99.1 The Fort passes the mic to DJ Budda Fly, DJ Snipes and DJ VerbalKlint

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Fort on 99.1, Clarksville’s Party Station, which launched in June, is now home to three local DJs, each with their own unique show and blend, airing Monday-Friday, morning, noon and night.

DJ VerbalKlint: Elton John to Lil Jon

Terrell Jackson, otherwise known as DJ VerbalKlint, kicks it off at 8 a.m. He told Clarksville Now he’s been a DJ ever since he was an adolescent, and he began mixing back in 1984.

“I was the young person at your aunt’s fish fry or barbeque, playing the music for others,” Jackson said. Throughout his years, Jackson has adopted new styles from house music to R&B, down South, and more. “What makes me unique is I mix a little bit of everything,” he said. “I can go from Elton John to Lil Jon in a matter of moments.”

Jackson moved to Fort Campbell in 1994, and since then has learned how to use his skills to tell a story. “My goal is to make the listener go, ‘Oh I remember when I was in high school when that song came out’ or ‘Oh, I remember what I was doing when I first heard this song.'” With a story to tell through his music, and favorite artists like Duran Duran, The Police and Public Enemy, Jackson will keep your memories flowing.

DJ Budda Fly: Get your hips shaking

Melinda Samuel, also known as DJ Budda Fly, has the noon show on The Fort. Samuel has been in the music business for the past 30 years and was drawn to music even as a child. She grew up playing the piano and drums but says she never really got into it.

“When I would go to the clubs, I would hear those same drums and beats and said to myself, ‘Hey, I can do that.'” Originally from southern California, she moved to the area through the military and has been here since the early 2000s. Her background extends from playing on Nashville’s 101.1 The Beat for 10 years and mixing on 1370 AM.

Tuning in to her show, listeners can expect music that will make them dance. “Anything that can get your hips shaking, something fast,” said Samuel. Her favorite artist at the moment is GloRilla, and says she plays what people like. “I think I like what everybody likes. I stay on track with what you would hear in the club or play stuff you haven’t heard in a long time.”

DJ Snipes: Keep it fresh

Daryl Jones, aka DJ Snipes, handles drive time at 5 p.m. He told Clarksville Now he didn’t start out as a DJ but rather he was made into one.

“My mom was a DJ, my older brother was a DJ too,” Jones said. “So, I’ve always had a love for music and putting music together, but I never got into the scratching and mixing part of it. I grew up in Miami, and at the time when I was growing up, we only had one DJ, and he had an underground radio (station). … When I moved up here and got older, that was the one thing Clarksville didn’t have.”

For a while, Jones operated his own underground radio station in Clarksville. That’s when the city began to embrace him, he said.

“It got to a point where clubs started to reach out to me, and that’s how they made me into a DJ. At my first DJ gig, I didn’t even have a turntable. I just had my laptop. … Other DJs were looking at me like ‘Who’s this guy?’ They started calling me a laptop DJ and all kind of stuff. But it was inevitable because I knew what people wanted to hear.

“Music is in my blood, and I’m here now. This is my dream, and I think I’ve made it,” Jones said. “When people tune into my show, I’m always going to keep it fresh. I feel like there is so much music in the world, there’s so much music we don’t need to be repetitive. I play songs on the radio that can bring people back to a memory and time. I want to bring back memories, and there’s so many songs to do it.”

Listen in

You can hear all three local DJs Monday through Friday on Clarksville’s Party Station, 99.1 The Fort. DJ VerbalKlint is daily at 8 a.m., DJ Budda Fly is at noon, and DJ Snipes is at 5 p.m.

Christian Brown contributed to this report.

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