How Did I Get Here?

I have had a connection with music my entire life. In my younger years I would listen to all types of music. My favorites were heard in the roller rink. There was something in the music played that made me and others want to move.

As I got older my love for music continued to grow. Purple Rain was popular in my High School years. I remember playing this album over and over and over until the tape was worn out. That's right I said tape. Does anyone remember those? As a matter of fact I had an actual LP of 1999.

It’s in college where I first became interested in learning to DJ. My friends and I would go to the same dance club every Saturday night. The DJ would start the night with some Top 40 hits that were just background music. Then to kick the night off it was always Boston - "Smokin". It was at this time you knew the club was going to start hoppin. Watching the DJ bring our energy level up, let us come down, and bring us up again was incredible. He controlled the energy of the entire night with the music he played. It wasn’t just the music, but it was the order of the songs that made the difference. I knew at that time I wanted to be a DJ.

I became friends with the DJ and told him I was interested in learning the trade. As luck would have it there was a need for another DJ, so my education started. I learned to DJ using vinyl, tapes, and CDs. The only music with pitch control were the LPs, so the challenge to learn to DJ while using three types of players, CD player, tape player, and the tide and true 1200s, made the job challenging. But like everything, if you love to do it, it isn’t a chore. I enjoyed every minute of it.

I ended up DJing in that club for about a year. Then I moved on to DJing a different club. That lasted about 9 months. Why? Oh yeah, graduation. It was time to get a real job. Unfortunately that real job landed me in a place where there was not a need for a DJ. So I was out of the game. When I finally got back to civilization I wanted to get back into music. But my next obstacle was family. How could I be a club DJ, husband, and father at the same time? Well for me the answer was I couldn't. This would be the end of me as a club DJ. Still wanting to get back into music in some fashion I started thinking of places that needed music, but would also not keep me out until 4 in the morning. Naturally DJing for wedding receptions was the answer. While DJing for a wedding reception is much different than DJing a club, it was enough for me.

The rest is history. I've been a wedding reception DJ/entertainer for 7 years now. How did I get here? I followed the music.