The most frequently asked question I get is why did you name yourself DJ Disciple? What does it stand for? What made you choose that name? How did that start?
I guess if I had to lay blame on anything it would have to be The Hawkins Family.
Here's one of the Hawkins records that made me fall in love with Gospel Music
When I heard the song I got immediately hooked and locked into what the drummer was playing. It was this song that inspired me to want to pursue being a drummer.
I came from a great line of music lovers. My grand mother used to throw parties by having live bands play just to pay the rent in her apartment. My dad William Banks was an avid Jazz lover that played alongside Miles Davis and bought up 4 of his sons on Jazz and blues.
By the time I was twelve years old my brother Stanley worked continuously with George Benson and other greats while my other brother Larry Banks was the organist for the Church Of The Open door.
See Larry Banks in The Banks Legacy
Part 2 here:
See Stanley Banks In The Banks Legacy Part 1
Part 1 here:
Seeing my brothers Leighton and Larry get involved in the Gospel and in Church influenced me greatly. I got saved at the age of 15. It was 1980. Even though the civil rights act passed in 1965, I regularly was profiled at the schools I went to coming up. The issue of race was far from dead.
I attended mostly all white schools (Pershing Junior High School, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School). In that era the school was dominated by Italians (it was the first time I'd heard the term Guido or Wop for that matter). Both schools had the reputation of chasing black kids after school. The 'Happy Days' era was in full play during my time (heavy make up, tight jeans and everyone that was cool wanted to look like Fonzi) but it had completely died down during my second semester in FDR.
I think it had alot to do with one generation of kids leaving the school and another generation of kids NOT embracing what the old gereration was about.
I went to FDR because the music program had a great reputation. Being that Stanley and Larry was both successful musically I stayed with my gut to go there for better or worse. Since my passion was being a great drummer and actor I figured this was my best shot at achieving both.
It was there that I met Leon Atkinson. He was a fellow drummer and we both shared a passion for Gospel music. We both particularly loved Walter Hawkins and anything asscsiated with that camp. The culture of Drummers in the Gospel scene was very competitive. Every drummer was trying to outdo the other just to be the main guy the church would hire on a regular basis or that special choir that they liked.
If you wanted to get your chops up and learn the latest style of the way drums were played (or organ for that matter) you had to come to Institutional Church Of God and Christ in Brooklyn. It was there that Butch and Gerald Heyward laid the foundation for all drummers and organists to come.
See Gerald Heyward: http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Gerald_Heyward.html
See Butch Heyward:
I was the President of the Walter Johnson Choir in my church (Church Of The Open Door) but left my position to be a drummer at The Greater Refuge Temple in Harlem.
See David Banks/ DJ Disciple playing Drums @ Refuge here:
After graduating from FDR my passion for playing drums was slowly being replaced by my love for radio. I loved broadcasting and everything that it bought to the table. It was nothing for me to go through all the musical genres afforded me (from Gospel, to Rap, to Rock).
My dad, on the other had wanted me to be an accountant. After a long hard talk he convinced me to go to Baruch College. After three weeks I knew this was not for me.
Shortly after I was in the school cafeteria listening to music wondering what I was going to do when a guy by the name of Ralph Davis came up to me and befriended himself. After having a cordial discussion with him he then told me that he had his own show at station WBMB on 26th street.
Ralph had gone to church too so we often talked about the Gospel but when it came to music Ralph was adamant about promoting the latest Rap artists and giving Hip Hop a platform for radio at the college station ( he was the only one doing so at the time). He asked me to be his assistant and after a season I could do my own show. I signed on.
Ralph Davis Pictured here:
In 1985 I was doing Gospel music in full throttle. I had done a number of DJ events at Skate Key in the Bronx and Empire Skating Rink in Brooklyn. Skating to Gospel music was the perfect outlet for me promote myself. It was then that I called myself DJ DISCIPLE.
'85 was also the year of the Crack Epedemic and it changed whole communities. Farragut (the area I live in) was devestated by it. The church and musical events was the perfect ingredient to never get caught up in the drug culture. Having those two outlets helped me spiritually and musically.
It was in 1986 that I was introduced to House Music. Jazzy Jerome had come via transfer from another college to work on the radio station. He was at the station promoting a party he was having at the Student Center of Baruch. It was then that he showed me how to rock a party.
I was curious and hungry to know more about this House music so I went to more of these events to learn and eventually learned how to mix records playing this music from Rich Lamotte. After seeing us all together Ralph decided to come up with the name wherein the station could throw it's own events. We were called THE SOUND EXPERIENCE CREW.
I loved House music but by no means was I abandoning Gospel. I just added another show to my repetoire for that genre. People often asked me, are you going to keep the name DJ Disciple.
I always said yes. The simple reason was because the name always reminded me ' no matter what else you do, only what you do for Christ Shall last'. The name humbled me to know that the works you do will speak for you.
After a few successful parties the crew grew very large and I decided to venture out on my own to do events. I approached DJ Debonair to use his sound system (and even borrowed some of his records) and overnight made a name for myself at the New York College DJ level. Afterwards I was approached by Phi Beta Sigmas Monte and Steve to do their events at the Hunter College recreation space located in the basement of the school.
It was Monte and Steve that emphasized that I play these 'classics' as they were played at The Paradise Garage. They pounded Paradise Garage into my head but I never went to the place. I loved House music but I never was a Garage head. By the time I decided I wanted to go the club was closed. This opened the door however for me to hear Larry Levan at Studio 54. Thursday night was college night at the Club and Steve from Phi Beta Sigma urged me to go hear Larry Levan.
By this time I was working at WHCS and interning at WNYE 91.5 fm. After 6 months I went from being a college DJ to being on the radio and one of the only DJ's playing House music on the radio.
I became a student of the club scene hearing Roman Ricardo at the Palladium on a Wednsday and Johnny Dynell at the Tunnel on a Thursday. Todd Terry was ruling the record stores and we couldn't get enough of the imports coming in from overseas.
It was nothing for me to run to the record shop, get the latest tunes and then get on the radio and play them. The Phi Beta Sigma organization were responsible for me having a high level of profile gigs early in my career. From Studio 54, to Jones Beach and Mars. Having a radio show gave me a demand but Monte and Steve became the anchor in which helped me to be an elite DJ.
