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DJ Spoony

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This article is about the British DJ. For the American football player, see Johnathan Joseph.
Not to be confused with DJ Spooky.

DJ Spoony
BEM
Born
John St John Joseph

(1970-06-25) 25 June 1970 (age 54)
Hackney, London, England
Occupations
  • DJ
  • radio presenter
  • TV presenter
Years active1996–present
Websitedjspoony.com

John St John Joseph BEM (born 25 June 1970[1]), also known as Johnathan Joseph and professionally as DJ Spoony, is a British DJ, radio and television presenter. He is a member of the UK garage production trio, the Dreem Teem.

Early career

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Dj Spoony was born in Hackney, East London[2] to British West Indian parents. His career started on London Underground (a leading pirate radio station in the mid-nineties), forming the trio the Dreem Teem with Mikee B (of Top Buzz) and Timmi Magic. With the Dreem Teem, he joined Kiss 100 in December 1997, followed by bringing UK garage nationally to BBC Radio 1 in January 2000. They went on to win a prestigious Sony Award in their first year.[3]

DJ Spoony was a resident DJ at the UK's top garage and R&B club night 'Twice as Nice' for 7 years, mixing and compiling three gold selling compilation albums for the brand. He has had residencies in Ibiza and Ayia Napa for over 10 years as well as making annual visits to many other Mediterranean islands.

Solo radio work

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He went on to host the Weekend Breakfast show on Radio 1 between October 2003 and September 2006. Listeners could join the Early Doors Club, play Judge Fudge, and become a Local Legend. Another long-running feature was Mills & Spoon (a nameplay on the Mills & Boon books), in which Scott Mills read out love stories every Sunday. On 31 July 2006, the BBC announced that Spoony was to leave Radio 1 after six years with the station to concentrate on Five Live work. His early breakfast slot was replaced by Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates.[4] Spoony presented his final Radio 1 show on 17 September 2006.

He then commenced hosting 606 on Radio 5 Live as well as 'Spoony Meets...', a series of shows in which he interviewed various personalities from British football, including Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and David Beckham.

Between 2014 and 2017, he hosted a UK garage show on Rinse FM.

Spoony joined Radio 2 with a new show in February 2019. On 25 October 2021, he stood in for Steve Wright for one day only.[5] He has also deputised for Ken Bruce and Craig Charles on the station. On 22 July 2022, DJ Spoony joined BBC Radio 2 permanently and can be heard every Friday from 9-11pm with his show ‘The Good Groove’[6] He now deputises for Scott Mills and Trevor Nelson on their regular shows.

Television work

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In 2006, Spoony took part in the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnering with Ola Jordan. They were eliminated in the third week of the competition. He also appeared on The Weakest Link and A Question of Sport, and was a winning contestant on the celebrity version of quiz Mastermind, choosing "The Life and Times of Ray Charles" as his specialist subject.[7]

He is a host for Premier League TV's Fanzone as well as Weekend Warm Up broadcasting worldwide from the UK. He has been a part of the presentation team for 7 years.

Other media work

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According to Spoony, he has hosted 'many red carpet' movie premières in London, interviewing the cast of films such as SpiderMan, Bad Boys 2, Hancock, Rambo and Men in Black 3. His love of sport has earned him roles working alongside the organising committee for the Olympic Games 2012 in football (soccer) and basketball. In June 2008, he was one of the celebrities who took part in a "six pack in six weeks" challenge for the magazine Men's Health.

Spoony has played DJ sets at rugby league events such as the Magic Weekend and Super League Grand Final. For the 2015 Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford (the home of Manchester United), self-confessed Liverpool FC fan Spoony played their famous anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" as part of his set.[8] He was the stadium DJ when Carl Froch fought George Groves at Wembley Stadium in 2014. He has hosted the Annual P.F.A Awards and in 2021 the M.I.Ts awarding a Life Time Achievement award to Pete Tong.

Honours

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Spoony was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to charities through music during Covid-19.[9]

Personal life

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Spoony enjoys playing golf and is a big fan of sport in general. He supports Liverpool F.C. He has played several times in the Gary Player Invitational charity golf series to raise funds for children around the world, and won the competition in 2009. Spoony is also good friends with golfer Ian Poulter and DJ'd at his wedding at Woburn Sculpture Gallery in 2007.[10][11]

He has combined his love of golf and enjoyment supporting worthwhile causes by organising an annual golf tournament at Stoke Park Club, Buckinghamshire, for The Golf Roots Foundation.[2] This event has been running since 2002 and is always shown on Sky Sports.[12][13]

In 2009, Spoony became the first patron of the Jude Brady Foundation; the foundation was set up by a friend to help raise awareness of still birth in the UK after his son was still born in June 2006. Spoony has worked tirelessly since becoming a patron and helped organise a charity golf day and gala ball for the foundation in 2010.[14]

He has two daughters.

Discography

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Studio albums

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Mixes/compilations

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  • Twice as Nice / Twice as Nice Ayia Napa (1999), React
  • Twice as Nice pres. Essential Grooves (2003), Warner

Singles

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References

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  1. ^ "Whats On When - Thomas Cook - DJ Spoony". Whatsonwhen. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006.
  2. ^ a b "My Secret Life: DJ Spoony - The Independent". The Independent. 1 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Johnathan Joseph (AKA DJ Spoony) - MPC Entertainment". Mpce.com. 20 June 2022.
  4. ^ Radio 1 promotes Cotton and Yates BBC News, 31 July 2006
  5. ^ "DJ Spoony to make BBC Radio 2 debut - RadioToday". Radio Today. 7 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Major weekend schedule changes at BBC Radio 2 this summer - RadioToday". Radio Today. 8 June 2022.
  7. ^ "D.J. Spoony - IMDb". Internet Movie Database.
  8. ^ "'It didn't go down well' - Liverpool fanatic DJ Spoony on winding up Manchester United fans up at Old Trafford". Liverpool Echo. 10 March 2017.
  9. ^ "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N32.
  10. ^ "DJ Spoony: A day on the fairway, a night on the tiles - The Independent". The Independent. 8 June 2008.
  11. ^ "What would you save if your house was burning down?". The Guardian. 25 March 2007.
  12. ^ "Golf Business News - DJ Spoony supports Golf Roots at The Open". Golfbusinessnews. 24 July 2007.
  13. ^ "Spoony stirs up urban scene". Golfbusinessnews. 15 November 2005.
  14. ^ "Golfshake Exclusive - Interview with DJ Spoony". Golfshake. 24 August 2011.
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