Dean
A. Banks of banksnet.com has been involved
in the music/video industry for over 30
years. Dean began his music career on the
East Coast by recording his first album
in 1976 entitled "Money In The Bank".
In 1977 he moved to Los Angeles, CA. and
joined the band Tony
Newton & Gravity as their keyboardist.
During his tenure in L.A., Dean performed,
toured, or recorded with such notables as
Iron
Butterfly, Wild
Cherry, The
Coasters, The
Platters, The
Drifters, The
Lorna Wright Band (Gary
"Dream Weaver" Wright's sister),
Pat
"Paraquat" Kelley (of legendary
L.A. radio station KMET), Frankie
Gaye (Marvin
Gaye's brother), and Slim & Trim,
in which he appeared in the MGM Motion Pictures
release "The
Penitentiary". After returning
to Delaware in 1989, he functioned as keyboardist,
manager, and producer for the SMI Music
label's recording artist Steve
Miceli, whose CD "A Step Away"
was released in 1992.
Dean's
management experience was derived from his
work with Frank
Zappa's one time manager Bennett Glotzer,
where he worked on the radio promotion staff.
He learned a great deal about public relations
from his work with Jo
Ann Geffen's firm. In the past he managed
a former Motown great Antonio L. Newton
(Tony Williams Lifetime, Smokey Robinson,
G-Force (w/Gary Moore), and Thelma Houston).
His past roster has included Miya Williams,
Suzanne Oliver, Erin DeVore, Mary Archer,
Steve Miceli, Dawn Platt of Tempting Fate,
and co-management with Rick Dougherty of
Hannon Tramp.
Dean's
production experience was gained as an engineering
intern with Bill Ravencraft (Marvin Gaye,
George Benson, Led Zeppelin) of Motown Studios
and Marvin Gaye Studios, Hollywood, CA.,
and independent producer Ken
Scott (The Beatles, David Bowie, Kansas).
Dean has worked as a producer/engineer with
Antonio L. Newton, The Light, Slim &
Trim, Frankie Gaye, Hugh
Ferguson (former guitarist/Graham Nash),
Paraquat Kelly, Kim
Fowley (The Runaways, Helen Reddy),
Miya Williams, Suzanne Oliver, Erin DeVore,
Mary Archer, Steve Miceli, and Dawn Platt
of Tempting Fate.
Applying
his studio experience, Dean has managed five
studios in the past; Wilshire Fine Arts, Burbank
Studio Center (which he also co-designed),
Sierra-Pacific Studios, Muse Studios, and
Ohm Studio. He has engineered with analog
and digital equipment at the following L.A.
studios: Kendun Recorders, RCA Studios, Cherokee
Studios, Motown Studios, and Devonshire Recorders.
Dean has also taught audio engineering technology
for a period of time at the University of
Sound Arts (USA) in Hollywood, CA. During
Dean's tenure at Muse Studios, he and Morris
Wilson collaborated on the dynamic song "Feel
The Wind In Your Sails", receiving high
acclaim when the song was played in the L.A.
radio market.
All
in all, Dean has performed at a high caliber
in the music industry. After relocating to
Delaware in 1989, Dean formed a local music
magazine called Music From the Ledge. During
his tenure with the magazine as Editor-in-Chief,
Dean interviewed such notables as Dio, Extreme,
King's X, and Kansas. In the early 90's Dean
was writing songs and soundtrack material
for the United Kingdom based company, SMI
Music. During the late 90's, Dean designed
and built a full service audio/video complex
called the MultiMedia Mall, a consortium of
graphics, web design, and audio/video production.
Applying his understanding of multimedia production,
Dean started a parallel career path as a Webmaster
at the turn of the century. In 2002 he received
his certification as a Master
Certified Internet Webmaster Designer (MCIWD).
His training was specialized in e-Commerce
design and implementation, part of his career
path for present and future music marketing.
Currently, Dean is the producer, engineer,
and webmaster for his company, banksnet.com.