Being a top wedding DJ in one of the most desirable wedding destinations in the country comes with it a lot of perks. I would have to say the biggest perk is meeting all different types of couples coming to the Holy City from areas like Philadelphia.  While the inquiries are down as it pertains to Northeast brides and grooms desiring a destination wedding, I've been truly moved over the years how modern brides and grooms have been able to create some of the most epic celebrations I've seen in my career as a wedding DJ.  With all of the musical artists who have originated from Philadelphia, it should be of no surprise to me that brides and grooms from that area are going to bring with them some of the most eclectic mixes of music you could imagine at any wedding.  So many musicians and bands have had the pleasure of calling Philadelphia over the years. My dear friend Mitch Zatto grew up in the Philadelphia area and it was radio clips like you'll hear on this post that formed his musical tastes, as well as inspired him to become a radio broadcaster. I truly believe that modern brides and grooms who grew up around the Philadelphia area may have formed their diverse musical tastes from the tremendous amount of musical talent originating from the city of Brotherly Love.  1340 WHAT-AM played a pivotal role in Philadelphia radio back in the late 60s and early 70s playing some of the best R&B and soul music on the radio. Enjoy this trip back time over 50 years to some of the best classic and vintage radio of Philadelphia

You know I am asked all the time what the catalyst was that got me into becoming a successful wedding DJ. Well, for one, it was the intrigue and mystery of being behind the microphone and blending songs together while on the air that allowed my interest to peak. The overall catalyst to get me into radio and DJing was Mitch Zatto.  If you clicked over to my About page, you may have read more about this amazing broadcaster, who became a great mentor to me.  I am here to tell you that it can be extremely difficult to predict how your life may actually end up. You may very well meet someone unexpectedly who could alter the course and trajectory of your life.  What you are about to hear is an outstanding piece of production that represents a small, but influential piece of Charleston, SC radio history created by a guy who would forge a path for my life. It would become a path in my life that I could never have imagined or predicted as pre-teen kid.

Long before I made the transition into a being a top wedding DJ, I was enjoying every little bit of time I could behind the microphone on the radio.  Over the course of the next several weeks and months, I will be spending time in my studio editing down some of my favorite moments as an on-air radio talent. After all, if not for my time on the radio, I would never have begun this amazing journey that I've experienced as a wedding DJ over the past 14 years. WRFQ signed on the air back in 1996 in Charleston, SC and has become the top choice for classic rock of the 60s, 70s, 80s through today.

Happy New Year! Yeah, yeah I know. It's Super Bowl Sunday. Why is he publishing a new blog and wishing everyone a happy new year! Well, due to time constraints as I wrapped up some personal goals of mine early in January, I've been enjoying some down time on the weekends.  I've been out of commission as it pertains to the blog.  The good news is all of the work I've put in over the past 8-9 months that took me away from the wedding business is in my rearview mirror.  The bad news is the wedding industry remains the same as it has been over the past year, which is a new normal that has developed since the end of the pandemic.  While I've been on other projects, the wedding industry continues to "oversaturate", making it even harder to find your clients than it was 5 short years ago. 

In case you missed it in my last blog post, I am in the process of consolidating my audio production portfolio and my existing wedding DJ website into one entity. Consolidation of these two entities will not only save valuable resources, but it will also allow me to get more content up online in a more timely manner. During my radio career, I learned how to produce audio, and as is the case when learning how to ride a bike, you never forget how to do it. I will be sharing some of the audio production I've produced over the years, as well as projects I've put together in the past year. It is my belief that when searching for a wedding DJ, you'll want to hire someone with exceptional production skills. Being a wedding DJ is so much more than loading a bunch of expensive equipment into a venue and playing music. Over the years, I've been tasked with creating special edits to songs, as well as mashups for songs. that were used for some of the most special moments on my clients wedding day.  In addition to some of the projects I've put together over the past several months and years, I will also be sharing some of the reasons why you need to hire a professional wedding DJ who has the attention to detail to design and produce audio.

