At the tender age of 14 I was asked by my best mate if I wanted to go to a concert. Music was always very important to me, but that night changed my idea of what music was and how it could make you feel. The band in question was Thin Lizzy.

I have so many memories of the force that was Phil Lynott and his fellow band members, but I also remember wanting to be even half as cool as the much older rockers, who attended in their thousands, all clad in denim, patches everywhere, long hair – you get the idea.

Thus, my journey as a rocker began.

I really went for it and attended every single concert I could get tickets for. It just had to be heavy; “none of this fluffy pop stuff.” I saw many of the greats. If they were any form of rock or metal and were appearing at the Oxford Apollo, I was there. I did have quite a few friends who had completely different tastes, but I identified as a rocker. If you know me now, and my particular tastes, you will possibly find this a jarring vision: me in a leather jacket with a denim billet covered in the badges of my favourite acts, complete with beyond-shoulder-length hair. You can’t unsee that now, can you? Apologies.

But then, one day, my journey changed and my tastes evolved and I now love music in so many different forms it seems ridiculous. And that change was triggered by Run-DMC. My first encounter of them hit me like a truck. They took the genre I lived for and combined it with one that I didn’t ever listen to (hip-hop), and made songs that were so infectious, so very impossible to ignore, that they marked a complete shift in my life as a fan of music. However, unlike all my rock gods, Run-DMC wasn’t a band who would ever appear in Oxford. So, I was delighted when I did finally get to witness them live. Well, almost.

Fast forward to March 2019. The setting is the Mobile Beat conference in Las Vegas where, to my amazement, DMC were appearing! Hang on, I thought, it’s Run-DMC isn’t it? Where is Run? If ever there was a case of simply forgetting about the artists you love as their popularity declines, this was one. It seemed that news of Run’s demise had bypassed me.

The Rise

Run-DMC formed in 1981 and emerged from Hollis, Queens, New York. The group was comprised of Joseph ‘Run’ Simmons, Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels, and Jason ‘Jam Master Jay’ Mizell. Their groundbreaking style and innovative approach to hip-hop made them pioneers in the genre, and Run-DMC's journey from the streets of Queens to global superstardom is a testament to their talent, innovation, and influence. Their self-titled debut album in 1984 marked a huge turning point for hip-hop, with the group breaking barriers and setting new standards in the genre, leaving an indelible mark on the wider music industry.
Run-DMC’s raw, minimalist beats combined with powerful lyrical delivery differentiated them from the more disco-influenced rap of the era. Hits like ‘It's Like That’ and ‘Sucker M.C.’s’ genuinely moved the needle and made me feel something I hadn’t in a long time – enjoyment from music that wasn’t firmly in the ‘rock’ category.

They were among the first to blend hip-hop with rock, most notably with their 1986 hit ‘Walk This Way’ featuring Aerosmith. Now, being...



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