Brian Pate Entertainment Has Been Sold!

July 19, 2014

Friends,

I have some sad and exciting news to share with everyone.  After 27 years as owner of Brian Pate Entertainment, I have decided to sell the DJ company.

I am at a point where spending my free time on weekends with my family is more important to me than anything else.  In addition to that, I hope to continue to build my real estate business, and for the first time I will concentrate on only one thing.

Of course my primary job has always been that of “Daddy” to my daughters.  This decision will give me more time to spend with them.

In the beginning of my career, my father “loaned” me about $4,000 to buy my first sound system, turntables and microphone.  Even though I never paid him back financially for it, I think he saw what great joy it has brought to me as well as the fact it took me off of his payroll eventually.  To my mother and father who financed my dream, I am truly grateful.  They have been my biggest fans for my entire career.

I am very excited to announce that I have sold the company to one of my DJs, Rodney Holmes.  Rodney and I have worked together since the late 1980s as friends and co-workers in the DJ business.  He has an outstanding work ethic and customer service skills that are better than most you will find in any business.

Rodney will officially take over the company on August 1, 2014.  The name will be changed to “First Choice Customized DJs- Formerly Brian Pate Entertainment.”  At my request, he will cease using the BPE tag on June 30, 2015.

For those customers who have already booked me for their events, fear not!  I will be completing all of the shows/events that I have already contractually agreed to.  Once we have reached the end of this year, I will only have three or four shows left to do.

The timing is especially satisfying considering that WeddingIndustryExperts.com just named us the most popular DJ company in the United States.  You have no idea how exciting that was for all of us here at BPE.

To the many friends and clients that have hired us over the years and entrusted us with the most special moments of your lives, I say thank you.

To my DJ brothers, especially in the Triangle DJ Association and the Dixie Dance Kings; you have made me a better DJ and better person.

There have been many individuals that have been instrumental over the last 27 years from guys that travelled with me to shows to help me with equipment to DJs that covered for me.

I especially want to thank two DJs.  Tracy Telenko worked with me through what may have been the most difficult time in my life while I was in chemotherapy for my Lupus Nephritis.  He played many shows during those 2.5 years with me lying under the table feeling horribly, while he played the music.  Also, to Bill Smith, who played a gig for me on September 18, 1999, only 4 hours after my first daughter was born.  The two of you helped me when it was most needed and I will always be appreciative.

Of course, the person that I need to thank the most is my wife Eileen.  For over 22 years, she has put up with me travelling most weekends, dealt with both of our kids without me being home and has smiled and waved at events when necessary.  I love you and look forward to spending more time with you.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and I will look forward to seeing you soon as a GUEST at events!

DJ Brian Pate

2014 Grammy Nominees and Predictions

Tonight is the night when we crown artists as “Grammy Winners,” a status that can never be taken away. If you will be watching, make sure to follow me on Twitter @DJBrianPate for live tweeting and conversation about the festivities this evening.

Leading up to the big event tonight, I have compiled my predictions for 18 of my favorite categories.  My predictions for the winner are under each section.

1.       Record of the Year

·         Daft Punk- Get Lucky

·         Imagine Dragons- Radioactive

·         Lorde- Royals

·         Bruno Mars- Locked Out Of Heaven

·         Robin Thick- Blurred Lines

Brian’s Prediction:  There is a reason Bruno Mars has been chosen to entertain at the Super Bowl this year.  That event reaches millions of people and he will be tops in this category.  Imagine Dragons would be my second choice.

2.       Album of the Year

·         Sara Bareilles- The Blessed Unrest

·         Daft Punk- Random Access Memories

·         Kendrick Lamar- Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

·         Macklemore and Ryan Lewis- The Heist

·         Taylor Swift- Red

Brian’s Prediction: Sara Bareilles could be a surprise here, but I am going to go with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

3.       Song of the Year

·         Pink- Just Give Me A Reason

·         Katy Perry- Roar

·         Lorde- Royals

·         Bruno Mars- Locked Out Of Heaven

·         Macklemore and Ryan Lewis- Same Love

Brian’s Prediction:  My favorite of these is Pink’s, “Just Give Me A Reason,” but I think Lorde takes this one.

4.       Best New Artist

·         Kendrick Lamar

·         James Blake

·         Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

·         Kacey Musgraves

·         Ed Sheeran

Brian’s Prediction:  I think Kendrick Lamar walks away with this one as the Grammys tries to spread some love around to different performers this year.

