Among hip-hop's canonical creation myths, few are as perfectly formed as Grand Wizard Theodore's invention of scratching. According to Theodore – then only 12, but already a regular performer at park jams – he was practising at home on 159th Street in the Bronx when his mum burst in, demanding he turn the music down. Instead of lowering the volume, he stopped the record with his hand and noticed an interesting sound as the groove moved under the needle. On 18 August 1977, he scratched in public for the first time, during a set at the Sparkle club, using a copy of the Incredible Bongo Band's single Bongo Rock.
However, Theodore's mentor, Grandmaster Flash, has for years claimed Theodore's story is technically implausible. "I guess maybe me and Theodore have to sit down some day and figure this out," he told me in 2002. "I came up with my style; Theodore was my first student; and before me there was no one. So who taught him how to play? But I'm not gonna argue: I love him and I do credit him for making the style believable."
