Spinning through time
In several ways, the role of disc jockeys or DJs has not changed over the last fifty years, however in others the new breed are unrecognisable from their predecessors. It had been back in the days of Radio Luxembourg that the name disc jockey became part of the well known vocabulary. Thousands of British kids went to bed at night time with their portable radios secreted below the bed-covers, so that they could listen to the likes of Simon Dee, Tommy Vance, as well as Noel Edmunds.
They were playing the type of modern music that the BBC was not. Most would say that this was the biggest contributor to the birth of Pirate Radio. With the birth of Radio Caroline and Radio London, based on ships moored off the Essex coast, the term DJ arrived to its own. The likes of Jonny Walker, Dave Lee Travis and Emperor Rosko became household names. DJ jobs not only were they broadcasting "pop" music twenty-four hours every day, seven days a week, but they were engaging by their listeners.
The achievement of these modern-day pirates was directly accountable for the modernising in the BBC and the introduction of Radios One and 2. It was a memorable day in September 1967, when Tony Blackburn became the first "jock" to take to the airways of the national radio station catering solely for the younger generation. There is of course another side towards the story about how to become a DJ, and that is the live performances.
Together with the birth of rock and roll in the mid fifties, the concept of people playing records instead of live music really took off. Numerous kids would flock to the dance halls and clubs every week to listen to their favourite music in the USA - Bill Haley, Elvis Presley as well as the others. In a short time, the DJ was established as being the source of entertainment. Even now, she or he is the most preferred choice to provide the music at clubs, weddings, parties and any other social gathering. The mobile disco still does the rounds, providing hours of popular music sure to get everyone up and dancing. The modern-day disc jockeys really are a different breed altogether. They merely play the music.
Today they create the music. Many of them release highly successful albums with their innovative sounds and mixes in genres just like Garage, House and Hardcore. Furthermore they feature on many singles alongside top singers and rappers. It has recently been reported that vinyl records are making a comeback; so it seems the DJ is here to stay. Disc jockeys are extremely popular now that there's always ads of DJ needed. Have the scoops as quickly as they come in on these links, and be the best dj ever!