Tribute To A Legend – Francis Grasso

I’m guessing that many of you weren’t even born when Francis Grasso was inventing beatmatching. But, don’t feel bad. Instead, be grateful that he was so creative in his approach to DJing that his inventions benefit us today.

Francis Grasso was a native of New York City. After completing a degree in literature from Long Island University, he ended up working as a dancer at Trude Heller, a popular club in Greenwich Village. One thing led to another and Grasso found himself at a club called Salvation II. As luck would have it, the scheduled DJ never showed up for work thanks to his unfortunate foray into taking acid.

Grasso was invited to DJ that night on a Reco-Cut fader and two Reco-Cut turntables. He says, “The club had the records. For a long time, that was the way it always was” (djhistory.com).

Grasso was the first to use headphones because he was the first to incorporate storytelling into his song selection. The headphones helped him perfect slip-cueing. He chose music that would affect the mood and energy of the crowd. That was something that had never been done before.

DJing has come a long way since the 1970s thanks in large part to Francis Grasso’s talent and imagination.