National DJ Day – January 20, 2025

History of National DJ Day

National DJ Day takes place on January 20 every year. On this day, we celebrate amateur and professional DJs who spin the records and play the grooviest music at the right time. The music is usually played in front of a live audience, but televised or recorded music sessions are also available. The most common types of DJs are club DJs, radio DJs, party DJs, and turntablists — who scratch and manipulate sounds by playing records on turntables. 

Music has been around for as long as we know it and has evolved through the years with the help of composers, songwriters, and our favorite event guests, the D.J.s. Back in the day, D.J.s used to spin vinyl records, most of them in this field had an extensive collection of vinyl records, and a fully equipped set-up in a specific venue. But over the years, due to the new and constantly updating software, the term ‘D.J.ing’ began to mean different things to different people. 

However, the very first disc jockey session was a live radio experiment on airwaves made by a 16 years old named Ray Newby in 1909. He was an Engineering and Wireless student who studied under the supervision of Charles Herrold at Herrold College. These experiments that started in the Garden City Bank Building sparked a musical movement that spread from California to the entire world. But it wasn’t until 25 years later that American radio commentator Walter Winchel coined the name ‘disk jockey’ to describe radio announcer Martin Block, who was the first person to gain fame for playing the most trendy music at the time on-air.

A few years later, DJ Jimmy Savile, claimed he was the first to use twin turntables, he organized the first DJ dance party by playing a series of jazz records at Otley, England in 1943. Then in 1947, the world considered Whiskey a Go Go Nightclub to be the first Discotheque with its very own DJ. Subsequently, more people started learning the craft of turning tables and mixing, and at the turn of the century, new technological advances made new sounds and styles possible.

The founder and origin of National Disk Hockey Day remain unknown. But every year we pay tribute to these performers and encourage everyone to celebrate.

On January 20, DJing and influential DJs are celebrated, but the day also marks the death anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic disc jockeys — Alan Freed, aka ‘Moondog.’ He was famous for pushing rock ‘n’ roll music and popularizing DJing.