Hello &

Welcome!

to my blog...

If you are newly engaged, planning a birthday, anniversary or special occasion party or dance, you'll want to add some music to your day and that's where I come in. Since 1979, I have been performing at weddings & functions along South Shore Boston, Massachusetts, Cape Cod and throughout New England.

As a highly experienced broadcast DJ/MC, I work with you to create a truly memorable event.

From Miller to Madonna or Armstrong to GaGa, I play a wide variety of the Latest & Greatest Hits plus I have a top of the line digital sound system that sounds great no matter what level the music is played at.

Visit djChrisPickett.com & see why Chris Pickett Disc Jockey Service is the Soundtrack To Your Next Event!


Saturday, January 30, 2010

Professionalism

As your disc jockey on your wedding day (or at any other event) I consider myself to be an authoritative resource on music from many different styles and eras.  I will work with you to help express your musical tastes and can even provide customized music & microphones for your ceremony if need be.  I also employ a top of the line audio system that is carefully adjusted to ensure that you can talk during cocktail and dinner time without losing your temper and groove during dance time without losing your hearing.

Additionally, I fulfill the duties of Master Of Ceremonies at your reception, which is perhaps the most crucial role of the day as there are several formalities scheduled. From your introduction to your final dance along with everything else in between, all need to be advance-planned & executed in a professional and timely manner so as to punctuate the importance of your new-found stature as a wedded couple.

This is your big day. All of the stress you go through during the planning process should culminate in a happy and enjoyable celebration for you both. My experience and references show I know how to make this happen.  So make sure you’re hiring a professional DJ and not an “MP3 player. “

As an MC, your DJ is speaking on behalf of you to your guests. As an entertainer, your DJ uses the intuitive skills perfected through years of experience to create a memorable Soundtrack To Your Wedding Day!

Soundtrack For Today: djChrisPickett.com

Thursday, January 28, 2010

73 seconds

Today marks the date in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, killing all on board:

  • Francis R. (Dick) Scobee
  • Pilot Cmdr. Michael J. Smith of the Navy
  • Dr. Judith A. Resnik
  • Dr. Ronald E. McNair
  • Lieut. Col. Ellison S. Onizuka of the Air Force
  • Gregory B. Jarvis
  • Christa McAuliffe, Concord, NH teacher and first U.S. civilian chosen to go into space.

Soundtrack For TodayArrival by ABBA

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

It's A Popular Song...

Reviewing the 2009 year-end singles chart the other day, I noticed that 4 songs on the list also charted on the 2008 recap:

  • Whatever You Like - T.I.  (aka Clifford Harris) - #15 in 2008; #40 in 2009
  • Hot n Cold - Katy Perry - #36 in 2008; #25 in 2009
  • Live Your Life - T.I. f/ Rihanna - #37 in 2008; #18 in 2009
  • I'm Yours - Jason Mraz - #27 in 2008; #07 in 2009

All but Whatever You Like charted higher during 2009 and the trend of double-year charting is becoming more common.  In 2006/07, The Fray did it with How To Save A Life and Kanye West's Gold Digger (f/ Jamie Foxx) struck it rich in both 2005 and 06.

Soundtrack For Today:  iPad on shuffle

Monday, January 25, 2010

Keys to the Kingdom

Alicia Augello Cook celebrates her 29th birthday today sitting in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 200 album chart under her stage name and album Alicia Keys • The Element Of Freedom featuring her latest hit Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down.

Her recent appearance on SNL featured an outstanding solo performance of the track and the rest of the album is just as good.  If you want to hear someone who can actually sing without having their sound processed, Alicia has what it takes and delivers on this, the 5th release since her 2001 debut.

I look forward to a future duet with Billy Joel. 

Soundtrack For Today: www.redcross.org

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Diamonds Are Forever

Happy birthday to Neil Diamond who turned 69 today.  Also, #1 on this date in 1967 was I'm A Believer by the Monkees (and written by Neil Diamond.)

Soundtrack For TodayThe Essential Neil Diamond 3.0 - available for download at Amazon

Saturday, January 23, 2010

G-E-C

The Tonight Show died (again) last night but the institute that was The Tonight Show for 30 years died 5 years ago today when Johnny Carson passed on at the age of 79.  Maybe NBC should show Carson re-runs for a while.



Soundtrack For Today:   www.redcross.org

Friday, January 22, 2010

"I'm Leaving The Tonight Show."

Those were the words uttered nearly 50 years ago by then-host Jack Paar, who was upset at NBC over a joke they censored the night before.  Following his damning opening monologue, Paar walked off stage, leaving surprised announcer Hugh Downs on his own to host the rest of the show.

