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David Rodigan

b. 1951

British DJ

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About David Rodigan

Born 1951. David Rodigan is a British disc jockey, radio personality, actor and discjockey.

David Michael "Ram Jam" Rodigan (born 24 June 1951) is a British radio DJ who also performs as a disc jockey. Known for his selections of reggae and dancehall music, he has played on stations including Radio London, Capital 95.8, Kiss 100, BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 2, and BFBS Radio.

Life Rodigan was born on a military base in Hanover, Germany. His mother was Irish and his father was Scottish and had fought in the Second World War.

He has stated that his passion for Jamaican music was initiated by watching Millie Small perform her 1964 hit "My Boy Lollipop" at the Ready Steady Go! TV show as a schoolboy. By the age of 15, Rodigan was DJing at school dances and youth clubs. Leaving school in 1970, he spent a year studying economics before leaving to study drama. Despite pursuing an acting career, Rodigan kept his passion for music alive, selling records in Oxford then Putney, before obtaining a job on Radio London in 1978 to alternate with Tony Williams on the Reggae Rockers programme. A year later he was offered a permanent slot at Capital Radio to present Roots Rockers, which ran for 11 years. In 1990 a change in management and music policy at the station led to Rodigan leaving to start a new show for Kiss FM when it relaunched that September as London's first legal 24-hour dance music station. He hosted the Sunday-night slot from 11pm till midnight until November 2012, when the slot was moved to midnight and he resigned in protest over what he called the "continued marginalisation" of the reggae genre.

Rodigan has clashed established soundsystems like Killamanjaro, Stone Love, Barry G and Bass Odyssey. Rodigan was the winner of World Clash 2012, in which he competed with international soundsystems at Club Amazura, New York.

During the 1980s Rodigan hosted a long-running residency at Gossips nightclub in Soho, London, in collaboration with fellow DJ Donald "Papa Face" Facey.

He has acted as tour DJ for reggae and dancehall artists including Shinehead. During the 1970s and 1980s, he worked as an actor and appeared in films and a variety of TV programmes, including roles in The Office Party (1976) and the Doctor Who serial, The Trial of a Time Lord (1986). In 1984 he joined BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) where he broadcast his weekly reggae show for 25 years until 2009.

For 2014's Red Bull Culture Clash, Rodigan joined forces with Chase & Status, Shy FX and MC Rage to form the soundsystem Rebel Sound. They went on to win the clash, defeating fellow crews Stone Love, Boy Better Know and A$AP Mob.

Rodigan was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting, and in 2020 was awarded the (Jamaican) Order of Distinction "for outstanding service to the promotion of Jamaican Music across the world". He stated he was "blown away" by the honour.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Gosford Hill School
Awards
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Also known as
David Michael Rodigan, Ram Jam, Roddy

People in David Rodigan's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped David Rodigan's

Frequently asked questions

Who is David Rodigan?

British DJ

When was David Rodigan born?

David Rodigan was born on 24 June 1951 in Hanover.

What is David Rodigan's occupation?

David Rodigan is a disc jockey, radio personality, actor and discjockey.

What nationality is David Rodigan?

David Rodigan is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: David Rodigan

· Wikidata: Q1176364

· DBpedia: David Rodigan

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). David Rodigan. https://biography.guide/david-rodigan/

MLA: "David Rodigan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/david-rodigan/.

Chicago: "David Rodigan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/david-rodigan/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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