RIDGEWAY – If you’ve been anywhere near a trail ride, field party, festival or community event in the last few years, chances are you’ve seen Alvin Wilson, better known these days as DJ 1K.
Maybe you’ve seen the videos.
Maybe you’ve seen the crowds.
Maybe you’ve seen him walk into the middle of a dance floor with a guitar and somehow turn an already good time into something people talk about on the ride home.
I sat down with DJ 1K at the Blythewood Waffle House. Between bites of an All-Star Breakfast, we talked about music, social media, touring, trail rides, and how a young man from Ridgeway ended up building one of the most recognizable brands in the trail ride and soul music scene.
What surprised me most wasn’t how much he’s accomplished.
It was how many times his story could have gone a different direction.
Long before the tours, the radio appearances, the viral dances, and the guitar, there was a kid in Ridgeway making beats on a computer in his room.
No fancy studio. No big budget. Just some speakers, a computer, and an idea.
He started sending beats to local artists. One connection led to another. Before long, he found himself working with people in the music industry and traveling outside of Fairfield County. What started as a hobby was beginning to look like something more serious.
Then another opportunity showed up – a DJ competition.
There was only one problem. At the time, DJ 1K wasn’t really a DJ, at least not the way most people think of one. The only event he’d ever DJ’d was his mother’s birthday party. Anyway, he said yes. That decision opened another door.
Soon Fairfield Central High School principal Dr. Tracie Swilley was letting Wilson DJ school events and basketball games—then came private birthday parties, and eventually college functions. Other schools started calling. More opportunities followed. His name started spreading long before social media ever made him famous.
Then came South Carolina State University and a moment that changed everything.
One day he found himself around a group of students line dancing. Someone played Florida-based hip-hop artist Trina’s “Pull Over.”
Something clicked. Right there on the spot, he created a dance. That night he recorded a video. The next morning the video was taking off.
Soon people everywhere were doing the dance. Social media exploded. The dance spread beyond South Carolina and eventually even caught the attention of Trina herself.
For many people, that would’ve been the peak. For DJ 1K, it was just another chapter. But this next chapter involved a guitar.
Ironically, he wasn’t originally known for playing guitar at all. The pastor at Zion Pilgrim Baptist Church handed him an electric guitar years earlier and encouraged him to learn. Another musician showed him a few simple chord progressions and told him that was all he needed.
He kept practicing.
Then, he decided to bring the guitar to a performance.
The first time, he stayed behind the DJ booth. The second time, he stepped out a little farther. The third time, he walked into the crowd and kept playing even after the song ended.
People loved it.
Today, that guitar has become part of his identity. In fact, I regularly hear students and adults alike refer to him simply as “the dude with the guitar.” Not a bad nickname to earn.
These days, DJ 1K is touring across the country, performing with live musicians, recording original music and working in radio—continuing to build his brand. His latest music is beginning to gain traction, and his goal is bigger than trail rides and field parties.
He wants arenas. He wants live music, dancing, and soul culture on a bigger stage.
And after hearing his story, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets there – because one thing became clear during our conversation.
DJ 1K has never spent much time worrying about whether something might work. He simply tries it.
Sometimes that’s all the difference between having a dream and having a story worth telling.