Biography

Dean A. Banks of banksnet.com has been involved in the music/video industry for over 35 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. He received his A.A. degree from L.A. Pierce College (Psychology/Computers) in 1984 and his D.D. degree (Theology) from UCS in 1985. After college Dean taught audio engineering technology for a year 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. Branching out, Dean spoke on pursuing your dreams at a Mind, Body & Spirit Festival in San Diego, CA.

All in all, Dean has performed at a high caliber in the music/video/motivational industry. Moving 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 wrote soundtracks 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 produces multimedia marketing, advertising campaigns, commercials, and is the webmaster for his company, banksnet.com. He has developed the non-profit Web TV station Channel CCC in Wilmington, DE. and formerly wrote for Examiner.com as the Wilmington Spirituality Examiner.

Blog address: http://deanabanks.blogspot.com/
Spirituality Guide: http://spiritualityguidance.blogspot.com/

MCIWD- Master Certified Internet Webmaster Designer with a specialization in eCommerce.