Ruth Flowers (aka DJ Mamy Rock)
By Pat Sherman
Can your grandmother throw down?
Even if she does, she’s got nothing on Ruth Flowers, the 70-year-old, jet-setting DJ from Bristol, England, who has garnered international acclaim as DJ Mamy Rock.
Unwilling to let age or ageism define her, Flowers participated in (and completed) the London Marathon at age 57.
Several years ago, Flowers was in line at a popular London nightclub for her grandson’s birthday, when a bouncer tried to bar her from entering the venue due to her age. That’s when Flowers decided she’d had enough—and vowed to become a DJ.
Hooking up with French Producer Aurélien Simon, the former sewing lecturer honed her DJ image and turntable technique, debuting before Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey and other celebs during the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. She returned to Cannes the following year to play for Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis—and hasn’t strayed far from the DJ booth since.
Though some people thought the granny DJ would be viewed as just another gimmick, Flowers’ righteous beats and mixes hold up to DJs a third her age.
“Crazy ideas sometimes work,” Flowers says. “If (the people) love it, I shall keep on playing—and I hope they’ll keep on dancing.”
Catch DJ Mamy Rock at 207 at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego June 19. Cover is $20. Doors open at 9 p.m.; showtime is midnight.
You go, Mamy.
