Rick Wilhite
Rick ”the Godson“ Wilhite has dedicated his life to the music industry; whatever one wishes to know about Wilhite is conveyed through his music. His skill set includes DJ sets of R & B, Hip-Hop, Techno and Reggae but his “mojo” is House and Disco. A Detroit native, Rick learned at an early age that a career in music takes more than playing one’s favorite records. Multi-faceted crowd control, sound engineering and creative party promotion are what make him more than a Detroit DJ. With over two decades experience in playing clubs and parties 24-7, 365 makes the Godson one of Detroit’s best and most versatile DJ’s around. His venture to college in the south to Southern University allowed his skills to take the region to another level of Music. His DJ styles of House, Techno, Rap and R&B helped change the black college music scene across America. Beginning in high school, Wilhite also battled in contests against other well-respected DJ’s. He still impresses audiences today, and retains his undefeated status in the DJ community.
A 23-year professional within the music industry, Wilhite adds Music Historian, Salesperson, and Promoter to his list of accomplishments. During the early 80’s Wilhite worked for Buy Rite Music, which was one of the premiere record stores in the Midwest. Buy-Right specialized in servicing the DJ as opposed to having the DJ serving himself. During the early 90’s, he soon became one of the most sought-after music professionals in the industry. Equipped with a keen ear for quality music, he embarked on a path of self-proprietorship. He opened The House of Music in downtown Detroit. As well the record store, Vibes New and Rare Music.
Throughout his music career, Wilhite has performed for numerous international and stateside venues. He has gone by a host of names: DOC, Tech-12, Working Mixx, and most recently The Godson. Interestingly enough, each alias describes and symbolizes his relationship to his craft. He has established successful working relationships with city officials, journalists, and media personalities; and has befriended many music artists. Influenced by Detroit’s legendary pool of musicians, he entered production studios at the early age of eleven. He began remixing records in 1986 with the group NASA. Additionally, Wilhite worked alongside many electronic music pioneers, such as Juan Atkins and Derrick May. In recent years, Wilhite has established a bond with fellow musicians Marcellus Pittman, Kenny Dixon Jr. and Theo Parrish…now known as the 3 Chairs.
Rick Wilhite has recently been releasing various EP’s and Compilation CD on the Rush Hour records imprint, entitled Vibes New & Rare Music. The collection is named after his record store, which he opened 17 years ago in Detroit. Much like the shop itself, he sees the compilation as a platform for soulful productions by some of his peers, like Marcellus Pittman, Glenn Underground and fellow 3 Chairs member Theo Parrish, along with newer talents like Ricardo Miranda and Marc King. He also contributes a few of his own productions as well (as The Godson), including a remix of Sherard Ingram’s Urban Tribe project and a collaboration with Kyle Hall. All of the tracks on Vibes…
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