Paar, the second of five hosts of the Tonight Show (between Steve Allen and Johnny Carson) was persuaded to return a month later whereupon he opened the show with his most memorable line: 

"As I was saying before I was interrupted..."

I anticipate a similar opening from Jay next month and probably Conan sometime in September. 

Soundtrack For Today: www.redcross.org 

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Quoth The Raven... Nevermore

Today is Boston-born Edgar Alan Poe's 201st birthday but he only made it to age 40. According to published reports, today also marks the first time since 1949 that the mysterious Poe-Toaster failed to appear in the early morning hours at Poe's grave in Baltimore.  The unknown person would traditionally toast Poe with a drink of conag, leave 3 roses and then disappear. 

Soundtrack For TodayTales Of Mystery And Imagination - 1976 debut by The Alan Parsons Project

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Let's Twist - Again

I did a retirement party today and one of the songs played was The Twist.  It's still a timeless request that always seems to get young and old on the dance floor and reminds me of how enduring a song can be.

It was originally written by and recorded as the B-side to Hank Ballard's Teardrops On Your Letter in 1959 but didn't really ignite until Ernest Evans, aka Chubby Checker, released his version in 1960 where it shot to the top of the charts.  The song then spawned a "twist" craze heard 'round the world as countless song titles containing the word "twist" filled record bins and dance floors in the early 60s.

But Chubby's rendition of The Twist would become the most popular and enduring - to the point of re-charting and re-attaining the #1 position in 1962.  It's the only song to achieve this record to date and it's resurgence was due likely to Checker's 1961 follow-up hit Let's Twist Again

Chubby kept trying to get more mileage out of the twist craze by re-recording it several more times over the years to come, including a countrified version in the 1970s.   Those attempts weren't very successful but he finally managed to resurrect the craze one more time with The Twist (Yo! Twist) in 1988 when old school twisting met up with new school rapping with the help of The Fat Boys.

Today, in a bit of irony when reflecting back on Checker's Let's Twist Again, I inevitably find myself thinking of and playing the original, which is the legacy that Chubby has been pursuing since 1960.

And on a side note, today is First Lady Michelle Obama's 46th birthday and The Twist was #1 (again) on the day she was born. 

Soundtrack For Todaywww.redcross.org

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Forgotten 45s

While on the subject of novelty songs, Jim Stafford is a singer-songwriter who turns 66 today.  His best known hit is Spiders & Snakes which spent 3 weeks at #3 during early 1974. Jim was once married to country star Bobbie Gentry and was also a popular TV celebrity during the 70s, hosting the show Those Amazing Animals as well as his own TV specials.

The backing musicians on Spiders & Snakes, as well as the self-titled Jim Stafford album, have a distinctive sound that may sound a bit familiar -  Richard Bennett, Alan Lindgren, Emory Gordy and Dennis St. John are or were members of the Neil Diamond Band.

Jim currently performs at the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson Missouri.  

Soundtrack For Today:  www.redcross.org

Friday, January 15, 2010

Atten-hutt!

Stand by for "General" inspection.

Every now and then, American Idol has a crazy moment that makes you stop and take notice (but in a good way.)  Such was the case on this past week's show when 62 year-old General Larry Platt from Atlanta, Georgia, auditioned before Simon & co. with a hilarious song aimed at America's youth and their obsession with wearing their pants down low.

The song is called Pants On The Ground and although the General wasn't allowed to complete his performance, clever artists have been taking snippets of it and weaving it into a song that is sure to become a major hit once someone has the definitive version (and we're hoping it's the General!)

There are videos of the General's Idol audition plus the remix on YouTube but who knows for how much longer.  Either way, this probably won't be the last you've heard of General Larry Platt or Pants On The Ground, which Simon Cowell has accurately predicted will be a hit.

At Ease.

Soundtrack For TodayStripes

Thoughts & Prayers

100,000 deaths (estimated at this point) is an unbelievably high number to contemplate as the earthquake in Haiti is being called the single greatest natural disaster in recorded history.  Thoughts and prayers go out to all affected.

Soundtrack For Todaywww.redcross.org

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Spirits Having Flown


Maurice Gibb of The Bee Gees died 7 years ago today at the age of 53. Known as the quiet one of the group he was once married to British singer Lulu (To Sir With Love - #1; 1967) and was twin to brother Robin. His superb musical arrangement skills and contribution to their intricate harmonies completed the Bee Gees distinctive sound.

