Ruben “Johnney” Diaz Jr. is building his next chapter from Coronado

A family connection to Coronado

Ruben “Johnney” Diaz Jr., known professionally as DJ Johnney B Badd, can point to large stages and recognizable names in his career. He says his DJ career has included Country Thunder for Monster Energy, a Green Day show at Chase Field, events for retailers including Nordstrom, and work aboard Norwegian Cruise Line. But when he talks about what matters, he comes back to family, recovery and Coronado.

His family’s connection to this part of Phoenix goes back generations. His Nana grew up here and attended Garfield Elementary. Diaz now lives in the same part of the city, raising his family and building a life in a neighborhood already woven into his family’s history.

“That makes living here mean something different to me. I’m not just living in a neighborhood I like—there’s a connection to my family’s history here.”

A neighborhood with its own identity

Diaz values Coronado because it still feels distinct inside a city as large as Phoenix. He sees longtime families living alongside artists, musicians, small-business owners and newer residents, each adding something to the neighborhood without sanding away its differences.

That independence mirrors his own path. Diaz is a father, DJ, producer, writer, entrepreneur and stroke survivor. His life and career have not followed a straight line, and he has had to reinvent himself more than once.

“Coronado has a creative, independent personality that I relate to. It isn’t polished into sameness.”

“It made me much more willing to chase the things I care about instead of waiting for the right time.”

Reading the room

DJing grew from Diaz’s love of music, but the work was never simply about choosing songs. What caught him was the challenge of understanding a crowd in real time.

As an open-format DJ, that can mean moving from hip-hop to Latin music, rock and dance music in one night while making the shifts feel natural. Diaz turned that instinct into Scottsdale DJ Company and a career that has taken him from private and neighborhood events to corporate programs, fashion activations, casinos, festivals and concert settings.

Country Thunder remains one of the moments he remembers most clearly. Diaz performed during a Monster Energy stage takeover immediately before Jelly Roll’s main-stage appearance. The scale of a performance does not determine its value for him. A person connecting with something he created, a dance floor coming alive, or someone saying the music made their night can matter just as much.

“I loved figuring out a room: watching people, understanding the energy and knowing when to change direction.”

“Standing there and realizing how far DJing had taken me was one of those moments where you stop for a second and think, ‘How did I get here?’”

“And being a father is bigger than any stage I’ll ever play.”

Making his own music

After years of performing other people’s songs, Diaz began asking himself a direct question: “Why am I only playing everybody else’s music?”

That question pushed him toward producing and releasing his own work. His Sombra Vaquero project blends Latin and Norteño influences with house and electronic music. He has also released work under the title Lingerie y Botas and is continuing to write and record.

The goal now is to bring that music into more live settings, including clubs, festivals, casinos and regional touring across the Southwest. He is still working professionally as a DJ, but he sees the original music as a new chapter rather than a side project.

Diaz also served for two years as PTO president at Emerson Elementary, an experience he says made him proud.

“At this point in my life, that’s exciting.”

Another chapter in a family story

Diaz’s Nana knew this part of Phoenix as a child. Today he is here raising his family, running a business and deciding what to create next.

Diaz says he is still figuring out where this new chapter will lead, but he is grateful for what he has built and for the community that has become part of the journey.

“You can survive something that changes your life. You can become a parent. You can struggle. You can start a business later than somebody thinks you should. You can decide to make music when nobody is waiting around asking you to make it. And you can still surprise yourself.”

“One of the things I appreciate about being here is realizing that my own story is now another chapter in a much older family story.”