A little history on how & why I ended up in this business
and why I keep going.
Back a couple years ago, ok, more than a couple....
it was in the late 70's...I simply loved music, all kinds of music.
I used to see DJ's at High School CYO dances sitting there
spinning records, with hardly any interaction with the crowd.
I really thought there should be more to it. My first DJ job was
my own family's reunion. Nothing glamorous, but it was a start.
I put 2 home stereos together and came up with something that
worked enough for that. I should also mention this was
THE DISCO era. So somewhere (and I know where)
there are pictures of me in a satin jacket, funky pants
and an afro. No you probably won't see those pics here :)
In October of 1978 I did what I consider to be my first real
DJ job, it was a post-wedding reception party at a Knights
of Columbus hall here in west Manchester.
An interesting note (Kind of): Bob Seger's LP
with the song "Old Time Rock'n Roll" came out that week,
I opened with it and the song stayed with me as my closer
for years. I charged $65.00 & paid $45.00 to rent a pro
sound system. Not a high profit night. Part of the sound
system included a 50 footmic cable (Pre-wireless) so I
could get out withthe crowd, which simply blew them
away. I also walked away with a booking for my first
New Year's Eve party...
I had arrived!
I also listened to the radio a lot and like a lot of
teenagers thought being a radio DJ would be the coolest.
So after High School (1978) I went to Northeast
Broadcasting School in Boston, a one year school,
but a really good one. From there I did a stint at
Nashua's WOTW, (now defunct)mainly selling ads,
copy writing and creating commercials. But I also
got some on air experience including co-hosting a
talk show called, are you ready, "All About Coins".
I know, not exactly cutting edge stuff, but it was great
experience for ad-libbing & learning how to kill dead
air. And all during this time at broadcasting school
and WOTW the mobile DJ business slowly started
to take off. By 1980 it was going great, weddings
were coming in and church & social club dances
were very popular. My shows got bigger and bigger,
especially Halloween & New Year's Eve Dances at
church halls like St. Edmond's, St Lawrence,
St Albert's up in West Stewart's Town, St Paul's
in Franklin and so many other great places.
I've come swinging out on stage as Batman, beamed
up as Spock, ridden out in a lifesize Flintstone
Mobile, rolled out in a coffin, and hung out as Freddy
Krueger and every other movie ghoul you can think
of. It was nothing to change costumes five, six or
seven times through a show. Believe me, this is VERY
short list of the characters I've brought into my shows.
It was all a blast and an incredible amount of work too.
But I loved it and still do.
Also during the very early and mid 80's my wedding
business had soared. I bring the same energy to a
wedding or other party that I do to all those other dances,
just not all the props and costumes.
This brings me to the late 80's. By 1988 I really
couldn't believe what had started out as something to do
on weekends had turned into a pretty good business.
I never dreamed it would get that good, that big, or that busy.
I realized how lucky I was to be doing something I loved,
so I threw a 10th anniversary party at a local church hall.
I invited a lot of friends, family and mostly customers
(who've become friends) who traveled all over to go
wherever I was playing. Didn't charge a dime, gave away
a VCR and one of these new fangled things called a
CD player. (Now that was cutting edge in '88).
The party was incredible, good enough that even today
I still hear people mentioning it from time to time. I made my
entrance riding down the middle of St. Edmund's Parish Hall
on a motorcycle to "Born to Be Wild" When I hear people
talk about that they usually ask me if I still have my Harley,
I don't kill the legend by telling them it was really a Honda.
But that night was a milestone for me because it's when I
really knew that I had (and still do) something special going.
During all this time I had also worked regular jobs, 40 to
50 hours a week plus another 10 to 20 hours on weekends
dedicated to DJ work.Then around 1990 I was laid off from
a job and made the decision (with the support &
encouragement of my wife) to dedicate myself completely
to DJing. This was a bit after the initial shock and panic
of getting laid off. Again bookings took off and the whole
thing went to yet another level I never expected to see
when it all started back in '78.
I'd also like to mention that I am not a DJ agency
nor am I part of one,if you hire me, you'll get me.
I do,on average, about 50 to 70 weddings a year,
sometimes more. Plus a wide variety of Anniversaries,
Holiday parties, banquets, Mitzvahs and other
celebrations. Yes, I still have fun & I still put everything
I have into every wedding and party I do.
The reasons are simple:
I love what I do, I'm grateful to be doing it and I know
you are trusting me with the biggest day of your life
or that party that you want to make special.
I look forward to working with you!
Manchester, NH
(603) 668-1488
1-800-808-2565