Soundtrack For Today: Too Much Heaven by the Brothers Gibb - #1 30 years ago today.


Monday, January 11, 2010

Happy Birthday to The Big Man

Turning 68 is the great E Street-er, Clarence Clemons. Clarence may be Bruce Springsteen's sax player but he also managed to have his own hit back in 1985. Entitled You're A Friend Of Mine, it climbed into the top 20 by early 1986 and features backing vocals by Jackson Browne & Daryl Hannah (of Splash fame.)

Soundtrack For Today: The Boss

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Introducing The Beatles is the title of the first Beatles album released in the United States on this date in 1964. This album was released on the Vee-Jay records label just a few days before Capitol Records' first U.S. Beatles release entitled Meet The Beatles.

It's highly collectible not so much for it's content but for it's many tracking and packaging variations due to multiple pressings that resulted over legal disputes between Capitol/EMI and Vee-Jay.

This album has never been officially released on CD (and probably won't be) but here's a look at the track listing of songs that premiered the Fab Four to U.S. teenagers of the mid-60s:

Side 1

1. I Saw Her Standing There (commences w/ 4!; omitting 1-2-3)
2. Misery
3. Anna (Go to Him)
4. Chains
5. Boys
6. Love Me Do <Ask Me Why on version two>

Side 2

1. P.S. I Love You <Please Please Me on version two>
2. Baby It's You
3. Do You Want to Know a Secret
4. A Taste of Honey
5. There's a Place
6. Twist and Shout

Soundtrack For Today: 1 by the Beatles

Saturday, January 9, 2010

#9

iTunes turns 9 today!

Hard to imagine how we managed our music before! No more CDs, cassettes and 8 tracks (?!) littering the dashboard.

Soundtrack For Today
: Joan Baez (69), Buster Poindexter (aka David Johansen - 60), Crystal Gayle (59), Steve Harwell of Smashmouth (43) & A.J. Mclean of the Backstreet Boys (32) - all birthday celebrants today.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Calling Elvis...

They are celebrating at Graceland tonight - today would have been Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday. Elvis died long before his time at the age of 42 in 1977 but left a musical and cultural legacy that will live long into and beyond the 21st century.

And although Mariah Carey was the first to surpass Elvis with most #1 singles and Madonna out-scored the King with most top 10 hits (both in 2008) they achieve these records largely by benefit of still having active recording careers. But with a total of 101 charted singles, it will take a long time for these two or anyone else to overthrow the King Of Rock & Roll.

Soundtrack For Today
: Walking In Memphis by Marc Cohn

Like A Rolling Stone

Happy Birthday to Jann Wenner - publisher of Rolling Stone magazine who turned 64 today and Kenny Loggins who turned 62.

Soundtrack For Today
: The Rolling Stones and Caddyshack!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

And The Beat Goes On...

Hard to believe, but it was 12 years ago today that Sonny Bono died tragically while skiing at Lake Tahoe.

Soundtrack For Today: Believe by Cher

Monday, January 4, 2010

Engagements

Congratulations to newly engaged couples over the past holiday season.

Planning your wedding has now begun!! Although it's a time-consuming process, it doesn't have to be that stressful once you've got a few major puzzle-pieces locked into place.

Your entertainment choice is one of those pieces, as your DJ/MC plays one of the most crucial roles at your reception - making the event flow! How does this all come about? I work with you in advance of your big day to make sure all details are discovered, documented and finally, executed in a smooth and professional manner come your wedding day.

Over the next few posts, I'll go over other planning hints. In the meantime, please visit my web site at djChrisPickett.com to view a video and learn more about why Chris Pickett Disc Jockey Service is the Soundtrack To Your Wedding Day! 


Soundtrack For Today: Holiday Music (one more time before tossing out the tree!)

Sunday, January 3, 2010

3 down...

Hard to believe the holidays are over. Looking forward to the new year and being the Soundtrack To Your Next Event!

Soundtrack For Today
: Private Lightning

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Clocking In at #1...

Ke$ha both rang out 2009 and started the clock of the new decade in the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with her debut single TiK ToK.


Ke$ha's full name is Kesha Rose Sebert and she first appeared on the charts on Flo-Rida's #1 2009 hit Right Round which is a remake/adaptation of Dead Or Alive's hit You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) from 1985.

With a new album due out later this year, Ke$ha's time has come.


Soundtrack For Today:
American Top 40

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy 2010!


Soundtrack For Today
: Wasn't That A Party by the Rovers (at a very low volume, thank you.)