Many people might not recognize the name Grandwizard Theodore the way they do Grandmaster Flash, but every DJ who has ever played a turntable has been influenced by him. The Grandwizard invented the famous and influential techniques of scratching and needle dropping during the foundational period of hip-hop in 1970s New York. Theodore has attended the Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival three times, the 3rd festival in 2008, the 8th in 2013, and the 15th in 2021. Today, Grandwizard Theodore remains an early DJ whose creativity gave hip-hop one of its most distinctive sounds, and whose innovative techniques can still be heard everywhere.
Theodore Livingston was born in Harlem on March 5, 1963. His family soon relocated to the Bronx. In his youth, Theodore would spend hours in his room listening to records. One summer in the mid-1970s, his mother started banging on his door because he was playing his music too loud. The record moved when he placed his hand on it to stop the sound, creating a scratching noise. He thought the sound was interesting and incorporated it into his sets. This became the “scratching” technique that most DJ sets almost seem inadequate without.
On August 18, 1977, Grandwizard Theodore revealed his scratching and needle drop techniques to a public audience for the first time. He played his set at an outdoor party in the Bronx, where some of the most innovative DJ’s of the early hip-hop era were getting started. Grandwizard Theodore soon started playing with Grandmaster Flash and the L brothers, which included his two brothers. From the late 1970s on, Theodore played an integral role in hip-hop’s evolution. In the summer of 1981, he participated in the legendary battle between the Cold Crush Brothers and the Fantastic Romantic Five. Theodore released his most well-known song, “Can I Get a Soul Clap,” in 1982. He also contributed to the soundtrack of Wild Style, which was a feature about early hip-hop.
In 2002, Theodore was interviewed in a documentary called Scratch, about the beginnings of hip-hop. He was also inducted into the Technics DJ Hall of Fame, which is an honor since Technics made some of the best early turntables that were used in hip-hop music. He has also been a central part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Hip-Hop Conference, which was a groundbreaking recognition of the significance of hip-hop in popular American music. At the Trinity Hip-Hop Festival in 2008, Theodore was on a panel called “Born in the Bronx: A Discussion on the Origins of Hip Hop” and in 2013 he judged the DMC DJ contest alongside DJ P-Money and DJ Precision. At the 2021 festival, he performed as part of the DJ showcase, which was done virtually due to COVID-19. He played alongside DJs from Singapore, France, Canada, and the Philippines. Regardless of what he does from here on out, DJ Grandwizard Theodore will always be revered as the artist who introduced hip-hop to one of its most unique and trademark sounds.