On the air at the University radio station WTSR, circa 1982 at Towson State University in Baltimore, MD.
A little background on the guy you're about to hire to help make your event a great success...
It all started February 11, 1978 in the Old Gym at Berkeley Springs (WV) High School with a couple of borrowed turntables, a powered mixer, and two speakers. The FHA Sweetheart Dance. My buddy Dave Williams and I spinning records and nervously doing our best to entertain our classmates. My first time ever behind the mic, playing music in a room full of dancers... and potential critics 🙂 Everyone seemed to have a good time, so we couldn't have been that bad!
While that was my first "live" DJ experience, my radio DJ career began a year earlier at WCST AM & FM in Berkeley Springs, WV doing station ID's and reading public service announcements during West Virginia University Football and Baltimore Orioles Baseball broadcasts. During my high school and college days, I worked regularly at a variety of Country and Top 40 radio stations in the Four State area including WQCM-FM and WHAG-AM in Hagerstown, MD, 1130 WEEO in Waynesboro, PA, WXIE-FM in Oakland, MD, and WKLP-AM and WQZK-FM in Keyser, WV.
Doing a wedding in the mid 1990's back in the days before laptops and tablets were viable DJ tools. I don't miss hauling-around a desktop computer and CRT monitor!
My foray into the wedding business came -- somewhat by happenchance -- during my undergraduate years at Towson State University in Baltimore, MD. A high school classmate, remembering I did dances and parties from our days in school, asked me to be the DJ/MC at his wedding. With zero wedding experience and knowing the importance of someone's wedding day, I initially declined. But after indicating he couldn't find anyone else and telling me, "Really... how badly could you screw it up?", how could I not take the job? 🙂 At the end of the day, I managed to not make a fool of myself, my buddy and his new bride drove-off into the night as husband and wife, and folks must've had an OK time because I subsequently ended-up doing weddings for a number of other guests in attendance that night. Word of mouth proved then -- as it does to this day -- to be my best salesman. And now here in the 2020's, I'm playing for the sons and daughters of a number of those 1980's and early 90's brides & grooms. I'm blessed to still be going strong for the "next generation"!
When I'm Not Behind The Mic...
For more than 20 years, my family and I owned and operated Morgan Awards, LLC in downtown Martinsburg, WV. In early 2016, we sold the business to Brian & Nicole Brewer, and today I work with them at Brews Custom Awards LLC in Aikens Center, just outside of Martinsburg, creating a wide selection of laser engraved awards and personalized apparel & gift items.
My wife Stacie and I will celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary this August 29th. She's the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle, directing all three of our area Clubs in Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan Counties. In 2017, she was named West Virginia "Mother of the Year" by American Mothers, Inc. We have one daughter, Becca, a 2016 graduate of West Virginia University who currently resides in Morgantown, WV and works for the University. At home are our four-legged Wiener Dog children... "Reggie" our long-haired mini-doxie (who recently celebrated his 1st birthday) and his smooth/short-haired sister "Roxie" who was born this past September (same parents, different litter).
When not DJ/MC'ing or engraving things, I'm looking down from the sky with my DJI Phantom 4 Pro as an aerial photographer and FAA-licensed commercial UAS pilot. The other loves in my life include electric vehicles (we own a 2022 Tesla Model 3 and a 2015 Chevy Volt), Titanic & Maritime History, and West Virginia University Football & Basketball. We're longtime WVU Football season ticket holders, and rarely miss a Mountaineer home game. Hence my "Gold & Blue Wedding Rule"... NEVER get married on a home WVU Football Game Day!
A proud moment for Mommy and Daddy at our daughter Becca's graduation from West Virginia University in December 2016.
In Section 130 at a snowy Milan Puskar Stadium cheering on our Mountaineers!
