All Request DJ’s is owned and operated by David Cronk from Oshkosh. He has been entertaining guests at a variety of events for over 20 years throughout the state.

“I wanted to be a DJ since I was 12 years old. I turned my bedroom closet into a disc jockey booth. I would sit for hours and hours in that closet everyday and play vinyl 45’s and make announcements between songs. I had two separate record players with built in speakers that would allow me to play music continuously.  Looking back on it now, it sounds pretty dumb, but I really was interested in music and I had a great imagination. My mom would hear me talking through the bedroom wall and always ask me who I was talking to. It kept me busy for hours on end. As funny as it all sounds, it gave me experience mixing music and matching tempos. I also studied the music and musicians behind the music; I knew more about popular music than any other kid and most adults in town. Those are vital parts of being a DJ.”

As he grew older and started working during high school, David started buying better sound equipment and more records. By the time he was 16, he had high quality equipment he could use at parties and other events. “Word got around about my skills and I started being asked to DJ for college formals, high school dances and birthday parties. When I was 18 or 19 I was asked to DJ for the towns high school class of 1962 reunion. It was pretty strange playing music that was popular the year I was born. What was really cool was that one of the guy’s who was there co-wrote “Louie, Louie” by the Kingsmen. He was signing albums that classmates had brought with them.” At the age of 20, David enrolled in college and started working at the college radio station. “I remember having to audition for the station manager who was also the lead instructor for the broadcasting courses. He told me they were looking for someone to take over the stations jazz show. They wanted a fresh voice to get the program more listeners. He told me that if I would do the jazz show for one semester, he would let me do whatever kind of music show I wanted the following semester. I listened to some jazz, but wasn’t incredibly knowledgeable in the genre. The station manager introduced me to a fellow student that wanted to co-host the show. We became fast friends and did a lot of research and by the end of the semester, the jazz show was the number one listened to program on the campus station. True to his word, the manager let me have my own program which featured up and coming musical groups that were not popular at the time. Bands like the Police, U2, Elvis Costello, REM and Depeche Mode were featured regularly on my show. It was a few more years before they really became mega artists.”

During college and several years afterwards, David worked at several area night clubs. The night clubs were just starting to play music videos as well as standard audio tracks. Being a VJ (video jockey) took the job to another level. “I played in a club in Lake Geneva that featured a lot of dance/disco music. A few years later I moved north to the Fond du Lac area and worked at several different kinds of clubs. A couple nights a week I would work at the oldies bar, playing 60’s and 70’s.  Another night I’d play at a bar where harder rock and heavy metal was more popular. Occasionally I’d play at another club where it was more current dance music and disco. I was playing to many kinds of crowds and had to keep them all happy. It was a challenge sometimes, but being familiar with different musical genres made it much easier.”

After over 20 years, David is still going strong and playing to older and younger crowds.
“I’ve been doing a lot of school dances around the area the last few years. I have to stay in tune with what the kids like and that means listening to a variety of radio stations. I don’t always particularly like some of today’s artists, but I am not at an event to play what I like. I’m there to entertain the guests and I use my musical “sensibility” to keep everyone happy. Some of today’s music presents challenges in that today’s kids are into types of music that isn’t always “kid friendly”. Lyrics have gotten really explicit and even songs played on the radio to a mass audience have a harder edge and very adult subjects. I take all that into consideration when I’m at an event. Everything I play is edited for radio. There isn’t profanity in anything I play as the radio edits take vulgar lyrics out. I figure if they can listen to it on the radio, its okay to play at a school dance or wedding.  I try to honor any request, but I always keep in mind the type of event it is and what the hosts have set as guidelines.”