disc jockey (DJ)
Person who plays recorded music on radio or television or at a nightclub or other live venue. Disc jockey programs became the economic base of many radio stations in the U.S. after World War II. The format generally involves one person, the disc jockey, introducing and playing phonograph records and chatting informally, usually extemporaneously, in the intervals. Because popular DJs are in a position to influence public tastes, record companies have sometimes attempted to bribe them with money and gifts, known as “payola.”
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- Not to be confused with Disc jockey
Deejays are not to be confused with DJs from other music genres like Hip-Hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors. Deejays who are more likely to sing are sometimes called singjays.
The term deejay came about as a result of the act of some selectors (as they were called) of the 60s and 70s such as U-Roy or King Stitt toasting to the "version" side of popular records of the time. The "version" came about when the record company produced the 45 record with the song, the flip side of which had the instrumental to the song. This gave the deejays the chance to make up on-the-fly lyrics to the instrumental music. This occurrence gave rise to deejay toasting and the term has been used in that context ever since. Many famous selectors turned deejays include King Stur Gav, Josie Wales, Charlie Chaplin, and Tony Matterhorn (Deejay of the song "Dutty Wine").
See also
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Last updated on Thursday August 21, 2008 at 06:42:20 PDT (GMT -0700)
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