March 5th – Grand Wizzard Theodore was born Theodore Livingston in The Bronx, New York, on this day in 1963.
Theodore was an apprentice under Grandmaster Flash who had a DJ mobile sound for hire with Theodore’s older brother Mean Gene.
Flash and Theodore were both forbidden by Gene to allow Theodore to touch the DJ equipment, but Flash would secretly allow Theodore to experiment with the turntables and mixer and in that process Theodore invented the scratch as well as the looped break-beat needle drop which was the earliest form of manual sampling.
Theodore was a part of The Fantastic Five who later changed their name to The Fantastic Freaks and he also appeared with them in the 1983 First Run Features film “Wild Style”, a hip-hop celluloid classic.
The Fantastic Five released an underground classic 12 inch single in 1980 called “Can I Get A Soul Clap” on Tuff City Records.
Grand Wizzard Theodore continues to spin records and electrify audiences around the world until this day.