5.       Best Pop Solo Performance

·         Sara Bareilles- Brave

·         Lorde- Royals

·         Bruno Mars- When I Was Your Man

·         Katy Perry- Roar

·         Justin Timberlake- Mirrors

Brian’s Prediction:  Justin Timberlake walks away with this one.  Mirrors was everywhere this year.

6.       Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

·         Daft Punk- Get Lucky

·         Pink f/ Nate Ruess- Just Give Me A Reason

·         Rihanna f/ Mikky Ekko- Stay

·         Robin Thicke f TI & Pharrell- Blurred Lines

·         Justin Timberlake f/ Jay Z- Suit And Tie

Brian’s Prediction:  JT and Jay Z brought if for their performance so I’m leaning that way, but don’t be surprised if Robin Thicke pulls off the upset here.

7.       Best Pop Vocal Album

·         Lana Del Ray- Paradise

·         Lorde- Pure Heroine

·         Bruno Mars- Unorthodox Jukebox

·         Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines

·         Justin Timberlake- The 20/20 Experience- The Complete Experience

Brian’s Prediction:  This is an all star battle between Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. Bruno Mars escapes with this one though I personally like the 20/20 Experience better.

8.       Best Dance Recording

·         Duke Dumont- Need U (100%)

·         Calvin Harris f Florence Welch- Sweet Nothing

·         Kaskade- Atmosphere

·         Armin Van Buuren f Trevor Guthrie- This Is What It Feels Like

·         Zedd f/ Foxes- Clarity

Brian’s Prediction:  This one will depend on whether the Grammy Awards take into consideration popularity.  Clarity was all over the radio this year while Sweet Nothing was a big hit on the club side.  My personal favorite is Calvin Harris and Florence Welch and Florence has Grammy chops so I’m going with “Sweet Nothing.”

9.       Best Rock Performance

·         Alabama Shakes- Always Alright

·         David Bowie- The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

·         Imagine Dragons- Radioactive

·         Led Zeppelin- Kashmir

·         Queens Of The Stone Age- My God Is The Sun

·         Jack White- I’m Shakin’

Brian’s Prediction:  Jack White always gets a ton of critical acclaim, but I’m going with Imagine Dragons here.

10.   Best Rock Album

·         Black Sabbath- 13

·         David Bowie- The Next Day

·         Kings of Leon- Mechanical Bull

·         Led Zeppelin- Celebration Day

·         Queens Of The Stoneage- …Like Clockwork

·         Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse- Psychedelic Pill

Brian’s Prediction:  This category has a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame feel to it with Black Sabbath, Bowie and Neil Young all in here but I think Kings Of Leon will pull the upset.

11.   Best R&B Performance

·         Tamar Braxton- Love And War

·         Anthony Hamilton- Best Of Me

·         Hiatus Kaiyote f/ Q-Tip- Nakamarra

·         Miguel f/ Kendrick Lamar- How Many Drinks

·         Snarky Puppy w/ Lalah Hathaway-  Something

Brian’s Prediction:  This one is probably a runaway for Miguel and Kendrick Lamar.

12.   Best Rap Performance

·         Drake- Started From The Bottom

·         Eminem- Berzerk

·         Jay Z- Tom Ford

·         Kendrick Lamar- Swimming Pools (Drank)

·         Macklemore f/ Ryan Lewis- Thrift Shop

Brian’s Prediction:  As much hype as there has been around Eminem this year with his appearance on college football, I just don’t see “Berzerk” as a Grammy Winner.  Jay Z has the star power, but even grandmothers were singing, “I’m gonna pop some tags, only got $20 in my pocket…”  all year long.  Give this one to “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

13.   Best Rap Album

·         Drake- Nothing Was The Same

·         Jay Z- Magna Carta…Holy Grail

·         Kendrick Lamar- Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

·         Macklemore f/ Ryan Lewis- The Heist

·         Kanye West- Yeezus

Brian’s Prediction:  I am not a Kanye fan but he does get a lot of love from the critics.  If h doesn’t take it, look for Jay Z or Drake to take this one.  This one may be the most unpredictable of all Grammy categories.

