have forgotten just about everything I learned, but I kind of miss it nowI bought records almost whenever I had money. I bought songs that I heard either on the street, or on the radio. The difference then was I heard Euro, R&B, Rap, Rock, and what was later called club music. I was hearing songs by The Clash, Treacherous Three, Grandmaster Flash, Kraftwerk, Capricorn, Captain Skyy, Was Not Was, Sugarhill Gang, Heaven 17, Human League, Jimmy Spicer, Martin Circus, Skyy, Dirty Talk.The first time I played at a party was in the 11th grade. One of my track buddies gave a party while his mother was away. He brought in a DJ he knew.The party was jumpin', so after a while
I asked if I could get on, and he let me. He let me do my thing for about an hour. I remember people was surprised, because I never mentioned that I was spinning.At our high school graduation party one of the first songs I heard was "Move Your Body" by Marshall Jefferson. It was a fresh sound and everyone liked it. It was the first song I heard
that was called house music. I was hooked and have been ever since.In college there was a radio station, and I was trying to get on. The station ID was WCCN 59 AM. My first show was in the fall semester 1986. I had the last slot of the day (5-6pm).
Since I was new, I got the Sh*#@ slot of the day. I played pop and slow jamz.The next semester I got my first chance to play the hot slots between 11am and 2pm. Our
shows were only one hour long, one day a week, unless you put in for a two-hour show, or an extra slot at the beginning of the semester. I got to play the 1-2pm. I had a log to follow, but
I did have time to play what I liked -- which was hip-hop and house.The next three years were good for me dj-wise. I was starting to do house parties (with then partner Vince "Ice Kreater" Nelson). As the semesters went on, I continued to get the hot slot
(a couple of semesters, not only did I got to do two hour hot slots 11-1am. I started my show
with hip-hop, R&B and house it. It eventually changed to mostly house by 1988.1988 was a really good year because I got to DJ the Black Student Union party on campus
(with Vince), I was the dj for two years at the Pub Party. The Pub was an every-Thursday event where there a movie was shown and there was a party afterwards. I had a decent crowd every Thursday. Most of them didn't know house music, but they danced because it was danceable.
I (also along with Vince) was a guest DJ at Club Fantasy for nine months (Summer of '88 - Spring '89). That was an experience because I got to meet some great DJs (Sam "The Man" Burns, Michael Joyner and others). It was the first club I ever played.1989 wasn't a good year dj-wise. Our equipment was stolen, and it took a year to replace. I continued to my show on campus until 1991, but gigs were hard to come by.We did eventually parties in the early nineties, but they were hip-hop/R & B/ house format, which I did have love for, but it seemed there was less love for house than for R & B and Hip-Hop. My interest in those parties decreased and towards the end of 1998 I stop DJ-ing those parties.In the summer of 1996 I went to a party called Oasis, and musically it changed my life. I met
DJ Oji who was giving the party and had a show called "The Underground Experience" on 88.9 Morgan State Radio on Saturday nights from 8pm - 12am. I had never met a "celebrity" DJ who showed love to local jocks who weren't playing anywhere. He'd put them on the show as guests, and let them play at his parties. I met DJ Pope a year later when he moved back to Baltimore. I was a fan of his show "Back on the Block" back in '91, and Pope showed me love also. Some of the best advice that Oji put me down with was going to the Winter Music Conference. I went for the first time in '97. It blew me away.Seeing house music lovers from all over the world, hearing and meeting legendary DJ's, artists, producers, etc. On the plane ride home, I who had spinning house music for 12 years at that time realized that I didn't know anything, and dedicated myself back to this house music thing. As a result from meeting and listening to local and worldwide DJs I began to understand the game. I was fortunate enough to play with some talented DJ's over the years starting with the Oasis party with Pope & Oji as a guest slot periodically '98 to 2000, playing with Oji at Bar Nun in Washington, DC. Playing w/ Greg Pickett @ Club Red in '99
in 1998, and again in 2003 with Sam 'the man' Burns, and at Club Andulu from '99 - 2001, playing @ Ricardo's in 2000/ The Sanctuary in Washington DC w Sam 'the man' Burns from 2000 - 2003/ playing in Miami, Florida @ club Blue w/ Tony Wilson, Dave Solero, and Patrick Green/intern @ the underground experience 88.9 Morgan State radio 2000 - 2001/paradox w/ DJ Pope & Oji 2000-2002/Andulu 2004/Collective Minds picnic 2004 & 2006/ Opening nite of collective minds @ club Sugar w/ DJ Oji/Dragonfly in Washington DC w/Sam 'the man' Burns- 2006 Oasis reunion party @ Sugar w/ DJ Pope & Oji 2005/The Sanctuary in Washington w/ DJ's Pope & Oji - 2007I currently have monthly residence, and am part of the Audio Infusion on Saturday nights on 88.9 Morgan State Radio as house music coordinater. Coming soon I will be hosting my online radio show