Meet Chris McCoy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris McCoy.

Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story begins in my small hometown, Seneca, SC. I knew when I was young that I loved music more than the average kid, as I listened to Michael Jackson’s Thriller on vinyl until the record was completely worn. My career in music started in 1999 once I received my first set of turntables off layaway, as DJ gear was crazy expensive back then. I didn’t know it would transition into a 150 event per year business.

My first regular DJ residency was at Overtime in Clemson in 2000. I barely knew how to mix music at that point but I’ve always had a knack for picking songs to get the crowd moving. I’ve always had to have control of the music at parties, even before I was a DJ. After 2 years of practice I entered a DJ Battle in Greenville, SC held by the legendary DJ Scientist. I finished second and was devastated;  ultimately driving me to move to Charleston to chase my dreams of bigger events as a DJ.

I can’t list all the residencies I’ve had in Charleston, as it’s too many to recall. I was the resident DJ at Club Light and Trio, and this exposure gave rise to my name DJ Rehab, a homage to my career in Cardiac Rehab at Roper Hospital. It wasn’t long before my remixes and mixtapes made their way throughout the world and my skills were sharpened into a high-level event DJ.

I was very fortunate to win every local DJ battle I entered for the next few years and at this point, I was selected for the Red Bull Freestyle National DJ competition in Charlotte. This was the absolute highlight of my career! But also where began to pivot to the wedding industry as I was aging. Club DJing is taxing on your health, and I’m very passionate about my health.

I started Rehab Events in 2015 with a focus on providing club level DJ skills to the booming Charleston wedding scene.

Wedding DJs have a pretty bad reputation and I wanted to give clients an experience unparalleled by traditional standards. I began to DJ roughly 10 weddings a year for the first 2 years and that transitioned to 30 or so for a couple of years. 2019 was Rehab Events’ breakout year as I booked 60 weddings and was primed for even bigger things. Then Covid hit and the entire wedding industry was crushed for 6 months. I was devastated as I had to refund 20 wedding deposits as well as lose another 10 weddings due to scheduling conflicts.

It wasn’t until 2021 that I was back on my feet and this was the first year I broke 75 events and now in 2022 I will DJ just under 80 weddings! What a ride. I also started a photo booth business called The Charleston Mirror Booth in 2019 and it has been very successful for me. I have an amazing team that helps me run that side of my hustle. We will do over 70 weddings with the photo booths as well. I have so much gratitude for the people of Charleston and I simply love it here.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like any small business, I’ve had struggles. Covid was very difficult and I’ve also had DJ gear stolen. I’m also a huge introvert and this presents a challenge with stage fright.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would say I’m most known for my remixes and my DJ mixes. I learned the art of remixing songs many years ago, and I use my skill to bring classic wedding music up to par with new music production. Many DJs use my remixes at events and weddings. This is the highest compliment as a producer and I’m so thankful.

I’m most proud of my work ethic, my ability to persevere through tragedy and loss to be successful in my field.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
For those starting out in the music/DJ business, my advice is to network with professionals in your chosen field. I have several planners that help me get more weddings than I could possibly DJ. Also, you have to out-work everyone. Simply being talented is not enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: djrehab.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djrehabevents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RehabEventsCharleston
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSUtftD5MRnhGryoxKcWkUQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thedjrehab
• Other: https://www.thecharlestonmirrorbooth.com/

Image Credits
Bethany Marzullo
Sarah Nelson