14.   Best Country Solo Performance

·         Lee Brice- I Drive Your Truck

·         Hunter Hayes- I Want Crazy

·         Miranda Lambert- Mama’s Broken Heart

·         Darius Rucker- Wagon Wheel

·         Blake Shelton- Mine Would Be You

Brian’s Prediction:  Lee Brice’s tune, “I Drive Your Truck” sent tears streaming down faces when people heard it for the first time.  It is well deserving of the Grammy nod and it gets mine.

15.   Best Country Duo/Group Performance

·         The Civil Wars- From This Valley

·         Kelly Clarkson f/ Vince Gill- Don’t Rush

·         Little Big Town- Your Side Of The Bed

·         Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban- Highway Don’t Care

·         Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton- You Can’t Make Old Friends

Brian’s Prediction:  I would love to see Kenny Rogers win another Grammy Award but I think the power of McGraw, Swift and Urban is going to be tough for Grammy voters to not give them the award.

16.   Best Country Song

·         Taylor Swift- Begin Again

·         Lee Brice- I Drive Your Truck

·         Miranda Lambert- Mama’s Broken Heart

·         Kacey Musgraves- Merry Go ‘Round

·         Blake Shelton- Mine Would Be You

Brian’s Prediction:  My 9 year old daughter would vote for Taylor Swift in a heartbeat.  My vote goes to Lee Brice.

17.   Best Musical Theater Album

·         Kinky Boots

·         Matilda: The Musical

·         Motown The Musical

Brian’s Prediction:  I love Broadway Theater and all of these receive Tony Award nominations for one reason or another, but this is all about music.  I don’t think there is any better music than the Motown era and that is why Motown The Musical will walk away with the Grammy here.

18.   Best Music Video

·         Capital Cities- Safe And Sound

·         Jay Z- Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film

·         Macklemore f/ Ryan Lewis- Can’t Hold Us

·         Justin Timberlake f/ Jay Z- Suit And Tie

·         Jack White- I’m Shakin’

Brian’s Prediction:  I’m never good at predicting this category so the question is, who do I jinx this year?  I love the use of black and white in the Suit and Tie video so that is where my vote will go.

Hit me up on Twitter @DJBrianPate and let me know who your choices are!

 

 

1. Record Of The Year

Get Lucky

Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers

Thomas Bangalter & Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo, producers; Peter Franco, Mick Guzauski, Florian Lagatta & Daniel Lerner, engineers/mixers; Antoine “Chab” Chabert & Bob Ludwig, mastering engineers
Track from: Random Access Memories
Label: Columbia Records

Radioactive

Imagine Dragons

Alex Da Kid, producer; Manny Marroquin & Josh Mosser, engineers/mixers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer
Track from: Night Visions
Label: Kidinakorner/ Interscope

Royals

Lorde

Joel Little, producer; Joel Little, engineer/mixer; Stuart Hawkes, mastering engineer
Track from: Pure Heroine
Label: Universal Music

Locked Out Of Heaven

Bruno Mars

Jeff Bhasker, Emile Haynie, Mark Ronson & The Smeezingtons, producers; Alalal, Josh Blair, Wayne Gordon, Ari Levine, Manny Marroquin & Mark Ronson, engineers/mixers; David Kutch, mastering engineer
Track from: Unorthodox Jukebox
Label: Atlantic

Blurred Lines

Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell

Pharrell, producer; Andrew Coleman & Tony Maserati, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer
Track from: Blurred Lines
Label: Star Trak/ Interscope

Wedding Wire Award for Raleigh Wedding DJ

            {Wake Forest, NC} – {January 21, 2014} – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading online wedding marketplace, named Brian Pate Entertainment as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards™ 2014 for Best DJ Company in Raleigh, North Carolina.

            The WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards™ 2014 recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. The esteemed awards are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their professional achievements from the previous year.

            While many industry award winners are selected by the host organization, the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards™ winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Brian Pate Entertainment. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients.

            “There’s no better way to start the year than by honoring the hard work, commitment and success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “It is exciting to celebrate a sixth year recognizing businesses whose clients believe they are committed to quality, professionalism and all around top-notch service. We are honored to recognize {Enter Your Business Name} for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.”

            As a Couples’ Choice Awards™ winner, Brian Pate Entertainment is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout North America and abroad.

            BPE is proud to be one of the top DJ companies in Raleigh in the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards™ 2014.

            For more information about Brian Pate Entertainment, please visit our website at www.djinraleighnc.com.

