By Craig Michaels
He was born just a stone’s throw from the Coachella Valley in the City of Banning. Anthony Ward and his grandparents moved to the Torres Martinez Reservation in Thermal, when he was seven. He gives credit for many of his accomplishments to his grandparents Joyce and Lloyd who have raised him since birth. His grandparents have also helped push and encourage Ward in his DJ career.
While attending Coachella Valley High School, Ward recalls his love for music; “I use to always take a backpack full of tapes with songs that I had recorded from the radio. I always carried my black Sony Walkman with the Sony ear buds. Music was always something I was always interested in.”
At 17, Ward began helping some of his friends set and DJ mobile gigs. He would eventually try DJing but admits his first attempt was an eye opener for him; “I remember that day, I was terrible at it but that made me want to practice.” Ward began performing at parties for the Torres Martinez Tribe which he is a member of. After graduating from Coachella Valley High School in 2001, he continued to grow his mobile DJ business performing for other Native Americans tribes in Southern California and Arizona.
Like any good DJ, Ward can read the crowd and play to his audience but if he had to choose a favorite, he would have to pick classic hip hop old school; “I try to play the songs you don’t hear anymore but still get people dancing,” Ward explains. If there’s one lesson he has learned it is, you can’t please everyone!
After 15 years in the business, Ward has dabbled in doing guest appearances in night clubs but keeps most of weekends open for private gigs which pay better. Ward stays busy and continues to learn from other Valley DJ’s such as Michael Wright, DJ Pwee, DJLF and DJ Chase Martinez. His future plans include offering video mixing to his clients.
If you would like to contact DJ Ward for a party or an event you can reach him by e-mail at: trusound1@hotmail.com
Written By: Craig Michaels
Craig Michaels Productions
(760) 880-3848
