07/31/2026
Today, I’m taking a moment to reflect.
As I prepare to accept the Coastal Virginia Magazine Best of 2026 – Best Nightlife DJ award, I can’t help but think about how unbelievable this journey has been.
In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would become a DJ.
As a kid growing up in Portsmouth, I remember “The Fun Bunch” spinning records in backyards around Cavalier Manor, Taft Drive, Robinson Road, Liston Lane, and neighborhoods all across P-Town. I remember listening to legends like Dr. Feelgood, Bobby Roscoe, and so many others who inspired an entire generation. I never dreamed that one day I’d be standing on a stage being recognized for doing something they inspired me to love.
My path looked completely different.
I wanted to become a producer, and by God’s grace I was blessed to do just that. Then one day someone told me, “You should be a DJ.” I took a chance, accepted my first event for Pentecostal Followers of Christ, and from that moment, my life began to change.
What many people don’t know is that this journey has been about so much more than music.
It’s been about faith.
It’s been about family.
It’s been about ministry.
It’s been about fatherhood.
It’s been about building a business from the ground up.
It’s been about victories that people celebrated and battles that no one ever saw.
This award represents far more than being a DJ. It represents every late night, every sacrifice, every lesson, every setback, every prayer, and every person who believed in me along the way.
To everyone who took the time to vote for me, thank you. This recognition belongs to all of us. To every client who trusted me with your wedding, celebration, corporate event, family reunion, or special occasion—you are the reason I strive for excellence every single time. Your trust is why I’ve earned a 5.0-star Google rating, and I never take that for granted.
As I celebrate today, I’m also beginning to reflect on another journey.
Many of you know me as DJ Bon. Others know me as Bryan. Some know me through ministry. Some know me as a husband, a father, a musician, a producer, or through my career.
What most people don’t know is the story behind all of those titles.
I’ve decided it’s time to start writing that story.
Not just the highlights, but the whole journey—the mountaintops and the valleys, the successes and the failures, the victories and the disappointments, the lessons, the struggles, and the faithfulness of God through it all.
If my story can encourage even one person to keep going when life gets hard, then it will be worth telling.
Today, I celebrate an award.
Tomorrow, I begin telling the story of the man behind it.
Thank you all for believing in me.
With love and gratitude,
Bryan “DJ Bon” Bonner
