Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn, four of MTV’s original VJs, have kept in touch over the years and are now sharing their stories in a new book, “VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave.” They talk to TODAY’s Matt
Over the years, MTV would cycle through many different VJs before deprioritizing music video programming altogether — much to the chagrin of anyone who grew up with MTV in its earlier days. But those original VJs —Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. JacksonandMartha Quinn— rem...
18. MTV’s VJs didn't quit their day jobs (at least not right away). MTV’s original VJ line-up could be forgiven for looking a little tired during the early days of the network. The concept of 24/7 music videos was such an unknown quantity that several video jockeyskept their day...
J.J. Jackson was one of the original "Fab Five" VJs to join MTV when it launched in 1981. He stayed with the network for five years before returning to radio. He was one of the only African-American rock DJs in the country. Jackson unfortunately suffered a massive heart attack and die...