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Born and raised: Austin, Texas
Big break: In March 2000 at Club Boon, during spring break in South Padre Island, Texas
Listen to DeeJay Silver on Soundcloud
From this point forward, DeeJay Silver will be lauded as a father figure to all future country music DJs. Generations of electronic patriarchy aside, he lays claim to a lot of firsts in the industry: the first to ever play the Academy of Country Music Awards, to be signed to a major Nashville label (Sony Music Nashville), and to release an EP (2013’s Country Club).
After Silver toured with Nelly, his remix of “She’s Country x93 made it into the hands of Jason Aldean’s agent. Ten years later, this spiky-haired craftsman is the highlight of festivals worldwide, the official DJ for the Tennessee Titans, a mainstay on Aldean’s tour, and a pioneer for all his beat-loving, boot-stomping posterity. deejaysilver.com
Dee Jay Silver
Real name: John PerdueBorn and raised: Austin, Texas
Big break: In March 2000 at Club Boon, during spring break in South Padre Island, Texas
Listen to DeeJay Silver on Soundcloud
From this point forward, DeeJay Silver will be lauded as a father figure to all future country music DJs. Generations of electronic patriarchy aside, he lays claim to a lot of firsts in the industry: the first to ever play the Academy of Country Music Awards, to be signed to a major Nashville label (Sony Music Nashville), and to release an EP (2013’s Country Club).
After Silver toured with Nelly, his remix of “She’s Country x93 made it into the hands of Jason Aldean’s agent. Ten years later, this spiky-haired craftsman is the highlight of festivals worldwide, the official DJ for the Tennessee Titans, a mainstay on Aldean’s tour, and a pioneer for all his beat-loving, boot-stomping posterity. deejaysilver.com
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Born and raised: New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey
Big break: CAA signed him after he played Country Thunder in July 2012—he’s their first and only country DJ. Listen to DJ DU on Soundcloud
After working for years in the Big Apple, this turntable kid was transferred to Phoenix to spin at a Top 40/country club. Early on, someone requested an old Mark Chestnutt song, to which DU replied, “Chestnuts, like, roasting on an open fire? x93 Thankfully, he stuck it out.
Now that he’s opened for Carrie Underwood, played at the ACM Awards, and thrown killer parties at Country Thunder and the National Finals Rodeo, what’s next? DU is eager to have his own album and tour, rock the stage at Electric Daisy Carnival or Ultra in Miami, and one day take home a Grammy. Maybe they can get Mark Chestnutt to be a presenter. djdu.net
DJ DU
Real name: Duhamel Wayne CassellBorn and raised: New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey
Big break: CAA signed him after he played Country Thunder in July 2012—he’s their first and only country DJ. Listen to DJ DU on Soundcloud
After working for years in the Big Apple, this turntable kid was transferred to Phoenix to spin at a Top 40/country club. Early on, someone requested an old Mark Chestnutt song, to which DU replied, “Chestnuts, like, roasting on an open fire? x93 Thankfully, he stuck it out.
Now that he’s opened for Carrie Underwood, played at the ACM Awards, and thrown killer parties at Country Thunder and the National Finals Rodeo, what’s next? DU is eager to have his own album and tour, rock the stage at Electric Daisy Carnival or Ultra in Miami, and one day take home a Grammy. Maybe they can get Mark Chestnutt to be a presenter. djdu.net
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Born and raised: Philadelphia, Chicago
Big break: At Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City, Florida
Listen to DJ Hish on Soundcloud
DJ Hish is proof you don’t have to be from the South to be a country boy. For a kid who grew up wanting to be Dwight Yoakam, DJing seemed a far-flung career path. He started mixing at age 12, built up a repertoire of house and hip-hop jams during college in Chicago, and slowly integrated the music from his childhood into mixes for his mainstream listeners.
But the Yoakam dream persisted. Hish moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting, not letting on about his secret life as a DJ. Friends eventually found out, and he started making mixes—but this time, they were 100 percent his style: country. “If you told me five years ago that I was going to mix Merle Haggard with a dance beat, I’d have said you were crazy, x93 he says. “But there’s a time and place for it, and people love it. x93 His SoundCloud tracks have garnered plenty of attention, as in more than 39,000 plays of his Luke Bryan “My Kinda Night x93 remix. Hish has found his way back behind the tables and continues to hone his craft at events like CMA Fest and Team Cocktail. djhish.com
DJ Hish
Real name: Josh HishBorn and raised: Philadelphia, Chicago
Big break: At Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City, Florida
Listen to DJ Hish on Soundcloud
DJ Hish is proof you don’t have to be from the South to be a country boy. For a kid who grew up wanting to be Dwight Yoakam, DJing seemed a far-flung career path. He started mixing at age 12, built up a repertoire of house and hip-hop jams during college in Chicago, and slowly integrated the music from his childhood into mixes for his mainstream listeners.
But the Yoakam dream persisted. Hish moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting, not letting on about his secret life as a DJ. Friends eventually found out, and he started making mixes—but this time, they were 100 percent his style: country. “If you told me five years ago that I was going to mix Merle Haggard with a dance beat, I’d have said you were crazy, x93 he says. “But there’s a time and place for it, and people love it. x93 His SoundCloud tracks have garnered plenty of attention, as in more than 39,000 plays of his Luke Bryan “My Kinda Night x93 remix. Hish has found his way back behind the tables and continues to hone his craft at events like CMA Fest and Team Cocktail. djhish.com