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A spirit that is not afraid

The magic of Ozz: 36 years and still spinnin'

DJ Ozz performed at the 10th annual Daddy-Daughter dance. "Those are my favorite dances," Ozz said. (Courtesy of DJ Ozz)
DJ Ozz performed at the 10th annual Daddy-Daughter dance. "Those are my favorite dances," Ozz said. (Courtesy of DJ Ozz)

Charles Barkley can tell you who his favorite disc jockey in Auburn is, because Barkley used to crash at his apartment in the '80s and watch him box in the Coliseum.

Ralph 'Shug' Jordan, Doug Barfield, Pat Dye and Tommy Tuberville have all known him on a first-name basis. Chizik received a plate of cookies from him each Saturday during football seasons, until scheduling conflicts arose.

Michael David Calton, better known as DJ Ozz, acknowledges that in his 36 years performing in Auburn, he's met all the superstars: Bo Jackson, Kevin Greene, Charles Barkley and Chuck Person, to name a few.

And yet, his 57-year-old balding head hasn't grown any larger.

"Just about every way that I can reach out to communities with music, I've been blessed to be a part of," Ozz said.

From 13-year-old birthday parties to founding the ever-popular Daddy-Daughter dances in Auburn and Opelika, Ozz has tried to DJ it all.

But for someone who's been a visible part of the Auburn-Opelika community for so long, there's definitely a thing or two residents don't know about Ozz.

"I used to do intramural boxing as part of The A Club," Ozz said. "We'd get 20,000 people in the bottom of the Coliseum, all there to see guys beat the heck out of each other. I was pretty fit, so I was OK."

While he bleeds orange and blue, Ozz was born in Houston, and lived with his family in Birmingham and Phenix City before landing in Auburn in time for him to enroll in Auburn High School.

Ozz said that his nickname arose from first being called "Wiz kid" by a football coach for his smart mouth. Later, peers adapted it into "Ozz," and the name stuck.

"The only person who still calls me Michael is my brother," Ozz said. "My friends call me Ozz. My wife calls me Ozz. Everybody does."

Even on his mortgage, Ozz said that all his official documents usually contain "a.k.a. Ozz" at the end.

What is now Bourbon Street used to be a bar called Courtney's, where Ozz first started performing professionally in 1977.

"It was disco back then, the first disco place," Ozz said. "I had to bid with the DJ who was already there for a time slot."

Ozz's nickname then took on a professionally appropriate tone when he started working at a new record store in Auburn called Oz for Music, owned by Emerald City Records in Atlanta. Ozz pursued the job to get a discount on music, and because of his yellow-brick road-decorated Converse shoes, the owner obliged.

At the time, he was studying communications/public relations at Auburn, but he couldn't find a job. The owner at Oz for Music offered to let him run a store in California, but he declined in order to take care of his ill mother and continue to DJ.

"I couldn't find a job, and so my mother said 'honey, do what you love,'" Ozz said. "I told her I'd try as best I could."

From there, Ozz said his glory days were spent from 1981-85 at a bar called The Hungry Hunter on Opelika Highway, a big hangout for the majority of athletes.

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It was at The Hungry Hunter that Ozz bestowed mercy upon a dancing Bo Jackson with two left feet.

"He was losing so bad to another guy in a dance contest," Ozz said. "I said 'Bo, you got to do something,' so he went back out there and ripped his shirt off and flexed. The whole place went crazy. He won."

After The Hungry Hunter, Ozz played a variety of venues around town before hosting karaoke nights at Bourbon Street in the mid-'90s.

"Heath Evans used to come by a lot," Ozz said. "He'd sing 'Ice, Ice, Baby' by Vanilla Ice and just break it down. All his friends would dance behind him, and people just loved it. You don't see too much of that anymore."

After Bourbon Street, a friend at Quixote's suggested Ozz try out for a permanent weekly spot.

Since 2007, Ozz has been known as the Wednesday resident DJ of Quixote's, where Ozz said he will stay as long as he can.

Having DJed 461 weddings in his career, Ozz said that eight of those couples met since he's been at Quixote's.

"I have people come up to me all the time and say 'we met when you played our song,'" Ozz said. "Usually with a little prodding, I can remember what it is."

Many venues in Auburn have some mark left by Ozz, such as the "love booth" at Niffer's, where Ozz proposed to his wife, Karen.

"Niffer's is one of my favorite places to eat, and I've been doing their Christmas parties for over 19 years," Ozz said. "I proposed to my wife in one of their booths; it has a special place in my heart."

Tyler Bowden, Auburn University alumnus and graduate of Auburn High, said he remembers Ozz performing at a variety of school functions in Auburn, including his senior prom.

"He was always at our dances," Bowden said. "You knew if there was an event to expect some Ozz."

Quentin Torbert, junior in business management and graduate of Opelika High, said Ozz is a down-to-earth person and well-liked entertainer in many communities.

"I feel like everybody loves DJ Ozz," Torbert said. "He's so approachable. I see people walk up to him and have conversations all the time. He's DJed my dances from middle school to college now. It's like we all grew up with him."

Torbert thinks most students appreciate how Ozz keeps up with new music trends.

"Even for his age, he knows all the new stuff to play," Torbert said. "He also knows when to go old-school, balance it out."

Ozz said he studies all sections the Billboard 100 and Top Hits USA every Monday morning so that he can stay relevant with his sets.

"There's not any section you can beat me in," Ozz said. "I've lived my music and studied it as well."

He acknowledges that most people his age are slowing down, not looking for opportunities to speed up and stay up late.

"Most people my age are in bed by 8 p.m.," Ozz said. "Last night, I got into bed at 2:45 a.m., but it doesn't bother me because I've been doing it all these years. If that what makes my audience happy, I'm there for them."

Ozz's personal philosophy is to make his crowd have as much fun as possible and to constantly keep the number of people on the dance floor high. He only plays edited music and stays away from music with "a bad message."

"Sometimes guys will get on me for playing 'N Sync or Backstreet Boys," Ozz said. "Then I tell them to look at the 40 or 50 girls that just went screaming onto the dance floor. If the girls are happy, then the guys are happy."

The only criticism fans seem to have of Ozz is a lack of incorporating listener requests into sets.

"Sometimes people don't realize that when they ask me for certain songs, especially if they're dirty, I can't play them," Ozz said. "At schools and other events, I have to follow the guidelines of where I'm at."

Ozz said he sincerely tries to honor listener requests to the best of his abilities.

"I get put in tough situations sometimes," Ozz said. "I'd like to play every song requested, but I also would not like to get fired or offend someone."

For now, Ozz reaffirms that he's been doing what he loves for 36 years and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. However, he's always admired the job of fellow classmate, Jordan-Hare Stadium announcer Ric Smith.

"I still have a dream of being an announcer at the stadium or some other sporting event," Ozz said. "I'd say 'Auburn Tigers, it's time to get up!' and then play four or five songs to get them pumped. That would be my dream."

Ozz is confident that his goodwill will continue to be spread around Auburn and other communities, as long as there is music to bring people together.

"The best thing that I can reflect on is how many people have told me 'you made a difference for me at Auburn, you helped me have fun,'" Ozz said. "I'll never have a star or banner like the big guys, but my greatest gift is to know that I can go anywhere: Auburn, Opelika, Beauregard, Smiths Station... and have a friend or help somebody."

For event requests or quotes, Ozz can be contacted at djozz1@hotmail.com or 334-559-4699.


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