Davy DMX
| Davy DMX | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | David Franklin Reeves Jr. |
| Also known as | Davy D. |
| Born |
October 3, 1960 Beckley, West Virginia |
| Genres | Breakbeat, Old school rap |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, DJ |
| Instruments | Synthesizer, Bass, Guitar, turntables, drums |
| Labels | Tuff City, Def Jam Recordings |
| Associated acts | Public Enemy, Kurtis Blow, Run-D.M.C., Lovebug Starski |
Davy DMX, also called Davy D, is an American hip-hop DJ, instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer best known for his work in cooperation with Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, The Fat Boys, and Jam Master Jay. An early associate of Russell Simmons and Larry Smith, Dave first made his name in the 1980s. He has also been credited under the names David Reeves and Davy Dee.
Born David Franklin Reeves Jr. in Beckley, West Virginia on October 3, 1960, Davy was 10 years old when he moved with his family to Hollis, Queens, New York, a largely African-American community notable as the home of such world-class achievers as Andrew Young, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Lani Guinier, and Milt Jackson.
Of his musical education, Dave has said, "I always liked the Jackson 5 when I was young, so I got a guitar and taught myself how to play." Eventually, he also taught himself how to play bass, keyboards, and drums. At the dawn of hip-hop in the mid-Seventies, Dave taught himself how to deejay. In 1979, Dave began touring as the deejay for Kurtis Blow, who was managed by Hollis native Russell Simmons. The gig with Blow, which Dave performed through 1983, included a handful of dates in September 1980 on a bill with The Commodores and Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden.
In 1982 Dave, playing guitar, joined bassist Larry Smith and drummer Trevor Gale in a band called Orange Krush. Their first single, "Action," featuring vocals by Alyson Williams, was released that same year. A stark, beat-heavy production, "Action" was not a hit, but it was very influential. In 1983 its basic rhythm was repurposed as the "Krush Groove" on Run-DMC's "Sucker MC's (Krush Groove 1)," and again on "Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)" (1984), "Darryl & Joe (Krush-Groove 3)" (1985) and "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4)" (1985). As of 2016, various parts of "Action" had been sampled at least 49 times, including on recordings by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Common, De La Soul, and T-Pain. Orange Krush also provided the music for Lovebug Starski's "You've Gotta Believe" in 1983.
...
Wikipedia