It was 1984 I had spent a summer buying records and recording mixes from the Hot Mix 5 off of WBMX 102.7 FM. Like most of us the Saturday Night Live Ain’t No Jive Chicago Dance Party was must listen radio. Even when I had things to do I had to make sure I was recording the mix so I could hear it later.Host Armando Rivera always respected the mix, he never let people give shout outs or talked about some nonsense over my favorite songs the most he ever said was ‘B M X”. Of course I was a huge fan of Farley FUNK IN Keith and later when he became the Jack Master. I still have hundreds of mixes from 1984, 1985,1986. My father used to coach at Harlan High School in Chicago and I started going with him to work when I did not have to go to school and it was there that I was introduced to WKKC 89.3. It was a whole new culture of house music and I had to find a way to get more. Growning up in the south suburbs I could not get WKKC on my radio until I learned if I ran a wire from my radio around the copper pipes in my bathroom I could here it. Dj s like Walter GET DOWN Brown, Bobby Q Bobby, Loyd Jackmaster, Pink House and others all were major influences in my career. Bobby Q Bobby had a show on Sunday afternoon that really open my eyes to more of the Chicago House culture. Bobby would always talk about the clubs and parties that went on the night before and always played music you always herd in the mix but never as a full song it was a history lesson every week. I also found out about the record stores I needed to be shopping at like IMPORTS ECT, LOOP RECORDS, GRAMOPHONE, METRO MUSIC ON 103RD,ECT. My hunt for music now was a bike ride to Chicago Heights to catch the 352 Halsted bus that would drop me on 95th street from there I caught the train downtown to go shop. It was a all day thing but I had records Dj’s in my neighborhood wish they had. Now it was time to throw a party so I talked my parents into letting me rent the rec center gym for a 8th grade house party. I invited everybody in the school and I can remember starting my set off with White Horse by Laid Back and it was ON! Friends of mine Tyrone T BONE Harper, Jimmy KEMO Loyd also helped me out through the night. I maybe had 30 records but we had a ball and that was the start of my DJ carrier. Now it was time to show my skills against other DJs around my way…………..TO BE CONTINUED.
