Record executive
Born January 21, 1933 in Everett, Massachusetts and raised in Revere - Died December 07, 2007 C.E. --- Former Financial Backer of the Paradise Garage, C.E.O. of West End Records, Trendsetter, Owner of Colonial House Inn, Founder and President 24 Hours For Life Foundation, Philanthropist, Painter.
Backing singer for West End recording artist Colleen Heather
Member of post-disco group Peech Boys
Larry Levan met Michael DeBenedictus when the latter offered to work with him on a theme party at the Paradise Garage. Michael was a keyboardist amongst other things, and in 1982, the two formed a partnership with singer and guitarist Bernard Fowler and called themselves the Peech Boys.
US-American DJ and producer
Born July 20, 1954 in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn, New York - Died November 8, 1992 of heart failure at a mere 38 years old. Larry is revered primarily as the DJ and driving force of the famous gay-friendly disco Paradise Garage. With engineer Richard Long, he custom-designed the Garage's sound system and DJ booth, complete with audiophile Thorens turntables. Larry's brilliance lay not only in his technical skill and audio expertise, but also in his eclectic taste. He broadened the 'rules' of what dance music could be, mixing everything from gospel, reggae, Philly soul and Euro-disco to rock ("Stand Back"/Stevie Nicks and "Eminence Front"/The Who, to name but two), post-punk ("The Magnificent Seven"/The Clash, and Talking Heads), ambient/environmental music (Klaus Schulze and Manuel Gottsching, for example) and just about everything else. He augmented his sets with disorienting sound effects and audio manipulations, working the crossover and balance controls to throw sound around the room as if it had a will of its own. Larry cut his musical teeth at The Loft, essentially the first underground, afterhours disco. Started by David Mancuso at the advent of the '70s, The Loft combined psychedelic culture with proto-disco music, which then consisted of longform, psychedelic-influenced soul ("Melting Pot"/Booker T. & The MG's, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"/The Temptations, etc.), jazz-funk like The Blackbyrds, funky rock ("Woman"/Barabas, for example) and trippy head music like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon." When "Paradise Garage" opened in 1976, Larry added gospel-and R&B-flavored disco to his musical menu. After the Garage closed in 1987, Larry kept a considerably lower profile, doing guest spots at various clubs, including "Studio 54," "Palladium" and "Mars," and D.J.-ing regularly at "The Choice," arguably the inheritor of the Garage's underground legacy. "The Choice" didn't have the grandeur of the Garage, but Larry made it his home, casting his psychedelic spell on a diverse crowd of devoted Garage fans and various other afterhours types.
American funk soul bassist from Memphis, Tennessee
Italian film composer and pianist
Armando Trovajoli (born September 2, 1917, Rome, Italy - died February 27, 2013, Rome, Italy) was an Italian film composer and pianist with over 300 credits as composer and/or conductor. He was married to the italian actress and singer Pier Angeli.
DJ - songwriter - producer
Born in 1952, in Conshohocken, PA, U.S. Died in July 1994, Philadelphia, U.S.m, 42 years old, of complications from AIDS. He co-wrote Karen Young's smash "Hot Shot", along with Andy Khan
Disco Producer for Canadian disco studio group Bombers
Italian-Canadian songwriter, producer, and record company executive based in Montréal, Québec
Queen of Pop and Disco from Philadelphia, PA
US-American singer from Philadelphia, PA (March 23, 1951-January 26, 1991); best known for her hit "Hot Shot".
DJ - remixer - producer - technician - engineer
Tee (Toraino) Scott was a highly influential New York DJ from the early 70s on. Best known for playing at Manattan club Better Days, he also played at Cheetah Club and Zanzibar in New Jersey and the legendary Continental Baths. His recorded work included mixing records for a wide array of labels and artists including many of Began Cekic's productions on BC Records/One Way Records.
