Greetings!
I'm just getting back into the mobile DJ lifestyle after a very long absence. I'm just amazed at the technology differences since I did this last...
As an introduction, here's the short version of my DJ bio:
My first gig was at Peabody's bar in Plattsburgh NY circa 1975. A couple of DJs, myself included, that 'worked' (as students) in the Plattsburgh State University of New York (SUNY) radio station were tired of the new 'disco' craze in the local clubs...we were, you know, part of the 'disco sucks' crowd. We persuaded a manager at Peabody's to let us spin records on a weeknight for free beers. We were playing rock when the other bars were all disco....good times! I was also in the U.S. Air Force at the time (at the now closed Plattsburgh AFB). I was transferred to Fresno CA as a USAF Recruiter in 1976 and didn't carry on with DJing while I was there. In 1979, I left California for an assignment in Cheyenne WY. I worked part-time as a bartender at the F.E. Warrren AFB NCO Club and watched the local Rap DJs have all the fun while we were just pouring the drinks! One of the other bartenders and myself decided to get a PA, mixers and turntables after we had persuaded the NCO Club manager to let us spin rock in the bar once a week. That took off well and before long we were being hired by local bars outside of the air base. In late 1980, I got orders to transfer to Stuttgart in (then) West Germany. I bought out my partner and shipped the gear overseas. When I arrived I discovered to perform in the military club system in Europe that you had to audition and become an approved 'vendor'. So I jumped through those hoops and started performing in the clubs located on the kasernes in the Stuttgart area. After a few months of that, I was approached by one of the German booking agents that provided acts to the military clubs throughout Germany. I signed up and became very busy working 3 and 4 nights a week all over Germany on American military bases...working my Air Force job during the day and rocking the clubs nights and weekends. At the time, there were approximately 250 clubs on the military circuit in Germany. By the time I 'retired' as a DJ in 1986, I had performed about 700 shows (or more) in over 140 different clubs. Why did I retire? Well...the Air Force had promoted me to a Master Sergeant and basically told me I had to starting acting my age (31) and stop running around Germany every other night to play music at 3,000 watts...I wanted the promotion (and the retirement plan)...so I did my last show on March 29, 1986.
Fast forward to August 2011. I had retired from the USAF in 1992 (age 37) after 20 years service. A organization I was involved in had a local DJ cancel at the last minute for our annual party, so I rented a PA from a local Michigan DJ and did the show myself. It was my first attempt at digital DJing and I found myself both fasinated by the new technology and amazed that I still knew how to do this. Everyone loved it and many of them, upon learning of my past experiences in the mobile DJ field, urged me to get back into it. To keep this reasonably short, I eventually decided to go for it. After updating (and digitizing) my music library, I procured a new PA and lighting rig and started gigging in July 2012 for people and organizations that I knew. While I'm still working out the details of the lighting (DMX is a _really_ new concept to me), I've recently registered a business name and am starting to actively solicit work.
...I guess I should have said this was the 'relatively short bio'... I can be a bit long winded at times. In any case, I'm just happy to be here and back doing the job that I loved best!
Best regards,
Rick Rountree, DJ
Go Ugly Early Mobile Entertainment
I'm just getting back into the mobile DJ lifestyle after a very long absence. I'm just amazed at the technology differences since I did this last...
As an introduction, here's the short version of my DJ bio:
My first gig was at Peabody's bar in Plattsburgh NY circa 1975. A couple of DJs, myself included, that 'worked' (as students) in the Plattsburgh State University of New York (SUNY) radio station were tired of the new 'disco' craze in the local clubs...we were, you know, part of the 'disco sucks' crowd. We persuaded a manager at Peabody's to let us spin records on a weeknight for free beers. We were playing rock when the other bars were all disco....good times! I was also in the U.S. Air Force at the time (at the now closed Plattsburgh AFB). I was transferred to Fresno CA as a USAF Recruiter in 1976 and didn't carry on with DJing while I was there. In 1979, I left California for an assignment in Cheyenne WY. I worked part-time as a bartender at the F.E. Warrren AFB NCO Club and watched the local Rap DJs have all the fun while we were just pouring the drinks! One of the other bartenders and myself decided to get a PA, mixers and turntables after we had persuaded the NCO Club manager to let us spin rock in the bar once a week. That took off well and before long we were being hired by local bars outside of the air base. In late 1980, I got orders to transfer to Stuttgart in (then) West Germany. I bought out my partner and shipped the gear overseas. When I arrived I discovered to perform in the military club system in Europe that you had to audition and become an approved 'vendor'. So I jumped through those hoops and started performing in the clubs located on the kasernes in the Stuttgart area. After a few months of that, I was approached by one of the German booking agents that provided acts to the military clubs throughout Germany. I signed up and became very busy working 3 and 4 nights a week all over Germany on American military bases...working my Air Force job during the day and rocking the clubs nights and weekends. At the time, there were approximately 250 clubs on the military circuit in Germany. By the time I 'retired' as a DJ in 1986, I had performed about 700 shows (or more) in over 140 different clubs. Why did I retire? Well...the Air Force had promoted me to a Master Sergeant and basically told me I had to starting acting my age (31) and stop running around Germany every other night to play music at 3,000 watts...I wanted the promotion (and the retirement plan)...so I did my last show on March 29, 1986.
Fast forward to August 2011. I had retired from the USAF in 1992 (age 37) after 20 years service. A organization I was involved in had a local DJ cancel at the last minute for our annual party, so I rented a PA from a local Michigan DJ and did the show myself. It was my first attempt at digital DJing and I found myself both fasinated by the new technology and amazed that I still knew how to do this. Everyone loved it and many of them, upon learning of my past experiences in the mobile DJ field, urged me to get back into it. To keep this reasonably short, I eventually decided to go for it. After updating (and digitizing) my music library, I procured a new PA and lighting rig and started gigging in July 2012 for people and organizations that I knew. While I'm still working out the details of the lighting (DMX is a _really_ new concept to me), I've recently registered a business name and am starting to actively solicit work.
...I guess I should have said this was the 'relatively short bio'... I can be a bit long winded at times. In any case, I'm just happy to be here and back doing the job that I loved best!
Best regards,
Rick Rountree, DJ
Go Ugly Early Mobile Entertainment
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