DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeffrey Allen Townes (born January 22, 1965), known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff (or simply Jazz), is an American disc jockey (DJ), record producer, songwriter, and actor. He was a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince with Will Smith. He is credited, along with DJs Spinbad and Cash Money, with making the transformer scratch famous. Early life and initial career. Townes was born on January 22, 1965, in Philadelphia. Early on, he developed a reputation and a following as a school and block party DJ. He was ten years old when he first became interested  in being a DJ. He told author Paul Stenning, "At summer time block parties I wouldn't be the one dancing, I sat where the DJ was set up, watching him. Even when I would go to other block parties in other neighborhoods I was still infatuated with the DJ. He was the guy that played music that everyone in the neighborhood loved. You might not have known his face, you might not have known his name but he was the guy that made everyone move." He took the stage name DJ Jazzy Jeff. He was one half of the  duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, along with Will Smith. The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand", though their most successful single was "Summertime" which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Career. Acting. When Smith branched out into television with the sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Jazzy Jeff played a character named Jazz, Smith's best friend on the show. Jazzy Jeff was initially a recurring character in the first season, but became a regular  shortly thereafter. In the early seasons, the two characters always greeted each other with their signature handshake (swinging mid-five, point-back, snap with both characters saying "Pssh!"). A running joke throughout the show's run involved the character being physically ejected from the house by Uncle Phil (James Avery), most often using the same footage for comedic effect, but sometimes filming new footage instead. Jazz had an unrequited crush on Hillary Banks (played by Karyn Parsons). Music. One of the first records DJ Jazzy Jeff ever appeared on was with the Korner Boyz (Street Artz Records) and their songs  Bust the Move and "The Saga of Roxanne", which featured legendary Philadelphia rappers MC Parry P and Grand Tone. The instrumental was called "Jazzy Jeff Scratch" (1985). As a duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince had several gold and platinum-selling albums and singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, earning them the first rap Grammy Award ever presented in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand". At the time of winning the Grammy Award, DJ Jazzy Jeff came home crying as he had just $500 in the bank. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince also won  a second Grammy for "Summertime". After DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince broke up, Townes went on to become a prominent R&B, soul, and neo soul record producer, establishing the A Touch of Jazz production company in his native Philadelphia. Among the artists that Jazzy Jeff has helped develop are Eric Roberson, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Eminem, the Roots, Raheem DeVaughn, Darius Rucker, Talib Kweli, Floetry, Rhymefest, and many more. Despite separating from Will Smith as a music partner, they remain close friends and occasionally work together. Some songs by Smith were produced by Townes, and he has performed on  some songs by Smith such as "So Fresh" and "Potnas". In addition, he appeared in several of Smith's music videos such as "Will2K" and "Freakin' It". On some occasions, he made appearances with Smith at live concerts, producing DJ scratches. On July 2, 2005, DJ Jazzy Jeff performed with Smith at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Moreover, Smith acknowledges him in his music such as "Comin' to the Stage" from the album "Lost and Found" and "Potnas" from his album "Willennium". His 2007 release "The Return of the Magnificent" featured numerous collaborations with old school and new  school artists including CL Smooth, Big Daddy Kane, Pos from De La Soul, Method Man, Peedi Peedi (a remake of "Brand New Funk"), Rhymefest, and Raheem DeVaughn. In 2007, he appeared with Rhymefest in a video directed by Konee Rok, in which he makes music in his home recording studio with Rhymefest. In 2008, Townes performed with Smith at the premiere of the latter's 2008 film "Hancock". In 2009, he made a mixtape titled "He's the King...I'm the DJ" in honor of the late entertainer Michael Jackson. Townes was featured in the video game "DJ Hero" as  a playable character. He also has some original mixes in the game. In 2010, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick (formerly known as Mick Boogie) teamed up to release the "Summertime: The Mixtape" series. The mixes are released every summer. In 2013, DJ Jazzy Jeff performed with Will Smith on "The Graham Norton Show". Also that same year, DJ Jazzy Jeff released "Vinyl Destination", a web series documenting his hundred plus DJ shows from all around the world. He also appeared as the lead interview in Paul Stenning's book "Success - By Those Who've Made It". In 2015, he performed  the scratch overdubs for the film "Straight Outta Compton". In August 2017, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith performed two shows in Europe: MTV Summerblast Music Festival in Croatia and the Livewire Festival in Blackpool. Personal life. DJ Jazzy Jeff has two sons. He married Lynette C. Jackson in Jamaica on July 31, 2010.