            To learn more about the Couple’s Choice Awards™, please visit http://www.weddingwire.com/brides-choice-awards

            About WeddingWire, Inc.

            WeddingWire™, the nation’s leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

Tags: Wedding Wire Award Martha Stewart Weddings Wake Forest DJ in Raleigh North Carolina Brian Pate Entertainment

Best Bride And Father Dance Songs For A Wedding in 2013

Once of the most important songs at your wedding reception is the Father Daughter Dance, usually after the 1st dance for the bride and groom.  Here are the top 20 Bride & Father Dance songs for 2013:

1) Krystal Keith- “Daddy Dance With Me”

2) Tim McGraw- “My Little Girl”

3) Bob Carlisle- “Butterfly Kisses”

4) Rascal Flatts- “My Wish”

5) Nat King Cole- “Unforgettable”

6) Gary Allan- “Tough Little Boys”

7) Steven Curtis Chapman- “Cinderella”

8) Lee Ann Womack- “I Hope You Dance”

9) John Mayer- “Daughters”

10) Temptations- “My Girl”

11) Louis Armstrong- “What A Wonderful World”

12) Rod Stewart- “Have I Told You Lately”

13) Frank Sinatra- “The Way You Look Tonight”

14) Al Martino- “Daddy’s Little Girl”

15) Heartland- “I Loved Her First”

16) Beatles- “In My Life”

17) Darius Rucker- “It Won’t Be Like This For Long”

18) Ben E. King- “Stand By Me”

19) Kenny Chesney- “There Goes My Life”

20) Ben Harper- “Happily Ever After In Your Eyes”

 

Tags: Best Bride and Father Dances 2013 DJ Brian Pate Entertainment Wake Forest DJ in Raleigh North Carolina

Brian Pate January 10, 2014 Top 20 Dance Chart

Brian reports his charts to the Dixie Dance Kings Record Pool in Atlanta, GA and they pass the information on to DJ Times Magazine and Billboard Magazine.  This chart represents the top “Dance” songs based on club information.

Please keep in mind this is NOT a chart for wedding receptions.  It is strictly based on the night club atmosphere.

The highest debut this week is #5 Jade Starling f/ Lee Dagger with “Insomiak.”  This is going to blow up!

1) Martin Garrix- “Animals”

2) Katy Perry- “Unconditionally”

3) Zedd f/ Hayley Williams- “Stay The Night”

4) Lady Gaga- “Applause”

5) Jade Starling f/ Lee Dagger- “Insomniak”

6) John Newman- “Love Me Again”

7) Cher- “Take It Like A Man”

8) Pitbul f/ Ke$ha- “Timber”

9) Lana Del Ray- “Summertime Sadness”

10) Selena Gomez- “Slow Down”

11) Zendaya- “Replay”

12) Tiesto f Kyler England- “Take Me”

13) Kwanza Jones- “Vicious”

14) Pet Shop Boys- “Thursday”

15) Justin Timberlake- “Take Back The Night”

16) Kaskade- “Atmosphere”

17) Cindy Valentine- “Wicked Ways” (no video available yet)

18) Britney Spears- “Work B**ch”

19) Avicii- “Wake Me Up”

20) Icona Pop- “All Night”

Top 20 Songs For Bride And Groom First Dance (2013)

It is all about the first dance at your wedding!  All eyes are on the Bride and Groom and the crowd is buzzing with anticipation.  When the first dance song starts, will there be “oohs” and “ahhhhs?”

Here are our top 20 most requested 1st dance songs for the Bride and Groom dance in 2013:

1) Etta James- At Last

2) Michael Buble- Everything

3) Jason Mraz 7 Colbie Callait- Lucky

4) Jack Johnson- Better Together

5) Frank Sinatra- The Way You Look Tonight

6) Eric Clapton- Wonderful Tonight

7) Louis Armstrong- What A Wonderful World

8) Rascal Flatts- Bless The Broken Road

9) Christina Perri- A Thousand Years

10) Brad Paisley- Then

11) Al Green- Let’s Stay Together

12) Ray LaMontagne- You Are The Best Thing

13) Van Morrison- Crazy Love

14) KCi and Jojo- All My Life

15) Elvis Presley- Can’t Help Falling In Love

16) Train- Marry Me

17) George Strait- I Cross My Heart

18) Zac Brown Band- Whatever It Is

19) Hunter Hayes- Wanted

20) Kenny Chesney- Me and You

 

If you need help deciding on a song or are looking for more ideas, please talk to your Brian Pate Entertainment Wedding DJ for advice on choosing the perfect song for your first dance!

