While Nicky Siano, Francis Grosso, and the like cemented their names as pioneers of the nightclub scene, and DJs like Kool Herc and Pete Jones paved the way for hip hop, there is a cast of characters who don’t fit neatly into either narrative.
Particularly in hip hop, where the Bronx is often viewed as the be-all and end-all of the culture’s early development, DJs from the other boroughs have too often been forgotten, erased from history, or simply misrepresented.
That is the story of the first Grandmaster—a DJ who, before any other, had an outsized impact on the innovations that shaped hip hop and DJing at large. So why is he so often reduced to a footnote?
Founding Fathers of Hip Hop
For one, he was from Brooklyn. For another, he was past the peak of his popularity by the late 1970s. And perhaps most tragically, he passed away in 1992, leaving no opportunity to defend or preserve his own legacy.
This is the story of the late, great Grandmaster Flowers.
Jonathan Flowers hailed from the Farragut Houses in Brooklyn, and his name first appeared in stylewriting around the mid-1960s, often as Flowers & Dice. His debut as a DJ likely came around the same time, but it wasn’t until the late ’60s that flyers and firsthand accounts began documenting Grandmaster Flowers in full effect.
This was a fascinating period in the evolution of DJing. Most venues weren’t yet equipped with their own sound systems, so a DJ’s reputation depended just as much on the quality of his sound system as it did on his skills behind the turntables and the depth of his record collection.
Grandmaster Flowers emerged during DJing’s infancy and stood at the forefront of many early innovations. He was part of the first wave of mobile DJs during the 1960s, as venues increasingly transitioned from live bands to DJs. Alongside King Charles, Flowers rode the crest of that movement.
His reputation quickly spread. In 1968, he became the opening DJ for James Brown’s show at Yankee Stadium, an achievement few DJs of the era could claim.
By the end of the decade, Flowers was also among the first DJs to bring recorded music and sound-system culture to Carnival, replacing traditional Caribbean instrumentation with booming speakers and carefully selected records. Alongside Starlight Disco, he helped unite New York’s West Indian and African American communities while laying the foundation for the city’s modern Carnival sound.
Grandmaster Flowers: The Greatest DJ We Never Talk About
There are, of course, endless debates about who accomplished what first. What we can confidently say is that Grandmaster Flowers was the first DJ many people ever witnessed performing with two turntables. While he may not have invented every technique credited to him, his popularity introduced countless DJs to innovations that would later become standard.
For many, he was the first DJ they saw performing with two turntables, the first to integrate elaborate lighting into a mobile DJ setup, and one of the earliest entertainers to transform DJing into a complete live experience.
While researching Flowers, I came across interviews with DJs Tony Smith and Ron Plummer. Both moved in the same circles as Flowers and offered valuable firsthand accounts that helped explain why he earned the title of Grandmaster before anyone else.
When Tony Smith was asked what Flowers was like, he replied:
“He was the best, but he was the most egotistical, too. He was a bastard. He just wasn’t nice to you. He wanted to be so exclusive. He wanted to be the best, and I guess he thought that’s the way he had to be.”
DJ Ron Plummer echoed that sentiment, describing Flowers as both incredibly talented and completely aware of it.
“If you didn’t know about that arrogance and you listened to the music—and you were into the funk, the West Coast stuff, the rock stuff—you really thought he was god-like. Fantastic. So a lot of people thought he was better than anyone else.
Flowers was sort of like a Jimi Hendrix. He would do everything, and you were always learning from him. Flowers was probably the most extreme example I remember of somebody who simply knew they were that good.”
Tony Smith also shed light on a practice that was common in Jamaica but rarely discussed in early New York DJ culture.
“They used to cross the records out so if you looked, you couldn’t even see what the record was. I started doing that too… Especially with exclusive records that you knew people were going to ask about. Maboya and Smith Brothers were definitely more friendly. Flowers had the best music, though. He had a really great sound system.”
The technique wasn’t quite as effective as it had been during the 1950s with Coxsone Dodd’s Downbeat Sound System in Jamaica. By the 1970s, keeping a record secret for years had become nearly impossible, but DJs still did everything they could to protect their exclusives.
Grandmaster Flowers was among the first DJs to play outdoor park jams, and he built one of New York City’s earliest powerhouse mobile sound systems. He helped pioneer mobile DJing as an art form, embraced two turntables before many of his peers, and elevated the role of the DJ from someone who simply played records to someone who created an unforgettable live experience.
His accomplishments continued to stack up. He was one of the first DJs to soundtrack New York Carnival with recorded music, became the opening DJ for James Brown, and influenced an entire generation of selectors who would later shape hip hop culture. It’s an impressive list of achievements, so why isn’t Grandmaster Flowers discussed more often?
With many of hip hop’s earliest pioneers, history relies heavily on firsthand accounts. When it comes to Kool Herc or Grandmaster Flash, we often have their own recollections to help tell the story. Unfortunately, that’s something we don’t have with Flowers. After his passing in 1992, his legacy has depended entirely on those who were there to remember and document his contributions.
DJ Grandmaster Flowers Rare Cameo Interview
So why does Flowers seemingly disappear after the early 1970s?
His name appears on only a handful of flyers from the years that followed, and while a recording from around 1980 continues to circulate among collectors, his career had begun to fade just as DJs like Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, David Mancuso, and Francis Grosso were becoming household names within New York’s DJ community.
According to several accounts, Flowers struggled with drug addiction during the late 1970s and early 1980s. By then, much of the legendary record collection that helped build his reputation had reportedly been sold to support his habit.
DJ Ron Plummer recalled that friends tried to help him escape that downward spiral, but it often felt as though Flowers wasn’t interested in accepting the help that was offered.
As hip hop exploded into a worldwide movement, the culture continued to evolve without one of its earliest innovators. While others built upon many of the techniques Flowers helped popularize, his own story slowly faded into the background.
It’s a heartbreaking reminder that being first doesn’t always guarantee being remembered.
Grandmaster Flowers helped establish the blueprint for mobile DJing. He demonstrated the power of two turntables, built one of New York’s premier sound systems, elevated outdoor park jams, and inspired countless DJs who followed. Yet today, his name is rarely mentioned alongside the pioneers who benefited from the foundation he helped lay.
The admiration expressed by his peers speaks volumes. Long before “Grandmaster” became synonymous with hip hop, there was one DJ who had already earned the title through innovation, skill, and showmanship.
Before there was any other Grandmaster, there was Grandmaster Flowers—the First Grandmaster.
Grandmaster Flowers – Brooklyn Park Jam
This post was originally published on Claymore Sound. Written by Gregor Scott.