For those of you who are landing on my blog looking for the best wedding DJ for their most special day, you are in for a treat today. It's funny. If you talk to my web designer, he'll tell you that the "About" page might be one of the lesser travelled pages on anyone's website. Imagine this. You are looking for the person who is going to make or break your wedding day and you don't want to know about them? You are getting ready to invest your own hard-earned money into your wedding and still don't want to learn who it is you are going to be working with?  I don't think I've updated my "About" page in several years, but the reason I have decided to talk about my radio experience leading me into becoming a successful wedding DJ is because those experiences shaped a lot of how I see music today. Also, in the coming months, I will be taking down my audio production website and moving some of that portfolio and blog over to my main wedding DJ blog. Since I am a one-man shop, I no longer have time to dedicate to "trying" to maintain a presence and content-creation on two blogs. Since my wedding DJ blog is one of the most travelled by brides and grooms and music lovers, I felt it was a good fit to put some of this content up for you. 

Since the beginning of my journey as a wedding DJ, I've always put my focus on the music. I've always consulted with my clients and let them know that the music they should choose for their wedding day should be based on their musical preferences. That being said, even in the second half of 2024, I still get clients inquiring about having a classic or vintage vibe at some point during their wedding day. Back in 2019, I recall one of my clients putting their trust in me in creating a playlist for their cocktail hour that highlighted some of the best 60s and 70s soul music. I've actually had a screenshot reminder in my phone for many months to put this blog post together for you.  Hiring a wedding DJ who is truly passionate about the music is the best investment you could make for the most special day of your life. No one will remember the lighting, the photobooth, or even the food for that matter,  but they will remember all of the music that made you and your fiance and friends stay out on the dance floor all night long. Enjoy this trip back to an era of amazing 60s and 70s soul music. 

Back in the summer of 2017, I had a client have me put together a cocktail hour playlist for their wedding that was mostly "yacht rock".  Shortly after I performed at that wedding, I put together a blog post and accompanying Spotify playlist that has seen thousands of views from all over the world.  If you've spent any time on the other portions of my blog, you know that as a professional wedding DJ, I will always look at a client's wedding day as a classy, sophisticated affair.  If you do a lot of searching on Google about yacht rock, the word "sophisticated" will show up quite frequently. Yacht rock is perfect for a cocktail hour at your wedding. Most of the artists you'll see on a yacht rock playlist are some of the most outstanding musicians. The musicians you tend to see on a yacht rock playlist are masters of their craft, and ones that you'll want the best headphones on the planet or stereo system to listen to for their perfect sounds and composition.  Now, I will put a link to the first yacht rock playlist that I published on my blog down below, but I felt that due to it's popularity it was time to create Volume 2. In the time since I created Volume 1, my experience and knowledge with the genre has expanded.  For a truly classy and sophistiicated sound during the cocktail hour at your wedding, you should let your wedding DJ know you are very interested in having that yacht rock sound.

The day you finally get to marry the man or woman or your dreams will become one of the best days of your life. For some couples, the journey to find their soulmate may not have been easy. Your journey may have been met with many curves or forks in the road, but those days are in the past and you just got engaged. Things just got "real" between the both of you. You are going to be spending the rest of your lives with each other.  You are both so giddy right now. You haven't even told your parents, but I bet "he" already spoke with your dad and got his permission to propose to you. :) Such a classy guy, eh? In all seriousness, you are engaged now. Are you still pinching each other right now? Stop it! You both are going to be sore. Instead of pinching each other, why not just go have this amazing makeout session, sort of like you did when you first met.  I know you've got a flood of thoughts going through your mind. Like "I can't wait to see him in that black tux", or "is she gonna be wearing one of those really hot, modern wedding dresses that shows how beautiful her legs are?" Whoa whoa. :) Take a deep breath. Before we get into the minutiae of your wedding day, you really need to ask yourself in a serious way what your expectations are for this most special day. 

It's time to put together a blog post that might become one of the most visited on the internet.  Well, at least that is the goal, as most all of my other 80s content on the blog is constantly being stalked by people from all over the world. Over the past few months, I've put some time into discussing some of the trends I've been seeing in the wedding industry. Sometimes I veer off in those types of directions because I want to provide my point of view on certain things. I may also veer off into those directions because I am trying to help modern brides and grooms find the best wedding DJ for their big day.  While the reception to those types of articles have been positive, I felt it was time to put together a blog post that goes back to my roots as a wedding DJ, and actually even before I was a wedding DJ. After all, if not for the music, I would never have gotten behind the mic on the radio or purchased a high-end DJ equipment rig to entertain hundreds of couples at weddings over the years.  Truth be told, I don't care about anything EXCEPT the music. It's the music that matters during every portion of your wedding day. Today's post has been a long time coming. If you are a modern bride or groom who loves 80s music and who wants some help in adding it your wedding playlist, you'll want to stick around and read on.