Top 10 Most Requested Songs of 2013

Here at Brian Pate Entertainment, we keep track of requests that are made throughout the year and come up with our top 10 at the end of the year.  Keep in mind that we DJ in Raleigh, North Carolina and the surrounding Triangle area.

Once you check out our list, visit our Facebook Page and tell us what your favorite song of 2013 was or you can tell Brian on Twitter!

Drumroll please…  (click on the artist name for the artist site and on the song title for the video)

1) Journey- Don’t Stop Believin’

2) Cupid- Cupid Shuffle

3) Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines

4) Beyonce- Single Ladies

5) Van Morrison- Brown Eyed Girl

6) VICWobble

7) Bruno Mars- Treasure

8) Black Eyed PeasI Gotta Feeling

9) LMFAOSexy And I Know It

10) Justin TimberlakeSuit and Tie

 

Remember that whether you are looking for a Raleigh wedding DJ, Durham wedding DJ or Wake Forest wedding DJ, we are your go to for the best wedding DJs in North Carolina!

 

2014 Southern Bridal Show A Huge Success

The team from BP Entertainment spent Saturday and Sunday January 4th and 5th at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.  Over 225 vendors representing all aspects of the wedding industry had their wares on display.

We have been doing this event for over 10 years now and it never ceases to amaze me how useful it is to be in the same room with so many quality vendors.  Brides can find anything and everything they need for their perfect day.

Two of our favorite venues to work with; The Sutherland in Wake Forest, NC and The Garden On Millbrook were both there and we once again worked with them to set up weddings with a couple of brides using those locations.  If you are looking for the perfect venue, both of those are top notch and we highly recommend them.

We also saw our good friends Jim Coleman from Jim Coleman Photography and Amy Turner from Your Still Life Photography at the event.   You can’t beat their work for wedding photography so we also encourage you to contact them.

All in all, we had a great show and we look forward to getting dates booked with the brides we met.  If you are planning a wedding in 2014 or 2015, give us a call today at 919-669-4575 to get a head start on your planning!

 

Welcome to the new Brian Pate Entertainment web site!

After months of planning, looking over details and trying to streamline and simplify, it is finally here!

For the past two years, we have been named the #1 wedding DJ company in North Carolina by www.weddingindustryexperts.com and we decided that should challenge us to become even better.  To do that, we have partnered with Redwood Productions  in our hometown of Wake Forest, North Carolina to bring you a simpler on-line experience that we like to call our very own “Easy” button (stealing that one from Staples!).

With more video and photos on the web site and our pricing for brides available on line, you will spend less time wondering what we can do and more time focusing on how we can make your event a perfect experience.  On the new site, we have also upgraded our planning tools that allow for the bride and her DJ to communicate throughout the planning process to make sure no detail has been overlooked.  In our experience, we have found that anyone can play music, but providing that extra level of service by going above and beyond is what separates us from our competition.

In addition, there is more interaction with our clients on our Facebook page and our Twitter feed.  Make sure to “Like” us and “Follow” us to keep up with the many events we will be involved in.

The DJs here at BPE are the best around  (of course, as the owner, I am a little biased)!  The entire staff puts great effort into making every event we participate in the best we can and we hope you see that at our performances.

You can also visit us on many wedding sites including Wedding Wire, Wedding Bee, Wedding Channel, and Wedding Book.

If you are getting ready to plan your own wedding or you have a friend, purchase a copy of the book, “The Wedding Planner’s Survival Guide: 10 Industry Insiders Tell You What You Really Need To Know.”  Brian Pate Entertainment was the exclusive DJ company to contribute to this book.  It makes a great gift.

Finally, I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has hired us for an event, given us a referral, or supported us at our shows.  The ultimate compliment that we can possibly receive is a recommendation from friends and family.  Without you, we would not be where we are.

Thanks for reading and enjoy visiting the new site!

BP8

Brian Pate

President/CEO

 

 

Things are looking a little different around here!

We want to make sure our clients get the best service possible. To make your experience with us even easier, we’ve partnered with Redwood Productions to bring you a new and improved, easy-to-use website. Let us know what you think!